Apple announced a new MacBook Air today during a hardware event in New York. The new MacBook Air finally gets a Retina display as well as modern processors, 50 percent thinner bezels, and an updated keyboard. It’s the first major refresh of the MacBook Air in years, and it finally turns it into a modern, competitive machine. But how does it stack up against Apple’s existing MacBook and MacBook Pro?
Now that the MacBook Air has been revamped, it’s no longer at the $1,000 price point. Instead, the Air has ditched its price advantage in favor of more competitive specs. But with it lining up so closely with the 13-inch MacBook Pro, it might seem easier to just spend $100 more for what is in some ways a more powerful model.
Other MacBooks are behind on updates
At the same time, Apple hasn’t updated the MacBook and MacBook Pro (without the Touch Bar) for over a year, meaning that the processors and keyboards are dated. Buying a laptop with a 7th Gen Intel chip means losing out on some performance gains, and getting a second-gen Butterfly keyboard could mean running into some of the issues people have been complaining about, such as unresponsive keys.
The new MacBook Air still has a few shortcomings: its clock speeds are inferior to the Pro and, as is the case with its predecessors, it has low base storage (though there’s an option to upgrade up to 1.5TB). Whether those are enough to sway you toward the larger MacBooks or not, looking at all the specs will definitely help with the decision. To simplify things, we’re looking at the base specs and starting prices of each MacBook.
MacBook Spec Comparison
- | MacBook | MacBook Air | MacBook Pro (no Touch Bar) | MacBook Pro with Touch Bar |
---|---|---|---|---|
Display | 12 inches | 13.3 inches | 13.3 inches | 13.3 inches |
Resolution | 2304 x 1440 | 2560 x 1600 | 2560 x 1600 | 2560 x 1600 |
Processor | 7th Gen 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m3 | 8th Gen 1.6-GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 | 7th Gen 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 | 8th Gen 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 |
Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 615 | Intel UHD Graphics 617 | Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 | Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 |
RAM | 8GB, 16GB | 8GB, 16GB | 8GB, 16GB | 8GB, 16GB |
Storage | 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1.5TB | 128GB, 256GB | 256GB, 512GB |
Camera | 480p FaceTime camera | 720p FaceTime HD camera | 720p FaceTime HD camera | 720p FaceTime HD camera |
Battery | 10 hours | 12 hours | 10 hours | 10 hours |
Ports | USB-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack | Two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, 3.5mm headphone jack | Two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, 3.5mm headphone jack | Four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, 3.5mm headphone jack |
Weight | 2.03 pounds | 2.75 pounds | 3.02 pounds | 3.02 pounds |
Dimensions (in.) | 11.04 x 7.74 x 0.52 | 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.61 | 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.59 | 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.59 |
Starting price | $1,299 | $1,199 | $1,299 | $1,799 |
Colors | Gold, Silver, Space Gray | Gold, Silver, Space Gray | Silver, Space Gray | Silver, Space Gray |
Features | Second gen Butterfly Keyboard | Touch ID, third gen Butterfly Keyboard | Second gen Butterfly Keyboard | Touch ID, Touch Bar, True Tone, third gen Butterfly Keyboard |