2018 MacBook Air Users Report Terrible ‘HD’ Camera Quality

Apple’s latest and most advanced ultra-portable MacBook Air (2018) is, in almost every conceivable way, an upgrade over its predecessor.

The new model, which sells for $1,199 and up, packs a ton of new advancements like an improved and more spacious unibody design, featuring a gorgeous and expansive 13.3-inch Retina display, an eighth-generation Intel CPU along with the latest components including Touch ID for added security, a larger trackpad, a third-generation Butterfly keyboard, and much more.

But, even despite these far-reaching improvements to speed, security and connectivity, Apple decided to equip its latest MacBook Air with the same 720p “HD” camera (for FaceTime and video conferencing) employed in its predecessor.

And while the module is technically capable of high definition video capture to the tune of 720p, some of the new MacBook Air’s earliest adopters are saying the performance it delivers is actually worse than that of the previous MacBook Air.

“I got the 2018 Air for just one day and the issue was there the first time I tried the camera,” Li3n, a community member on Apple’s official support forums, lodged in a recent complaint, noting that “The blurring is uniform across all regions of the image and independent of environmental lighting.” 

“I have the same issue,” another user wrote in response, adding that “My colleagues confirmed too that on the other end of a video call my video quality is definitely not HD … I tried with FaceTime, Skype, Hangouts — same issue with all.”

What’s the Issue?

Some users went on to provide a wide range of possible explanations for the poor iSight camera performance, with one user, in particular, noting that upon paying a visit to their local Apple Store, it appears that every 2018 MacBook Air on display suffers from the same problem.

Others, meanwhile, note that the issue could also be the result of an outdated driver, which could feasibly be fixed by an OTA software update on Apple’s end — while some naysayers fear the worst, such as that the issue may be hardware-related and the camera module or lens, itself, is the source of the distortion.

Of course, the lattermost of those outcomes would ultimately require that affected MacBook Air’s be sent back to Apple for repair or replacement service.

Unfortunately, as of this write-up, the company has yet to acknowledge — let alone respond with a solution — to this issue.

Several media outlets including The Verge, CultofMac and others, have reportedly reached out to Apple for comment on the matter, and so it likely won’t be long until we know what’s afoot here.

Are you a 2018 MacBook Air owner? If so, what’s your experience been like with the iSight camera so far? Let us know in the comments!