MacBook Air 2018: What’s the point of it?
13.11.2018
Translation: Eva Francis
The MacBook Air also got an upgrade in 2018 – its biggest since 2015. With these extra features, the Air now costs almost as much as a MacBook Pro. We ask what everyone is thinking: is there any point in the light version?
To be honest, it’s a question I’ve been asking myself for the last few years since the Air got a revamp. Mind you, there’s more than just a processor upgrade this time around. Before I put the device through its paces, here are the key specs:
- Intel Core i5 with two cores and 1.6 GHz
- Intel UHD Graphics 617
- 8 GB LPDDR3 RAM
- 256 GB SSD
- 13.3-inch IPS display with 2560 × 1600 and 227 ppi
You can still get other versions of the MacBook Air with more RAM and mass storage. My colleague Randy Stalder has compiled the different models for you here:
Who still needs the MacBook Air?
The device I’m testing out would have set me back around 1,650 francs. Compared with the 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro, the 2018 Air is only 75 francs more. And yet it boasts increased storage to the tune of 256 GB. Essentially you’re getting much more performance without having to dig much deeper into your pocket.
You might argue the Air is smaller and lighter. And that may have been a compelling argument a few years ago. But the truth is the MacBook Pro that is set at a comparable price is only 120 g heavier – in other words 1.37 kg rather than 1.25 kg.
For me, this difference is pretty insignificant. It’s not as though you’re taking your MacBook on long hikes. Apart from which, the thickest point of the Air is actually thicker than the Pro. OK, we’re talking about 1 mm but still.
It’s a shame you can end up paying a lot (comparatively speaking) for a MacBook Air when it doesn’t perform as well but is at a similar price point to the cheapest MacBook Pro. And all because you just didn’t know or didn’t do your homework.
Design and ports
Compared with the last major refresh in 2015, the 2018 MacBook Air edition doesn’t feature many design changes. The «new» Air is a bit smaller and 100 g lighter. The casing is still made of aluminium but now you can pick from silver and gold alongside space grey.
Hmm, what else do I need to tell you about the design? When the first MacBook Air came out in 2008, it was a game-changer for ultrabooks in terms of design. As a result, a lot of manufacturers followed Apple’s example. And now ten years later, the MacBook Air still looks like its 2008 sibling. The design doesn’t fail to win me over, but a breath of fresh air wouldn’t do it any harm.
As far as ports go, Apple only gives you the essentials. The 2018 MacBook Air comes with two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a headphone jack. But since the Air is intended for general use, it shouldn’t matter that the USB A port is missing. To be fair, MacBook Pros aren’t any better equipped. This is a prime example of Apple’s continuing port-culling strategy, which forces you to buy adapters.
Display
The 13.3-inch retina display features 2560 × 1600 resolution and 227 ppi pixel density. The images are razor-sharp and are designed to enable colour-accurate work straight out of the box. I couldn’t detect any irregularities in the EIZO monitor test.
As with any glossy display, it was quite reflective. But thanks to the 300 nits brightness, the MacBook can also be used in bright rooms or even outside – just not in direct sunlight.
Keyboard and trackpad
The MacBook Air includes Apple’s new butterfly keyboard. I find the key drop on this way too short and you need to put too much pressure on the keys. All in all, it’s not a pleasant way to type.
Thankfully, Apple used the same trackpad in the new Air as in the MacBook Pro. I’ve recently been trying out all kinds of notebooks. And I can honestly say that no touchpad even comes close to the quality of the trackpads in Apple’s products.
The release of the 2018 edition marks the addition of Touch ID to the MacBook Air – Apple geeks around the world will be rejoicing. The fingerprint sensor is incorporated into the power button, and it’s quick and reliable. But Apple is yet to add Face ID to its MacBooks.
Speakers
The quality of the inbuilt speakers is enough for short video clips. But when it comes to watching films, the sound and image quality isn’t good enough for me to want to watch a whole film on my laptop There’s barely any bass and the speakers are quick to struggle when they have to deal with really high-pitched sounds. It’s also hard to make out voices in films when there are several sounds competing for speaker space.
Battery
The lithium polymer battery in the MacBook Air is pretty small in size for its 50 Wh. When you continuous stream YouTube with screen brightness at two thirds, the battery lasts about six and a half hours.
To see how long the MacBook holds out under constant load, I carry out various tests at the same time. First of all I stress the CPU with the yes command in the terminal. Then I test the RAM with the memtest in parallel. So the graphics card also has something to do, I let Cinebench R15’s OpenGL run. Last but not least, I start the Blackmagic disk speed test.
With all that going, the MacBook Air holds out two and a half hours. It managed to stay ridiculously cool but it did get quite loud. Just above the keyboard I measured around 50 dB on my smartphone.
Performance
The MacBook Air boasts an Intel Core i5-8210Y processor with two cores and integrated Intel UHD Graphics 617 graphics card. The Air can run up to four threads and has a TDP of 7 watt. Given its performance, the device is suitable for word processing, surfing the web and basic photo editing. If you want to do more complex graphics work, you’ll have to do it without the Air as your sidekick.
The RAM also plays a part, coming in as it does at a rather small 8 GB. Apple is always a bit stingy with standard designs, even though merely operating OS X requires less memory than it does to run Windows. If you work with a lot of tabs and your photo editor open at the same time, expect the Air to start whirring fairly quickly. For the price, Apple should really have packed in 16 GB RAM.
The 256 GB SSD does the job. However, if you also intend to edit videos you’ll need to transfer your data to external hard drives regularly so you have enough disc space.
CPU
As the inbuilt processor only features two cores and four threads, I don’t check the Cinebench R15 benchmark. This only gives comparable values when the processors have the same number of cores and threads. And all of the notebooks we tested this year had at least four-core processors.
That’s why I decided to run the Geekbench 4 benchmark – it tests single- and multicore. The i5-8210Y earned a respectable single-core score of 4,147 points. And in multicore it reached 7,722. This single-core mark placed the Air 300 points behind the best result on geekbench.com. And in multi-core it was also about 300 points behind the top result.
Compare that with last year’s MacBook Pro, which featured an Intel Core i5-7360U with 2.3 GHz, and the MacBook Air can’t keep up. The Pro reached a single-core score of 4,700 and a multicore score of 9,600.
If your work doesn’t use a lot of threads, the inbuilt i5-8210Y isn’t bad. But if you’re someone who relies on more threads, the Air’s processor just won’t cut it. In which case you’d be better with the MacBook Pro 2017.
GPU
Apple opted for the Intel UHD Graphics 617 for its graphics card. In terms of OpenCL, the MacBook Air earned a score of 19,839. To set this in context, the MacBook Pro and its Intel UHD Graphics 640 reached 31,000 points. This demonstrates that the Intel UHD Graphics 617 is a low-end graphics card, which is only suitable for word processing, surfing the net or simple photo editing tasks.
Verdict
After a brief spell testing out the MacBook Air, my fears were confirmed. Why? In terms of performance, the new Air doesn’t come close to that of the Pros. And I know because I used my own mid 2017 MacBook Pro in this test to compare it with the Air.
This becomes clear even when you just use the Air for standard daily tasks. I can’t get my head around why Apple keeps bringing out new MacBook Airs and clinging onto the range. But hey, they seem to sell.
After all these years, I find the design a bit stale. Apple doesn’t seem to have the courage it used to. The MacBook Air still does look appealing but the Cupertino manufacturer should strap themselves in, go back to their innovative roots and change something about it.
Could the lack of modernisation of the Air have anything to do with plans Apple might have to wipe the Air from the collection in the near future? In which case it might not be worth them investing too much in updating the design.
Ports are another issue I have with the Air – and in fact the same beef I had with the MacBook Pro. Apple delivers high-speed connectivity galore with the two Thunderbolt 3 ports. What it overdelivers with one type of connection, it under-delivers on another. And for me that’s the lack of bog-standard USB A ports you get on notebooks. Quite frankly, it’s annoying always having to carry a USB hub with me.
I personally find the MacBook Air overpriced for what it does. You’ve always had to pay over the odds for Apple devices, granted. But I used to soothe my bank balance with the fact you were getting excellent workmanship along with sufficient performance.
The MacBook Air might be OK for students or people who just use their computer now and again and who therefore don’t require much in terms of performance. But for what it is, I still think the Air is too expensive.
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
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