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MacBook Air 2018 Review
MacBook Air 2018 review: Apple has updated its classic design with the thinnest-ever chassis and a Retina Display. But with other laptop manufacturers innovating in this space, is the new Air doing enough to hold onto the throne?
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Thomas NewtonNovember 15, 2018 7: 58 am
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Verdict
The MacBook Air 2018 is a streamlined and powerful laptop brimming with up-to-date features.
Pros
A classic design, refreshed for 2018Lightweight, premium-feel bodyRetina Display screenPro features for a lower price
Cons
Only has two USB-C ports
Key Features
Review Price: £ 119913.3-inch high resolution screen ( 2560 x 1600) Touch ID fingerprint scanner for fast unlocking and secure purchasesButterfly-switched keycaps allows for a shallower keyboardT2 chip for added security features
What is the Apple MacBook Air 2018?
The new MacBook Air 2018 range has finally arrived. And by “finally” I mean Apple has given this much-loved laptop a proper update, instead of the iterative upgrades we’ve seen with the past few versions.
As well as rocking a Retina Display, which packs a resolution of 2560 x 1600 into a 13.3-inch panel, there’s the T2 security chip, which automatically encrypts your files and offers a secure boot option. That latter is likely to be mainly of interest to IT professionals, sysadmins or whoever buys the laptops for your company. But for everyday consumers, the T2 chip offers a level of security that, until now, has only been available to MacBook Pro 2018 and iMac Pro buyers – and, later this year, to anyone snapping up a Mac Mini 2018.
In terms of looks, the new MacBook Airs retain that classic wedge shape, which set the bar over ten years ago. Many laptops sport this look these days, but it’s Apple that can take much of the credit for that.
Compared to the 2017 MacBook Air lineup, this year’s models are about 10% thinner, with a smaller footprint. Apple says this has shaved just over a centimetre from the x and y-axis.
In addition, you get more up-to-date processors running the show and up to 16GB of RAM – a clear improvement on the 8GB maximum seen in the previous generation.
Apple MacBook Air 2018 – Design and features
The new MacBook Air is business as usual – but thinner, better, faster, smoother. Slimming down means it weighs just 1.25kg. That’s an impressive feat, considering the unibody case is an aluminium-heavy alloy, instead of the lighter and flexier magnesium-based material seen on competing devices, such as the 1kg LG Gram.
In the days I’ve spent lugging the MacBook Air around, there have been times I’ve barely noticed it’s there. Although prior to this, I’d been using the very chunky, 2.4kg Asus ROG GL504 Hero II gaming laptop as my daily driver, so that may be part of the reason for that. The only downside to the slim design is that the port lineup consists of just two USB-C ports, both supporting the Thunderbolt 3 standard.
The use of Thunderbolt at least means you can benefit from video passthrough ( using the DisplayPort 1.2 video standard) data rates of up to 40Gbps, for example, and the ability to daisy-chain. As a result, you can set up the MacBook Air as the nexus of a powerful home studio with the right cables and peripherals.
Right out of the box, however, you’re limited. Note that most of the time, one of those USB-C ports will be taken up by the mains adapter, so in essence you have only one USB-C port at your disposal.
There are a greater number of peripherals these days supporting the Thunderbolt standard, which is a good thing, but that’s only a benefit if you have a sizeable monitor with lots of extra connections, or a dock that you had to buy to use with a previous MacBook. Not to mention a budget/credit rating ample enough to accommodate the extra expense.
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