Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) vs Apple MacBook Air (Original)

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MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) compared with MacBook Air (Original)

	AppleMacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)	AppleMacBook Air (Original)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2017	January 2008
Display
Screen size
Screen size	13.3″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900 (better)	1280 × 800
Panel
Panel	TN LCD	TN LCD
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	LED-backlit glossy widescreen display; TN panel confirmed by Notebookcheck; 16:10 aspect ratio	Glossy LED-backlit widescreen TFT LCD, millions of colours. TN panel identified in Notebookcheck’s exact-model review; refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.
Colour range
Colour range	Millions of colours	–
Display features
Display features	Scaled 16:10 resolutions of 1280 × 800, 1152 × 720 and 1024 × 640; 4:3 resolutions of 1024 × 768 and 800 × 600	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-5350U or Intel Core i7-5650U	Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz (MacBook Air, Original, 2008) or Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz (MacBook Air, Original, 2008)
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 6000	Intel GMA X3100
Memory
Memory	8 GB (better)	2 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 512 GB (better)	64 GB to 80 GB
CPU
CPU	Dual-core Intel Core i5 at 1.8 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz and 3 MB shared L3 cache, or Core i7 at 2.2 GHz with up to 3.2 GHz and 4 MB shared L3 cache. Exact i5-5350U and i7-5650U identifiers confirmed by Notebookcheck. Intel's current i7 specification table says 3.1 GHz, while its heading and Apple's sheet say 3.2 GHz; the chip record omits the conflicting maximum.	Custom dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo at 1.6 GHz or optional 1.8 GHz, 4 MB shared L2 cache and 800 MHz frontside bus. Chip records retain the maker’s clock and model description because exact Intel part numbers are not maker-confirmed.
GPU
GPU	Intel HD Graphics 6000	Intel GMA X3100 with 144 MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory	2 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 onboard memory, not upgradeable
Storage type
Storage type	PCIe-based SSD; 128 GB or 256 GB standard, configurable to 256 GB or 512 GB as appropriate	80 GB 4200-rpm Parallel ATA hard drive or optional 64 GB solid-state drive, available with either processor. No built-in optical drive; optional external USB MacBook Air SuperDrive.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 12 hours	–
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	54 Wh (better)	37 Wh
Weight
Weight	1.35 kg (better)	1.36 kg
Thickness
Thickness	17 mm (better)	19.4 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	325 × 227 mm	325 × 227 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 12 hours wireless web or iTunes movie playback and up to 30 days standby; lithium-polymer. Apple's May 2017 test used 1.8 GHz Core i5, 8 GB memory and 256 GB storage. Chassis tapers from 3 to 17 mm; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.	Built-in 37 Wh lithium-polymer battery. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process; no runtime figure on the current maker technical sheet.
Charger
Charger	45 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management	45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure	Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 4 to 19.4 mm
Colours
Colours	Silver	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Thunderbolt 2, MagSafe 2, SD card slot, headphone jack	USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5	802.11n draft; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.0	2.1 + EDR
Webcam
Webcam	720p FaceTime HD	Built-in iSight camera
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	Two USB 3 USB-A ports up to 5 Gb/s; one Thunderbolt 2 port up to 20 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort; MagSafe 2; SDXC card slot; 3.5 mm headphone jack	One USB 2.0 port up to 480 Mb/s, Micro-DVI video output, headphone jack and MagSafe. Micro-DVI to DVI and VGA adapters supplied; Ethernet requires an optional USB adapter.
External displays
External displays	One display up to 3840 × 2160 at 60 Hz alongside the built-in display, at millions of colours; VGA, HDMI, DVI and dual-link DVI through separate adaptors	Built-in screen plus one external display up to 1920 × 1200, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring
Keyboard
Keyboard	Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, inverted-T arrow keys and an ambient light sensor	Full-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	Multi-Touch trackpad with scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, tap and drag gestures; no Force Touch (Notebookcheck)	Multi-Touch trackpad with scroll, pinch, rotate, swipe, tap, double-tap and drag gestures
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Mono speaker
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	MacBook Air; power adapter; AC wall plug; power cord	MacBook Air, MagSafe power adapter, Micro-DVI to DVI and VGA adapters, cleaning cloth, install/restore DVDs and printed documentation; Mac OS X Leopard and iLife ’08