Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) vs Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010)

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MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) compared with MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010)

	AppleMacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)	AppleMacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2017	October 2010
Display
Screen size
Screen size	13.3″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900	1440 × 900
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 LCD, millions of colours; TN panel confirmed by 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 Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.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 SL9400 or Intel Core 2 Duo SL9600
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 6000	NVIDIA GeForce 320M
Memory
Memory	8 GB (better)	2 GB or 4 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 512 GB (better)	128 GB to 256 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.	Dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 at 1.86 GHz or optional SL9600 at 2.13 GHz, with 6 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz frontside bus. Exact identities confirmed by Notebookcheck and EveryMac; the faster processor is offered only on the higher storage base, as documented by Macworld.
GPU
GPU	Intel HD Graphics 6000	NVIDIA GeForce 320M with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory	2 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 onboard memory, configurable to 4 GB
Storage type
Storage type	PCIe-based SSD; 128 GB or 256 GB standard, configurable to 256 GB or 512 GB as appropriate	128 GB flash storage with SL9400; 256 GB base supports SL9400 or SL9600. Configurations preserve the base-specific upgrade restrictions; memory cannot be upgraded after purchase.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 12 hours	Up to 7 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	54 Wh (better)	50 Wh
Weight
Weight	1.35 kg	1.32 kg (better)
Thickness
Thickness	17 mm	17 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 50 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 7 hours wireless productivity or 30 days standby under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
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 3 to 17 mm
Colours
Colours	Silver	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Thunderbolt 2, MagSafe 2, SD card slot, headphone jack	2 × USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack, SD card slot
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5	802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.0	2.1 + EDR
Webcam
Webcam	720p FaceTime HD	FaceTime 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	Two USB 2.0 ports up to 480 Mb/s, Mini DisplayPort output, MagSafe, SD card slot and headphone jack supporting the Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI require separate adapters.
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 2560 × 1600, 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 keyboard without backlighting
Trackpad
Trackpad	Multi-Touch trackpad with scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, tap and drag gestures; no Force Touch (Notebookcheck)	Multi-Touch trackpad
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	MacBook Air; power adapter; AC wall plug; power cord	MacBook Air, power adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; Mac OS X Snow Leopard, iLife ’11, Software Reinstall Drive and documentation