Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) vs Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)

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MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) compared with MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)

	AppleMacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)	AppleMacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2017	November 2018
Display
Screen size
Screen size	13.3″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900	2560 × 1600 (better)
Panel
Panel	TN LCD	IPS LCD
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	LED-backlit glossy widescreen display; TN panel confirmed by Notebookcheck; 16:10 aspect ratio	Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; 16:10 aspect ratio
Pixel density
Pixel density	–	227 ppi
Colour range
Colour range	Millions of colours	Millions of colours; sRGB rather than P3 (Macworld)
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 i5-8210Y
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	4
Graphics
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 6000	Intel UHD Graphics 617
Memory
Memory	8 GB	8 GB or 16 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 512 GB	128 GB to 1.536 TB (better)
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.	Eighth-generation dual-core Intel Core i5 at 1.6 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz, with 4 MB L3 cache; exact i5-8210Y identifier confirmed by Macworld and TechRadar. Apple T2 Security Chip with secure boot and storage encryption.
GPU
GPU	Intel HD Graphics 6000	Intel UHD Graphics 617; compatible Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processors supported
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory	8 GB or 16 GB of 2133 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Storage type
Storage type	PCIe-based SSD; 128 GB or 256 GB standard, configurable to 256 GB or 512 GB as appropriate	PCIe-based SSD; 128 GB or 256 GB standard, configurable to 512 GB or 1.5 TB
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 12 hours	Up to 13 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	54 Wh (better)	50.3 Wh
Weight
Weight	1.35 kg	1.25 kg (better)
Thickness
Thickness	17 mm	15.6 mm (better)
Width × depth
Width × depth	325 × 227 mm	304.1 × 212.4 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.	Up to 12 hours wireless web, 13 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby; lithium-polymer. Apple's tests used 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. Chassis height tapers from 4.1 to 15.6 mm; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
Charger	45 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management	30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C charging
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure	100% recycled aluminium enclosure
Colours
Colours	Silver	Gold, Silver, Space Grey
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Thunderbolt 2, MagSafe 2, SD card slot, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5	Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.0	4.2
Webcam
Webcam	720p FaceTime HD	720p FaceTime HD
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 Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports with charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; 3.5 mm headphone jack
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	One display at 5120 × 2880 and up to 60 Hz, or two at 4096 × 2304 and up to 60 Hz alongside the built-in display; VGA, HDMI and Thunderbolt 2 through separate adaptors
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	Third-generation butterfly mechanism (Macworld); 78 US or 79 ISO individually LED-backlit keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys; ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	Multi-Touch trackpad with scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, tap and drag gestures; no Force Touch (Notebookcheck)	Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensing and Multi-Touch gestures
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers; wide stereo playback
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Three microphones
Biometrics
Biometrics	–	Touch ID
In the box
In the box	MacBook Air; power adapter; AC wall plug; power cord	MacBook Air; 30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)