Apple MacBook Air (Original) vs Apple MacBook Air (Mid 2009)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMacBook Air (Original) | AppleMacBook Air (Mid 2009) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | January 2008 | June 2009 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 13.3″ | 13.3″ |
| Resolution | 1280 × 800 | 1280 × 800 |
| Panel | TN LCD | – |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | 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 TN panel identified in Notebookcheck’s exact-model review; refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple. | Glossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD, millions of colours; panel technology, refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple. |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz (MacBook Air, Original, 2008) or Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz (MacBook Air, Original, 2008) | Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 or Intel Core 2 Duo SL9600 |
| CPU cores | 2 | 2 |
| Graphics | Intel GMA X3100 | NVIDIA GeForce 9400M |
| Memory | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Storage | 64 GB to 80 GB | 120 GB to 128 GB (better) |
| CPU | 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. | Dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 at 1.86 GHz or SL9600 at 2.13 GHz, 6 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz frontside bus. Exact identities confirmed by EveryMac and Notebookcheck. |
| GPU | Intel GMA X3100 with 144 MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory | NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory |
| Memory type | 2 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 onboard memory, not upgradeable | 2 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 onboard memory, not upgradeable |
| Storage type | 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. | The 1.86 GHz base has a 120 GB 4200-rpm Serial ATA hard drive; the 2.13 GHz base has a 128 GB solid-state drive. Configurations preserve these published combinations. Optional external USB MacBook Air SuperDrive; no built-in optical drive. |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery capacity | 37 Wh | 40 Wh (better) |
| Weight | 1.36 kg | 1.36 kg |
| Thickness | 19.4 mm | 19.4 mm |
| Width × depth | 325 × 227 mm | 325 × 227 mm |
| Battery life detail | Built-in 37 Wh lithium-polymer battery. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process; no runtime figure on the current maker technical sheet. | Built-in 40 Wh lithium-polymer battery. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process; no runtime figure on the current maker technical sheet. |
| Charger | 45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management | 45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management |
| Materials | Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 4 to 19.4 mm | Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 4 to 19.4 mm |
| Colours | Silver | Silver |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack | USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11n draft; compatible with 802.11a/b/g | 802.11n draft; compatible with 802.11a/b/g |
| Bluetooth | 2.1 + EDR | 2.1 + EDR |
| Webcam | Built-in iSight camera | Built-in iSight camera |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | 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. | One USB 2.0 port up to 480 Mb/s, Mini DisplayPort video output, headphone jack and MagSafe. USB Ethernet Adapter supplied; DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI video adapters sold separately. |
| External displays | Built-in screen plus one external display up to 1920 × 1200, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring | Built-in screen plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring |
| Keyboard | Full-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor | Full-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor |
| Trackpad | Multi-Touch trackpad with scroll, pinch, rotate, swipe, tap, double-tap and drag gestures | Multi-Touch trackpad with two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger and four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag gestures |
| Speakers | Mono speaker | Mono speaker |
| Microphones | Omnidirectional microphone | Omnidirectional microphone |
| In the box | 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 | MacBook Air, 45 W MagSafe power adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, USB Ethernet Adapter, install/restore DVDs, display cleaning cloth and documentation; Mac OS X Leopard and iLife ’09 |
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