Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010) vs Apple MacBook Air (Mid 2009)

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MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010) compared with MacBook Air (Mid 2009)

	AppleMacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010)	AppleMacBook Air (Mid 2009)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2010	June 2009
Display
Screen size
Screen size	13.3″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900 (better)	1280 × 800
Panel
Panel	TN LCD	–
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Glossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD, millions of colours; TN panel confirmed by 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 Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.	Glossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD, millions of colours; panel technology, refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.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
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 or Intel Core 2 Duo SL9600	Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 or Intel Core 2 Duo SL9600
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 320M	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Memory
Memory	2 GB or 4 GB (better)	2 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 256 GB (better)	120 GB to 128 GB
CPU
CPU	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.	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
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce 320M with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
Memory type
Memory type	2 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 onboard memory, configurable to 4 GB	2 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 onboard memory, not upgradeable
Storage type
Storage type	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.	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 life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 7 hours	–
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	50 Wh (better)	40 Wh
Weight
Weight	1.32 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	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.	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
Charger	45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management	45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 3 to 17 mm	Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 4 to 19.4 mm
Colours
Colours	Silver	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack, SD card slot	USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g	802.11n draft; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR	2.1 + EDR
Webcam
Webcam	FaceTime camera	Built-in iSight camera
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	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.	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
External displays	Built-in screen plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, 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
Keyboard	Full-size keyboard without backlighting	Full-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	Multi-Touch trackpad	Multi-Touch trackpad with two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger and four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag gestures
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Mono speaker
Microphones
Microphones	Omnidirectional microphone	Omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	MacBook Air, power adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; Mac OS X Snow Leopard, iLife ’11, Software Reinstall Drive and documentation	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