Apple MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)

Apple · MacBook Air

MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)

Released March 2015

An 11-inch Intel MacBook Air with a compact aluminium body, USB-A ports and Thunderbolt 2.

Model history · 6 models, 2010–2015
  1. 2010MacBook Air (11-inch, Late 2010)Compare
  2. 2011MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011)Compare
  3. 2012MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012)Compare
  4. 2013MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2013)Compare
  5. 2014MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2014)Compare
  6. 2015MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)
Size
11.6″
Display
TN LCD
Processor
Intel Core i5 or i7
Memory
4 GB – 8 GB
Weight
1.08 kg
Battery
9 h

What reviewers say

Reviewers praise the build quality, input devices, everyday performance and battery endurance, while criticising the low-resolution TN display. Macworld finds longer battery life but little progress in Mac games; Notebookcheck sees stronger graphics benchmarks and throttling under stress. Stuff values the portability but finds the working area cramped.

From notebookcheck.net, macworld.com and stuff.tv

Display

Screen size
11.6″
Resolution
1366 × 768
Panel
TN LCD
Touchscreen
No
Display type
LED-backlit widescreen LCD; TN panel confirmed by Macworld; millions of colours
Screen finish
Glossy
Display features
Native 1366 × 768; other supported modes include 1344 × 756 and 1280 × 720 at 16:9, 1152 × 720 and 1024 × 640 at 16:10, and 1024 × 768 or 800 × 600 at 4:3

Performance

Processor
Intel Core i5-5250U or Intel Core i7-5650U
CPU cores
2
CPU threads
4
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics 6000
Memory
4 GB or 8 GB
Storage
128 GB to 512 GB
CPU
Dual-core Intel Core i5 at 1.6 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.7 GHz and 3 MB shared L3 cache, configurable to Core i7 at 2.2 GHz with 4 MB cache. Apple UK specifies up to 3.2 GHz for the i7; Intel's current ARK title also says 3.2 GHz but its turbo table says 3.1 GHz. Notebookcheck identifies i5-5250U and i7-5650U; Laptop Mag confirms the base i5.
GPU
Intel HD Graphics 6000 integrated graphics
Memory type
4 GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory, configurable to 8 GB
Storage type
128 GB or 256 GB PCIe-based flash storage; configurable to 512 GB

Battery and size

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 9 hours
Battery capacity
38 Wh
Weight
1.08 kg
Thickness
17 mm
Width × depth
300 × 192 mm
Battery life detail
Lithium-polymer battery; up to 9 hours wireless web, 10 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby. Apple's February 2015 tests used preproduction 1.6 GHz Core i5 systems. Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
45 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management
Materials
Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 3 to 17 mm
Colours
Silver

Connections

Ports
2 × USB-A, Thunderbolt 2, MagSafe 2, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth
4.0
Webcam
720p FaceTime HD
Operating system
macOS
Port detail
Two USB 3 ports up to 5 Gb/s; Thunderbolt 2 up to 20 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort output; MagSafe 2 power port; 3.5 mm headphone jack supporting Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone. DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI and HDMI need separate adaptors.
External displays
Built-in screen plus one external display up to 3840 × 2160, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring
Keyboard
Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys in an inverted T layout; ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, tap, double-tap and drag; no Force Touch
Speakers
Stereo speakers
Microphones
Dual microphones
In the box
MacBook Air; power adaptor; AC wall plug; power cord

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorage
Intel Core i5-5250U4 GB128 GB
Intel Core i5-5250U4 GB256 GB
Intel Core i5-5250U4 GB512 GB
Intel Core i5-5250U8 GB128 GB
Intel Core i5-5250U8 GB256 GB
Intel Core i5-5250U8 GB512 GB
Intel Core i7-5650U4 GB128 GB
Intel Core i7-5650U4 GB256 GB
Intel Core i7-5650U4 GB512 GB
Intel Core i7-5650U8 GB128 GB
Intel Core i7-5650U8 GB256 GB
Intel Core i7-5650U8 GB512 GB

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 1.08 kg aluminium enclosure
  • Two USB-A ports and MagSafe 2 charging
  • Up to 8 GB memory and 512 GB storage

Cons

  • 1366 × 768 display
  • No built-in card reader
  • Onboard memory

Closest rivals

Model
SizeDisplayProcessorMemoryWeightBatteryReleased
11.6″TN LCDIntel Core i5 or i74 GB – 8 GB1.08 kg9 hApr 2014
11.6″TN LCDIntel Core i5 or i72 GB – 4 GB1.08 kg5 hJul 2011
11.6″TN LCDIntel Core i5 or i74 GB – 8 GB1.08 kg5 hJun 2012

Previous model: MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2014).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/112441
  2. apple.com/uk/newsroom/2015/03/09Apple-Updates-13-inch-MacBook-Pro-with-Retina-D…
  3. macworld.com/article/667335/macbook-air-11-inch-early-2015-review.html
  4. laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/macbook-air-11-2015
  5. notebookcheck.net/Apple-updates-11-inch-and-13-inch-MacBook-Air-with-Broadwell.…
  6. intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/84984/intel-core-i55250u-processor-3m-…
  7. intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/84995/intel-core-i75650u-processor-4m-…
  8. notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Air-11-Early-2015-Notebook-Review.141993.0.html

Photo: cdsassets.apple.com

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