Apple MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011)

Apple · MacBook Air

MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011)

Released July 2011

An 11-inch Intel MacBook Air with Sandy Bridge processors, flash storage and a compact aluminium body.

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

What reviewers say

Reviewers praised the compact construction, responsive keyboard and trackpad, and substantial processor and flash-storage performance gains. Quiet light use and the backlit keyboard were useful improvements. Limited storage and connections remained drawbacks, and demanding work raised heat and fan noise.

From macworld.com, notebookcheck.net and appleinsider.com

Display

Screen size
11.6″
Resolution
1366 × 768
Panel
TN LCD
Touchscreen
No
Display type
Glossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD, millions of colours; TN panel confirmed by ComputerBase's exact-model review. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.

Performance

Processor
Intel Core i5-2467M or Intel Core i7-2677M
CPU cores
2
CPU threads
4
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics 3000
Memory
2 GB or 4 GB
Storage
64 GB to 256 GB
CPU
Dual-core Intel Core i5-2467M at 1.6 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 2.3 GHz with 3 MB shared L3 cache; the higher storage base is configurable to Core i7-2677M at 1.8 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz and 4 MB cache. Exact identities confirmed by Notebookcheck; Macworld documents the base-specific upgrades.
GPU
Intel HD Graphics 3000; 256 MB shared with 2 GB memory or 384 MB with 4 GB
Memory type
2 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 onboard memory on the 64 GB base, configurable to 4 GB; 128 GB base has 4 GB
Storage type
64 GB flash storage with Core i5; 128 GB base supports Core i5 or Core i7 and is configurable to 256 GB. Configurations preserve the base-specific upgrade restrictions; memory cannot be upgraded after purchase.

Battery and size

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 5 hours
Battery capacity
35 Wh
Weight
1.08 kg
Thickness
17 mm
Width × depth
300 × 192 mm
Battery life detail
Built-in 35 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 5 hours wireless web or 30 days standby under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management
Materials
Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 3 to 17 mm
Colours
Silver

Connections

Ports
2 × USB-A, Thunderbolt, MagSafe, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
4.0
Webcam
FaceTime camera
Operating system
macOS
Port detail
Two USB 2.0 ports up to 480 Mb/s, Thunderbolt up to 10 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort output, MagSafe and headphone jack supporting the Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone; no card reader. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI require separate adapters.
External displays
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
Trackpad
Multi-Touch trackpad
Speakers
Stereo speakers
Microphones
Omnidirectional microphone
In the box
MacBook Air, power adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; OS X Lion, iLife and documentation; Lion Recovery

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorage
Intel Core i5-2467M2 GB64 GB
Intel Core i5-2467M4 GB64 GB
Intel Core i5-2467M4 GB128 GB
Intel Core i7-2677M4 GB128 GB
Intel Core i5-2467M4 GB256 GB
Intel Core i7-2677M4 GB256 GB

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 1.08 kg aluminium enclosure
  • Backlit keyboard and Multi-Touch trackpad
  • Two USB-A ports and MagSafe charging

Cons

  • 1366 × 768 display
  • No built-in card reader
  • Memory cannot be upgraded after purchase

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 i74 GB – 8 GB1.08 kg9 hMar 2015
11.6″TN LCDIntel Core i5 or i74 GB – 8 GB1.08 kg5 hJun 2012

Previous model: MacBook Air (11-inch, Late 2010). Newer model: MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/112439
  2. apple.com/uk/newsroom/2011/07/20Apple-Updates-MacBook-Air-With-Next-Generation-…
  3. macworld.com/article/213594/macbook-air-2011.html
  4. notebookcheck.net/Review-Apple-MacBook-Air-11-Mid-2011-1-6-GHz-128-GB-SSD-Subno…
  5. computerbase.de/artikel/notebooks/apple-macbook-air-11-6-2011-test.1560/seite-3
  6. intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/56858/intel-core-i52467m-processor-3m-…
  7. intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/54617/intel-core-i72677m-processor-4m-…

Photo: cdsassets.apple.com

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