Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011)

Apple · MacBook Air

MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011)

Released July 2011

A 13-inch Intel MacBook Air with Sandy Bridge processors, flash storage and a compact aluminium body.

Model history · 5 models, 2008–2011
  1. 2008MacBook Air (Original)Compare
  2. 2008MacBook Air (Late 2008)Compare
  3. 2009MacBook Air (Mid 2009)Compare
  4. 2010MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010)Compare
  5. 2011MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011)
Size
13.3″
Display
TN LCD
Processor
Intel Core i5 or i7
Memory
4 GB
Weight
1.35 kg
Battery
7 h

What reviewers say

Reviewers praised the aluminium construction, keyboard and trackpad, strong everyday performance and useful battery endurance. The processor and flash-storage improvements made this a more capable portable computer. They criticised restricted upgrades, limited connections and the glossy screen; sustained workloads brought louder fans.

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

Display

Screen size
13.3″
Resolution
1440 × 900
Panel
TN LCD
Touchscreen
No
Display type
Glossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD, millions of colours; TN panel confirmed by AppleInsider's exact-model review. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.

Performance

Processor
Intel Core i5-2557M or Intel Core i7-2677M
CPU cores
2
CPU threads
4
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics 3000
Memory
4 GB
Storage
128 GB to 256 GB
CPU
Dual-core Intel Core i5-2557M at 1.7 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 2.7 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; 384 MB shared with main memory
Memory type
4 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 onboard memory
Storage type
128 GB flash storage with Core i5; 256 GB base supports Core i5 or Core i7. Configurations preserve the base-specific upgrade restrictions; memory cannot be upgraded after purchase.

Battery and size

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 7 hours
Battery capacity
50 Wh
Weight
1.35 kg
Thickness
17 mm
Width × depth
325 × 227 mm
Battery life detail
Built-in 50 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 7 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, SD card slot
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, SD card slot and headphone jack supporting the Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone. 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 i5-2557M4 GB128 GB
Intel Core i5-2557M4 GB256 GB
Intel Core i7-2677M4 GB256 GB

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 1.35 kg aluminium enclosure
  • Backlit keyboard and Multi-Touch trackpad
  • SD card slot, USB-A ports and MagSafe charging

Cons

  • 1440 × 900 display
  • No built-in Ethernet connection
  • Memory cannot be upgraded after purchase

Closest rivals

Model
SizeDisplayProcessorMemoryWeightBatteryReleased
13.3″TN LCDIntel Core i5 or i78 GB1.35 kg12 hJun 2017
13.3″TN LCDIntel Core i5 or i74 GB – 8 GB1.35 kg12 hApr 2014
13.3″TN LCDIntel Core i5 or i74 GB – 8 GB1.35 kg12 hMar 2015

Previous model: MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010). Newer model: MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/112038
  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-13-Mid-2011-1-7-GHz-256-GB-SSD-Subno…
  5. appleinsider.com/articles/11/07/27/review_apples_2011_thunderbolt_11_inch_and_1…
  6. intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/54620/intel-core-i52557m-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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