Home Laptops Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) Apple · MacBook Air
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) Released November 2018
The first Retina MacBook Air introduced a smaller aluminium enclosure, Touch ID and Thunderbolt 3 with a dual-core Intel processor.
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VAIO PCG-505 (1997) Model history · 11 models, 2008–2018 2008 MacBook Air (Original) Compare 2008 MacBook Air (Late 2008) Compare 2009 MacBook Air (Mid 2009) Compare 2010 MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010) Compare 2011 MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011) Compare 2012 MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012) Compare 2013 MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013) Compare 2014 MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014) Compare 2015 MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) Compare 2017 MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) Compare 2018 MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
Size 13.3″
Display IPS LCD
Processor Intel Core i5
Memory 8 GB – 16 GB
Weight 1.25 kg
Battery 13 h What reviewers say Reviewers welcome the sharper display, portable build, Touch ID and long battery endurance. Both find the processor upgrade modest and the port selection restrictive. Macworld dislikes the shallow, noisy butterfly keyboard; TechRadar finds it more comfortable after adjustment but considers heavy multitasking a weakness.
From macworld.com and techradar.com
Display
Screen size 13.3″
Resolution 2560 × 1600
Panel IPS LCD
Touchscreen No
Display type Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; 16:10 aspect ratio
Pixel density 227 ppi
Colour range Millions of colours; sRGB rather than P3 (Macworld)
Processor Intel Core i5-8210Y
CPU cores 2
CPU threads 4
Graphics Intel UHD Graphics 617
Memory 8 GB or 16 GB
Storage 128 GB to 1.536 TB
CPU Eighth-generation dual-core Intel Core i5 at 1.6 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz, with 4 MB L3 cache; exact i5-8210Y identifier confirmed by Macworld and TechRadar. Apple T2 Security Chip with secure boot and storage encryption.
GPU Intel UHD Graphics 617; compatible Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processors supported
Memory type 8 GB or 16 GB of 2133 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Storage type PCIe-based SSD; 128 GB or 256 GB standard, configurable to 512 GB or 1.5 TB Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim) Up to 13 hours
Battery capacity 50.3 Wh
Weight 1.25 kg
Thickness 15.6 mm
Width × depth 304.1 × 212.4 mm
Battery life detail Up to 12 hours wireless web, 13 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby; lithium-polymer. Apple's tests used 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. Chassis height tapers from 4.1 to 15.6 mm; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger 30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C charging
Materials 100% recycled aluminium enclosure
Colours Gold, Silver, Space Grey Connections
Ports 2 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth 4.2
Webcam 720p FaceTime HD
Operating system macOS
Port detail Two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports with charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; 3.5 mm headphone jack
External displays One display at 5120 × 2880 and up to 60 Hz, or two at 4096 × 2304 and up to 60 Hz alongside the built-in display; VGA, HDMI and Thunderbolt 2 through separate adaptors
Keyboard Third-generation butterfly mechanism (Macworld); 78 US or 79 ISO individually LED-backlit keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys; ambient light sensor
Trackpad Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensing and Multi-Touch gestures
Speakers Stereo speakers; wide stereo playback
Microphones Three microphones
Biometrics Touch ID
In the box MacBook Air; 30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C Charge Cable (2 m) Configurations Processor Memory Storage Intel Core i5-8210Y 8 GB 128 GB Intel Core i5-8210Y 16 GB 128 GB Intel Core i5-8210Y 8 GB 256 GB Intel Core i5-8210Y 16 GB 256 GB Intel Core i5-8210Y 8 GB 512 GB Intel Core i5-8210Y 16 GB 512 GB Intel Core i5-8210Y 8 GB 1.536 TB Intel Core i5-8210Y 16 GB 1.536 TB
Pros and cons Pros + Retina display and Touch ID+ Supports two external 4K displays at 60 Hz+ 100% recycled aluminium enclosureCons − Two USB-C ports, with no USB-A, HDMI or SD card slot− Memory is limited to 16 GB− 720p webcamClosest rivals Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) vs Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) vs Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M1) Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) vs Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) Previous model: MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) . Newer model: MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) .
