Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)

Apple · MacBook Air

MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)

Released July 2019

A Retina MacBook Air with True Tone, Touch ID and a dual-core Intel processor, offered with up to 16 GB of memory and a 1 TB SSD.

Model history · 12 models, 2008–2019
  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)Compare
  6. 2012MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012)Compare
  7. 2013MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013)Compare
  8. 2014MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014)Compare
  9. 2015MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)Compare
  10. 2017MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)Compare
  11. 2018MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)Compare
  12. 2019MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
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 praise the portable build, sharp display, trackpad and battery endurance, but find the dual-core performance modest for the price. Both criticise the limited connections and shallow butterfly keyboard. TechRadar likes True Tone; Macworld finds its warmer appearance less clear beside a conventional screen.

From macworld.com, techradar.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
Display features
True Tone; scaled resolutions of 1680 × 1050, 1440 × 900 or 1024 × 640

Performance

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 TB
CPU
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 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 standard, configurable to 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB

Battery and size

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 13 hours
Battery capacity
49.9 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 Apple TV app video playback or 30 days standby; lithium-polymer. 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; Apple's identification image uses the same enclosure render for the 2018 and 2019 models

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-C 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
Revised 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
Microphones
Three microphones
Biometrics
Touch ID
In the box
MacBook Air; 30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorage
Intel Core i5-8210Y8 GB128 GB
Intel Core i5-8210Y16 GB128 GB
Intel Core i5-8210Y8 GB256 GB
Intel Core i5-8210Y16 GB256 GB
Intel Core i5-8210Y8 GB512 GB
Intel Core i5-8210Y16 GB512 GB
Intel Core i5-8210Y8 GB1 TB
Intel Core i5-8210Y16 GB1 TB

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Retina IPS display with True Tone
  • Supports two external 4K displays at 60 Hz
  • 100% recycled aluminium enclosure

Cons

  • Two USB-C ports, with no USB-A, HDMI or SD card slot
  • Memory is limited to 16 GB
  • 720p webcam

Closest rivals

Model
SizeDisplayProcessorMemoryWeightBatteryReleased
13.3″IPS LCDIntel Core i58 GB – 16 GB1.25 kg13 hNov 2018
13.3″IPS LCD, 60 HzApple M18 GB – 16 GB1.29 kg18 hNov 2020
13.3″IPS LCD, 60 HzIntel Core i3, i5 or i78 GB – 16 GB1.29 kg12 hMar 2020

Previous model: MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018). Newer model: MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/111948
  2. apple.com/uk/newsroom/2019/07/macbook-air-and-macbook-pro-updated-for-back-to-s…
  3. techradar.com/reviews/apple-macbook-air-2019
  4. macworld.com/article/667931/macbook-air-2019-review.html
  5. support.apple.com/en-gb/102869

Photo: cdsassets.apple.com

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