MacBook Air 2018 Review – Is It Still Worth It?

MacBook Air 2018 Review - Is It Still Worth It
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Do you want to buy the MacBook Air 2018 to get great performance and utility as expected from a MacBook?

If you are on a tight budget I would suggest getting this laptop. It’s by far the cheapest MacBook in the market (if you can get it, that is).

Therefore, read this MacBook Air 2018 review (2022) before you make the decision to buy it  or not.

MacBook Air 2018 Specifications

The specifications of the MacBook Air 2018 are:

Display13.3” Retina Display 2560 x 1600 resolution60Hz Refresh Rate
Operating System (OS)macOS
Processor8th Generation Intel Core i5 8210Y (1.6GHz – 3.6GHz)
Graphics CardIntel UHD Graphics 617
Memory8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 RAM (expandable to 16GB)
Storage128GB PCIe SSD (expandable to 1.5TB SSD)
Keyboard & TrackpadLED Backlit “Butterfly Switch“KeyboardForce Touch trackpad
Camera720p FaceTime HD Camera
Audio2x Stereo Speakers3x Inbuilt Microphones
Dimensions0.6” x 11.97” x 8.39” (Height x Width x Depth)2.75 pounds (1.25kg weight)
Colors GoldSilverSpace Gray
Price$510

MacBook Air 2018 Review

MacBook Air 2018 Review

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After using the MacBook Air 2018 for two weeks straight with no mercy whatsoever, here are my findings:

Design

Design

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With dimensions of 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.61 inches, this laptop is actually smaller than the original, making an already lightweight and thin notebook even more compact. Additionally, the MacBook Air 2018 case keeps its wedge shape and tapers out to a maximum thickness of 0.16 inches.

One issue we had at first was that both the USB-C ports are all on the same side and rather near to one another. This made it potentially difficult to put anything in without an adaptor or dongle when the MacBook Air was charging.

Our testing revealed that the keyboard does require some getting used to, particularly if you’re switching from an earlier MacBook Air. The price you pay for such a tiny design is that the keys don’t exactly provide the responsive feeling you receive from other laptop keyboards because of their relatively short key travel. The keys also have a pleasing “click” when hit, however typing on it is a little louder than on earlier models. But once your fingers get used to it, typing turns out to be rather enjoyable.

Despite being small and light, the unibody shell is carved from a single block of aluminum, giving it a strong feel. It’s an astonishing gadget to handle; it’s lightweight and durable enough to fit in a backpack and be transported with you without incident when you’re on the go.

Display

Display

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With a pixel density of 227 pixels per inch and a resolution of 2560 x 1600, the MacBook Air 2018 is the first Air to include a Retina display (ppi). It clearly outshines the entry-level Dell XPS 13, but weaker than an Alienware 17in laptop.

The Retina screen has four times the resolution of earlier versions. Retina resolution is a dramatic improvement over prior MacBook Airs’ 900p resolution, and it’s probably what you’ll notice right away when turning this laptop on. The change will undoubtedly please anyone who found working on prior MacBook Air models with their lower resolution a little uncomfortable.

Apple has enhanced the screen viewing angles this time. That was one of the main problems with the original MacBook Airs, to the extent that if we even slightly tilted the screen away from our faces, we couldn’t see anything on the screen. That is fixed in the 2018 MacBook Air. Only when viewed from the most acute angles did we see a significant amount of reflection from the anti-glare glass covering the LCD screen.

This laptop’s larger color gamut, which can display 48% more colors than the previous Air, has also improved color accuracy. This makes images, in particular, appear brighter and more colorful on the screen of the new MacBook Air.

Performance

Performance

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This 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 has a 4MB L3 cache and a Turbo Boost speed of up to 3.6GHz, which is enough for most daily work but slower than certain quad-core processors seen in competing laptops at this price bracket, such as the Dell XPS 13. The Apple MacBook Air 2018 isn’t as competitive as competing laptops in this price range for demanding jobs or multitasking.

In our day-to-day testing, we discovered that the performance of the MacBook Air (2018) was a bit of a mixed bag, with the device doing most things we asked of it admirably, if not particularly impressively, but having some trouble when asked to handle several activities at once.

The hardware delivers less power than the competitors, according to our benchmark results. The Cinebench benchmarks indicate nearly the same results, when this is compared to the earlier 12-inch MacBook. It scored 264 points as opposed to the MacBook Air’s 279 points. 

Similar results are shown by the Geekbench 4 scores, which place the 12-inch MacBook at 3,879 for single-core performance and 7,072 for multi-core, as opposed to 4,247 and 7,832 for the new 2018 MacBook Air. Again, they are hardly significant advancements for the latest MacBook Air.

Battery Life

Battery Life

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According to Apple, the Apple MacBook Air 2018 charger provides a battery life of 12 hours for wireless web browsing or 12 hours for watching videos – more than enough to carry you through a whole workday.

This laptop lasted 10 hours and 30 minutes in our own battery life testing, which involved playing a looping 1080p film with the screen set to 50% brightness. Although it falls short by 1.5 hours of the advertised 12-hour battery life, it is still a decent number and significantly longer than the 12-inch MacBook’s 8 hours, 4 minutes.

In our tests, we discovered that this laptop performed a fantastic job of maintaining its charge when we used several programs, watched movies online, and browsed the web. The main drawback is that it appears to charge slowly, requiring many hours to fully recharge from zero.

Is The MacBook Air 2018 Still Worth Its Price In 2022?

While the MacBook Air 2018 might not be a powerful laptop compared to the modern MacBook Air, it’s still decent. Since it’s not readily available everywhere, its price will vary from $500 – $600. However, if you want a decent laptop at cheap prices carrying the Apple tag, this will suffice.

It has a great screen and long-lasting battery life, which will satisfy movie watchers on the go. In addition, its light weight makes traveling easier. If you want a laptop for your office work and not for gaming, you can for this laptop. However, if you have the money, then definitely buy the modern MacBook Air (2022).

ProsCons
➼ Great battery life
➼ Very slim design
➼ Light weight
➼ Vivid Retina display
➼ Aluminum chassis is recycled
➼ Pretty old laptop
➼ Not recommended for gaming
➼ Underpowered compared to other Windows laptops are similar range

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions):-

Interested customers have asked many questions regarding the Apple MacBook Air (13”, 2018). The answers to some of these questions are:

Q1. Who Is The MacBook Air 2018 For?

Ans: In my opinion, the 2018 MacBook Air is meant for creative artists and corporate professionals. Also, if you travel a lot, you can buy this since it’s pretty light, at 2.8 lbs (1.2kg).

Q2. How To Factory Reset MacBook Air 2018?

Ans: If you wish to learn how to factory reset a Macbook Air 2018, then you need to follow these steps:
➼ Click on the Apple icon on the top left corner of the screen.
➼ Then, click on Restart
➼ After that, when you see the Apple logo when your Macbok boots up, press and hold the Command + R buttons.
➼ In the new Utilities window, open Disk Utility
➼ Then, click on the option Startup Disk
➼ Click on Erase
➼ After the Format window pops up, select MacOS Extended
➼ Finally, click on Erase after giving a new name to your formatted disk 

Q3. How To Free Up Space On MacBook Air 2018?

Ans: There are several ways to free up space on your MacBook Air 2018. Some of the best ways to do so are:
➼ Uninstall applications that you do not use.
➼ Delete photos, videos, and other files if you do not need them.
➼ Try to erase all junk mail in your mailbox.
➼ Delete all Cached Data from settings.

Q4. Where Is The Microphone On A MacBook Air 2018?

Ans: The Apple MacBook Air 2018 has three different microphones. All three of these MacBook Air microphones are located at the left side of your laptop, just beside the grills of the speaker. However, it is very difficult to spot.

Final Verdict

The MacBook Air 2018 is a pretty decent laptop for its price, which variate between $500 to $600. It has a pretty good display owing to its retina display. In addition, it has superb battery life and overall lightweight, as expected from a MacBook.

However, the value for money of buying this laptop since it’s pretty old. Also, better laptops are available in this price range too. I would only recommend you to buy this if you are a bing time Apple and MacBook fan.

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debamalya

Debamalya is a professional content writer from Kolkata, India. Constantly improving himself in this industry for more than three years, he has amassed immense knowledge regarding his niches of writing tech and gaming articles. He loves spending time with his cats, along with playing every new PC action game as soon as possible.

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