Apple MacBook Air with Retina display vs. Apple MacBook

Laptop Comparison, Reviews and Tests
Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Apple MacBook
Apple MacBook

In depth comparison and review of Apple MacBook Air with Retina display and Apple MacBook. Compare sizes, performance, storage capacities, batteries and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right laptop for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the laptop that will best fit your needs.

Laptop Comparison and Tests

Difference between Apple MacBook Air with Retina display and Apple MacBook

Laptop Specifications Comparison

Apple MacBook Air with Retina display vs. Apple MacBook Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Apple MacBook
Product Type Notebook Notebook
Dimensions (WxDxH) 30.41 cm x 21.24 cm x 1.56 cm 32.5 cm x 22.7 cm x 2.8 cm
Weight 1.25 kg 2.4 kg
Case Material Aluminum -
Colour Space grey | Gold | Silver White
DISPLAY Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Apple MacBook
Screen Size (Type) 13.3" - IPS 13.3"
LCD Backlight Technology LED backlight -
Screen Resolution 2560 x 1600 (WQXGA) 1280 x 800 (WXGA)
Pixel Density (ppi) 227 -
Widescreen Yes Yes
Image Aspect Ratio 16:10 -
Features BFR/PVC-free, Mercury free, beryllium free, arsenic free, Retina display -
PROCESSOR Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Apple MacBook
CPU Intel Core i5 (8th Gen) 1.6 GHz Intel Core Duo 2 GHz
Max Turbo Speed 3.6 GHz -
Number of Cores Dual-Core Dual-Core
Cache L3 - 4 MB L2 - 2 MB
Front Side Bus - 667 MHz
64-bit Computing Yes -
Features Intel Turbo Boost Technology Enhanced SpeedStep technology, power-optimized processor system bus, Execute Disable Bit capability
MEMORY Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Apple MacBook
RAM 8 GB (provided memory is soldered) 512 MB
Max RAM Supported - 2 GB
RAM Type LPDDR3 SDRAM DDR2 SDRAM
Speed 2133 MHz 667 MHz / PC2-5300
Rated Speed - 667 MHz
Form Factor - SO-DIMM 200-pin
Slots Qty - 2
STORAGE Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Apple MacBook
Main Storage Size (HDD/SSD) 128 GB SSD soldered PCIe 60 GB HDD SATA 1.5Gb/s / 5400 rpm
Optical Drive - DVD±RW fixed
Read Speed - 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD)
Write Speed - 24x (CD) / 4x (DVD±R)
CD / DVD Rewrite Speed - 10x (CD) / 4x (DVD±RW)
AUDIO & VIDEO Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Apple MacBook
Graphics Processor (GPU) Intel UHD Graphics 617 Intel GMA 950
Memory Allocation Technology - Dynamic Video Memory Technology 3.0
Max Allocated RAM Size - 64 MB
Camera Yes - 720p Yes
Resolution - 0.3 Megapixel
Camera Features FaceTime HD camera -
Video Resolutions - 640 x 480
Sound Stereo speakers, three microphones Stereo speakers, microphone
COMMUNICATIONS Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Apple MacBook
Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
Network Interface - Gigabit Ethernet
BATTERY Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Apple MacBook
Technology Lithium polymer Lithium polymer
Battery Capacity (Size) 50.3 Wh 55 Wh
Battery Life Up to 12 hours -
Battery Run Time Web browsing over Wi-Fi: up to 12 hours
Video playback: up to 13 hours
Standby time: up to 30 days
-
AC ADAPTER Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Apple MacBook
Input AC 100-240 V (50/60 Hz) AC 100-240 V (50/60 Hz)
Output 30 Watt -
INPUT Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Apple MacBook
Type Keyboard, Force Touch trackpad Keyboard, trackpad
Keyboard Backlight Yes -
Features Pressure sensitivity, multi-touch touchpad, Multi-Touch Gesture Recognition, ambient light sensor, force click, Touch ID sensor -
CONNECTIONS & EXPANSIONS Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Apple MacBook
Slots - 2 x memory
Interfaces 2 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 (supports Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort Alt Mode) (Power Delivery)
Headphone output
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
2 x USB 2.0 4 pin USB Type A
1 x display / video - DVI-Analog/Digital
1 x audio - SPDIF input/line-in - mini-phone 3.5 mm / TOSLINK
1 x audio - SPDIF output/headphones - mini-phone 3.5 mm / TOSLINK
SOFTWARE Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Apple MacBook
Operating System (OS) Apple macOS Big Sur 11.0 Apple MacOS X 10.4
Software Included iTunes, Apple iMovie, Apple Safari, Apple GarageBand, Photo Booth, Apple Time Machine, Apple FaceTime, Apple Preview, Mail, Maps, Photos, Reminders, App Store, Contacts, Stocks, Notes, Calendar, Siri, Messages, Apple iBooks, Apple Keynote, Apple Pages, Apple Numbers, News, Voice Memos, Home Drivers & Utilities, Apple QuickTime, Apple Hardware Test, Apple Mac OS X Mail, OmniOutliner, Apple iCal, Apple DVD Player, Apple Address Book, Apple Safari, Apple iChat AV, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive, Apple Dashboard, Apple Spotlight, Apple XCode Developer Tools, iWork (30 days trial), Front Row, Apple iLife '06, Freeverse Big Bang Board Games, plasq Comic Life
MISCELLANEOUS Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Apple MacBook
Included Accessories USB-C power adapter -
Cables Included USB-C charge cable -
Security Apple T2 Security Chip, fingerprint reader -
Features T2 Security Chip Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
SAR Value 0.71 W/kg (body) -
Repairability Index 6.1 (out of 10) -
ENERGY STAR Certified Yes Yes
EPEAT Compliant EPEAT Gold -
Max Operating Temperature 35 °C 35 °C
Min Operating Temperature 10 °C 10 °C
Humidity Range Operating 0 - 90% (non-condensing) 0 - 90%
Manufacturer Warranty Limited warranty - 1 year
Technical support - phone consulting - 90 days
Limited warranty - 1 year
Technical support - phone consulting - 90 days
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