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MacBook 12” 2017 vs. M2 MacBook Air - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the MacBook 12” 2017 and M2 MacBook Air, including differences in the chip, memory, storage, display, battery, ports, and more.

By Conor Banett

January 24, 2024 10:13 am

MacBook 12” 2017 vs. M2 MacBook Air

The MacBook 12” 2017 features the 4.5W 6th Generation Intel Skylake dual-core Intel Core m3-7Y32 up to dual-core Intel Core i7-7Y75 with the boost speed up to 3.60 GHz. While the 2022 M2 MacBook Air features the Apple M-Series ARM 64-bit 8-core Apple M2 (8C, 8G) up to 8-core Apple M2 (8C, 10G) with the boost speed up to 3.48 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the 12″ MacBook 12” 2017 and the 13.6″ M2 MacBook Air (2022), we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

MacBook 12” 2017 vs. M2 MacBook Air: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook 12” 2017	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it M2 MacBook Air
Availability
Released	2017	2022
Release Info	Announced on June 5, 2017 Available on June 7, 2017	Announced on June 6, 2022 (WWDC 2022)
Pricing	$1,299 Intel Core m3-7Y32 \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $1,599 Intel Core m5-7Y54 \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	$1,199 M2 (8C, 8G) \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $1,499 M2 (8C, 10G) \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD

Display	MacBook 12” 2017	M2 MacBook Air
Size	12 Inches	13.6 Inches
Info	Retina display 12-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology 2304-by-1440 resolution at 226 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors 16:10 aspect ratio Supported scaled resolutions: 1440 by 900 1280 by 800 1024 by 640	Liquid Retina display 13.6-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology. 2560-by-1664 native resolution at 224 pixels per inch with support for 1 billion colors 500 nits brightness Wide color (P3) True Tone technology

Exterior	MacBook 12” 2017	M2 MacBook Air
Size Comparison
Dimensions	11.04” x 7.74” x 0.14 - 0.52” (280.5 mm x 196.5 mm x 3.5 - 13.1 mm)	11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 in (304.1 x 215 x 11.3 mm)
Weight	Starting at 2.03 pounds (920 g)	Starting at 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg)
Colors	SilverSpace GrayGoldRose Gold	Midnight Starlight Space Gray Silver
Keyboard and Trackpad	Full-size backlit keyboard with: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) individual LED backlit keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys Ambient light sensor Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures	Backlit Magic Keyboard with: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement Touch ID Ambient light sensor Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures
Ports	One USB Type-C port with support for: Charging USB 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps) Native DisplayPort 1.2 video output VGA output using USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter (sold separately) HDMI video output using USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter (sold separately)

Internal Specs	MacBook 12” 2017	M2 MacBook Air
Processor	7th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-7Y32 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.10 → 3.00 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7Y54 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.20 → 3.20 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7Y75 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.30 → 3.60 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 4.5W	Apple M2 (8C, 8G) 8 cores, 8 threads, 2.42 → 3.48 GHz, Apple M2 (8C, 10G) 8 cores, 8 threads, 2.42 → 3.48 GHz,
Integrated Graphics	7th Gen Intel® Core™ m3-7Y32 Intel® HD Graphics 615 24 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7Y54 Intel® HD Graphics 615 24 Execution Units, 300 → 950 MHz 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7Y75 Intel® HD Graphics 615 24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz	Apple M2 (8C, 8G) Apple M2 iGPU 8 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores, Apple M2 (8C, 10G) Apple M2 iGPU 10 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
Memory	8GB Configurable to 16GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory	8GB 16GB 24GB unified memory.
Storage	256GB512GB PCIe-based onboard SSD.	256GB512GB SSD Configurable to 1TB or 2TB

Connectivity	MacBook 12” 2017	M2 MacBook Air
Wi-Fi	802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible	802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology	Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology

Battery	MacBook 12” 2017	M2 MacBook Air
Size	41.4 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	52.6 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life	Up to 10 hours of wireless web Up to 12 hours of iTunes movie playback Up to 30 days of standby time	Up to 15 hours of wireless web Up to 18 hours of Apple TV app movie playback
Power Supply	29W USB-C Power Adapter	30W USB‑C Power Adapter (included with M2 with 8-core GPU. 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter included with M2 with 10-core GPU and 512GB storage, configurable with M2 with 8-core GPU.

Software	MacBook 12” 2017	M2 MacBook Air
OS	Shipped with macOS High Sierra	Shipped with macOS Monterey
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewiTunesBooksApp StoreTime Machine	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player

Camera & Audio	MacBook 12” 2017	M2 MacBook Air
Camera	480p FaceTime HD camera	1080p FaceTime HD camera. Advanced image signal processor with computational video.
Audio	Stereo speakers Dual microphones 3.5 mm headphone jack	Four-speaker sound system Wide stereo sound Support for Spatial Audio when playing music or video with Dolby Atmos on built-in speakers Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking when using AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max Three-mic array with directional beamforming 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones

Misc	MacBook 12” 2017	M2 MacBook Air
Sensors		Touch ID sensor Ambient light sensor
Security		Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box	MacBook 29W USB-C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)	MacBook Air 30W or 35W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m)
Warranty	Limited Warranty and ServiceYour MacBook comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan to extend your service and support to three years from your computer’s purchase date. Only the AppleCare Protection Plan provides you with direct telephone support from Apple technical experts and the assurance that repairs will be handled by Apple-authorized technicians using genuine Apple parts. For more information, visit Apple Support or call 800-823-2275.	One-year limited warranty.
More	Video Support Intel HD Graphics 615 Dual display and video mirroring: simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz on an external display, both at millions of colors	Video Support Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and: One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz Thunderbolt 3 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)