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MacBook Air 13” 2018 vs. MacBook Air 13” 2017 - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the MacBook Air 13” 2018 and MacBook Air 13” 2017, including differences in the chip, memory, storage, display, battery, ports, and more.

By Conor Banett

January 24, 2024 10:13 am

MacBook Air 13” 2018 vs. MacBook Air 13” 2017

The MacBook Air 13” 2018 features the 7W 8th Generation Intel Amber Lake Y dual-core Intel Core i5-8210Y with the boost speed up to 3.60 GHz. While the MacBook Air 13” 2017 features the 15W 5th Generation Intel Broadwell dual-core Intel Core i5-5350U up to dual-core Intel Core i7-5650U with the boost speed up to 3.10 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the 13.3″ MacBook Air 13” 2018 and the 13.3″ MacBook Air 13” 2017 , we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

MacBook Air 13” 2018 vs. MacBook Air 13” 2017: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Air 13” 2018	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Air 13” 2017
Key Features
What's new	New Design It's now even more compact and portable with the all-new distinct smaller wedge-shaped design. It's 10% thinner, 17% less volume, and a quarter pound lighter than the previous generation. It is also available in three different colors. New Retina Display Adopting the latest retina display, MacBook Air now displays over 4 million pixels with more color that make text, images, and animation look sharp and smooth. Touch ID & Apple T2 Chip You can now log in to your MacBook Air much faster, easier, and more securely than ever before with the latest Touch ID sensor with deep integration with Apple T2's Secure Enclave chip. Latest Intel Core Processors It's powered by an 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor with faster-integrated graphics, faster 2133 MHz LPDDR3 memory, and faster SSD. Thunderbolt 3 ports The most versatile port now arrives in MacBook Air, it allows you to charge your notebook, have lightning-fast data transfer, output 5K displays, and support external GPUs (eGPUs). 3rd-generation butterfly keyboard Larger trackpad. More immersive audio experience.
What's missing	Has fewer ports No MagSafe

Availability	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Released	2018	2017
Release Info	Available on October 30, 2018	Available on June 6, 2017
Pricing	$1,199 Intel Core i5 8210Y \| 8GB RAM \| 128GB SSD $1,399 Intel Core i5 8210Y \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD	$999 Intel Core i5 5350U \| 8GB RAM \| 128GB SSD $1,199 Intel Core i5 5350U \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD

Display	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Size	13.3 Inches	13.3 Inches
Info	Retina display 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors Supported scaled resolutions: 1680 by 1050 1440 by 900 1024 by 640 16:10 aspect ratio	Widescreen display 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors Supported resolutions: 1440 by 900 (native), 1280 by 800, 1152 by 720, and 1024 by 640 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio and 1024 by 768 and 800 by 600 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio

Exterior	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Size Comparison
Dimensions	11.97” x 8.36” x 0.16 - 0.61” (304.1 mm x 212.4 mm x 4.1 – 15.6 mm)	12.8” x 8.94” x 0.11 - 0.68” (325 mm x 227 mm x 3 - 17 mm)
Weight	Starting at 2.75 pounds (1.25 kg)	Starting at 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg)
Colors	GoldSpace GraySilver	Silver
Keyboard and Trackpad	Backlit Magic 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	Full-size backlit keyboard with: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement) with ambient light sensor Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control; supports inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
Ports	Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB‑C) ports with support for: Charging DisplayPort Thunderbolt (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)	1 x Thunderbolt 2 port Supports data transfers up to 20 Gbps. 2 x USB 3.0 ports Supports data transfers up to 5 Gbps. 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack 1 x SDXC card reader 1 x MagSafe 2 power port

Internal Specs	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Processor	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8210Y 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.60 → 3.60 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 7W	5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.80 → 2.90 GHz, 3MB Cache, 15W 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U 2 cores, 4 threads, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB Cache, 15W
Integrated Graphics	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8210Y Intel® UHD Graphics 617 24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz	5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U Intel® HD Graphics 6000 48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U Intel® HD Graphics 6000 48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Discrete Graphics	Support for Thunderbolt 3–enabled external graphics processors (eGPUs)
Memory	8GB Configurable to 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory	4GB8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Storage	128GB256GB Configurable to 512GB or 1TB SSD	128GB256GB Configurable to 512GB flash storage.

Connectivity	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Wi-Fi	802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible	802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology	Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology

Battery	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Size	50.3 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	54 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life	Up to 12 hours wireless web Up to 13 hours Apple TV app video playback Up to 30 days of standby time	Up to 12 hours wireless web Up to 12 hours of iTunes movie playback Up to 30 days standby time
Power Supply	30W USB‑C Power Adapter	45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.

Software	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Air 13” 2017
OS	Shipped with macOS Mojave	Shipped with macOS Mojave
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewiTunesBooksApp StoreTime Machine

Camera & Audio	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Camera	720p FaceTime HD camera	720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio	Stereo speakers Three microphones 3.5 mm headphone jack	Stereo speakers Dual microphones Headphone port Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone

Misc	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Sensors	Touch ID sensor Ambient light sensor
Security	Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box	MacBook Air 30W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)	MacBook Air 13″ Power adapter AC wall plug Power cord
Warranty	Your MacBook Air comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.	Limited Warranty and ServiceYour MacBook Air 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 800-823-2775.
More	Video Support Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and: One external display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at up to 60Hz Up to two external displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at up to 60Hz Thunderbolt 3 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C VGA, HDMI, and Thunderbolt 2 output using adapters (sold separately)	Video Support Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz on an external display, both at millions of colors Thunderbolt digital video output Native Mini DisplayPort output VGA, HDMI, DVI, and dual-link DVI output using adapters (sold separately)