Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
There ’s not much new about Apple ’s updatedMacBook Airlineup . Fortunately , the Air was already a top - notch portable electronic computer . The elusive increase in processor speeds , along with a respectable decrement in price , are obvious positive steps for consumer . And while the degenerate processor did assist the fresh MacBook Air in our applications programme examination , the flash computer storage did n’t always perform as well as we ’ve come to gestate .
The latest MacBook air travel models are usable in four received contour , two with 11.6 - in screens , and two with 13.3 - in screens . All four conformation have the same Intel 1.4GHz dual - essence Core i5 processor , which is 100MHz quicker than the 1.3GHz dual - nitty-gritty Core i5 processor found in the mid-2013 MacBook Air .
Everything else about new MacBook Air is the same as last year ’s model : 4 GB of DDR3 memory , Intel HD 5000 integrated artwork , and either 128 GB or 256 GB of PCIe - connected flash lamp store .
All results are scores. Higher scores are better. Stock configurations tested. Reference models initalics.—Macworld Lab testing by James Galbraith and Albert Filice
price start at $ 899 for the 11 - inch MacBook Air with 128 GB of flash warehousing . For $ 1099 , you get the same 11 - inch scheme but with 256 GB of flash memory . The 13 - column inch MacBook Air with 128 GB of flash memory is $ 999 , and its 256 GB counterpart is $ 1199 . Across the line , the mid-2014 MacBook Air is priced $ 100 downcast than the corresponding configurations from mid-2013 .
you may increase the RAM from 4 GB to 8 GB for an excess $ 100 . Like last twelvemonth ’s model , RAM is not drug user upgradable , so if you think you might take more than 4 GB , be certain to order your MacBook Air with the additional remembering . you could also opt for 512 GB of heartbeat store , a $ 300 rise to the 256 GB models . The mainframe can also be promote to a 1.7GHz Dual - Core Intel Core i7 for $ 150 — the same central processing unit upgrade offered last year .
Externally identical to their mid-2013 predecessors , the MacBook Air still weighs in at 2.38 pound ( 11 - inch ) and 2.96 pound ( 13 - inch ) . They also have the same number and type of connection : two USB 3.0 ports , one Thunderbolt port ( not Thunderbolt 2 ) , a MagSafe 2 power port , and an sound in / out combo jack . The 13 - column inch model still includes a SDXC posting expansion slot that the 11 - in example continues to miss . The 11.6 - column inch and 13.3 - inch displays keep their same resolving , 1366 - by-768 and 1440 - by-900 , respectively — the new MacBook Air does not let in a Retina display like some analyst had portend .
All results are scores . high grudge are good . neckcloth form tested . Reference models initalics.—Macworld Lab testing by James Galbraith and Albert Filice
We used our overall system performance benchmark suite , Speedmark 9 , to liken two models of the new MacBook Air to the old models . In our tests , the young $ 899 11 - inch MacBook Air with 128 GB of memory board , the $ 1099 11 - column inch MacBook Air with 256 GB of reposition , and the $ 1199 13 - inch MacBook Air with 256 GB of store outmatch the previous systems in most psychometric test , if only by a few moment . The novel 1.4GHz manakin were between 2 and 5 per centum faster in tests such as Photoshop , iTunes , Handbrake , Cinebench CPU examination , Aperture and PCMark 8 ’s Office app test running on a practical machine in Parallels . Storage carrying out tests , on the other hand , showed the news bulletin storage in these new system to be dull than last year ’s . Slow enough to drag down the overall Speedmark score , despite the faster processor detect in this yr ’s models .
you could read our full benchmark report card , but in poor , the 128 GB newsflash storage devices in the MacBook Airs we tested are slower than the 256 GB flash storage . This is n’t newfangled and we ’ve see this before , but for some reason the flash storage in the 2014 MacBook Air performed slower than the flash storage with the same capacity in last yr ’s models .
If you ’re look for a more powerful portable , the $ 1499 13 - column inch Retina MacBook Pro with 256 GB flash storage , 8 GB of tup and 2.4GHz duple - core Haswell processor was 22 percent faster overall than the new 13 - inch 256 GB MacBook Air . The 13 - column inch MacBook Pro also has the welfare of a gamey - resolution Retina display , two Thunderbolt 2 ports , and faster Intel Iris graphics .
upshot are in minutes . Higher turn are better . source models initalics.—Macworld Lab testing by James Galbraith and Albert Filice
Our barrage fire tests showed that the new MacBook Air was able-bodied to maintain its superior assault and battery living . We looped a moving-picture show filing cabinet in iTunes at 200 CD / m2 brightness , with Wi - Fi off and the keyboard dip .
The 11 - inch MacBook Air lasted 9 hours and 39 second , 20 transactions longer than last year ’s 11 - in . The 256 GB 11 - inch Air lasted 9 hour and 35 minutes .
The new 13 - inch MacBook Air live on 12 hour and 13 minutes , 23 hour longer than our previous 13 - inch MacBook Air . The 13 - inch MacBook Pro with Retina display lasted 9 hours and 48 minutes .
Bottom line
The MacBook Air is a great portable system . Thin and light with recollective battery life sentence , the MacBook Air ’s inclusion body of Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 ports also allow them to solve respectably as a desktop system of rules when at the office . The 128 GB flash storage is n’t as tight as great capacity , so I ’d recommend going with one of the model outfitted with 256 GB .
