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MacBook Air 8,1 (13-Inch, Late 2018) – Full Information, Specs

MacBook Air 8,1 (13-Inch, Late 2018) – Full Information, Specs

The upgraded MacBook Air 8,1 (13-inch, Late 2018) was the centerpiece of the Apple October event. Amazing as it is, the laptop is hard to place among others Mac computers. Previous MacBooks Air 13-inch were cheap and featured outdated displays, but sported a full stack of ports. When it came to higher performance and sharper screens, the compact MacBooks with the Type-C and the Retina matrix was everyone’s favorite. But this year upgrade of the Air lineup pulled the plug on them.

Apple MacBook Air 2018 review: premium economy [Video]

Video uploaded by The Verge on November 6, 2018.

MacBook Air 8,1 (13-Inch, Late 2018)

All-new MacBook Air features 13-inch Retina display, Touch ID, the latest processors, an even more portable design and all-day battery life. Image credit: Apple.com.

The MacBook Air 8,1 (13-inch, Late 2018) has the following advantages: Retina display with thinner bezels, more powerful Intel Core i5, faster operating memory LPDDR3 2133 MHz, better Intel UHD Graphics 617, greater SSD storage (128GB and 512GB), two Thunderbolt 3 (Type-C) ports with up to 10Gb/s data transfer rate, HD FaceTime 720p camera, touch ID fingerprint scanner, the “butterfly” keyboard of the 3rd generation, the price starting $799 for minimal configuration.

Actually, this is the cheapest Retina-featured product by Apple. Also, this is the first Mac with the Touch ID. The biometric authentication for laptops was introduced by Microsoft for the top Windows laptops several years ago, but this feature failed to appeal to the public. Probably, because simply installing the fingerprint scanner into the keyboard is not enough. Apple did a great job implementing the Touch ID into the iOS-macOS ecosystem. Now it works as a login tool not only for the device but for the passworded apps as well as for Apple Pay. Left-handers, unfortunately, will have some troubles using the scanner as it lives in the right upper corner.

Specifications

About Manufacturer Apple
Official Name MacBook Air (13-inch, 2018)
Type Subnotebook computer
Form-factor Laptop
Launch Introduced October 30, 2018
Released November 7, 2018
Body Dimensions 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.16-0.61 inch (299 x 209 x 4-15 mm)
Weight 2.75 lbs (1.25 kg)
Build Aluminum
Physical buttons Power, Touch ID
Keyboard Backlit Keyboard
Trackpad Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities
Display Type LED-backlit Retina display with IPS technology
Size 13.3 inches
Resolution 2560 x 1600 pixels
Aspect ratio 16:10
Pixel Density ~ 227 ppi
Multitouch No
Platform OS macOS
Architecture Intel’s Coffee Lake architecture
CPU 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz, with 4MB L3 cache
GPU Intel UHD Graphics 617
Memory Memory 8 / 16 GB RAM
Storage 128 / 256 / 512 GB, or 1.5 TB SSD
Camera Front 720p FaceTime HD camera
Back N/A
Sound Loudspeaker Stereo speakers
Microphone Three microphones
Comms USB 2 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 2
WLAN IEEE 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac
Bluetooth 4.2
3.5 mm jack 3.5 mm headphone jack
Card reader No
DisplayPort Yes (via USB-C)
Thunderbolt Yes (via USB-C)
Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports with support for:
– Charging
– DisplayPort
– Thunderbolt (up to 40 Gbps)
– USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps)
Features Battery Built-in 50.3‑watt‑hour lithium‑polymer battery
– Integrated Touch ID sensor
– Apple T2 Security Chip
– Quickly unlock your Mac without typing a password
– Securely make online purchases with Apple Pay
– Instantly authenticate password-protected documents
Misc Colors Space Gray, Silver, Gold
Price Starting at $1199

MacBook Air 8,1 Models

MacBook Air (13-inch, 1.6Ghz Intel Core i5, Late 2018, Gold)

Model IdentifierMacBookAir8,1
Model NumberA1932 (EMC 3184)
Part NumberMREF2LL/A
Family13-inch, Late 2018
Released2018
ColorGold
Display Size13.3 inches
Dimensions11.97 x 8.36 x 0.16-0.61 inch
Weight2.75 lbs (1.25 kg)
Processor1.6Ghz Intel Core i5
RAM8 / 16GB
Storage256 / 512GB or 1.5TB SSD
OpticalNone
See alsoSell your MacBook Air (13-inch, 1.6Ghz Intel Core i5, Late 2018, Gold) online now

MacBook Air (13-inch, 1.6Ghz Intel Core i5, Late 2018, Silver)

Model IdentifierMacBookAir8,1
Model NumberA1932 (EMC 3184)
Part NumberMREC2LL/A
Family13-inch, Late 2018
Released2018
ColorSilver
Display Size13.3 inches
Dimensions11.97 x 8.36 x 0.16-0.61 in
Weight2.75 lbs (1.25 kg)
Processor1.6Ghz Intel Core i5
RAM8 / 16GB
Storage256 / 512GB or 1.5TB SSD
OpticalNone
See alsoSell your MacBook Air (13-inch, 1.6Ghz Intel Core i5, Late 2018, Silver) online now

MacBook Air (13-inch, 1.6Ghz Intel Core i5, Late 2018, Space Gray)

Model IdentifierMacBookAir8,1
Model NumberA1932 (EMC 3184)
Part NumberMRE92LL/A
Family13-inch, Late 2018
Released2018
ColorSpace Gray
Display Size13.3 inches
Dimensions11.97 x 8.36 x 0.16-0.61 in
Weight2.75 lbs (1.25 kg)
Processor1.6Ghz Intel Core i5
RAM8 / 16GB
Storage256 / 512GB or 1.5TB SSD
OpticalNone
See alsoSell your MacBook Air (13-inch, 1.6Ghz Intel Core i5, Late 2018, Space Gray) online now

MacBook Air (13-inch, 1.6Ghz Intel Core i5, Late 2018, Gold)

Model IdentifierMacBookAir8,1
Model NumberA1932 (EMC 3184)
Part NumberMREE2LL/A
Family13-inch, Late 2018
Released2018
ColorGold
Display Size13.3 inches
Dimensions11.97 x 8.36 x 0.16-0.61 in
Weight2.75 lbs (1.25 kg)
Processor1.6Ghz Intel Core i5
RAM8 / 16GB
Storage128 / 256 / 512GB or 1.5TB SSD
OpticalNone
See alsoSell your MacBook Air (13-inch, 1.6Ghz Intel Core i5, Late 2018, Gold) online now

MacBook Air (13-inch, 1.6Ghz Intel Core i5, Late 2018, Silver)

Model IdentifierMacBookAir8,1
Model NumberA1932 (EMC 3184)
Part NumberMREA2LL/A
Family13-inch, Late 2018
Released2018
ColorSilver
Display Size13.3 inches
Dimensions11.97 x 8.36 x 0.16-0.61 in
Weight2.75 lbs (1.25 kg)
Processor1.6Ghz Intel Core i5
RAM8 / 16GB
Storage128 / 256 / 512GB or 1.5TB SSD
OpticalNone
See alsoSell your MacBook Air (13-inch, 1.6Ghz Intel Core i5, Late 2018, Silver) online now

MacBook Air (13-inch, 1.6Ghz Intel Core i5, Late 2018, Space Gray)

Model IdentifierMacBookAir8,1
Model NumberA1932 (EMC 3184)
Part NumberMRE82LL/A
Family13-inch, Late 2018
Released2018
ColorSpace Gray
Display Size13.3 inches
Dimensions11.97 x 8.36 x 0.16-0.61 in
Weight2.75 lbs (1.25 kg)
Processor1.6Ghz Intel Core i5
RAM8 / 16 GB
Storage128 / 256 / 512GB or 1.5TB SSD
OpticalNone
See alsoSell your MacBook Air (13-inch, 1.6Ghz Intel Core i5, Late 2018, Space Gray) online now

Special Features

MacBook Air now features Touch ID, allowing you to instantly unlock your notebook, authenticate your identity and make fast, simple and secure purchases using Apple Pay. Image credit: Apple.com.
  • The MacBook Air 8,1 (13-inch, Late 2018) is the most secure Mac along with the iMac Pro (2017) as it features the Apple T2 security chip. In a nutshell, Apple T2 manages the disk, the video and audio drivers and thus controls the access to the most vulnerable parts of the system, starting with the system boot-up. It also prevents an unauthorized access to the webcam, the microphone and the speakers. The T2 manual, though, warns against unexpected crashes fo pr iMacs Pro, but we believe, Apple has solved the trouble for MacBooks Air.
  • Apple has always been notorious for proprietary ports asking for rather costly proprietary cables. This year the company gave this principle up, at least for the new MacBook Air. The Thunderbolt 3 ports are the same USB-C ones, and they both work as charging ports as well! It’s a very wise move! A lot of users are reluctant to switch to Macs because the accessories price tag scares them away. With the MacBook Air 8,1 (13-inch, Late 2018) any standard USB-C cable will do.

Miscellanea

With faster memory and the latest processors and graphics, MacBook Air delivers the performance you need for organizing your photos, browsing the web and creating presentations. Image credit: Apple.com.
  • The only thing that can kill the enthusiasm is the keyboard with the “butterfly” mechanism. Apple had to confess that the same keyboard on MacBooks Pro is far from being reliable but didn’t drop the idea altogether and brought it to much thinner MacBook Air. After all, the “butterfly” mechanism allows to make the thinnest keyboard ever and with the MacBook Air this feature is the key.
  • According to the CNET.com (and we quote here): “If anything, the new Air looks and feels like a half-step between the 12-inch MacBook and the 13-inch MacBook Pro…Picking one up, it immediately feels lighter and smaller than the current Air, which I’m intimately familiar with. At 2.7 pounds and about 15 millimeters thick.”
  • This Air includes a much bigger touchpad, of the same Force Touch style as on other MacBooks. It doesn’t have a diving-board hinge on the back, and instead uses four corner sensors to register clicks.

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