A latest 8th generation Intel-Core 1.6Ghz vs 7th generation 2.3Ghz? Nits Brightness reduced from 500 to 300? No True Tone and Wide Color (P3)? Are you sure you want to go for this MacBook? Yes, it is a 100 bucks cheaper, lighter and with more battery life but is it worth it in the long run?
Apple has finally introduced its latest MacBook Air with Retina display in its latest event held in Brooklyn. Yes, the long thought of Retina display is on new MacBook Air. Along with that, it includes the latest 8th gen processor, 50% thinner bezels and an improved 3rd gen butterfly keyboard. We are hoping that this keyboard won’t be same as what we found in MacBook Pro 2018.
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2018 vs Apple MacBook Air 2018
There are already 2 other MacBooks namely MacBook Pro and Macbook. So the question is where does MacBook Air fall now. Can it replace MacBook which is famous for its portability or can it replace MacBook Pro for developers? The Air still is the most cheapest MacBook currently with a starting price of $1,199 USD.
Should I buy the new MacBook Air 2018?
It really depends on you. The new MacBook Air has the price edge here but it lacks a good processor. Yes, the generation is latest 8th gen Intel-Core but a 1.6Ghz dual core? The MacBook Pro 2017 without touch bar is still on 7th generation and honestly, I was hoping for them to get a bump in this event. Well, Apple dint hear this time. Sure, it has got the new processor but that is not worth spending a lot of money on it, especially if you want to play some games here and there or do some photoshop. 1.6Ghz dual-core just seem too unrealistic if you really want to take advantage of Mac OS.
7th Gen vs 8th Gen Intel Core processors
Now most of us believe that new generation is always the most powerful one but that is not always the case. I would opt for a 7th generation non touch bar MacBook Pro 13 instead of this one. Why? Because 7th generation 2.3Ghz is a bit more powerful in single as well as multitasking.
Portability
Unless you want to buy a MacBook Pro 15, portability is not a concern here. The MacBook Air is a bit lighter than the Pro at 2.75 pounds compared to 3.02 pounds. On top of that, you will get extra 2 hours of battery life but the problem here I see is the new MacBook Air comes only with a 30W USB-C charger compared to 61W USB-C charger in MacBook Pro. Apart from that, the new MacBook Air is slightly bigger as well.
But What about the third generation butterfly keyboard?
Maybe wait for it? See how it goes with the first shipment. I personally have to replace my keyboard on my MacBook Pro 2017, 3 times. YES, 3 TIMES. And without any cost because that is on Apple. So wait for the first shipment and see my full review when I will get the new MacBook Air 13 which hopefully I will get on 7th November.
So, which MacBook is better?
On the other hand, according to Digital Trends and Verge, this MacBook Air is a go and that people should go for it. Why do they say it? Because it has the latest Intel 8th-gen processors, new butterfly keyboard, it is lighter, thinner and cheaper.
But they are not seeing it from the other side. The MacBook Air 2018 comes with only 300 brightness, compared to 500 nits on MacBook Pro. Also, it lacks Wide Color (P3) and True Tone Technology. Watching movies on it would be really hard if you have already used a MacBook Pro. Plus the 1.6Ghz vs 2.3Ghz is not a minor downgrade.
Even Maxing out its RAM to 16GB from 8GB and SSD to 512GB will cost you around 1799 USD. But you are still stuck on 1.6Ghz. I know I cannot live with that. According to research, people don’t change their MacBooks usually go for 3-5 years. So if you want to future proof yourself then don’t go for this one. It has inferior clock speed, only 300 brightness nits compared to Pro 500 nits.
