Hosted by site sponsor WebMate.
MacBook Air Q&A
Update Published August 10, 2019
All Mac Q&As >> MacBook Air Q&A (Home) | Also See: All MacBook Air Specs
To be notified of new Q&As, sign up for EveryMac.com's bimonthly email list.
What is the battery life of the "Mid-2013," "Early 2014," "Early 2015" and "Mid-2017" MacBook Air models in "real-world" usage tests? Is it really as long as Apple claims?
Please note that all MacBook Air models mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. However, this Q&A is up-to-date and remains quite useful to anyone buying or selling one of these Mac notebooks on the used market.
In the official press release for the "Mid-2013" MacBook Air models -- the MacBook Air "Core i5" 1.3 11" (Mid-2013), "Core i7" 1.7 11" (Mid-2013), "Core i5" 1.3 13" (Mid-2013), and "Core i7" 1.7 13" (Mid-2013) -- Apple notes that these systems provide "all day battery life."
In the press release for the "Early 2014" MacBook Air -- the MacBook Air "Core i5" 1.4 11" (Early 2014), "Core i7" 1.7 11" (Early 2014), "Core i5" 1.4 13" (Early 2014), and "Core i7" 1.7 13" (Early 2014) -- Apple places more emphasis on value than battery life, but also notes that "in conjunction with OS X Mavericks" battery life has been improved compared to their predecessors, as well.
For the "Early 2015" MacBook Air -- the MacBook Air "Core i5" 1.6 11" (Early 2015), "Core i7" 2.2 11" (Early 2015), "Core i5" 1.6 13" (Early 2015) and "Core i7" 2.2 13" (Early 2015) -- Apple considered the update to be so minor that they were only mentioned in passing in a related press release, but battery life has been modestly improved for the 11-Inch model compared to the two earlier lines.
The minor update on June 5, 2017 -- the MacBook Air "Core i5" 1.8 13" (Early 2015/Mid-2017*) -- is exactly the same as the "Early 2015" models in terms of battery life. This model was discontinued on July 9, 2019.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Left - 11" MacBook Air, Right - 13" MacBook Air)
Official Battery Life Estimates & Battery Specs
Specifically, Apple reports the following battery life estimates for the "Mid-2013," "Early 2014" and "Early 2015/Mid-2017" MacBook Air models:
| Battery Life | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |||
| 11" | 13" | 11" | 13" | 11" | 13" | |
| Wireless Web | 9 Hours | 12 Hours | 9 Hours | 12 Hours | 9 Hours | 12 Hours |
| Movie Playback | 8 Hours | 10 Hours | 9 Hours | 12 Hours | 10 Hours | 12 Hours |
It is particularly important to note that the 11-Inch and 13-Inch models from the "Mid-2013" and "Early 2014" lines have the same respective 38-watt hour and 54-watt-hour batteries and the same "Haswell ULT" architecture. The "Early 2015" models also have the same batteries, but have a slightly more efficient "Broadwell ULT" architecture.
Consequently, the improvement in battery life for the "Early 2014" MacBook Air models is entirely due to efficiency improvements in OS X Mavericks (10.9). If the "Mid-2013" MacBook Air models also are running OS X Mavericks -- and the batteries are in the same condition -- battery life essentially will be the same. The small improvement for the "Early 2015" models, on the other hand, is related to the hardware differences.
It also is worth noting that all MacBook Air models have built-in lithium polymer batteries that are not intended to be removed, or even replaced by an end user, although it is possible for those with some technical capability to do so.
Official Battery Life Testing Criteria
In small print, Apple notes that preproduction versions of standard models were used and details the testing methodology accordingly:
The wireless web test measures battery life by wirelessly browsing 25 popular websites with display brightness set to 12 clicks from bottom or 75%. The HD movie playback test measures battery life by playing back HD 720p content with display brightness set to 12 clicks from bottom or 75%. The standby test measures battery life by allowing a system, connected to a wireless network and signed into an iCloud account, to enter standby mode with Safari and Mail applications launched and all system settings left at default.
For many years now, Apple's battery life estimates have been reasonable, but third-party test results still can be useful.
Third-Party Battery Life Test Results (Mid-2013)
Independent tests use a variety of different methods and can provide a well rounded evaluation of battery life in "real world" use as a result.
AppleInsider tested the 11-Inch "Mid-2013" model in day-to-day usage scenarios as well as for 1080p video playback:
We were able to coax a little under 7 hours of life for daily work duties like writing, conducting online research, running multiple processor-intensive apps, light image editing and multimedia playback. Under a more "normal" load, like surfing the Web, listening to music and switching between two or three apps, runtime hit just below the 9 hour mark. With display dimmed to 50 percent and Power Nap turned off, that number jumped to well beyond 9 hours.
Most impressive, however, was video playback. We played a 1080p MP4 version of "Skyfall" saved to the Air's SSD, full screen with backlight and volume settings set to max, as a sort of torture test. The battery lasted for almost 10 hours.
For the 13-Inch "Mid-2013" model, Engadget performed a "video rundown" test similar to Apple's official "iTunes movie playback" test and reported:
Last year's machine managed just over six and a half hours before expiring. We were, then, skeptical that this new edition could manage nearly twice that longevity -- but it actually did better. This year's Air survived 12 hours and 51 minutes on a charge. That's a stunning number from a laptop this thin, achieved with Wi-Fi enabled and without any external batteries.
LaptopMag also put the 13-Inch "Mid-2013" model through its paces and found:
When we ran the Laptop Battery Test (Web surfing via Wi-Fi) on our home Wi-Fi connection, the Air lasted 10 hours and 53 minutes. In our office, where we typically test notebooks, the Air lasted even longer, 11 hours and 40 minutes. That's just 20 minutes shy of Apple's claim, and more than double the ultraportable average of 5:56. . . To push the Air even further we ran our battery test on 100 percent brightness. The notebook lasted 6 hours and 29 minutes, which is still more than a half hour longer than other ultraportables we evaluate at 40 percent brightness. That's impressive.
Impressive indeed. It's quite clear that the "Mid-2013" MacBook Air models established a new standard for notebook battery life.
Third-Party Battery Life Test Results (Early 2014)
As the "Early 2014" MacBook Air models were a minor improvement compared to their predecessors, most of the blogosphere declined to perform extensive evaluation.
However, the industry-standard Macworld tested both sizes with a "looping video" test and reported:
Our battery tests showed that the new MacBook Air was able to maintain its superior battery life. We looped a movie file in iTunes at 200 CD/m2 brightness, with Wi-Fi off and the keyboard dimmed. The 11-inch MacBook Air lasted 9 hours and 39 minutes, 20 minutes longer than last year's 11-inch. The new 13-inch MacBook Air lasted 12 hours and 13 minutes, 23 minutes longer than our previous 13-inch MacBook Air.
Not quite as large of a change as the official Apple estimates, but it also should be emphasized that these unofficial test results actually demonstrate longer battery life than the official numbers.
Third-Party Battery Life Test Results (Early 2015/Mid-2017)
Likewise, as the differences between the "Early 2015" MacBook Air models and their predecessors were minor, few sites bothered reviewing the notebooks at all, but ArsTechnica put the 13-Inch "Early 2015" model through its paces and found it to provide a bit better runtime in some tasks and a bit worse runtime in others:
Our tests suggest that the [Early 2014] Haswell Airs do a little better when the system is mostly idle, as showed in our Wi-Fi browsing test. When the system's CPU and GPU are being used constantly, as they are in our WebGL test, the [Early 2015] Broadwell system pulls ahead.
However, just like the web browsing tests for earlier models, the results were even better than Apple's official estimates.
Battery Life Summary
Ultimately, Apple's estimated battery life for the "Mid-2013," "Early 2014" and "Early 2015/Mid-2017" MacBook Air models is quite reasonable. When each line is equipped with the same operating system, the battery life is more-or-less the same, too.
Regardless of the installed operating system, depending on the tasks performed, your "real world" results may be a bit better or worse but no doubt will be impressive for those used to spending time hunting for a power outlet at an airport or elsewhere while on the go.
Also see: How do you replace or upgrade the battery in the MacBook Air? Is it even possible or is it glued in place?
Permalink | Report an Error/Typo | Sign Up for Site Update Notices
Established in 1996, EveryMac.com has been created by experts with decades of experience with Apple hardware. EveryMac.com includes, and always has included, original research incorporating detailed, hands-on inspection of packaging, computers, and devices as well as extensive real-world use. All information is provided in good faith, but no website or person is perfect. Accordingly, EveryMac.com is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind whatsoever. EveryMac.com, and the authors thereof, shall not be held responsible or liable, under any circumstances, for any damages resulting from the use or inability to use the information within. For complete disclaimer and copyright information please read and understand the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy before using EveryMac.com. Copying, scraping, or use of any content without expressed permission is not allowed, although links to any page are welcomed and appreciated.