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Retina MacBook Air Q&A
Revision Published April 6, 2020
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How fast is the "2019" MacBook Air compared to 13" MacBook Pro models released around the same time? How fast is it compared to earlier MacBook Air models?
Please note that the "2019" Retina MacBook Air has been discontinued. However, this Q&A is up-to-date and can be quite helpful for anyone considering one of these notebooks on the used market.
In the company press release for the "2019" Retina MacBook Air -- the MacBook Air "Core i5" 1.6 13" (True Tone, 2019) -- Apple only mentions "performance" once related to this model. Apple merely notes that the notebook provides "great everyday performance" rather than any specifics regarding its speed. As such, it would be reasonable to expect that the performance of the "2019" Retina MacBook Air is fairly modest.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Retina MacBook Air, 2018/2019)
Furthermore, with even a cursory look at the specs for the "2019" MacBook Air and the "Late 2018" MacBook Air that it replaced -- the MacBook Air "Core i5" 1.6 13" (Late 2018) -- it is notable that they both use the same architecture and the same 1.6 GHz Core i5 "Amber Lake Y" (I5-8210Y) processor.
Accordingly, with the same processor and architecture, when configured with the same default RAM and storage, the "Late 2018" and "2019" MacBook Air models provide identical performance.
However, it still is worthwhile to know how the "2019" MacBook Air compares to earlier pre-Retina MacBook Air models as well as the larger and more powerful Retina MacBook Pro line.
General Performance Overview
For a worthwhile overview of the performance difference between the "2019" Retina MacBook Air and other Mac notebooks, EveryMac.com's own Ultimate Mac Comparison makes it quick to compare side-by-side 32-bit and 64-bit Geekbench benchmark averages with all other G3 and later Macs for thousands of possible performance comparisons.
This Q&A combines Geekbench 4 benchmarks with our own independent analysis for a deeper dive into the performance of these notebooks.
Retina MacBook Air vs. Pre-Retina MacBook Air
As you would expect, the much older pre-Retina MacBook Air models are slower than the "2019" Retina MacBook Air:
| 2019 MacBook Air | 2017 MacBook Air | Single Core | Multicore |
| "Core i5" 1.6 13" | "Core i5" 1.8 13" | +19% | +18% |
| "Core i7" 2.2 13" | +12% | +8% |
The "2019" Retina MacBook Air is 19% faster in single core and 18% faster in multicore tasks than the stock 2017 pre-Retina MacBook Air models discontinued when the "2019" Retina MacBook Air was introduced.
However, the 2019 model only is 12% faster in single core and 8% faster in multicore tasks than the Core i7-custom configured pre-Retina MacBook Air. Given that the now discontinued pre-Retina MacBook Air had not been meaningfully updated since 2015, it holds its own better than you might expect for a notebook introduced four years earlier.
Retina MacBook Air vs. 13" Retina MacBook Pro
Compared to the higher-end 13" Retina MacBook Pro models, the Retina MacBook Air is significantly slower:
| 2019 MacBook Air | 2019 13" MBP | Single Core | Multicore |
| "Core i5" 1.6 13" | "Core i5" 1.4 13" (2 TB 3) | -15% | -56% |
| "Core i7" 1.7 13" (2 TB 3) | -24% | -58% | |
| "Core i5" 2.4 13" | -18% | -59% | |
| "Core i7" 2.8 13" | -25% | -60% |
The "2019" Retina MacBook Air is between 15% and 25% slower than the "2019" 13-Inch Retina MacBook Pro models in single core tasks and between 56% and 60% slower in multicore tasks. All of the "2019" Retina MacBook Pro models have four cores instead of just two, like the "2019" Retina MacBook Air, and these extra cores make a huge difference in multicore performance.
Performance Summary
Ultimately, the "2019" Retina MacBook Air is the same speed as the "Late 2018" Retina MacBook Air and modestly faster than the "2017" pre-Retina MacBook Air models that it replaced. It is substantially slower than all "2019" Retina MacBook Pro models, especially in multicore tasks.
Of course, when released, the "2019" Retina MacBook Air models were substantially cheaper than the Retina MacBook Pro. For someone who places more importance on price than power, the Retina MacBook Air may be perfect. On the used market, the "2019" Retina MacBook Air models now are cheaper still.
In the US, site sponsor Adorama sells new Retina MacBook Air models with free shipping. Other World Computing and JemJem sell used and refurb MacBook Air models at bargain prices with free shipping, as well. On the other hand, if you need to sell a MacBook Air, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac and GoRoostr will buy your older notebook with an instant quote and prompt payment.
In the UK, site sponsor Hoxton Macs sells used MacBook Air models with a one-year warranty and free next day delivery throughout the UK. Delivery across Europe also is available starting at just £9.99 for two-day delivery to France and Germany.
In Australia, site sponsor Mac City likewise has a variety of used MacBook Air models sold at low prices and available with a free warranty and fast shipping across Australia.
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