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Retina MacBook Air Q&A
Update Published August 15, 2019
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How fast is the "Late 2018" Retina MacBook Air compared to the Retina MacBook and Retina MacBook Pro? How fast is it compared to the older pre-Retina MacBook Air?
Please note that the "Late 2018" 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 corporate press release for the Retina MacBook Air -- the MacBook Air "Core i5" 1.6 13" (Late 2018) -- Apple notes that the notebook provides:
The performance you need for everyday activities like organizing your photos, browsing the web, creating presentations or viewing and editing videos.
With a focus on "everyday activities," one should expect the Retina MacBook Air to provide fairly modest performance.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Retina MacBook Air, Late 2018)
However, to know just how this modest performance compares to the smaller Retina MacBook, larger and more powerful Retina MacBook Pro, and older pre-Retina MacBook Air requires a proper evaluation.
General Performance Overview
For a useful overview of the performance difference between the "Late 2018" 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 independent analysis for a deeper dive into the performance difference between these notebooks.
Retina MacBook Air vs. Retina MacBook
When the "Late 2018" MacBook Air was introduced, Apple did not make a performance-related update to the Retina MacBook (but did update its color options). Accordingly, the Retina MacBook effectively was a generation behind, but the MacBook Air is not hugely faster overall:
| 2018 MacBook Air | 2017 MacBook | Single Core | Multicore |
| "Core i5" 1.6 13" | "Core m3" 1.2 12" | +12% | +9% |
| "Core i5" 1.3 12" | +9% | +4% | |
| "Core i7" 1.4 12" | -2% | -7% |
The "Late 2018" MacBook Air is between 4% and 12% faster than the two stock "Mid-2017" Retina MacBook models.
However, when upgraded with a faster Core i7 processor by custom configuration, the Retina MacBook Air is as much as 7% slower than the Retina MacBook. When configured with equivalent storage, the Retina MacBook cost 11% more than its Retina MacBook Air brethren, but it still holds its own fairly well.
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:
| 2018 MacBook Air | 2017/2018 13" MBP | Single Core | Multicore |
| "Core i5" 1.6 13" | "Core i5" 2.3 13" (2017) | -8% | -20% |
| "Core i7" 2.5 13" (2017) | -17% | -25% | |
| "Core i5" 2.3 13" (2018) | -12% | -55% | |
| "Core i7" 2.7 13" (2018) | -23% | -58% |
The Retina MacBook Air is between 8% and 23% slower than the 13" Retina MacBook Pro models in single core tasks and between 20% and 58% slower in multicore tasks. The higher-end "Mid-2018" Retina MacBook Pro models with "Touch Bar" technology have four cores instead of just two and these extra cores make a major difference in performance.
Of course, the MacBook Pro line offers more than just extra performance, but the MacBook Air line is considerably less expensive, too.
Retina MacBook Air vs. Pre-Retina MacBook Air
As you would expect, the much older pre-Retina MacBook Air models are slower than the Retina MacBook Air:
| 2018 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 Retina MacBook Air is between 18% and 19% faster than the much older stock pre-Retina MacBook Air. However, the Core i7-custom configured pre-Retina MacBook Air -- which wasn't updated meaningfully since 2015 -- still holds up better than you might expect compared to a system that is so much newer.
Performance Summary
Ultimately, the Retina MacBook Air is faster than the smaller Retina MacBook and older MacBook Air, but modestly so. Of course, the Retina MacBook Air also offers additional connectivity and a beautiful display, so performance isn't the only metric to consider, but other Mac notebooks remain well worth consideration, whether for higher performance or a lower price tag, particularly on the used market.
In the US, site sponsor Adorama sells new Retina MacBook Air models with free shipping. Other World Computing sells 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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