Apple Macbook Air (2018) Review - How macOS performs

For PurePC notebooks, only Windows laptops are continuously tested. The reasons for this are various - a test procedure adapted to the system, an incomparably greater number of different configurations, whether for gamers or for ordinary everyday use. The topic of Macbooks from Apple is basically used very rarely. A few weeks ago, thanks to the x-kom store, we managed to snatch last year's version of the Macbook Air with a 13.3" screen and I decided to prepare an article that would be my impressions of use after a few weeks. It will not be a classic review due to the inability to adapt the procedure to However, I wanted to prepare a more lifestyle text in which I would describe what I liked and disliked about Apple's system.

Author: Damian Marusiak

The Apple Macbook Air 13 (2018) is an ultrabook that was launched last year and recently saw price cuts. Although Apple quietly introduced a newer version a few weeks ago, the main difference was the addition of the True Tone function to the matrix. This option is already known from iPhones, Macbook Pros and iPads. I have had the opportunity to use this technology before, which makes the white temperature of the screen adapt to the conditions in the place where we are. A very interesting and well-prepared feature, which, however, has only just arrived on the Retina screen of the Macbook Air. Nevertheless, thanks to the x-kom store, we managed to put our hands on last year's version, which currently costs PLN 4,799. I honestly admit that it was my first contact with a Macbook since a certain test on the moreleTV channel.

For several weeks I tested the Apple Macbook Air (2018) laptop with a dual-core and four-thread Intel Core i5-8210Y processor. Does such a system make any sense in a device for about PLN 5,000?

As it happens in laptop reviews on PurePC, we will devote some time to the construction itself at the beginning. Apple Macbook Air came to the editorial office in an elegant, white package with a photo of the device. We will also find here a lot of information about the specification of the ultrabook, although of course the user will not find out what specific processor was used. Apple for some reason does not disclose such details and the recipient must be left with the fact that there is, for example, "Intel Core i5" inside. Thanks to the fact that the company gives the base clock speed and in the Turbo Boost 2.0 mode, we can always find the right processor model, in this case it will be the Intel Core i5-8210Y from the Amber Lake-Y series. Its base frequency is 1.6 GHz with the possibility of increasing it to a maximum of 3.6 GHz. The system is dual-core and four-threaded. Among the attached specifications, we also find information about the matrix, RAM, disk capacity, mounted I / O ports and dimensions. In the box, in turn, in addition to the laptop, we will find a 30W power supply, a power cable with a USB type C tip and documentation.

In terms of design, the equipment from Apple looks exactly like other notebooks from the American company. Here we always have the same scheme - the apple logo on the outer cover, a butterfly keyboard placed in a palm rest (although the new Macbooks are to give up this keyboard in favor of a traditional scissor keyboard), large touchpad or speakers placed on both sides of the keyboard. One could say that the design has become boring over the years, because it does not introduce any specific and significant novelties. Some people like this decision, others don't. Personally, I liked the look of the equipment, but it's more because I haven't had a Macbook in my hand for over 3 years, so I didn't even have the opportunity to get bored with the design. However, I can't say a bad word about the build quality, which is at a very high level. This element has always been important to the manufacturer and it shows. One block of aluminum in silver, additionally with a matte surface. Thanks to this, the device is resistant to dirt. The stiffness is great, nothing here flexes or creaks. So it's great in this respect and the Macbook does not have to be ashamed of the competition with Windows in any way.

There's been a lot of talk about butterfly keyboards in Macbooks and I was curious how this would compare to typical scissor/membrane keyboards found on other laptops. I admit that at first using this keyboard was not very pleasant. More than the shallow keystroke, however, the habits of keyboards from Windows laptops disturbed. A slightly different arrangement of most of the keys, the lack of more characteristic buttons and replacing them with typical Macbook "Command" or "Option" keys meant that when typing texts in the initial period, I often made mistakes in sentences. In addition, the selection of the keyboard layout during the first setup was problematic - macOS preferred the choice between "Polish" and "Polish Extended". A bit out of whack, I chose plain Polish and it turned out to be a mistake, because the keyboard from the machine switched to the "QWERTZ" system instead of "QWERTY". Fortunately, I quickly found the option to change the keyboard layout in the settings, and only after selecting "Polish Extended" I got the standard system. Also, if someone is just trying to choose a Macbook, but has not been its user before, I recommend choosing the extended Polish layout, otherwise an unpleasant surprise may await when entering text.

The touchpad has very extensive capabilities, which is much more advanced than typical touch pads known from other ultrabooks with Windows. This is, of course, due to the fact that macOS strongly supports gestures, thanks to which performing various maneuvers on the touchpad means that, for example, we can switch between windows faster, launch a selected program or execute specific instructions in an already running program. In the screenshots above you can see what gestures we can perform on the touchpad. Enlarging or reducing elements, rotating, changing the page (e.g. in a document) or launching the notification center - these are just some of the options that we can call with gestures. It also works very well, gestures are correctly read so that we can perform certain actions on the Macbook Air faster. The surface of the touchpad itself is smooth and moving your fingers on it is comfortable and hassle-free. I must admit that this is probably the best touchpad I've ever dealt with, even packed with functions.

I've mentioned speakers before. The manufacturer placed one speaker on the left and right side of the keyboard, so in a completely different place than in ultrabooks with Windows. There, the speakers are usually at the very front, which makes them very easy to cover - all you have to do is put the equipment on your lap. As a result, the sound can often appear heavily muffled. In the Macbook Air, the case is completely different, because there is no way to accidentally cover the speakers. Their location is the right choice, because the sound that comes out seems much louder and livelier. The speakers are also extremely loud and can deliver really good audio quality. Of course, as it happens with ultrabooks, what disturbs the most is the almost complete lack of low tones. Despite everything, the Apple Macbook Air plays better than many ultrabooks advertising support for the Dolby Atmos system.

While the sound quality is very good, the company's approach to I/O connectors can be disappointing. A long time ago, the manufacturer castrated Macbooks Pro from any USB type A ports, digital HDMI or memory card readers. Last year, this unpleasant castration also reached Macbook Air models. The tested device has two full Thunderbolt 3 ports (and a huge plus) and a 3.5 mm audio jack. We will not connect any peripherals with a USB type A connector and an SD/microSD memory card reader, unless we decide to buy adapters. A slightly different matter is with sending the image to a larger screen (e.g. monitor or TV), although the entire ecosystem of Apple devices plays an important role here. The manufacturer has a clever technology called Apple AirPlay 2 and it will often be an efficient solution to transfer the image from the Macbook to another screen.

In my case, I cloned the image to the LG OLED C7 TV thanks to the Apple TV 4K adapter, which I also have. So while the TV itself does not support AirPlay 2 (this year's LG models can do it, as well as the Samsung models from 2018 and 2019), the adapter does and thanks to this I could, for example, work on a much larger screen. The only requirement is that both the Macbook laptop and the Apple TV 4K must be connected to the same network (which is obvious), then all you need to do is select the option to connect to the AirPlay 2 device on the Macbook screen, enter the code displayed on TV and that's it - pairing of devices takes place immediately. The big plus of the support for AirPlay 2 is all the wirelessness of this system. I don't have to connect more HDMI cables, instead, image cloning takes place using the perfectly refined Apple ecosystem.

What does working in the macOS environment look like? Macbook Air (2018) was not my first contact with this system, so many elements were already familiar to me. However, I must admit that a lot of things look different here and different activities are performed completely differently. Some are much faster, e.g. access to the settings menu or selection of preferred applications. Quick access to the settings menu or the notification center is possible by hovering the cursor to the very top of the screen. At the bottom, in turn, we have icons with applications like a web browser, Siri voice assistant (still not available in Polish), AppStore, iTunes (yet) or an update management panel. Although a Windows user may feel overwhelmed at first with all these icons, settings and gestures, you can quickly get used to the presentation of macOS, which is primarily simple and legible for the user. A big advantage is also access to the AppStore containing dozens of interesting applications that further improve the operation of the system or develop its capabilities. Programs for processing or editing video, sorting photos and many other similar - we can find everything within the AppStore. I am only surprised by the complete lack of a dedicated Netflix application - to use it on a Macbook, you need to enter through a web browser. In my opinion, this is a big oversight if the equipment is also to be used to consume content from the currently most popular VOD.

I also really like the way Touch ID is integrated throughout macOS. The very configuration of the biometric method of unlocking the device is quick and very simple - Touch ID has been re-integrated with the device's switch, which is located in the upper-right corner of the keyboard. However, unlike keyboards in ultrabooks with Windows, here this button is clearly different from the other keys and it is unlikely to be accidentally pressed. After configuring the finger button, it can be used not only to unlock the device faster (it works exemplary, tested at least several dozen times and there was no problem with reading the finger on any occasion), but also to make online purchases using the Apple Pay system and in the iTunes/iTunes library App Store and to fill out forms faster in the Safari browser (e.g. when re-entering payment / credit card details). The functionality is therefore much richer than in typical ultrabooks with Windows. Again, however, everything is about the entire comprehensive ecosystem of devices and services from Apple, which work very well within the company's devices.

I spent over three weeks with the Apple Macbook Air (2018) ultrabook and it was a very well spent time. From the very moment I took it out of the box, I felt that I was dealing with a high-end device - at least in terms of build quality. Not everything was perfect of course - I needed some time to get used to the butterfly keyboard, and in the end I prefer the more traditional models with scissor and membrane switches. However, I can write a lot of good things about the touchpad, which is perfectly refined and supports a lot of gestures. The speakers are also nice, they sound better than most ultrabooks available on the market. The high-resolution Retina screen also makes a very good impression with the right color saturation and high brightness, which will allow you to work without problems in brighter rooms. Fans of fumbling with components will certainly not be satisfied - the Macbook Air does not allow for virtually any interference. The number of ports is also, to put it mildly, not overwhelming, although we get two full-fledged Thunderbolt 3 connectors to sweeten it.

Apple Macbook Air (2018) is undoubtedly a very well performing ultrabook. macOS works quickly and efficiently, but it spreads its wings in conjunction with other devices from this manufacturer.

Despite the use of only a 2-core and 4-thread Intel Core i5-8210Y processor, macOS operation is trouble-free. The laptop works efficiently, but in more demanding tasks such as video rendering, I would recommend choosing something stronger (Macbook Pro or ultrabook with Windows). The decision to choose the operating system - Windows or macOS - should be up to the user. Comparing both of these systems is not very sensible, because both are focused on different functionalities and a completely different "feeling" of use. Personally, I am comfortable working on both Windows and macOS, although after much thought, I rather stayed with Windows due to its greater universality and openness. The system from Apple is closed and this is only part of the ecosystem of this manufacturer, where we will see the most possibilities in combination with other devices from the Cupertino company. So I will not persuade anyone to choose a Macbook here because everything ultimately depends on the individual preferences of the user. What is the current price of the device? The model in the same color (Silver), but with one difference - instead of a 256 GB drive, there is 128 GB (models with a 256 GB drive have already been replaced by this year's versions with a screen supporting the True Tone function and, unfortunately, are at a higher price), costs PLN 4799 . On the one hand, it's a high amount, on the other - we won't get anything cheaper with macOS (unless much older Air / Pro models at auctions).

Apple Macbook Air (2018)Price: PLN 5799

We would like to thank the shop for providing the equipment for testing: