What I like about your reviews is that you get straight to the point, you don't talk 10mins about how cool it is to have rose gold apple stickers, like some other youtubers that "review" apple products do.
The Y-series processor is actually 7 watts on this model! Which is most likely why they implemented the fan to squeeze out those 2 extra watts over the 12 inch Macbook. Great review as always!
This thing is .75 pounds heavier than the 12" MacBook, only .3 pounds lighter than the 13" MacBook Pro, thicker at its thickest point than the 13" MacBook Pro, and is only $100 cheaper than the touch bar-less 13" MacBook Pro. They took a machine that was being marketed as an affordable laptop for students and made it needlessly expensive and unaffordable for the majority of students. The new Air should be $1000 max, and that includes the stupid $200 Apple tax. Apple is making the same mistake they made in the 90's. They have too many products (which creates a confusing product stack), and it's no longer clear who each product is made for. There's nothing "Pro" about base model MacBook Pros. Who is the 12" MacBook targeting? How is that market different from the market the new 13" Air is targeting?
the Mac book air was NEVER targeted to students, just go for the launch event. it is just THAT OLD TECHNOLOGY that apple needed (!) to lower the price soo much to make it sell. that's the point, and that is why it is "affordable ". its still not worth its money - but good for students with an image complex that can be filled by "my Mac". there is actually only reasons to NOT buy an apple pc for students, at least for Germany: when I was @University I could tell from far of someone was using a (white) MB: confused buy video out connections, no idea how preservation mode works in power point (or apple's version of it), no idea how to backup etc etc etc. but they have the image of being "creative" - plus, as its apple, you don't need to know anything about hardware. apple is a nice excuse for all of that. you can get a msft surface laptop, with a better screen abd slidely lower power (core M3 = 220 cb in cinebench vs 260 here) + 4GB, 128 nvme @ msft sale for a little less now! ps: 699$
@@derJackistweg I get it. It was going for $700ish at 3rd party retailers because the tech was 5 years old. But that's who was buying the MacBook Air for the last 3 years. It built an identity as the affordable Apple machine that was priced for students. The 12 inch MacBook, from what I remember, was meant to take the spot that the Air previously held in the lineup-the premium ultra mobile laptop. And at the time it was priced to reflect that role. Now they're all similarly priced and somewhat indistinguishable from one another. And the entire lineup is a horrible value. I mean they're still selling a "MacBook Pro" with a dual core processor, and we're almost into 2019...
@@brois841 Get lost. Speaking of irony. This is an Apple video. The only people that are trolls are the ones who come here and speak negatively about Apple, so get the fuck out.
I smile every time I watch one of your videos! Love your sense of humor. Also like that you review with insights for both pro and more typical/everyday use. So many reviewers just criticize everything as not being pro enough no matter what it is. Thanks!
But the resale value will be significantly higher than that of a Windows equivalent. So you could regard it as an investment. The used market is thriving in the Apple world.
@@huggyuk It's thriving because brand new apple products are ridiculously expensive. Also apple is making it harder to get them repaired by third parties. The used market will go down eventually.
@@huggyuk But hey, if one makes it worthwhile staying in the MacOS ecosystem then more power to them, really! It's just a little annoying that Apple builds an increasingly high paywall to enter purchasing an up to date Mac. Not sugarcoating that.
Sami Amor While I always felt the butterfly keyswitches had a strange feel to them. I haven’t found a laptop I can type faster on that’s equipped without them.
I just love her reviews. Very personable and she always gets straight to the point with undeniable facts. Plus she’s brave enough to rock that huge collar mic with a straight face. lol. You do you Lisa. I’m a fan.
Too close to the Pro nTB in price imo, for that 100USD you get a P3 gamut, 500 nits screen, better speakers, Iris Plus graphics, higher wattage CPUs, and not that much worse battery life. If the non-touchbar also got an update any time soon to a ULV quad core and T2/Butterfly 3, it would be far away the better choice.
Overall I agree with most of your points. Keep in mind though that while the entry MBP has the advantages you mentioned plus better thermals, its CPU (while slightly higher wattage & clock speed) is an older dual-core i5, it's a heavier machine, and it doesn't have TouchID. So it's still a tough choice for people debating between these two MB models. And unfortunately IDK that your last line's wish is going to come true: I agree with Lisa that Apple is likely going to drop that entry MBP next year, since these new Airs perform about the same at about the same price point. They should DEF drop the basic MacBook since it's somewhat of a POS for the $$, LOL. I'm currently using a 2016 MBA but yeah i hate the screen. I would consider trading up to this entry MBP next year if I can get it on sale, or Certified Refurbished at a nice discount (minimum 256 GB SSD and 16 GB of RAM).
@@Sharky165 The biggest difference with the 8th gen processors was the increase in core counts. Since this Y series chip is still a dual core, and so is the higher wattage 7th gen part in the Pro, the generational difference is almost nothing, and doesn't remotely make up for the clock speed and thermal headroom differences.
@@tipoomaster Yeah you're probably right. Like I said, I'd most likely go with the entry MBP regardless... its overall price/performance ratio is that much better than the new Airs, and the 2018 Air screen while far superior to mine is still sub-par for the $ compared to even the entry MBP. IDC about the slight weight difference and TouchID, while nice, isn't a deal-breaker for me, LOL. I love the quad-core, TouchBar MBPs but the prices are fuggin CRINGE-worthy. If I don't go with entry MBP, I might just say "screw mobility", go with a Mac Mini and spend the difference on a DSLR or nice vacation, LOL ! I have a Pixel XL and an iPad so technically I can live w/o a laptop.
@@PumatSol True, but those thinness and weight differences are MUCH smaller now (since late 2016 for the MBP) than they ever were before. So it makes it harder to justify even a new MB Air when the price/performance ratio clearly favors the MBP.
I am sure it's a lot nicer than my MBA 11" but that was $800 in 2014. I am not wed to Apple so I replaced it with an Asus Vivobook and got a nice 14" IPS display, more ram, more storage, legacy ports and expandability. Gen-U-wine plastic but I'll trade better internals for a lesser case.
i actually love their laptop design, especially with the good speakers. BUT they need to thicken up their machines, make parts replaceable, and bring back normal ports. and of course drop that price, until them im sticking to windows
@@gben82 thats the problem, then its older, even if it still has the good screen it'll have at best a quad core processor, highly outdated graphics, and not enough storage or slow storage
Hi Lisa. It's always a pleasure to watch your videos. Keep it up!! I was wondering if you had to choose between Apple Air 2018 and Dell XPS 13" 2018, what would you chose in terms of best final user experience? Thank u!
Great review as always Lisa! I have been searching endlessly for a 13 inch or smaller travel laptop with touch that is not hopelessly slow. I do not do Apple. What are a couple you might recommend? Thank you!
Ace review as always Lisa😀👍🏾 I also like your photography on your backdrop:) Still using my Mid 2012 MBA with 251 gb of storage as a desktop machine(only works plugged in due to a coffee spill that made the battery and backlight non existent :(,but works like a champ..
11:37, notice anything weird about the thermal design? This appears to be the first Macbook with a fan that doesn't directly exhaust through heatsink fins, instead just pushing air straight out and creating negative air pressure inside, and whatever ambient airflow over the heatsink comes with it. Works well enough for the 7W chip, but that's another reason the Pro non-touchbar even with two cores performs better.
@@cotasa That's what I'm saying. The impact of both having two cores of nearly identical architecture, but one with significantly higher thermal dissipation capacity.
I love you Lisa you say it like it is with how the price is ect. Wish most tech youtubers were like you. That said I’m contempt with my 2015 MacBook Pro for awhile yet
@ItzWolffz I don't understand. The macbook pro is better is basically every way except size and keyboard reliability for only $100 more? The Air should be below $1000.
For students though, they do not need stellar screens, graphic performance and what not. The thinner body, touch id, and that slightly lower price are huge selling points. Not to mention a fixed keyboard.
Hey great video! I am thinking of learning to code. Do you think this is a good machine to buy mostly for that purpose? Outside of a bit of office work and web browsing? Take care!
THANK YOU for being fair! I am NOT an Apple fan (thank you, Louis Rossman, LMAO), BUT I still felt you were fair with the pros and cons in this video. Awesome job!
Hi Lisa! Usually I am buying everything after Your review.. This time I am thinking about egpu for my macbook pro, do You have any plans to test those kind devices? BR M
Would you recommend this for a uni student doing essays with research (so many Chrome/Safari windows), writing stories, basic stuff like that? I’m tempted to get the Touch Bar MBP. I’ve kept my 2014 MacBook Air since Christmas 2015 and it’s getting a bit old...
I currently have a 2008 MacBook aluminium, 1st gen 13” iPad Pro and iPhone X. I enjoy taking pictures on my DSLR and have made do uploading them to iCloud via iPhone and iPad. I’m now at the stage where I haven’t the room in my iPhone or iPad to even upload them to iCloud anymore. I’d like to start taking my photography a little more serious and I’d also use the computer for spreadsheets and invoicing. I’m currently looking at a 2018 MacBook Air and 13” touch-bar pro. Do I really need to spend the extra for what I do? Will I get a good lifespan out of the air? Thanks!
It's my first time seeing what's inside a macbook. Those look so clean and futuristic like it's a completely different animal compared to windows laptops.
The Air was a minute faster in handbrake compared to the HP, but what was the duration of either one? One minute in one hour isn't that much, but one minute in 5 minutes is.
I'm really interested in buying this macbook, but my only concern is the display, in the real world is the brightness that bad? I'm a teacher so my use is focused on Word processing and Powerpoint presentations. I also like to browse the web and watch a lot of films, series, anime and youtube in my free time. Will I be missing something with this macbook?
I use my new Air primarily for writing as my job, and watching videos for fun. Used indoors, it's more than bright enough, with a truly beautiful screen. If you are someone who likes to work outdoors in bright sunshine, I can imagine you might have problems, but using mine indoors for 2 weeks, I rarely even want it at maximum brightness. The numbers sound scary, but the experience, for me at least, is great.
Lisa Gade is simply the greatest for tech reviews, anywhere really. Baseline MBP or MBA with 16 gb ram, what would be better performance wise for someone manly using a laptop for larger excel sheets and R studio?
Not sure if I heard correctly; Lisa couldn't live that that display of this Air? I love the design of the Air but a refurbished Pro is about the same price.
From a users perspective since UA-cam reviewers don't say it despite watching a dozen video reviews, here's my take since I am both coder and designer. For beginning coders/programmers/Xcode users, it's fine (Lisa did mention it's ok for Xcode) I For UX-UI designers, upgrade to a 16gb RAM (personally , you're better off with a 15 inch) For minimal graphic design users/dabblers, it's just ok but the 290 nits (it's claimed to be 300 nits) may not be enough luminance. For pro video editors, advanced programmers (using it for game development, more engineering tasks, get a MacbookPro and spec it up For those who are afraid of getting Macbook pro 2017 because of the defective keyboard, yes be aware that your keyboard may stop working. They don't have the silicon membrane of 2018 models for added protection. For those who think there is no clear choice, I am with you. The Apple macbook product line has made me more confused because either they're underpowered or overpriced.
For coding in R the mba should work fine, right? Can't really decide what to get.. I do really love the macOS and I have no problem with paying the so called apple premium for it. My concern is how well it will run my, admittedly not that heavy, daily jobs. I am a PhD student in econometrics and primarily use my laptop for programming in r, larger excel spreads, and writing LaTex. Do you reckon that the macbook air will satisfy my needs? I do prefer the Macbook air to the 2017 pro and I am really not a fan of the touchbar..
13:44 Geez...I knew Apple had crappy thermal design but THE FAN IS NOT CONNECTED TO THE HEATSINK WITH A HEATPIPE? It just blows hot air out as the heatsink heats up? Really apple?
Yup, this one only seems to create ambient airflow by creating negative air pressure with the fan exhausting, no direct stream over the heatsink. It's a 7W processor though, so it seems to work for what it is, but the Pro (even the dual core non-touchbar) does offer significantly better performance thanks to the higher wattage dissipation.
This is similar to hp spectre’s ‘hyperbaric chamber’, hp claims it makes the laptop thinner. This should also be the case for MacBook Air. I personally think this design is better then the conventional ones because firstly from an efficiency standpoint, it doesn’t need to have the indirect connection through the heatpipe (which increase the temperature since the it isn’t perfectly thermally conductive) so the temperature delta between the chip and cooling fins should be smaller. Also it creates ambient air flow to cool the ssd controller and VRMs, in the MacBook Pro, air comes from the ventilation holes from the side to the fan, only passing through part of the battery and some controllers but not the VRMs, which lead to the throttling problem with the i9 MacBook Pro initially.
@@stephen_l1474 The point of HPs hyperbaric chamber was creating a sealed chamber with an intake fan that caused positive air pressure, and that also had a heatpipe/fins. This doesn't seem to work anything like that, as the fan is oriented for exhaust, and there's no sealed chamber around the heatsink. "I personally think this design is better then the conventional one because it doesn’t need to have the indirect connection through the heatpipe (which increase the temperature since the it isn’t perfectly thermally conductive), " This makes no sense. This still has a heatsink, and nothing is perfectly thermally conductive, but a heat pipe transfers heat better than a block of metal alone or air, that's why all of Apples higher wattage laptops have them.
tipoomaster i am quite sure it does create a sealed chamber with the cooling fins being the only way air can go though, this video didn’t shows it very clearly but from ifixit‘ s teardown it does have a great side shot which shows that the battery is basically touching the chassis, there are also air guiding pads in the bottom chassis to completely blocks off any chances they are avoiding the cooling fins. there are no definitive good or bad, but in Apple’s case, since they are too lazy to design some cooling for their VRMs, this should be better. Using a metal block isn’t the problem of not connecting the heat fins to the fans, it is Apple’s problem, some great passive design includes vapor chamber heatsinks which works great in server applications, this avoids the hassle of connecting the heatsink to near the fan. Apple could have made more effort on making better cooling blocks for example using more but thinner fin, or even using vapor chamber (not sure if they can get it thin enough though). And even traditional laptop cooling avoids long heat pipes, because the longer the heat pipes the less efficient it is, for example the newer GPUs from EVGA had been advertised to have SHP (straight heat pipes), where the heat pipes are taking the shortest distance possible even though it means the middle part has to be empty losing some surface area.
Coming from the 12" Macbook, the new Air screen has not seemed dim to me. I live in a cold and cloudy place and always use my computers indoors, and have never needed or wanted the screen brighter than it is -- and it's usually not on full brightness. If I lived in California, I might feel differently. But measurements aside, in actual usage it's been plenty bright enough to use and enjoy.
I checked the screen at a local store. Dim screen is quite disappointing. Plus, the colour isn’t so good as the Pro. For the keyboard, I wish Apple still kept the same home button size but included the sensor. It doesn’t look organised as the present Mac keyboards.
Immediately after this was announced I bought a 12 inch Macbook. Since they updated the Gold color without touching the specs that makes me think Apple isnt updating the 12 this year, and I’ve always wanted one. Was just really hoping that what ended up being the Macbook Air would have been actually cheaper @ 256 GB, or closer in size and weight to the 12 than the nTB Pro :( I have a USB-C dock for the Macbook 12 capable of driving a 3440 x 1440 ultrawide at 100 Hz and couldnt be happier!
I love Lisa's reviews ♥ Her opinion is always honest, and her comments are funny XD (Especially the condomn under each key... That one killed me) Nice review!
So I can get a macbook air for 1300 and a pro on sale for 1199.99 w tax about 1300.00 it is non touch bar pro and prob has old version 2 keyboard. So which is better. I have heard both have keyboard issues...should I wait til fall??
I so want to move to this, but I can't allow myself to spend such money when my Macbook Pro from 2011(!!) is still working fine and smooth without even upgrading anything but the HDD after the thing broke.
While I was waiting for this review, I went and looked at the new macbook air and decided on a used 2017 macbook. I wanted very portable and the pluses on the air side were not worth the price to me. If I was not going for portable, I would have just gone for the macbook pro.
As someone who mainly types on a mechanical keyboard with a long travel, that keyboard looks like my worst nightmare. It almost looks like the Surface Touch Cover has more travel, and that's just a capacitive touchpad with lines on it.
Due to the poor price/performance recently, I'm going to majorly delay upgrading all of my macOS/iOS devices. Honestly, I'm getting a ton of value from mainstream PC hardware running both Windows & Linux. I'm perplexed by people who have no problem plunking down big bucks to upgrade every couple of years or even more often. Oh well, great review as usual.
In your 2018 MBP video you claimed 8-8.5hr of battery at ~200nits, and here you’re saying ~6hr at 250nits? If you extrapolate that out to full brightness that’s like 1hr of battery life. Why doesn’t anyone develop a battery life benchmark for macOS so we can have reliable estimates?
pc. the price difference for similar parts is offensive, whats even worse is their upcharge for basic upgrades. you'd literally save THOUSANDS from the switch in the long run. easily more if you're a heavy user
Brad Haines the prices are offensive that’s my main issue. I have a pc currently but i need an update. I was considering switching to Mac, mainly bc I use the iPad Pro and the storage integration and etc would be soo much easier, but you get so much more for your money with pc.
I hate how they're replacing near 6-8 ports with 2 :| if you think usb-c is the future put more than just 2.... And they all don't have to be thunderbolt 3 either...
Joshua Mueller my concern was the screen not the hardware. If the color accuracy doesn’t reach the numbers as the MacBook Pro then it’s not worth it to me. P3 color gamut isn’t supported here so that’s a problem.
What I like about your reviews is that you get straight to the point, you don't talk 10mins about how cool it is to have rose gold apple stickers, like some other youtubers that "review" apple products do.
I see Lisa, I click.
Yes!
The Y-series processor is actually 7 watts on this model! Which is most likely why they implemented the fan to squeeze out those 2 extra watts over the 12 inch Macbook. Great review as always!
I'm a simple guy, when Lisa post a review, I watch. Always quality reviews from her 👌 👍
A little condom underneath the keyboard.....I like Lisa telling it like it is.
Sam Ford I laughed SOOO HARD! 😂😂😂
Sam Ford but i think she likes it raw 😏
I always enjoy your reviews Lisa!
This thing is .75 pounds heavier than the 12" MacBook, only .3 pounds lighter than the 13" MacBook Pro, thicker at its thickest point than the 13" MacBook Pro, and is only $100 cheaper than the touch bar-less 13" MacBook Pro. They took a machine that was being marketed as an affordable laptop for students and made it needlessly expensive and unaffordable for the majority of students. The new Air should be $1000 max, and that includes the stupid $200 Apple tax.
Apple is making the same mistake they made in the 90's. They have too many products (which creates a confusing product stack), and it's no longer clear who each product is made for. There's nothing "Pro" about base model MacBook Pros. Who is the 12" MacBook targeting? How is that market different from the market the new 13" Air is targeting?
Steve is not happy
Agreed. They need to focus on refining their lineup.
Just get rid of the air at this point since every notebook is thin enough including the pro line.
the Mac book air was NEVER targeted to students, just go for the launch event.
it is just THAT OLD TECHNOLOGY that apple needed (!) to lower the price soo much to make it sell. that's the point, and that is why it is "affordable ". its still not worth its money - but good for students with an image complex that can be filled by "my Mac".
there is actually only reasons to NOT buy an apple pc for students, at least for Germany: when I was @University I could tell from far of someone was using a (white) MB: confused buy video out connections, no idea how preservation mode works in power point (or apple's version of it), no idea how to backup etc etc etc. but they have the image of being "creative" - plus, as its apple, you don't need to know anything about hardware.
apple is a nice excuse for all of that.
you can get a msft surface laptop, with a better screen abd slidely lower power (core M3 = 220 cb in cinebench vs 260 here) + 4GB, 128 nvme @ msft sale for a little less now!
ps: 699$
@@derJackistweg I get it. It was going for $700ish at 3rd party retailers because the tech was 5 years old. But that's who was buying the MacBook Air for the last 3 years. It built an identity as the affordable Apple machine that was priced for students. The 12 inch MacBook, from what I remember, was meant to take the spot that the Air previously held in the lineup-the premium ultra mobile laptop. And at the time it was priced to reflect that role. Now they're all similarly priced and somewhat indistinguishable from one another. And the entire lineup is a horrible value. I mean they're still selling a "MacBook Pro" with a dual core processor, and we're almost into 2019...
I go Dave2D for overview, Lisa for in-depth 🎈
But you go to both of them for the Apple trashing they do. Trolls generally do.
@@samuelmurillo2244 the irony.... oh the irony....
@@brois841 Get lost. Speaking of irony. This is an Apple video. The only people that are trolls are the ones who come here and speak negatively about Apple, so get the fuck out.
MKBHD for extra-technical stuff
Insulting 128 SSD is right. It feels insulting.
Bike Tyson just get an extended hard drive! 😂
Stefan Lee external*
Daniel Lehotský most ultrabooks have small storage capacity you dumbass sheep
UPD: Apple increases the brightness up to 400 nits by upgrading your MacOS.
I smile every time I watch one of your videos! Love your sense of humor. Also like that you review with insights for both pro and more typical/everyday use. So many reviewers just criticize everything as not being pro enough no matter what it is. Thanks!
the best review on YT. IMHO, the MBP without TB is better buy for its P3 display and only very slightly thicker than this Air.
Legit Lisa, fantastic review. I really wanted the deep details on this machine and you totally delivered. Thank you.
Apple is giving people a hard time lately. Even their entry level stuff is expensive beyond reason.
But the resale value will be significantly higher than that of a Windows equivalent. So you could regard it as an investment.
The used market is thriving in the Apple world.
@@huggyuk It's thriving because brand new apple products are ridiculously expensive. Also apple is making it harder to get them repaired by third parties. The used market will go down eventually.
@@huggyuk No, a Notebook is not an investment. Mutual funds are. Or stocks. But not a MacBook Air.
CharlesBr0ns0n I suppose so
@@huggyuk But hey, if one makes it worthwhile staying in the MacOS ecosystem then more power to them, really! It's just a little annoying that Apple builds an increasingly high paywall to enter purchasing an up to date Mac. Not sugarcoating that.
Microcenter has the 128gb version for $999 for those in the market and fortunate to have one within their residence.
Sami Amor Hopefully it helps someone 👍
Sami Amor I get it my friend good luck and enjoy that deal :-)
Sami Amor Yay! Awesome! Let me know how you like it 👍
Sami Amor While I always felt the butterfly keyswitches had a strange feel to them. I haven’t found a laptop I can type faster on that’s equipped without them.
Looking forward for your MacBook Air 2019 review, please.
Lisa's the best! The best tech reviews on UA-cam by far.
Lisa, your reviews are by far the most informative, thorough, and straight to the point I've seen to date! Keep up the great work! 👍
“Stockholm syndrome for keyboards”. Best comment!
David R the keyboard is weirdly good... It’s shallow but responsive
Terane
The old tic tac design was better and, more importantly, reliable.
I just love her reviews. Very personable and she always gets straight to the point with undeniable facts. Plus she’s brave enough to rock that huge collar mic with a straight face. lol. You do you Lisa. I’m a fan.
Of course you love her reviews, because she's trashing Apple. Most people love her for trashing Apple. Trolls love Lisa.
Too close to the Pro nTB in price imo, for that 100USD you get a P3 gamut, 500 nits screen, better speakers, Iris Plus graphics, higher wattage CPUs, and not that much worse battery life. If the non-touchbar also got an update any time soon to a ULV quad core and T2/Butterfly 3, it would be far away the better choice.
Overall I agree with most of your points. Keep in mind though that while the entry MBP has the advantages you mentioned plus better thermals, its CPU (while slightly higher wattage & clock speed) is an older dual-core i5, it's a heavier machine, and it doesn't have TouchID. So it's still a tough choice for people debating between these two MB models.
And unfortunately IDK that your last line's wish is going to come true: I agree with Lisa that Apple is likely going to drop that entry MBP next year, since these new Airs perform about the same at about the same price point.
They should DEF drop the basic MacBook since it's somewhat of a POS for the $$, LOL. I'm currently using a 2016 MBA but yeah i hate the screen. I would consider trading up to this entry MBP next year if I can get it on sale, or Certified Refurbished at a nice discount (minimum 256 GB SSD and 16 GB of RAM).
@@Sharky165 The biggest difference with the 8th gen processors was the increase in core counts. Since this Y series chip is still a dual core, and so is the higher wattage 7th gen part in the Pro, the generational difference is almost nothing, and doesn't remotely make up for the clock speed and thermal headroom differences.
@@tipoomaster Yeah you're probably right. Like I said, I'd most likely go with the entry MBP regardless... its overall price/performance ratio is that much better than the new Airs, and the 2018 Air screen while far superior to mine is still sub-par for the $ compared to even the entry MBP. IDC about the slight weight difference and TouchID, while nice, isn't a deal-breaker for me, LOL.
I love the quad-core, TouchBar MBPs but the prices are fuggin CRINGE-worthy. If I don't go with entry MBP, I might just say "screw mobility", go with a Mac Mini and spend the difference on a DSLR or nice vacation, LOL !
I have a Pixel XL and an iPad so technically I can live w/o a laptop.
The point of this machine is to be thinner and lighter than the pro and you didn’t even mention that so of course it seems worse
@@PumatSol True, but those thinness and weight differences are MUCH smaller now (since late 2016 for the MBP) than they ever were before.
So it makes it harder to justify even a new MB Air when the price/performance ratio clearly favors the MBP.
I am sure it's a lot nicer than my MBA 11" but that was $800 in 2014. I am not wed to Apple so I replaced it with an Asus Vivobook and got a nice 14" IPS display, more ram, more storage, legacy ports and expandability. Gen-U-wine plastic but I'll trade better internals for a lesser case.
Asus makes nice laptops, the latest 2018 gen ZenBooks are sexy AF. The only thing with these is that they run the cancer known as Windows 10.
Love you, Lisa! Best tech reviewer on UA-cam!
Dave 2D's and Lisa's are the only laptop reviews that you need...
Yeah, if you hate Apple, which it's obvious you do.
i actually love their laptop design, especially with the good speakers. BUT they need to thicken up their machines, make parts replaceable, and bring back normal ports.
and of course drop that price, until them im sticking to windows
Brad Haines looks like you’ll be sticking to windows forever lol
Get an older MacBook Pro.
@@gben82 thats the problem, then its older, even if it still has the good screen it'll have at best a quad core processor, highly outdated graphics, and not enough storage or slow storage
Hi Lisa. It's always a pleasure to watch your videos. Keep it up!! I was wondering if you had to choose between Apple Air 2018 and Dell XPS 13" 2018, what would you chose in terms of best final user experience? Thank u!
She'd tell you the Dell because she hates Apple.
Great review as always Lisa! I have been searching endlessly for a 13 inch or smaller travel laptop with touch that is not hopelessly slow. I do not do Apple. What are a couple you might recommend? Thank you!
I’m still rocking my mid 2014 MacBook Pro ...
2012 MBP and still going strong!
Ace review as always Lisa😀👍🏾 I also like your photography on your backdrop:) Still using my Mid 2012 MBA with 251 gb of storage as a desktop machine(only works plugged in due to a coffee spill that made the battery and backlight non existent :(,but works like a champ..
11:37, notice anything weird about the thermal design? This appears to be the first Macbook with a fan that doesn't directly exhaust through heatsink fins, instead just pushing air straight out and creating negative air pressure inside, and whatever ambient airflow over the heatsink comes with it. Works well enough for the 7W chip, but that's another reason the Pro non-touchbar even with two cores performs better.
This one has two cores as well
@@cotasa That's what I'm saying. The impact of both having two cores of nearly identical architecture, but one with significantly higher thermal dissipation capacity.
I love you Lisa you say it like it is with how the price is ect. Wish most tech youtubers were like you. That said I’m contempt with my 2015 MacBook Pro for awhile yet
Your video seems better quality than usual, has anything changed?
For $100 more, the MBP display is worth it alone.
LPF or a keyboard that won’t fail due to dust...
@ItzWolffz I don't understand. The macbook pro is better is basically every way except size and keyboard reliability for only $100 more? The Air should be below $1000.
For students though, they do not need stellar screens, graphic performance and what not. The thinner body, touch id, and that slightly lower price are huge selling points. Not to mention a fixed keyboard.
That 2017 keyboard is too risky esp if you think about how many of these models keyboards have stopped working.
The pro range will likely get a price bump at the next revision to increase the price difference.
"It can become tolerable."
~ Lisa Gade, 2018.
Do you plan on doing on for the 2019 release? Or did I miss ?!
You always have the best reviews. Thanks a lot!
I was waiting for your review and you cleared my mind as always! You rock Lisa, thanks 🙏
Hey great video! I am thinking of learning to code. Do you think this is a good machine to buy mostly for that purpose? Outside of a bit of office work and web browsing? Take care!
If urlooking to code stay away from apple,get a dell dude
THANK YOU for being fair! I am NOT an Apple fan (thank you, Louis Rossman, LMAO), BUT I still felt you were fair with the pros and cons in this video. Awesome job!
Lisa, great video! One question, aside from the refresh rate and matte vs glass, how does MBA 2018 display compare to Razer blade 15? THANKS!
Hi Lisa! Usually I am buying everything after Your review.. This time I am thinking about egpu for my macbook pro, do You have any plans to test those kind devices? BR M
Really enjoy your videos Lisa. Keep up the good work👍
Would you recommend this for a uni student doing essays with research (so many Chrome/Safari windows), writing stories, basic stuff like that? I’m tempted to get the Touch Bar MBP. I’ve kept my 2014 MacBook Air since Christmas 2015 and it’s getting a bit old...
I currently have a 2008 MacBook aluminium, 1st gen 13” iPad Pro and iPhone X. I enjoy taking pictures on my DSLR and have made do uploading them to iCloud via iPhone and iPad. I’m now at the stage where I haven’t the room in my iPhone or iPad to even upload them to iCloud anymore. I’d like to start taking my photography a little more serious and I’d also use the computer for spreadsheets and invoicing. I’m currently looking at a 2018 MacBook Air and 13” touch-bar pro. Do I really need to spend the extra for what I do? Will I get a good lifespan out of the air? Thanks!
It's my first time seeing what's inside a macbook. Those look so clean and futuristic like it's a completely different animal compared to windows laptops.
Wow! Fantastic in depth review. Many thanks. I will be buying one of these two years from now on Ebay.
Your reviews are always great! Thanks and keep up the good work :)
I have a 14" ux430ua. And honestly it's the perfect size! not to small like a 13.3" and not too big like a 15" for me! I wish it was more common!
Thank you Lisa. As always, The best reviews
The Air was a minute faster in handbrake compared to the HP, but what was the duration of either one? One minute in one hour isn't that much, but one minute in 5 minutes is.
I'm really interested in buying this macbook, but my only concern is the display, in the real world is the brightness that bad? I'm a teacher so my use is focused on Word processing and Powerpoint presentations. I also like to browse the web and watch a lot of films, series, anime and youtube in my free time. Will I be missing something with this macbook?
I use my new Air primarily for writing as my job, and watching videos for fun. Used indoors, it's more than bright enough, with a truly beautiful screen. If you are someone who likes to work outdoors in bright sunshine, I can imagine you might have problems, but using mine indoors for 2 weeks, I rarely even want it at maximum brightness. The numbers sound scary, but the experience, for me at least, is great.
Lisa Gade is simply the greatest for tech reviews, anywhere really. Baseline MBP or MBA with 16 gb ram, what would be better performance wise for someone manly using a laptop for larger excel sheets and R studio?
Not sure if I heard correctly; Lisa couldn't live that that display of this Air? I love the design of the Air but a refurbished Pro is about the same price.
From a users perspective since UA-cam reviewers don't say it despite watching a dozen video reviews, here's my take since I am both coder and designer.
For beginning coders/programmers/Xcode users, it's fine (Lisa did mention it's ok for Xcode) I
For UX-UI designers, upgrade to a 16gb RAM (personally , you're better off with a 15 inch)
For minimal graphic design users/dabblers, it's just ok but the 290 nits (it's claimed to be 300 nits) may not be enough luminance.
For pro video editors, advanced programmers (using it for game development, more engineering tasks, get a MacbookPro and spec it up
For those who are afraid of getting Macbook pro 2017 because of the defective keyboard, yes be aware that your keyboard may stop working. They don't have the silicon membrane of 2018 models for added protection.
For those who think there is no clear choice, I am with you. The Apple macbook product line has made me more confused because either they're underpowered or overpriced.
For coding in R the mba should work fine, right? Can't really decide what to get.. I do really love the macOS and I have no problem with paying the so called apple premium for it. My concern is how well it will run my, admittedly not that heavy, daily jobs. I am a PhD student in econometrics and primarily use my laptop for programming in r, larger excel spreads, and writing LaTex. Do you reckon that the macbook air will satisfy my needs? I do prefer the Macbook air to the 2017 pro and I am really not a fan of the touchbar..
I feel like apple designed and engineered this years ago... Somehow its barely getting released today
The ONLY MacBook Air review I’ve been waiting for.
Of course, because other reviewers like the MacBook Air. You wouldn't be happy unless the Mac is getting trashed. That's why you came here. SMH.
Love my 12” MacBook.
13:44 Geez...I knew Apple had crappy thermal design but THE FAN IS NOT CONNECTED TO THE HEATSINK WITH A HEATPIPE? It just blows hot air out as the heatsink heats up? Really apple?
Yup, this one only seems to create ambient airflow by creating negative air pressure with the fan exhausting, no direct stream over the heatsink. It's a 7W processor though, so it seems to work for what it is, but the Pro (even the dual core non-touchbar) does offer significantly better performance thanks to the higher wattage dissipation.
Next level engineering from Apple!
This is similar to hp spectre’s ‘hyperbaric chamber’, hp claims it makes the laptop thinner. This should also be the case for MacBook Air.
I personally think this design is better then the conventional ones because firstly from an efficiency standpoint, it doesn’t need to have the indirect connection through the heatpipe (which increase the temperature since the it isn’t perfectly thermally conductive) so the temperature delta between the chip and cooling fins should be smaller.
Also it creates ambient air flow to cool the ssd controller and VRMs, in the MacBook Pro, air comes from the ventilation holes from the side to the fan, only passing through part of the battery and some controllers but not the VRMs, which lead to the throttling problem with the i9 MacBook Pro initially.
@@stephen_l1474 The point of HPs hyperbaric chamber was creating a sealed chamber with an intake fan that caused positive air pressure, and that also had a heatpipe/fins. This doesn't seem to work anything like that, as the fan is oriented for exhaust, and there's no sealed chamber around the heatsink.
"I personally think this design is better then the conventional one because it doesn’t need to have the indirect connection through the heatpipe (which increase the temperature since the it isn’t perfectly thermally conductive), "
This makes no sense. This still has a heatsink, and nothing is perfectly thermally conductive, but a heat pipe transfers heat better than a block of metal alone or air, that's why all of Apples higher wattage laptops have them.
tipoomaster i am quite sure it does create a sealed chamber with the cooling fins being the only way air can go though, this video didn’t shows it very clearly but from ifixit‘ s teardown it does have a great side shot which shows that the battery is basically touching the chassis, there are also air guiding pads in the bottom chassis to completely blocks off any chances they are avoiding the cooling fins. there are no definitive good or bad, but in Apple’s case, since they are too lazy to design some cooling for their VRMs, this should be better.
Using a metal block isn’t the problem of not connecting the heat fins to the fans, it is Apple’s problem, some great passive design includes vapor chamber heatsinks which works great in server applications, this avoids the hassle of connecting the heatsink to near the fan. Apple could have made more effort on making better cooling blocks for example using more but thinner fin, or even using vapor chamber (not sure if they can get it thin enough though).
And even traditional laptop cooling avoids long heat pipes, because the longer the heat pipes the less efficient it is, for example the newer GPUs from EVGA had been advertised to have SHP (straight heat pipes), where the heat pipes are taking the shortest distance possible even though it means the middle part has to be empty losing some surface area.
I can live with a lot of things, but a dim screen is a deal breaker for me.
Coming from the 12" Macbook, the new Air screen has not seemed dim to me. I live in a cold and cloudy place and always use my computers indoors, and have never needed or wanted the screen brighter than it is -- and it's usually not on full brightness. If I lived in California, I might feel differently. But measurements aside, in actual usage it's been plenty bright enough to use and enjoy.
I checked the screen at a local store. Dim screen is quite disappointing. Plus, the colour isn’t so good as the Pro. For the keyboard, I wish Apple still kept the same home button size but included the sensor. It doesn’t look organised as the present Mac keyboards.
Is it worth upgrading from my 2016 MacBook Pro non touch bar model?
Immediately after this was announced I bought a 12 inch Macbook. Since they updated the Gold color without touching the specs that makes me think Apple isnt updating the 12 this year, and I’ve always wanted one. Was just really hoping that what ended up being the Macbook Air would have been actually cheaper @ 256 GB, or closer in size and weight to the 12 than the nTB Pro :(
I have a USB-C dock for the Macbook 12 capable of driving a 3440 x 1440 ultrawide at 100 Hz and couldnt be happier!
Was going to get this but opted for the Apple stand
I love Lisa's reviews ♥ Her opinion is always honest, and her comments are funny XD (Especially the condomn under each key... That one killed me) Nice review!
Great review Lisa. (as always) Thanks!
Very fair and knowledgable review thank you!
So, should I buy the pro w/o touchbar or the air?
So I can get a macbook air for 1300 and a pro on sale for 1199.99 w tax about 1300.00 it is non touch bar pro and prob has old version 2 keyboard. So which is better. I have heard both have keyboard issues...should I wait til fall??
Excellent review as always
So if you used the 87W charger, would it charge at a rate anywhere close to that ?
Did you see the black Friday "special offer" MacBook Air model? it offers the core i7 rather than the i5. only 8G and 512GB though Thoughts?
Good, insightful review as always. Thank you
Sorry for the OT but will you review the new Dell Inspiron 14 5000 2 in 1?
Will you review the MacMini , Lisa ?
This laptop or the 2017 non touch bar MacBook Pro?
I so want to move to this, but I can't allow myself to spend such money when my Macbook Pro from 2011(!!) is still working fine and smooth without even upgrading anything but the HDD after the thing broke.
Excellent review....as usual.
While I was waiting for this review, I went and looked at the new macbook air and decided on a used 2017 macbook. I wanted very portable and the pluses on the air side were not worth the price to me. If I was not going for portable, I would have just gone for the macbook pro.
Hey Lisa, what would you say is the windows laptop equivalents of a macbook air/pro, hardware/quality wise?
Any laptop, even the cheapest junk Lisa would recommend over the most expensive MacBook. She hates Apple.
Lisa Hp unveiled their new spectre x360 line. you should check it out ASAP (please). Love your videos keep it going!
Lisa's reviews are so good they might as well be called monolisa
I’m confused. Why make all your phones use Face ID, but your laptops use Touch ID? 🤔
As someone who mainly types on a mechanical keyboard with a long travel, that keyboard looks like my worst nightmare. It almost looks like the Surface Touch Cover has more travel, and that's just a capacitive touchpad with lines on it.
Best review.
As usual.
Thanks!
I love you reviews
It's good to see the Macbook Air is finally a competitor to my used 2012 Dell e6330 (geekbench of 7500 for multicore).
Do a smack down between MacBook Air and Surface Laptop 2
What a great review! So informative! Good entertainment also 😊
Great review
This is a Nice fair assessment Lisa
the queen is back to educate
It probably runs hotter than the HP because it's apparently actually being used as a 7W CPU instead of 5W
Due to the poor price/performance recently, I'm going to majorly delay upgrading all of my macOS/iOS devices. Honestly, I'm getting a ton of value from mainstream PC hardware running both Windows & Linux. I'm perplexed by people who have no problem plunking down big bucks to upgrade every couple of years or even more often. Oh well, great review as usual.
Most people I know (in university) , who buy this stuff have no idea of computers whatsoever. My business classes are full of macs everywhere.
Lisa the new MacBook Air is not actually replacing the Old MacBook Air as for now at least Apple are still producing it
thanks for the review
In your 2018 MBP video you claimed 8-8.5hr of battery at ~200nits, and here you’re saying ~6hr at 250nits? If you extrapolate that out to full brightness that’s like 1hr of battery life. Why doesn’t anyone develop a battery life benchmark for macOS so we can have reliable estimates?
I was thinking the exact same thing lol.
Hey I just wanted to Inform you... a youtube channel called “b32k9” has stolen your Acer predator Helios 500 review and possibly more videos
Thanks Lisa! I can’t decide if I should update my iPad or witch from pc to MacBook.
pc. the price difference for similar parts is offensive, whats even worse is their upcharge for basic upgrades.
you'd literally save THOUSANDS from the switch in the long run. easily more if you're a heavy user
Both
Brad Haines the prices are offensive that’s my main issue. I have a pc currently but i need an update. I was considering switching to Mac, mainly bc I use the iPad Pro and the storage integration and etc would be soo much easier, but you get so much more for your money with pc.
I hate how they're replacing near 6-8 ports with 2 :| if you think usb-c is the future put more than just 2.... And they all don't have to be thunderbolt 3 either...
Thank you lisa, I needed to know if this is good for photo editing 😊
Manny Campos I just cut a 4K vid on it. Gets the job done.
W/o sdcard?
Joshua Mueller my concern was the screen not the hardware. If the color accuracy doesn’t reach the numbers as the MacBook Pro then it’s not worth it to me. P3 color gamut isn’t supported here so that’s a problem.
Goran I have one dongle that has every legacy port that I need so I’m good.
Gosh Dallas is too cold 🥶
gosh SF is full of smoke.