2018 or 2019 MacBook Air?

[Yebubbleman]

I'm due for a greater and substantial Mac refresh for myself, but I'm not willing to stomach a potential Rev. A sickness on the 16" MacBook Pro, spend so much money on the four-port 13" MacBook Pro when it still has the butterfly keyboard, nor spend ANY money on the two-port 13" MacBook Pro when it has both said keyboard and power issues. Given all of that will take a bit of time to fully remedy, I'm considering buying myself a Retina MacBook Air, in the interim, from the Apple Certified Refurbished Mac section of the Apple Online Store.

I'm between targeting a 2019 Air or a 2018 Air. I'm leaning more towards the latter as I would happily trade True Tone for a faster SSD (and since I'm likely targeting a maximum storage option model, I'll happily go for the extra half terabyte of storage). However, I seem to recall that the 2018 had a known logic board problem. Does anyone have any insight into this issue and/or widespread it is? Any opinions as to which of the two generations of retina MacBook Air I should check out? Needless to say, AppleCare+ is a given.

 

[lambertjohn]

Except for True Tone and a minor keyboard upgrade, they're the same exact computer. Never heard anything about a logic board problem. My 2018 has been flawless. AppleCare + is a waste of money IMO. Take care of your computer and it will last for years.

 

[johannnn]

Except for True Tone and a minor keyboard upgrade, they're the same exact computer. Never heard anything about a logic board problem. My 2018 has been flawless. AppleCare + is a waste of money IMO. Take care of your computer and it will last for years.

Minor keyboard upgrade? Didn’t the 2018 have Apple’s first keyboard upgrade that then proved to be equally ****** as the first scissor keyboard? While the 2019 has the good upgrade.

 

[pdxplm]

I've got the 2018 MBA, and it's been great. My understanding is that the 2018's had a faster ssd than the 2019's. The ONLY issue I've had is with Catalina on it, I've reverted back to Mojave.

 

[Mainsail]

Minor keyboard upgrade? Didn’t the 2018 have Apple’s first keyboard upgrade that then proved to be equally ****** as the first scissor keyboard? While the 2019 has the good upgrade.

It is true that some folks have had problems with the 2018 MBA keyboard, and I think it was the second revision. The 2019 KB is the third revision and seems to have been much more reliable than predecessors. For 2019, Apple replaced the silicon membrane with nylon...less tacky and prone to collect dust. Also, they are using a heat treated hardened dome switch, which should be more durable.

That said; if you have a problem with your 2018 BF KB, Apple will replace it with the 2019 version. So, in theory, the difference in KBs should only be a one time issue.

I have owned a 2019 MBA since August, and it is my favorite computer. Excellent. No issues.

 

[MacRazySwe]

I have the 2018 and it has been great. Keyboard hasn't been an issue whatsoever. If it does become an issue, I have 4 years of warranty. That's longer than I intend to keep this computer, so I'm good.

That said, I would go for the 2019 if the price difference is negligible.

 

[revmacian]

I have a 2019 MBA and haven't seen any issues with the hardware at all.

I have the 2018 and it has been great. Keyboard hasn't been an issue whatsoever. If it does become an issue, I have 4 years of warranty. That's longer than I intend to keep this computer, so I'm good.

That said, I would go for the 2019 if the price difference is negligible.

Please keep in mind that the keyboard replacement program covers eligible MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models for 4 years after the first retail sale of the unit. A 2018 MBA purchased new in 2018 will have about 3 years left on that warranty program.

 

[ghanwani]

Maybe it's a YMMV thing, but I think truetone is overrated. It seems to cause headaches for me and I have it disabled. I'd think you'd be fine with either model.

I didn't bother getting AC+ on my 2019 MBA as I plan to upgrade it once better a better graphics option is available. Graphics is the weakest point in the MBA performance.

 

[Reflej0]

It had none, but in terms of performance they are identical in terms of specifications, same processor (I5-8210Y), same type of rams (LPDDR3), same graphics (UHD Graphics 617).
Make the choice as to the price, or if you are a little more adventurous, you could look for some opportunity in a Macbook Pro with little use, although I personally would only venture into a Macbook Pro to have dedicated GPU.

 

[supertiffany]

It was said that 2018 has BIGGER BATTERY than the 2019?

 

[jpn]

I'm due for a greater and substantial Mac refresh for myself, but I'm not willing to stomach a potential Rev. A sickness on the 16" MacBook Pro, spend so much money on the four-port 13" MacBook Pro when it still has the butterfly keyboard, nor spend ANY money on the two-port 13" MacBook Pro when it has both said keyboard and power issues. Given all of that will take a bit of time to fully remedy, I'm considering buying myself a Retina MacBook Air, in the interim, from the Apple Certified Refurbished Mac section of the Apple Online Store.

I'm between targeting a 2019 Air or a 2018 Air. I'm leaning more towards the latter as I would happily trade True Tone for a faster SSD (and since I'm likely targeting a maximum storage option model, I'll happily go for the extra half terabyte of storage). However, I seem to recall that the 2018 had a known logic board problem. Does anyone have any insight into this issue and/or widespread it is? Any opinions as to which of the two generations of retina MacBook Air I should check out? Needless to say, AppleCare+ is a given.

been looking for a way to share this info.

i bought a 2018 MacBook Air (maxed out spec model) in December 2018.
absolutely no issues with it. keyboard was great. loved it.
but it felt slow.

in January 2020 a friend asked me if i could sell him my 13 month old 2018 MacBook Air with about 2 years of apple care left on it.
i did. and he is very pleased with it.

i bought a 2019 model (also maxed out spec) a couple of days before i handed over the 2018 model to him.
although on paper the machines should be the same, actually the 2019 model is way faster. and brighter.
since no one else is reporting this, what i learned from this is that there is in fact a great deal of potential differences between machines even from the same model year.
i can't explain it but the build quality of the 2018 was not there. much weaker hinge was always one noticeable thing. also, battery was only able to go about 6 to 7 hours.

this 2019 MacBook Air is great machine. the way i use my machine is the same for both models but the 2019 battery gets me about 8 solid hours the way i use it.

2019 keyboard dif to the 2018 model is only the membrane. but the keyboard is wonderful.

buy the 2019 model.

 

[Mainsail]

been looking for a way to share this info.

i bought a 2018 MacBook Air (maxed out spec model) in December 2018.
absolutely no issues with it. keyboard was great. loved it.
but it felt slow.

in January 2020 a friend asked me if i could sell him my 13 month old 2018 MacBook Air with about 2 years of apple care left on it.
i did. and he is very pleased with it.

i bought a 2019 model (also maxed out spec) a couple of days before i handed over the 2018 model to him.
although on paper the machines should be the same, actually the 2019 model is way faster. and brighter.
since no one else is reporting this, what i learned from this is that there is in fact a great deal of potential differences between machines even from the same model year.
i can't explain it but the build quality of the 2018 was not there. much weaker hinge was always one noticeable thing. also, battery was only able to go about 6 to 7 hours.

this 2019 MacBook Air is great machine. the way i use my machine is the same for both models but the 2019 battery gets me about 8 solid hours the way i use it.

2019 keyboard dif to the 2018 model is only the membrane. but the keyboard is wonderful.

buy the 2019 model.

Based on some reviews that I have read, there are two differences with respect to the keyboard: 1. the 2019 uses a nylon membrane rather than silicone, so it is less tacky and less likely to collect dust. 2. The 2019 dome switch is made of a hardened material.

The good news for 2018 MBA owners is that if they do have a keyboard problem, Apple replaces with the 2019 version.