MacBook Air 2018

[blairh]

I want to chime in here because some people are saying the brightness of the new MBA is a non issue and will only affect people in direct sunlight. I disagree.

I'm using my 5K iMac in my home office and my MBP in a variety of places. Both screens are 500 nits. I use both machines at max brightness if not very close (never less than 2-3 notches below 100%) about 90% of the time. I really appreciate and value the bright screens. Now more so than ever. They make things easy to read and colors are more vibrant. I cannot say whether the new MBA will or will not be bright enough for anyone else, but given my current usage, and my experience using the new MBA in a store this past week, I would say that nobody is 'nitpicking' when discussing the new Air screen's. These machines start at $1200. $100 less than the 500 nit MBP screen. Yes, I think anyone here who wants to be hypercritical about the MBA screen has every valid right to do so.

 

[Geert76]

After 3 days I decided to return the Air at my nearest Apple Store.
The machine itself is great for my workload, but the screen is just bad.
I loved the lightning fast TouchID and the build quality.

the 'bad' screen just not match the €1599 I paid for it.

nTB Pro, here I come

 

[axeldtf]

to any of the new macbook air owners: is it true it struggles to playback 4k60fps in full screen? I heard rumblings that it did.

 

[EugW]

to any of the new macbook air owners: is it true it struggles to playback 4k60fps in full screen? I heard rumblings that it did.

That question is hard to answer without knowing what type of video, what specific video, and what player.

 

[axeldtf]

in quicktime. not sure the type of video.. i personally would be more curious to know about 4k60 shot from an iphone as i take a lot of videos with my phone.

 

[EugW]

4Kp60 HEVC 8-bit and 10-bit plays fine with on my 2017 12” MacBook in Quicktime.

 

[HappyIntro]

The less-bright screen probably has two assets that convinced Apple to spec it vs the MBP screen - slightly lower price along with lower power draw, helping the MBA to achieve its superior battery life vs the MBPros. I took a look at the new Macbook Airs yesterday at my local Apple Store and the screens looked better-than-good enough for me, but everybody has different requirements to make them happy, so to each his own. I'd buy one if I hadn't given up on Apple updating the Air and purchased a 12" Macbook this summer. I do love my Macbook, so I'm not unhappy with how things turned out for me.

 

[tekdoc]

I want to chime in here because some people are saying the brightness of the new MBA is a non issue and will only affect people in direct sunlight. I disagree.

I'm using my 5K iMac in my home office and my MBP in a variety of places. Both screens are 500 nits. I use both machines at max brightness if not very close (never less than 2-3 notches below 100%) about 90% of the time. I really appreciate and value the bright screens. Now more so than ever. They make things easy to read and colors are more vibrant. I cannot say whether the new MBA will or will not be bright enough for anyone else, but given my current usage, and my experience using the new MBA in a store this past week, I would say that nobody is 'nitpicking' when discussing the new Air screen's. These machines start at $1200. $100 less than the 500 nit MBP screen. Yes, I think anyone here who wants to be hypercritical about the MBA screen has every valid right to do so.

It is absolutely a non-issue for me. Right now I have my 2018 MBA brightness set at 30% (indoors in dim light, where I most often use my laptop) and one more step up feels too bright. Colors are fully saturated too. I think it's hilarious that people are going into brightly lit stores and cranking the brightness to 100% to see how good the display is. Totally unrealistic and unscientific

 

[blairh]

It is absolutely a non-issue for me. Right now I have my 2018 MBA brightness set at 30% (indoors in dim light, where I most often use my laptop) and one more step up feels too bright. Colors are fully saturated too. I think it's hilarious that people are going into brightly lit stores and cranking the brightness to 100% to see how good the display is. Totally unrealistic and unscientific

I don't understand your issue here. We all use our machines differently at different brightness settings. If someone usually uses their laptop on the higher spectrum of brightness, then what's wrong with them going to the store and demoing the machine at said settings?

 

[EugW]

I don't understand your issue here. We all use our machines differently at different brightness settings. If someone usually uses their laptop on the higher spectrum of brightness, then what's wrong with them going to the store and demoing the machine at said settings?

The other point that people seem to forget is that brightness cannot be assessed just by "I put it up at 5 ticks and it's bright enough". That kind of description is basically meaningless, because perceived brightness is dependent upon room lighting.

In a bright windowed room in the daytime, a lower nits screen at full brightness might seem dim. At the same setting in a completely dark windowless room, the screen would be blindingly bright, so bright as to be unusable because it would hurt your eyes.

to any of the new macbook air owners: is it true it struggles to playback 4k60fps in full screen? I heard rumblings that it did.

in quicktime. not sure the type of video.. i personally would be more curious to know about 4k60 shot from an iphone as i take a lot of videos with my phone.

4Kp60 HEVC 8-bit and 10-bit plays fine with on my 2017 12” MacBook in Quicktime.

So, just for completeness' sake, I took my wife's iPhone XR and recorded a 4Kp60 HEVC video on it. I had tested other 4K 60 Hz files before, and I had tested the 4K 30 Hz files from my iPhone 7 Plus, but never an iPhone 4K 60 Hz file before.

The file is over 100 Mbps, and plays completely smoothly on my 2017 12" Core m3 MacBook in Quicktime in Mojave, and the machine remains smooth as silk for multitasking. Full screen playback is also completely smooth.

Considering the MacBook Air has a faster CPU and a faster GPU, I don't foresee any problem playing those files on the 2018 MBA. They could be problem on the 2015 MacBook and the non-Retina MBA though.

BTW, just 10 seconds was 124 MB (135 MB on disk).

 

[axeldtf]

The other point that people seem to forget is that brightness cannot be assessed just by "I put it up at 5 ticks and it's bright enough". That kind of description is basically meaningless, because perceived brightness is dependent upon room lighting.

In a bright windowed room in the daytime, a lower nits screen at full brightness might seem dim. At the same setting in a completely dark windowless room, the screen would be blindingly bright, so bright as to be unusable because it would hurt your eyes.


So, just for completeness' sake, I took my wife's iPhone XR and recorded a 4Kp60 HEVC video on it. I had tested other 4K 60 Hz files before, and I had tested the 4K 30 Hz files from my iPhone 7 Plus, but never an iPhone 4K 60 Hz file before.

The file is over 100 Mbps, and plays completely smoothly on my 2017 12" Core m3 MacBook in Quicktime in Mojave, and the machine remains smooth as silk for multitasking. Full screen playback is also completely smooth.

Considering the MacBook Air has a faster CPU and a faster GPU, I don't foresee any problem playing those files on the 2018 MBA. They could be problem on the 2015 MacBook and the non-Retina MBA though.

BTW, just 10 seconds was 124 MB (135 MB on disk).

Thank's for the info.. much appreciated

 

[EugW]

Comparison of 2017 MacBook Pro (silver) vs. 2018 MacBook Air (gold):

 

[blairh]

Comparison of 2017 MacBook Pro (silver) vs. 2018 MacBook Air (gold):

View attachment 803123 View attachment 803124 View attachment 803125 View attachment 803126

I think this video is a must watch for anyone debating the MBA and MBP. You can clearly see how much brighter the MBP screen is (if that matters to you) and how much better the speakers are too on the Pro. These two machines are also strikingly similar in shape and weight. Really what separates the MBA from the Pro is the T2 chip, v3 keyboard, and battery life. Because they are so similar I really think Apple wanted people to buy the Pro over the Air (which they were planning on discontinuing entirely) and now they are scrambling and giving us an updated Air which is bizarrely similar to the Pro.

Watch this. Clearly they were going to position the nTB Pro to take over for the Air moving forward.

 

[Kimcha]

More bad news for the MBA screen...

Notebook check tested it for PWM and it has it at brightness below 75%. Now, THAT is a much bigger deal than the brightness in my opinion.

They also tested the battery on WiFi and it’s only 6% (40min) higher than the ntb-MBP.
[doublepost=1541912464][/doublepost]Here is the link to the review:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Air-2018-i5-256-GB-Laptop-Review.357481.0.html

 

[Howard2k]

More bad news for the MBA screen...

Notebook check tested it for PWM and it has it at brightness below 75%. Now, THAT is a much bigger deal than the brightness in my opinion.

They also tested the battery on WiFi and it’s only 6% (40min) higher than the ntb-MBP.
[doublepost=1541912464][/doublepost]Here is the link to the review:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Air-2018-i5-256-GB-Laptop-Review.357481.0.html

Finally. Nice to see a competent review team get hold of one.

 

[Kung gu]

More bad news for the MBA screen...

Notebook check tested it for PWM and it has it at brightness below 75%. Now, THAT is a much bigger deal than the brightness in my opinion.

They also tested the battery on WiFi and it’s only 6% (40min) higher than the ntb-MBP.
[doublepost=1541912464][/doublepost]Here is the link to the review:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Air-2018-i5-256-GB-Laptop-Review.357481.0.html

the 12" macbook and the 2018 mbp with tb have pwm as well. its too high to notice anyway

 

[EugW]

More bad news for the MBA screen...

Notebook check tested it for PWM and it has it at brightness below 75%. Now, THAT is a much bigger deal than the brightness in my opinion.

They also tested the battery on WiFi and it’s only 6% (40min) higher than the ntb-MBP.
[doublepost=1541912464][/doublepost]Here is the link to the review:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Air-2018-i5-256-GB-Laptop-Review.357481.0.html

PWM on the MacBook Air is at 113600 Hz. Total non-issue.

The PWM people complain about is on the iPhone X/XS/Max because it’s only 240 Hz.

 

[gaanee]

Why is the PWM related to the brightness level? As per their testing, does it mean that above 75% brightness, PWM is not used at all or you just don't notice it?

More bad news for the MBA screen...

Notebook check tested it for PWM and it has it at brightness below 75%. Now, THAT is a much bigger deal than the brightness in my opinion.

They also tested the battery on WiFi and it’s only 6% (40min) higher than the ntb-MBP.
[doublepost=1541912464][/doublepost]Here is the link to the review:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Air-2018-i5-256-GB-Laptop-Review.357481.0.html

 

[Dave245]

There seems to be a LOT of talk regarding the screen on the new Air, even tho some people on this forum have noticed and are not exactly happy with it, does that mean it's noticeable for the general consumer? who this machine is aimed at. I haven't been to the Apple store yet in order to check everything out (the Air and the Pro) but i do wonder about the general consumer and how they will react to this new Air.

 

[torana355]

There seems to be a LOT of talk regarding the screen on the new Air, even tho some people on this forum have noticed and are not exactly happy with it, does that mean it's noticeable for the general consumer? who this machine is aimed at. I haven't been to the Apple store yet in order to check everything out (the Air and the Pro) but i do wonder about the general consumer and how they will react to this new Air.

I don't think the general consumer will notice or even care which means Apple will get away with the subpar panel. I was at the Apple store today and people were loving it due to its small footprint and the touch I'd. Personally I was not impressed, I honestly think the screen is trash compared to the mbp but us Geeks are the minority lol

 

[Dave245]

I've just watched the Apple Insider video, there is a difference between the new Air and the Macbook Pro screen, however it's only slight, the sky has more detail on the pro for example (see screen shot from the video). I really don't think that the general consumer is going to notice that, Pro users and techie people probably will

Also the scores on the Macbook Air are very close in single core, they more out in multicore but still better than the 2017 Macbook Air. If i'm not mistaken most general consumers will 9 times out of 10 be using single core performance anyway, for example someone like myself who writes for a living, that is not going to take advantage of multicore all that often. (see the screen shots i've attached from the Apple insider video).

Graphics is the biggest difference, with the Pro having a 30,961 vs the new Air's 21,865, but where is that going to be noticeable in everyday tasks for the general consumer?

Overall i think this Air screen and performance has been blown WAY out of proportion, for those that need more performance i think they would automatically be looking at the Pro anyway wouldn't they? but for the average consumer or student the Air is most likely going to be just fine

 

[torana355]

I've just watched the Apple Insider video, there is a difference between the new Air and the Macbook Pro screen, however it's only slight, the sky has more detail on the pro for example (see screen shot from the video). I really don't think that the general consumer is going to notice that, Pro users and techie people probably will

Also the scores on the Macbook Air are very close in single core, they more out in multicore but still better than the 2017 Macbook Air. If i'm not mistaken most general consumers will 9 times out of 10 be using single core performance anyway, for example someone like myself who writes for a living, that is not going to take advantage of multicore all that often. (see the screen shots i've attached from the Apple insider video).

Graphics is the biggest difference, with the Pro having a 30,961 vs the new Air's 21,865, but where is that going to be noticeable in everyday tasks for the general consumer?

Overall i think this Air screen and performance has been blown WAY out of proportion, for those that need more performance i think they would automatically be looking at the Pro anyway wouldn't they? but for the average consumer or student the Air is most likely going to be just fine

That photo does not show the difference between them very well at all. I suggest looking at them in person, I compared them side by side today and the difference is substantial. The 2018 Air is not even any brighter then my 2011 MBA, its actually disgraceful. This is coming from someone who desperately wanted the new Air to be great as I really want to upgrade You are right about one thing though, the average consumer will not care or even notice.

 

[BigBoy2018]

A 15" Retina Air is basically my dream Mac at this point..

.

I'm perplexed. The current 15" MacBook Pro is so light and thin, would it really change your life if it were a few grams lighter even? Or are you simply talking about a lower specced 15" laptop that's not so damn expensive?

 

[Dave245]

I don't think the general consumer will notice or even care which means Apple will get away with the subpar panel. I was at the Apple store today and people were loving it due to its small footprint and the touch I'd. Personally I was not impressed, I honestly think the screen is trash compared to the mbp but us Geeks are the minority lol

Yea exactly, i think it's going to be a matter of opinion, i really need to see this Air in person i think. No disrespect to you or anyone else on here but as someone who was using a 2011 none retina display Macbook Pro for 7 years (before it died a couple months ago ) and is also using a 2012 iMac which is also none retina, i'm probably not going to notice a difference or even think that it's trash like the geeks on here seem too.

I'm hesitant to use the word trash because i haven't seen the screen for myself, it makes sense as well that Apple would save the best for the Macbook Pro, it's a Pro device with people doing video and photo editing, the new Air is more general consumer based, most of which don't edit photo's outside of a light edit in the Photo's app.

Of course this is just me guessing, i can't speak for everyone, i could be totally wrong and general consumers could take one look at the screen and run in the opposite direction, since Apple doesn't break down its Mac sales we probably won't ever find out if its a good seller or not

 

[torana355]

Yea exactly, i think it's going to be a matter of opinion, i really need to see this Air in person i think. No disrespect to you or anyone else on here but as someone who was using a 2011 none retina display Macbook Pro for 7 years (before it died a couple months ago )

I own a 2011 MBA, I was comparing the old MBA to the new one today in person, I was very disapointed. However you really need to look for yourself, everyone is different.