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Should I Upgrade from a 2017 MacBook Air to a 2018 MacBook Air?

What do you think I should do?

  • Total voters
    91
jmoore5196 said:
I bought a 16/512 Space Grey 2018 MBA when it was released, then sent it back after taking it out of my bag several times and finding the battery completely drained. As you'll see if you search for a previous thread, there's no way to shut down the 2018 MBA, and mine rebooted as I carried it in my laptop bag.
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I can find no evidence of this. With newer MacBook Pros and the Retina MacBook Air, the computer automatically turns on when the lid is opened or any key/trackpad is clicked, but turning it off and closing it will still turn it off until the lid is reopned.
 
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casperes1996 said:
I can find no evidence of this. With newer MacBook Pros and the Retina MacBook Air, the computer automatically turns on when the lid is opened or any key/trackpad is clicked, but turning it off and closing it will still turn it off until the lid is reopned.
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Yes but is is normally only in a "suspend to RAM" and not in a "suspend to disk" state, which means it is not totally switched off. You can tweak that with the hibernatemode...
 
I think 2017 and 2018 version are 2 different kind (even though they have similar name). 2018's price and features are closed to MBP, it's between MB and MBP, but higher price than 2017 version (which was the cheapest line of apple's laptop).
 
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Isamilis said:
I think 2017 and 2018 version are 2 different kind (even though they have similar name). 2018's price and features are closed to MBP, it's between MB and MBP, but higher price than 2017 version (which was the cheapest line of apple's laptop).
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They are most certainly different to each other.
 
AutomaticApple said:
I’m finally giving in to buying the 2018 MBA.
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AutomaticApple said:
Sort of. I’m still considering it though.
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Up to you.....

If you feel the new MacBook Air will bring significant productivity benefits for your use scenario, just do it. If it does, you won't regret it. If it doesn't, c'est la vie.

If you feel the connectivity / retina monitor / keyboard / touch pad / form factor / colour / etc are going to enhance your user experience, consider how much they matter to you, collectively and individually. If they matter a lot, you may feel justified in replacing your older MacBook Air.

Personally, I see the 2018 MacBook Air does have some benefits. However there is not enough of significance for me to consider replacing the 2017 model I bought a few months before the update (and remains on sale along side it.... which says something). I have no regrets. The 2017 MacBook Air was a good fit for my needs then, remains so now, and probably will do so going ahead a bit.

But everybody is different. In the end it is your money, your situation, your choice.
 
It’s really only an upgrade in the screen and the slightly smaller & thinner design. The CPU is a sidegrade, the GPU a downgrade, the battery a downgrade, the ports are a downgrade (without expensive extra dongles to add back lost functionality and plurality). The keyboard on the 2017 model is pretty much universally praised - the 2018 has the butterfly keyboard that is prone to failing.

If you chose the 2017 MBA over the 2017 nTB Pro I see nothing this new Air brings to the table that should reverse your decision?
 
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AutomaticApple said:
Apples website says otherwise.
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Every review I’ve seen pegs it at just a little better than the MBP in real world usage. Maybe 8.5 to 9h of runtime. With the old Air 12h was an achievable claim and north of 10h was easily attainable... Lisa Gade does some thorough reviews at mobile tech review and she put it in that range. Not to say up to 9h is an awful result, but it is clearly less than you got before.
 
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Falhófnir said:
Every review I’ve seen pegs it at just a little better than the MBP in real world usage. Maybe 8.5 to 9h of runtime. With the old Air 12h was an achievable claim and north of 10h was easily attainable... Lisa Gade does some thorough reviews at mobile tech review and she put it in that range. Not to say up to 9h is an awful result, but it is clearly less than you got before.
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It's still enough for me.
 
Hours on battery is dependent on use. Every was it thus.

On Saturday, I had was writing all day to a 20:00 deadline. I started at 8:00 and delivered at 20:03 (damn!) – a solid 12 hours. After that, I watched a 90 minute movie (local VLC) and drank wine! Battery reading was at 8% when I put it aside to charge. I would not get close to that from my MBP.

I don't recall getting less than 10 hours from the MBA. Mostly I just use it all day without thinking then recharge overnight. The idea that the battery is a "downgrade" doesn't match my experience.
 
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