The basics: Entry-level configurations, upgrades and features
MacBook> | MacBook> | |
---|---|---|
Weight | 2.75> | 2.96> |
Operating system | MacOS> | MacOS> |
Battery life | 10> | 10> |
Other notable features | Touch> | MagSafe> |
The basics: Entry-level configurations, upgrades and features
MacBook> | MacBook> | |
---|---|---|
Weight | 2.75> | 2.96> |
Operating system | MacOS> | MacOS> |
Battery life | 10> | 10> |
Other notable features | Touch> | MagSafe> |
With two distinct versions in its lineup, Apple now has a MacBook Air for everyone. Justin Jaffe leads the CNET Money team.
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The battery life of an Apple MacBook is something that PC laptop users dream about. It's normal for MacBook Air users to get 12 hours on a single charge, and MacBook Pro users should get several hours, even if the laptop is a few years old.
The MacBook Pro offers solid battery life, but it's not as long as the runtimes of some PC rivals. The 2017 MacBook Pro lasted 8 hours and 40 minutes on the Laptop Mag Battery Test, which is longer than the 8:24 average for ultraportables and close to the time from last year's model (8:48).
Apple says the test involves browsing 25 popular websites using Wi-Fi, with screen brightness set to “8 clicks from bottom.” Under these conditions, the 16-inch MacBook Pro fails to beat even the M1 MacBook Air — it only gets 14 hours of life compared to the Air's 15 hours.
From my personal experience as well as a poll I ran on reddit, the average MacBook Air battery charge will last a few hours short of what's advertised from Apple (12 hours). Apple calims “all-day” battery, but the truth is it depends on what your using your Mac for.
MacBook Air can run up to 12 hours while using a wireless connection and up to 13 hours of continuous Apple TV video playback. The 13-inch and 15-inch Macbooks can run up to 10 hours, while the 16-inch models can operate without a power source for up to 11 hours.
The estimated time for the latest models released (2018 onwards) is approximately the same. MacBook Air can run up to 12 hours while using a wireless connection and up to 13 hours of continuous Apple TV video playback.
See How We Test Laptops The MacBook Air's biggest performance coup is its battery life. It lasted an epic 17 hours 36 minutes on our rundown test, almost two hours longer than last year's iteration (15:51).
Check Your MacBook Battery Health Modern MacBook batteries are rated for around 1000 cycles which equates to around three years of average usage.
Apple's estimate for the new 14-inch is 11 hours, the same as the 2020 Intel MacBook Air.
Apple's 49.9-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery offers up to 18 hours of Apple TV playback and up to 15 hours of wireless web time. The battery is also designed to hold 80% charge through 1,000 charge cycles.
M1 MacBook Air only getting 5 hours of battery life and performs poorly with light usage, what should I do? When I took it out of the box, the battery already performed quite poorly (7-8 hours), but since I updated the laptop to Monterey it performs even worse.
So, how long does a MacBook Air last? According to experts, a MacBook Air will last 7 years on average before needing to replace it. If you're using your Macbook Air for animation, photo editing, or gaming it will likely last a year or two less due to its RAM and storage limitations.