The new MacBook Air is more affordable, has more storage & a better keyboard

The new MacBook Air is here and it has got some interesting upgrades from the previous models. The keyboard is better, there is more storage and the bar for entry is now a little lower with a Core i3 processor variant.

What’s really nice is that the base model now starts with 256GB of SSD storage, and the range can be configured to feature up to a whopping 2TB of SSD storage if you want. Compared to the previous model, whose base spec gave you a paltry 128GB of SSD storage, the new one is a nice change of pace.

However, this new lineup also adds a more affordable entry level product thanks the inclusion of a 10th Generation (Ice Lake) Intel Core i3 processor clocked at 1.1GHz. It can also be configured to pack up to a 10th Gen Intel Core i7 chip with a base clock speed of 1.2GHz and a boost clock of 3.8GHz, but they’re all still Y-series processors.

RAM, meanwhile can also be maxed out at 16GB of 3,733 MHz LPDDR4X memory, which should be enough for what people usually use MacBook Airs for.

Now the new MacBook Air features a Magic Keyboard, which is the same as the one we saw on the new 16-inch MacBook Pro. It has a scissor mechanism which according to Apple delivers a responsive and quiet typing experience with 1mm travel. Before, the laptop came with the Butterfly keyboard, which was always problematic when it came to reliability.

The upgraded model also sports a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the display side, it stays the same with the 13.3-inch Retina Display (2560×1600 pixels) with True Tone technology. All in all, the laptop weighs 1.29kg and is 1.61cm thick, and it also features two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports.

Pricing and Availability

Currently, the laptop comes in the colours, Gold, Space Grey and Silver. It is priced at RM4,399 for the Core i3 model with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage. Whereas the Core i5 model with 8GB RAM AND 512GB SSD is going for RM5,599. This new entry-level price for the MacBook Air is significantly lower than its predecessor at launch, which is good for lowering the bar of entry for those who don’t need a Core i5 processor.

As of now, the laptop is not available yet in Malaysia, but once it is, you can purchase it at the Apple Online Store. Apple has also not granted access into the configurator so we don’t know exactly what model’s we’ll be getting here. However, for a rough idea, you can head on over to the US site to check that out.

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