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Conclusion: We like it

It's not the most powerful, or the most expandable laptop in the world -- but it doesn't need to be. Every computer has its tradeoffs, and the 13-inch Air's balance of performance, price, size, battery life, and build quality makes it our hands-down top pick in laptops. Small wonder computer makers everywhere are racing to catch up.

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Critic reviews

8.8
7 reviews
  • Speed and features
    8.8
  • Design and form factor
    9.3
  • Battery life
    8.0
  • Display
    7.7
  • Durability
    10
  • Expandability
    6.5
  • Noise
    9.0
  • Portability (size / weight)
    10

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User reviews

9.1
76 reviews

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8.0
Engadget Jul 25, 2011

The 2011 MacBook Air addresses nearly every concern anyone could lob at its predecessor. It's still light on ports, the missing SD slot on the 11-inch model is a drag, and no, it isn't cheap, but this machine is fast, efficient, and not to be underestimated.

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10
Laptop Magazine Jul 20, 2011

When you combine a sleek ultraportable design with a great display and touchpad then nearly double the performance--without sacrificing battery life--you're left with a winner. You also get an improved backlit keyboard, Thunderbolt support, and the more powerful and versatle Mac OS X Lion.

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9.0
AnandTech Jul 28, 2011

You get a nice chassis with excellent build quality, decent displays that trump every budget laptop we've looked at, and reasonable battery life. If you like thin and light ultraportables, the MacBook Air continues to be one of the best options around.

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9.0
Macworld Aug 1, 2011

Apple has built the MacBook Air for what it believes is the sweet spot of the laptop market: people who are over the optical disc, who don't need any more processing power than an Intel Core i5 processor can provide, and who don't need massive amounts of disk space.

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8.0
PC Mag Jul 21, 2011

The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Thunderbolt) is a formidable player in the ultraportable space, thanks to a Core i5 processor, backlit keyboard, and Thunderbolt port.

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9.0
SlashGear Mar 18, 2012

In short, that ... decision between prioritizing portability and performance has ... been made for you: the MacBook Air grants you both. Build-quality is reassuringly strong, speed and performance are sufficient for most users, and the ability to drop the Air into a bag ... is a huge advantage.

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10
Born2bwild

Except for the lack of expandability option, and the slightly excessive noise and heat when it is heavily used, it is the PERFECT laptop. The Samsung SSD and the Intel SB CPU allow this computer to be blazing fast, have a great battery life, and an overall fantastic user experience in every day...

8.0
identitycrisis

This is a machine which doesn't even let you know it's there. It just forms a silent companion and pretty soon, you're going to have trouble working with the average thick laptop. It will entertain you, handle your average daily life tasks and look awesome all at the same time. The keyboard is...

9.0
maxaudet

My first MAC. I really love it. It's so small yet powerfull. I love Lion and gestures with the amazing trackpad.

10
quintinn

This laptop is the really great, and it is hands down the fastest computer I've ever used. I know that much of that is the SSD drive and i7 talking, but wow! To have such speed, power, and function built into a featherlight, beautiful design... perfect.

9.0
albertoziveri

Another great idea. It's perfect for school and to be your assistant in work, if the iPad isn't enough. You can peacefully work with videos and images. Naturally it's not adapted for professional software like After Effects but Photoshop works well...

9.0
Firebird

Overall love my MacBook Air. It is light and I feel it is more 'reachable' than my other laptops - boots up fairly quickly and is ready to go. Display and sound is excellent.

9.0
skybella

Best laptop I've had. Only minor niggle is that the video card has interference when playing video on a web page. Oh and it needs a backlit keyboard.

9.0
monastereo

It's hard for me to believe there is something better than a Mac Book Air right now in the market, if you work with documents, Photoshop (300MB avg. files) and the rest of the Creative Suite 5 Design Premium, or if you are a programmer and want to code everywhere with a web server, this is the...

8.0
tylrwlsn

Truly the best laptop out there right now. Performance is solid for general use. Battery life is good. This is so portable you sometimes forget you're carrying it around in a backpack. The 13 inch model not only can ship with a larger hard drive, but the larger screen size makes it more...

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