First 2018 MacBook Air Benchmark Shows Moderate Gains Over 2017 MacBook Air and MacBook

The first benchmark for the 2018 MacBook Air surfaced on Geekbench today, giving us our first look at how the low-power 7W Amber Lake Intel chip in the machine measures up to the performance of other Macs in Apple's lineup.

Equipped with a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-8210Y chip and 16GB of RAM, the benchmarked MacBook Air earned a single-core score of 4248 and a multi-core score of 7828.

macbookairbenchmark
As should be no surprise, it's significantly better than the previous-generation MacBook Air equipped with a 1.8GHz Broadwell processor, which earned a single-core score of 3335 and a multi-core score of 6119.

It's faster than the fastest Core M chip in the 2017 MacBook models, but not by much. The 1.4GHz MacBook earned a single-core score of 3925 and a multi-core score of 7567, while the base model with a 1.2GHz Core M chip earned a single-core score of 3527 and a multi-core score of 6654.

Compared to MacBook Pro models, it's not too far off from the 2018 13-inch Touch Bar MacBook Pro with a 2.3GHz Intel Core i5 processor when it comes to single-core performance, but it can't compete with the four cores in the 2018 MacBook Pro. That machine earned a single-core score of 4504 and a multi-core score of 16464.

It's also slower than the 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro sans Touch Bar that Apple still sells, which earned a single-core score of 4314 and a multi-core score of 9071.

Single-Core Performance

  • 2018 MacBook Air - 4248
  • 2017 MacBook Air - 3335
  • 1.4GHz 2017 MacBook - 3925
  • 1.3GHz 2017 MacBook - 3630
  • 1.2GHz 2017 MacBook - 3527
  • 2.3GHz 2018 MacBook Pro - 4504
  • 2.3GHz 2017 MacBook Pro - 4314

Multi-Core Performance

  • 2018 MacBook Air - 7828
  • 2017 MacBook Air - 6119
  • 1.4GHz 2017 MacBook - 7567
  • 1.3GHz 2017 MacBook - 6974
  • 1.2GHz 2017 MacBook - 6654
  • 2.3GHz 2018 MacBook Pro - 16464
  • 2.3GHz 2017 MacBook Pro - 9071

Previous MacBook Air chips used 15W U-series chips from Intel, but the 2018 model is using a lower-power 7W Y-series chip, and there were some concerns about its performance relative to the rest of the Mac lineup.

Based on these Geekbench scores, which aren't necessarily indicative of how these machines will perform in the real world, the MacBook Air is superior to the MacBook lineup at this time, but falls short of the base-level MacBook Pro, which is about right given its price point ($1,199 for the Air vs. $1,299 for the Pro). What the Mac lineup will look like if and when the 12-inch MacBook is refreshed remains to be seen.

Additional benchmarking results should be available soon, as the MacBook Air is set to arrive to the first customers on Wednesday, November 7, and MacBook Air reviews should come out before then.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Related Forum: MacBook Air

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone Car Key WWDC 2025

Apple Announces 13 Automakers Planning to Offer iPhone Car Keys

Friday June 27, 2025 11:42 am PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. During its WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple said that 13...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
anker power bank recall

PSA: Anker Recalls Multiple Power Banks Due to Fire Risk

Friday June 27, 2025 4:16 pm PDT by
Popular accessory maker Anker this month launched two separate recalls for its power banks, some of which may be a fire risk. The first recall affects Anker PowerCore 10000 Power Banks sold between June 1, 2016 and December 31, 2022 in the United States. Anker says that these power banks have a "potential issue" with the battery inside, which can lead to overheating, melting of plastic...
Chase Sapphire Reserve Apple Perk Feature

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Introduces New Perk for Apple Customers

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Chase this week announced a series of new perks for its premium Sapphire Reserve credit card, and one of them is for a pair of Apple services. Specifically, the credit card now offers complimentary annual subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple Music, a value of up to $250 per year. If you are already paying for Apple TV+ and/or Apple Music directly through Apple, those subscriptions will...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

BODYBUILDERPAUL Avatar
87 months ago
It’s very simple. For you nothing less than a 2018 13” TB. For casual users i.e. the sort of people who have never opened a computer up and never will, the new MacBook Air or the 12” MacBook if they want a thinner notebook.

Basically, if you go on MR and tech forums, a MBA is not for you. For everyone else they are fine.
But surely a casual user will pay £400 for a windows laptop. Is there such a thing as a Apple casual user who pays £1200 or £1400 for a laptop? I really don't think so. In todays world, £1400 is a hell of a lot of money. Good luck to Apple with the Air but I think that greed has caught them with this and it's going to fail. £1000 for an iPhone X that does everything Ok because that's often bought on a contract but £1400 for a basic, rather unadventurous MacBook Air no thanks.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Naimfan Avatar
87 months ago
Keyboard makes it a hard fail.

And how about cinebench and unigine and . . . ?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DanGoh Avatar
87 months ago
I don’t even know what Macbook I plan to upgrade from my 2013 MBPr much less which one to reccomend to people anymore.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jackietreeh0rn Avatar
87 months ago
There's a 2017 Macbook air?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neilw Avatar
87 months ago
Oh, and let us not forget the new iPad Pro at 5030/17995.

Imagine an A13x or A14x in an Air form factor...
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oldmacs Avatar
87 months ago
What a shame.

Imagine if they'd used the existing chassis and upgraded. They could have made a great machine. Instead they had to thin it down, shrink the battery etc.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)