Macbook Air (2018) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 2

Macbook Air (2018) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 2

On Tuesday, Apple announced the new MacBook Air during their fall keynote event. Apple titled this event "There is more in the making." Along with an updated iPad Pro and Mac Mini, this event modernized two of the oldest pieces of hardware in the Apple Product line. There are many new products being released for the holiday season. To make it easier for you, the buyer, I'm going to down and compare the base models of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 and the MacBook Air. If you want to buy one of these computers, they each have advantages that will give you the best computing experience for you.

Apple MacBook Air (2018) available for in stores starting November 7th.

Style

Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 in Cobalt Blue

Both of these ultrabooks are crazy stylish. The latest MacBook Air retains the wedge that made the first generations so popular but brings it up to date with the style of the current Mac computer line. Microsoft has not updated the look of the Surface Laptop for this year's iteration. This years model of the MacBook Air weighs 2.75 pounds slightly less than the Surface Laptop 2 which weighs 2.76 pounds. The Surface Laptop 2 has more colors available for purchase than the MacBook Air, but you'll need to spend an extra $200 to be able to choose the Black, Burgundy or Cobalt Blue colors. Apple does not charge to get a computer in any of their three colors — my favorite is Space Grey.

Screen

For most PC users, the difference between computer monitors is growing increasingly negligible. When you compare the tech specs between these two computers, the MacBook Air has a higher resolution screen. There are more pixels per inch in a MacBook Air than on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2. Apple really needed to update the screen in this new model, so they don't get any extra credit in this category. The one advantage the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 has over the MacBook Air is the touchscreen, but one extra chore you will have is keeping the smudge free. If you are a power user, you can change the brightness and temperature settings of the computer.  When you put both these computers side by side, it will come down to what your own eyes prefer.

Keyboard

The keyboards on these computers are very different from each other. If you want a laptop with a traditional key that will press down when you type, get the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2. If you're someone who wants to type fast in the classroom or when you're writing for work, the MacBook Air is a better choice for you. I really like the way the Microsoft has chosen to stick with a traditional keyboard and make improvements this years model. One major advantage Macbooks Air keyboard is the Touch ID integration, this will make it easy to unlock your computer, shop, and secure your documents. The 2018 MacBook Air has the latest version of the butterfly keyboards as other Mac laptop models, but it is unknown how this will perform with real-world use.

Trackpad

This is my issue with alcantara. It attracts dirty like crazy! - Microsoft’s Surface Laptop has a filthy secret https://t.co/SfwPMjad64 pic.twitter.com/kiJLcthHwy

— J.D. Gonzalez (@jdgonzalez) May 5, 2017

Apple has the best trackpads in the entire laptop industry. It's big, comfortable and easy to use. The Alcantara fabric on the Surface Laptop makes the computer comfortable. However, the trackpad is not much better than other Windows Laptops on the market. The one major hassle with the Surface computers is keeping them clean it's very easy to find posts of people complaining about keeping the Alcantara fabric clean.

Ports

Both of these computers have the standard 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth if you're using wireless headphones. The MacBook Air has two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, the Microsoft Surface Laptop has none. The Microsoft Surface Laptop has one USB-A and a mini Displayport. I have written about Microsoft's choice of ports in the latest Surface Laptop. The MacBook Air is a better choice between these to computers because it can be used for connecting to external storage, monitors, other devices, and simply charging the computer. If you're still using SD cards, flash drives, and readily need USB-A cables the change to USB-C won't be friendly. All things considered, Apple made a great choice of ports on the MacBook Air by future proofing this computer.

Storage and Processors

Between the basic models, the Core i5 processors are roughly the same. The Intel processors will make sure you'll be able to browse the web, e-mail, watch movies and do some light programming with ease. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 can be configured with a Core i7 processor, but it's going to cost you an extra $600 dollars. Both of these computers come with 128 GB of SSD storage by default. If you want to configure your computer to the highest available specs it appears to be cheaper with Apple for the time being.  I would never upgrade the RAM on these computers unless you plan to play games, edit video or use engineering applications.

You can view the tech specs for both of the MacBook Air and Surface Laptop 2 in the aforementioned links.

Conclusion

In a crowded marketplace, finding the computer for you is up to personal preference and how much you're willing to pull out of your wallet. I didn't mention that the Microsoft Surface can use Windows Hello to log you in with facial recognition. The new MacBook Air has the Apple T2 security chip that secures all of the components of your computer, even the microphone. Both of these computers are premium products and are priced as such. All things considered, the MacBook Air is a higher quality of a purchase at this time and would be a great addition to the ecosystem of the average iPhone user.

You can buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 on Amazon or directly from the Microsoft Store. The all-new MacBook Air is available for pre-order at the Apple Store.