Hands-on with Apple's new redesigned MacBook Air: This could be the laptop that Apple fans have been waiting for

The new MacBook Air comes in three colors: The traditional silver, a darker "Space Grey," and gold.

Advertisement

The biggest improvement over the older models is that the screen has a much higher resolution — 2560 x 1600 — and its bezels are smaller. The screen is still about 13 inches big, though, so that hasn't changed.

Advertisement

Here's another close-up.

Apple says the new MacBook Air can get 12 hours of battery life.

Advertisement

Unlike the current MacBook Pro models, the MacBook Air has an escape key.

However, it also uses Apple's thinner "butterfly" keyboard, which has caused complaints among users of other recent MacBook models. Apple says it's a "third-generation" model that should be more responsive than the versions found in years past, though.

Advertisement

The new MacBook Air also has a fingerprint reader so you can use Apple's Touch ID to log in. It's the first time Touch ID has appeared on a laptop without the Touch Bar touchscreen, which can be found in high-end MacBook Pro laptops.

If you've ever owned a MacBook Air in the past, the overall design should be very similar — it's still a wedge shape, uses an older hinge design, and even has the same trackpad cutout for lifting the screen as the old MacBook Air.

Advertisement

See?

The trackpad has also been enlarged. Instead of physically clicking when you put pressure on it, Apple uses little motors inside the trackpad to simulate the feeling of a mouse click.

Advertisement

The ports have changed, too. Instead of the traditional USB-A ports, Apple has replaced the laptop's left side with two USB-C ports, matching the rest of its laptop lineup. These ports are used to charge the computer as well as to connect peripherals — so say goodbye to Apple's magnetic "MagSafe" charger.

On the other side, there's a headphone jack. (Thankfully.)

Advertisement

The underside of the laptop is mostly unchanged.

Here's the FCC markings:

Advertisement

The silver color is most likely to match your old MacBook Air, if you're upgrading.

A closer look at the finish.

Advertisement

But the space grey looks very professional, too.

A closer look at the space grey.

Advertisement

There are a lot of different configurations, up to thousands of dollars, but here are he two base models. Is it worth buying? We haven't put it through its paces, but it really does seem like the MacBook that a lot of Apple users have been asking for.