Browsing options
Categories
Vendor
PROCESSORS
PROCESSOR
STORAGE
OPERATING SYSTEM
Price
Apple Macbook Pro Core i5 1st Gen - (4 GB/500 GB HDD/4 GB EMMC Storage/Mac OS Sierra) MC372LL/A (15.4 inch, SIlver)
- Grade: Refurbished - Superb
- Intel Core i5 Processor (1st Gen)
- 4 GB DDR3 RAM
- 64 bit Mac OS Operating System
- 500 GB HDD
- 15.4 inch Display
a1465 MacBook Air 11-inch Laptop Core i5 Refurb
Details about Apple MacBook Air Core i5 1.6GHz 4GB RAM 128GB SSD 11" A1465 - MJVM2LL/A
a1466 mac air i7 2015 5th gen
HI
New inner values. Apple's new MacBook Air 13 is even faster than previous models. But, not only the performance is a positive aspect. However, the flaws of the previous generations were, unfortunately, hardly improved.
Apple rather quietly upgraded their MacBook Air series with more powerful and newer hardware components in March 2015. In the latest Apple keynote, the company mainly focused on the new 12-inch MacBooks and the Apple Watch. In this article, we will especially cover the 13-inch MacBook Air. The most important change is probably that Intel's Haswell architecture has been replaced by Intel's Broadwell architecture. Instead of an Intel Core i7-4650U or i5-4260U, the new products feature an Intel Core i7-5650U or i5-5250U. Our test model houses the more powerful i7 CPU.
The internal graphics unit depends on the processor. It is the Intel HD Graphics 6000 instead of the previously used Intel HD Graphics 5000. According to the manufacturer, the graphics performance should be 20 to 25% better and the processing performance of the CPU should be 5 to 20% higher. In addition, the device comes with 8 GB dual-channel RAM and a 256 GB hard drive. The pricing is a severe step backwards for prospective buyers. Because of the weak Euro, Apple significantly increased the price of all their products. The test model of the Apple MacBook Air 13 costs 1590 Euros (~$1791). In comparison: The price is about $1450 in the USA. Further details are available in our special article.
In order to avoid redundancies, we will refer to the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch 2014 review for information about unchanged aspects.
In our test, we compare the test model to the already reviewed MacBook series and to other well-made 13-inch competitors like the equally expensive Toshiba Kira 10D or the XPS 13 ultrabook from Dell. The two competitors also use Intel's Broadwell architecture and an Intel Core i7-5500U.
Display
At the first glance, the display appears to have remained the same in terms of used technology and other specifications. Apple uses a TN panel with a maximum resolution of 1440x900 pixels. Competitors like the Dell XPS 13 not only feature a significantly better QHD+ resolution but also a touch panel. The Toshiba KIRA comes with an FHD display at least. The meager resolution might be annoying for technophiles as well as users used to Full HD, since the display looks grainy at a closer look. Although Apple incorporated quite a high-end TN panel, the competition shines with IPS displays. Unfortunately, the manufacturer does not offer other display options.
The average brightness of almost 310 cd/m² is acceptable. For example, it is significantly higher than the 231 cd/m² of the Dell XPS and even 30 - 40 cd/m² higher than previous Air models from the last two years. Please note: Other reviewed models of the Dell XPS 13 are not that dark. In mains operation, the Toshiba KIRA is on par with our MacBook, but the KIRA's brightness is 40 cd/m² lower on battery, while our test model's brightness does not fall on battery. The brightness distribution of 82% is 10% lower than the Toshiba's and on par with the Dell XPS 13's. The previous MacBook Air models also perform better. However, we could not detect screen bleeding despite the high brightness difference between the upper and the lower parts of the display. In addition, there is no PWM flickering when playing 60 fps videos.
Top 10 Laptops
Multimedia, Budget Multimedia, Gaming, Budget Gaming, Lightweight Gaming, Business, Budget Office, Workstation, Subnotebooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks
under 300 USD/Euros, under 500 USD/Euros, 1.000 USD/Euros
Best Displays, for University Students
Top 10 Smartphones
Smartphones, Phablets, ≤5-inch, Camera SmartphonesNotebookcheck's Top 10 Smartphones under 160 Euros
| Apple MacBook Air 13 inch 2015-03 HD Graphics 6000, 5650U, Apple SSD SD0256F |
Dell XPS 13 9343 Core i7 HD Graphics 5500, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 M.2 2280 256GB |
Toshiba KIRA-10D HD Graphics 5500, 5500U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU |
Apple MacBook Air 13 MD761D/B 2014-06 HD Graphics 5000, 4260U, Apple SSD SD0256F |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen |
11%
|
28%
|
14%
|
|
| Brightness middle |
329
|
232
-29%
|
334
2%
|
280
-15%
|
| Brightness |
310
|
231
-25%
|
316
2%
|
263
-15%
|
| Brightness Distribution |
82
|
82
0%
|
92
12%
|
84
2%
|
| Black Level * |
0.405
|
0.25
38%
|
0.29
28%
|
0.32
21%
|
| Contrast |
812
|
928
14%
|
1152
42%
|
875
8%
|
| Colorchecker DeltaE2000 * |
3.96
|
3.63
8%
|
2.27
43%
|
1.91
52%
|
| Colorchecker DeltaE2000 max. * |
7.51
|
|||
| Greyscale DeltaE2000 * |
3.51
|
2.57
27%
|
2.47
30%
|
2
43%
|
| Gamma |
3.83 57%
|
2.17 101%
|
2.36 93%
|
2.26 97%
|
| CCT |
6711 97%
|
6422 101%
|
6872 95%
|
6724 97%
|
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) |
38.4
|
58
51%
|
64
67%
|
|
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) |
59.8
|
* ... smaller is better
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 82 %
Center on Battery: 327 cd/m²
Contrast: 812:1 (Black: 0.405 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.96 | 0.6-29.43 Ø6.1
ΔE Greyscale 3.51 | 0.64-98 Ø6.3
59.8% sRGB (Argyll 3D) 38.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 3D)
Gamma: 3.83
The contrast fell to 812:1 compared to the previous year's model. In addition, the black value of 0.405 cd/m² is slightly high. The competition performs better: The Toshiba KIRA convinces with a contrast of 1152:1 and a black value of 0.29 cd/m². Dell's XPS as well as the Toshiba model perform better than our test model. Subjectively, black value and contrast are sufficient for a fairly good black. The average color temperature of 6600 Kelvin is quite close to the ideal value of 6500 K.
According to the gray level analysis from CalMAN the display is not bluish in factory state. The deviation is 3.51 for the gray level and 3.96 for the colors. This hints on quite a high-end TN panel. After calibration, the deltaE shift falls to a formidable 0.92 for the gray levels and 1.66 for the colors.
The color coverage is especially important for professional use. The model covers 38.4% of AdobeRGB and 59.8% of sRGB and is therefore not apt for professional graphics designers.
The glossy display is not exactly ideal for outdoor use. But, since it is bright, use in the shade is quite possible.
The TN display technology hints on narrow viewing angles. However, they are not that bad for this kind of panel. There is hardly a color and brightness shift when looking from the sides. But, the image changes significantly with the opening angle. It is possible to use the device on the lap without big problems and you'll always find a position for a good image. Nevertheless, the opening angle could be bigger. We have already criticized this aspect in our previous test.
Performance
The thin case of the MacBook Air houses powerful hardware in order to always ensure responsiveness. The Apple notebook is suitable as an ever-ready office companion as well as workhorse for work and university. Inside there is an Intel CPU of the i7 series, 8 GB RAM (dual-channel) and a 256 GB SSD. The manufacturer asks for 1590 Euros (~$1791) for the bundle, but there are also cheaper configurations available. The entry-level model with Intel Core i5 CPU is priced about 400 Euros (~$450) lower than our test model. In addition, it features 4 GB RAM and a 128 GB hard drive. Further configuration options can be found in the Apple Store.
Processor
Probably the most important difference to previous years' MacBook Air models is the new Intel Core i7-5650U with a base clock of 2.2 GHz and a Turbo clock of up to 3.2 GHz. The CPU with two cores can handle up to four simultaneous threads and calculates with a maximum TDP of 15 Watt according to Intel. We will check whether it actually does so below. Intel's Broadwell series supports important standards like DirectX 11.2 API, Open CL 1.3/2.0 and OpenGL 4.3. The actual performance gain compared to our previously reviewed MacBook Air models is of great interest and so is the performance difference to the Intel Core i7-5500U used in the competitors, since it features a higher base clock of 2400 MHz, but a slightly lower Turbo clock of 3000 MHz. So, the Intel Core i7-5500U could perform better during demanding load. We use the Cinebench R15 benchmark to test the performance. Whether under Mac OS or Windows, the ratings are about equal.
The biggest difference occurred in the single-core test, where the Air achieved 112 points under Windows and 128 points under Mac OS. In the multi-core test, the MacBook Air accomplished 296 points (Win) and 305 points (Mac OS). The Toshiba KIRA (289 points) and the Dell XPS 13 (287 points) are about on par. Apple's MacBook Air from 2014 performs significantly worse with 239 points. According to Intel's Power Gadget, the maximum power consumption of the processor is about 22 Watt. This is significantly higher than the TDP. Initially, the CPU clocks constantly at 3.1 GHz during Cinebench R15; however, the clock rate hovers between 2.8 to 3.1 GHz in the middle of the test. Even after multiple runs, the results do not change, since the fans start running loudly from the second run on. This ensures that the CPU almost constantly works at 3.1 GHz and the laptop even achieves 10 points more in the multi-core test. The performance does not fall on battery. The Cinebench results remain the same.
Further comparisons and details of each processor are available in our benchmark list of current notebook CPUs.
Subscribe Get Special Offers
Product of the Day
Bestsellers
Deal Of The Day
