Upgradability of MacBook Air 2018

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Level 2

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Upgradability of MacBook Air 2018

I've been searching for the answer to this question and have not been able to find any info. I suppose there are really two different parts to the question, one regarding the SSD and the other regarding the RAM.

Is the SSD in the MacBook Air that was announced October 30 upgradeable? My mid-2012 MacBook Pro died and I'm forced to use a ThinkPad until I can upgrade. This new MacBook Air is very attractive but the SSD upgrade path is pretty steep and 128GB is too tight for my preference.

I assume the ram is not upgradeable post-purchase, but I would appreciate confirmation or correction for that as well if anyone knows yet.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Posted on Oct 31, 2018 2:59 PM

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Answer 1

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sberman

Level 10

272,400 points

Oct 31, 2018 4:22 PM in response to Dr.Conn

Dr.Conn wrote:

Is the SSD in the MacBook Air that was announced October 30 upgradeable?

Later, you seem to answer your own question:

Dr.Conn wrote:

This new MacBook Air is very attractive but the SSD upgrade path is pretty steep and 128GB is too tight for my preference.

So here, you seem to be acknowledging the answer, that yes, you may purchase a 256GB SSD for an additional US$200.

Dr.Conn wrote:

I assume the ram is not upgradeable post-purchase, but I would appreciate confirmation or correction for that as well if anyone knows yet.

This has always been true for the MacBook Air. I concur with your assumption.

It has also been true that the MacBook Air cannot alter its SSD once configured and sold.

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Answer 2

babowa

Level 9

78,562 points

Oct 31, 2018 7:59 PM in response to Dr.Conn

I checked three different sites for you and the brand new 2018 MBA is not mentioned anywhere (ifixit, OWC, and everymac.com), so I'd guess that no one has had time to test/check it.

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Answer 3

Dr.Conn Author

Level 2

176 points

Oct 31, 2018 6:55 PM in response to sberman

Thanks for your reply!

Perhaps I should have been a bit more specific. I understand that an SSD upgrade is possible when ordering. My question is in regard to the purchaser being able to upgrade the SSD in the 2018 MacBook Air after purchase.

The SSD in the MacBook Air 2015 and 2017 can be upgraded by the consumer post purchase, and in fact an adapter will allow an M.2 Evo 960 or 970 to be used. This upgrade post purchase is much more attractive and cost efficient that purchasing the upgrade at the time of purchase.

Knowing that the SSD in the 2015 and 2017 MacBook Air can be upgraded, I was asking if the SSD in the new 2018 model can also be upgraded.

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Answer 4

Dr.Conn Author

Level 2

176 points

Nov 1, 2018 6:27 AM in response to babowa

Thanks for checking! I appreciate the assist!

I've been using Macs for a long time (first Mac I used was a Mac 512 Ke, upgraded to a Mac Plus with an insane 4 MB of ram!) and loved the ability to upgrade both RAM and HD/SSD on all my Macs, up to my mid-2012 MacBook Pro. Since its demise, I've been trying to decide which portable to go with. The apps for iOS aren't quite there yet to allow me to use an iPad Pro as a replacement even though it seems as though that is the direction that Apple is going. As a professor, my budget for the machine is pretty limited, which is why the entry-level MacBook Air is more appealing, and why I'm hoping to be able to perform the SSD upgrade myself.

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Upgradability of MacBook Air 2018

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