As expected, the new MacBook Air has the same lightweight design and Retina display that have made the MacBook Air popular so far.
Weighing 2.8 pounds, the MacBook Air is slightly lighter and thinner than the 3.02-pound, 13-inch MacBook Pro, making it ideal for those looking for a laptop that they can easily carry with them regularly.
The MacBook Air also has a 2560 x 1600 resolution display just like the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Apple's True Tone technology, which enables the color temperature to adapt to the surrounding light for a warmer look.
During my brief time using the MacBook Air so far, I found that the display looked plenty sharp and crisp with wide viewing angles for comfortably reading, browsing photos, and watching video. It's not quite as bright as the MacBook Pro's display, but the difference is negligible.
The True Tone support will be particularly noticeable for those upgrading from an older MacBook laptop; the screens on my older work-issued MacBook Pro and five-year-old MacBook Air looked blueish in comparison.
Choosing between the new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro
The MacBook Air's lower price, improved keyboard, and lightweight design probably make it the best Mac laptop for most people, especially students and those who really only need a basic laptop for browsing the web, streaming media, and writing papers.
The MacBook Pro offers a bit more power with higher-clocked processors starting at the Core i5 level, and Apple's Touch Bar — i.e. a small touch screen strip that replaces the row of function keys just above the keyboard, offering shortcuts that may change depending on what you're doing. It's a nice addition, but certainly not a must-have.
All told, while the MacBook Air was tempting before, its butterfly keyboard has always made me feel like I was making a compromise by buying it. The new Magic Keyboard, plus the lower price, now make it a much more worthy rival to Windows rivals like the Dell XPS 13, Business Insider's current best pick for the best overall laptop, and the HP Envy 13t.