Apple 13.3" Silver Review

The 2017 MacBook Air is a certified refurbished laptop that's incredibly portable and reliable, but its aged dual-core processor and tiny 128GB storage make it a tough sell at $240. It's only for buyers who need macOS on an absolute budget and have very basic needs. For everyone else, a used Windows laptop or a newer used Mac is a smarter buy.

Looking at a refurbished 2017 MacBook Air? It's a classic thin-and-light laptop that's still kicking around, and at around $240, it's a tempting entry point into the Apple ecosystem. This model packs a 5th-gen Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD, all wrapped in that familiar silver aluminum chassis. It's certified refurbished, which usually means it's been inspected and comes with a limited warranty, so you're not just buying someone else's old problem. For basic tasks like web browsing, document editing, and streaming, this machine can still handle the job, but you need to know what you're getting into with a laptop that's over seven years old.

Let's be real about performance. That dual-core Intel i5 lands in the 24th percentile for CPU power in our database. For everyday stuff like email and Google Docs, it's fine. But open too many browser tabs or try to run a modern app, and you'll feel it start to chug. The Intel HD Graphics 6000 is integrated, so gaming is basically off the table (it scores an 8.9/100 for that). Where this MacBook Air still shines is in reliability and portability. It scores in the 93rd and 92nd percentiles for those, respectively. It's built like a tank, and at 1.34kg, it's still incredibly light. The battery life is rated for up to 12 hours, but on a used battery of this age, expect significantly less in real-world use.

At $240, the value proposition is all about the Apple logo and the form factor. You're paying for the design and macOS, not the specs. For the same money, you could find a used Windows laptop from a few years later with a quad-core processor, more RAM, and a 1080p screen. But if you're specifically after a Mac for light duty and you're on a shoestring budget, this is one of the cheapest ways in. Just know you're making serious compromises on performance and storage.

This 2017 Air is in a completely different league than modern competitors like the Apple MacBook Pro with M4 or ASUS ProArt laptops. Those are performance powerhouses; this is a basic web machine. A more relevant comparison might be a used Windows ultrabook from the same era, like a Dell XPS 13. You'd likely get a better screen and similar performance for less money, but you'd lose macOS and that specific Apple build quality. If your budget is strictly $250 and you want a Mac, this is basically your only option. If you can stretch to $400-$500, even a used M1 MacBook Air from 2020 is a universe of performance ahead.

Skip this if you need to do more than one thing at a time. Students with research projects, anyone who edits photos, people who want to store more than a handful of files, or users who just want a snappy, modern computing experience should look elsewhere. For a similar price, a used business-class Windows laptop from a few years later (like a Lenovo ThinkPad) will offer better performance and upgradability. If you must have a Mac, save up for a used M1 model.

Should you buy this? Only in a very specific scenario. If you need an ultra-portable laptop for one or two simple tasks (writing, web browsing) and you're absolutely committed to macOS on a tiny budget, it might work. For anyone else, it's a hard pass. The processor is too slow, the storage is laughably small, and the screen is poor. This laptop is a relic, and while it's a well-built relic, it's not a good daily driver in 2025. You'll feel its age every single day.