Apple MacBook Air Apple MacBook Air MWTJ2LL/A 13.3" 8GB 256GB SSD Review

Let's talk about this MacBook Air. It's the MWTJ2LL/A model, which is a specific older configuration. You're looking at a 13.3-inch laptop with a beautiful 2560x1600 screen, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. It runs macOS Catalina. This thing is built for portability and reliability, scoring in the 88th and 96th percentiles for those categories. That's its whole deal.

Who is this for? Honestly, it's for someone with very specific, basic needs. Think web browsing, document editing, and streaming video. The benchmarks say it's best for compact use and entertainment, which makes sense. It's a simple, dependable machine for everyday tasks.

What makes it interesting is the price. At around $290, you're getting into a MacBook for the cost of a decent Chromebook. That's the main hook here. You're not buying cutting-edge power. You're buying Apple's build quality and macOS for a very low entry fee.

The performance story is a mixed bag, and the specs tell you why. You've got an older Intel Core i3 dual-core processor. In the CPU percentile rankings, it lands in the 27th percentile. That means it's slower than most modern laptops. For basic tasks like email and web browsing, it's fine. But try to run more than a few apps at once, and you'll feel it start to slow down.

The integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics, however, scores in the 98th percentile. That sounds amazing, but it's a bit misleading. This score is likely against a very broad field of all integrated graphics, including much older ones. In real life, it's good enough for driving that sharp display and handling video playback smoothly. But with only 8GB of RAM (10th percentile) and 256GB of storage (16th percentile), the system feels constrained. The storage is especially tight for a modern OS.

The value proposition here is simple: it's a $290 MacBook. You cannot overstate how rare that is. For comparison, a new base model M1 MacBook Air starts around $800 on sale. This gets you the Apple experience for a fraction of the cost.

But you have to be honest about what you're trading. That $800 M1 Air is lightyears ahead in performance, battery life, and software support. You're paying for the brand and the operating system here, not the specs. If your budget is absolutely locked at $300 and you need macOS, this is pretty much your only option.

You have to look at the competition in two ways: other cheap laptops and other Macs. Against a $300 Windows laptop or Chromebook, this MacBook Air wins on build quality and the macOS interface. But those PCs will often have more RAM, more storage, and a newer processor, making them feel faster for basic tasks.

Then there are other Macs. The elephant in the room is any Mac with an M1 chip. A used or refurbished M1 MacBook Air can be found for $500-$600. For double the price, you get a machine that is multiple times faster, has all-day battery life, and runs the latest macOS. The trade-off is clear: save $300 now but accept major limitations, or spend more for a machine that will feel new for years.

If you need a secondary laptop for travel, a machine for a student to write papers on, or a simple web browser for the kitchen, and your budget is rock-solid at $300, this MacBook Air is a reasonable choice. Just know its limits and be ready to manage with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

For almost anyone else, I'd recommend saving up a bit more. The jump to a used M1 MacBook Air is worth every extra penny. You'll get better performance, modern software support, and a machine that won't feel outdated the moment you open it. This $290 Air is a niche pick for a very specific, budget-conscious buyer.