Honestly, the 2017 MacBook Air shouldn't still be a thing. In a world where we've got M3 chips that can basically predict the future and liquid retina displays that look better than real life, a chunky silver laptop with huge white borders around the screen feels like a relic. It's a fossil. But go to any coffee shop in 2026, and you’ll still see that glowing Apple logo—the last of its kind—staring back at you. People cling to this specific machine with a weird, cult-like intensity.
It’s the 13-inch model (A1466 for the nerds out there) that refuses to quit.
📖 Related: Samsung TV horizontal lines: What most people get wrong about fixing them
Why? Well, it’s not because the screen is good. Let's be real: the 1440 by 900 resolution TN panel is kind of terrible by modern standards. If you tilt it the wrong way, the colors wash out like an old polaroid left in the sun. Yet, for a huge chunk of students, writers, and budget-conscious remote workers, the 2017 MacBook Air remains the "Old Reliable" of the tech world. It represents the end of an era before Apple went all-in on USB-C and those disastrous butterfly keyboards that broke if a piece of dust looked at them the wrong way.
The Ports We Lost (And Why We Still Miss Them)
Look at the side of a modern MacBook. You get a couple of Thunderbolt ports and maybe a MagSafe connector if you paid for the newer models. Now look at the 2017 MacBook Air. It’s got a buffet. You have two USB 3 ports, a Thunderbolt 2 port, an SDXC card slot, and the classic MagSafe 2 power adapter.
I can’t tell you how many photographers still hunt these down on eBay just for that SD card slot. No dongles. No adapters. You just take the card out of your Sony or Canon, shove it into the side of the laptop, and start editing. It’s simple.
The MagSafe 2 connector is another story. If you've ever tripped over your charging cable and watched your $2,000 laptop fly across the room because it was plugged in via USB-C, you know the pain. The 2017 model's charger just snaps off safely. It’s a design choice that saved a million laptops from certain death. Plus, there is something deeply satisfying about that little orange light turning green when the battery is full. Modern Macs don't give you that tiny bit of dopamine.
Performance in the 2020s: Can It Actually Keep Up?
Here is where we have to be honest. The 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Broadwell generation, if you're keeping track) is getting tired. It was fine for 2017. In 2026? It struggles with 4K video editing. If you try to open forty Chrome tabs while running a Zoom call and Spotify in the background, the fans are going to start sounding like a jet engine taking off from Heathrow.
But for writing? For basic spreadsheets? For browsing? It’s totally fine.
📖 Related: The Brutal Reality of Weapons from World War One
Most of these units shipped with 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM. You couldn't upgrade it then, and you can't upgrade it now. That's the bottleneck. However, the SSD is a different story. Unlike the newer soldered-down Macs, you can actually use an adapter and a standard NVMe drive to give this thing 1TB or 2TB of storage for cheap. That’s a huge win for longevity.
- Processor: Intel Core i5 or i7 (Broadwell).
- RAM: 8GB (Soldered).
- Storage: PCIe-based SSD (Replaceable!).
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 6000.
It’s a specific kind of power. It’s "good enough" power.
The Keyboard That Actually Works
We have to talk about the keyboard. Between 2016 and 2019, Apple put the "Butterfly" keyboard on their Pro and Retina Air models. It was a disaster. The keys didn't move, they got stuck, and they cost a fortune to fix.
The 2017 MacBook Air escaped that nightmare. It uses the classic scissor-switch mechanism.
It’s mushy in the best way. It has 1.4mm of travel. You can type on this thing for eight hours straight without your fingers feeling like they’ve been hammering on a concrete slab. For writers, this is the gold standard. I know people who have bought three backup units of the 2017 Air just so they never have to type on anything else. It's that serious. It’s the last "great" keyboard before the transition period, and even the new Magic Keyboards on the M-series Macs feel just a little different compared to this old-school tactile bounce.
Software Support: The Great Wall
This is the biggest hurdle for anyone looking at a 2017 MacBook Air today. Apple officially cut off macOS support for this model with macOS Monterey. You aren't getting Ventura, Sonoma, or whatever comes next through official channels.
Does that mean it’s dead? No.
There’s a project called OpenCore Legacy Patcher (OCLP). It’s run by a group of incredibly dedicated developers who figured out how to trick the hardware into running the newest versions of macOS. It works surprisingly well, though you might run into some weirdness with Wi-Fi drivers or graphics acceleration. But even without it, Monterey is still receiving security patches for now. Once those stop, you're looking at a machine that is technically "vulnerable" if you're doing high-stakes banking or government work. For everyone else, it’s a calculated risk.
Battery Life and the Reality of Used Units
When it was new, Apple claimed 12 hours of battery life. They weren't lying. The 54-watt-hour battery combined with a low-resolution screen meant this thing could last an entire flight from New York to London.
But if you’re buying one now, that battery has likely been through the ringer. Batteries chemically age. If the unit you're looking at has 800+ cycles, you’re going to get maybe 3 or 4 hours of actual use. The good news? You can actually change the battery yourself. All you need is a P5 Pentalobe screwdriver and a T5 Torx. It takes ten minutes. Try doing that on a 2024 MacBook Air without a heat gun and a prayer. You can't.
Who Should Actually Buy One Right Now?
If you are a heavy video editor, a gamer, or someone who needs a color-accurate screen for design work, stay away. Seriously. Don't do it. You will hate the screen within twenty minutes. The blue tint and poor viewing angles will drive you crazy.
👉 See also: Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 for Mac: Why the One-Time Purchase Still Wins
However, there are three groups of people who should still consider the 2017 MacBook Air:
- The "Distraction-Free" Writer: It’s cheap, the keyboard is legendary, and it doesn't have enough power to tempt you into playing high-end games. It’s a typewriter for the 21st century.
- The Student on a Budget: You can often find these for $150 to $200 on local marketplaces. For a kid who needs to do Google Docs and watch YouTube, it beats the brakes off a cheap, plasticky Windows laptop that will fall apart in six months.
- The Linux Experimenter: These Macs are actually fantastic for running Linux. If you're bored with macOS, throwing Ubuntu or Fedora on a 2017 Air makes it feel incredibly fast. Linux doesn't need much "overhead," so that old i5 feels snappy again.
Avoiding the Pitfalls of the Used Market
Buying an 8-year-old laptop is a minefield. You have to be careful.
First, check the corners. These have aluminum shells that dent easily. If the corners are smashed, there’s a good chance it was dropped, which can loosen the display hinges. Speaking of hinges, they should be firm. If the screen flops back when you pick the laptop up, the clutch cover is shot.
Second, check the "About This Mac" section. Make sure it’s actually the 2017 model. People often try to sell the 2015 model as a 2017 because they look identical. The 2017 has a base clock speed of 1.8GHz, while the 2015 starts at 1.6GHz. It’s a small difference, but you want what you're paying for.
Finally, check for "ICLOUD LOCKED" units. If you see a deal that looks too good to be true, it’s probably locked to someone else’s account. If it's locked, it's a paperweight. There is no way around it. Always meet in person and make sure you can log in and see the desktop before handing over any cash.
Actionable Next Steps for 2017 Owners
If you already own one and it’s feeling slow, don't throw it away. Do these three things to breathe life back into it:
- Replace the SSD: Get a Sintech adapter and a Samsung 970 EVO Plus. You’ll see a massive jump in boot speeds and file transfers compared to the original Apple drive.
- Clean the Fans: Pop the bottom lid off and use a can of compressed air. Dust buildup causes thermal throttling, which slows the CPU down to a crawl.
- Repaste the CPU: If you’re feeling brave, take off the heatsink and apply new thermal paste (like Arctic MX-4). The factory paste Apple used is likely dry and cracked by now. This can drop your temperatures by 10-15 degrees Celsius.
The 2017 MacBook Air isn't the best laptop Apple ever made, but it might be the most resilient. It’s a tool that was built to be used, not just admired. It marks the end of an era of utility before we entered the era of "thinness at all costs." Even if it’s an old-timer now, it still has a lot of work left in it. Just don't expect it to edit your 8K footage.