What are the differences between the "Mid-2009" MacBook Air models?

Please note that all systems mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. The "Mid-2009" MacBook Air models were replaced by the "Late 2010" models on October 20, 2010. For more recent comparison Q&As, please refer to the main MacBook Air Q&A page.

The "Mid-2009" MacBook Air models -- the MacBook Air "Core 2 Duo" 1.86 13" (Mid-2009) and "Core 2 Duo" 2.13 13" (Mid-2009) -- are very similar to one another and quite similar to the "NVIDIA/Late 2008" models that they replaced as well.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.

External & Connectivity Differences

Externally, both "Mid-2009" MacBook Air systems have the same ultrathin case as all earlier models -- and the same 13.3" display, full-size "chiclet-style" back-lit keyboard, and single-button "three-finger" multi-touch gesture trackpad.

Connectivity of each includes AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a single USB 2.0 port, analog audio out, and video out capabilities (Mini DisplayPort). An external 10/100Base-T Apple Ethernet Adapter is provided at no extra charge, but it lacks both Firewire and optical audio in/out.

Internal Differences

Internally, both of the "Mid-2009" systems have "Core 2 Duo" processors with a 6 MB on-chip shared level 2 cache running on a 1066 MHz frontside bus, 2 GB of non-upgradable onboard 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics with "256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory" capable of supporting an external display at 2560x1600, and a non-swappable battery.

Essentially, these systems vary only by processor speed, drive type and capacity, and price.

Comparison Chart

The "Mid-2009" MacBook Air is offered with either a 1.86 GHz or 2.13 GHz Intel "Core 2 Duo" processor and a 120 GB 4200 RPM Serial ATA hard drive or a 128 GB SSD configured as follows:

"Mid-2009" MacBook Air	1.86 13"	2.13 13"
Processor Speed:	1.86 GHz	2.13 GHz
Drive Size:	120 GB	128 GB
Drive Type:	Hard Drive (4200 RPM)	Solid-state
Intro Price:	US$1499	US$1799

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Please refer to EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison feature to dynamically compare any MacBook Air model to any other G3 or later Mac.