030938 owc aura pro compare front 500

ArsTechnica provides an extensive walkthrough and installation of the OWC MacBook Air SSD replacement kits. The OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express is the only presently available SSD replacement for the MacBook Air's new compact SSD drive.

Installation requires some disassembly of your MacBook Air as well as the lengthy backup/restore process to migrate your data. The new drive offers some performance benefit over the original Toshiba SSDs, and is about on-par with the recently shipping Samsung SSD drives.

135753 owc ssd benchmarks

The main benefit for the replacements are increased storage capacity, but it comes at a price with 180GB/240GB/360GB drives costing $499.99/$579.99/$1179.99 respectively.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Related Forum: MacBook Air

Top Rated Comments

osx11 Avatar
185 months ago
I want a 128 MB SSD. Awesome!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ciTiger Avatar
185 months ago
I'm really eager to see the MBA refresh! I know it may not happen this year but I'm hoping it does since it brings so much cash to Apple now...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kingtj Avatar
185 months ago
Yeah, costly ... but ....

I have to disagree with some of you who seem to feel the product won't even succeed at these price-points.

I've been in this industry long enough to know that there's definitely a segment of the market out there who can afford to buy something like this -- and it's a segment somewhat likely to already own a Macbook Air.

You can compare the cost of the SSD to the cost of the whole machine and argue it's "ridiculously overpriced" from that standpoint -- but that doesn't tell the whole story. CAD designers and 3D animation people have been buying video cards that cost more than the entire rest of the computer they sit in for years and years.

For someone who really likes the lightweight, portable nature of the Air and feels that the only thing it lacks is sufficient fast storage space? They might very well say, "Sure, I'll pay another $1,000+ to have 3x the storage capacity it came with originally, and faster storage at that!"
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive These Five Perks

Wednesday July 9, 2025 9:20 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, did you know that Apple offers you five perks beyond the extra storage space, at no additional cost? Here are the perks included with all iCloud+ plans:Private Relay keeps your Safari browsing history entirely private from network providers, websites, and even Apple. Hide My Email generates unique, random email addresses whenever needed. Hom...