To everyone that posted on the thread - great advice and I appreciate it. I had to book this fare in a hurry and couldn't make an earlier flight due as I was picking up my visa at the NY Chinese Consulate. 5 minutes in to drop off with properly prepped docs and 5 minutes to pick up. Could've made the EWR 12 pm flight but didn't know at the time. I checked in at JFK and had a heck of a time getting a seat. I had booked Y but due to the time - they said I needed 48 hours to use upgrades? - I was unable to use my Y to get to business. Due to close booking time/purchase I was also unable to access seat map.
I was shoved to the back and managed to sweet talk an AC employee to moving me up to an outside seat in the middle aisle on the bulkhead, right behind business. Customer service was below average. I was always polite but could not seem to get an adult beverage without walking all the way to the back and asking. It was a bit of an affront for what I paid. Meal service was decent, though limited Western fare - albeit I was going to China, right? Aircraft seemed fairly new with lots of overhead storage. TV/movie featured a lot of organic Chinese content obviously. Definitely not the usual transcontinental entertainment United provides.
As well I noticed I only received 100% of points versus the 150% I thought I was receiving based on the partner flight in Y. I will check with United on this as I booked through their website.

Overall, Air China seems decent enough and the best of what China offers for direct flights. In the future I will fly United direct if I have the chance. Or, better yet, take Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines in a pinch. If I was an AC elite - I probably would have had a better experience. The staff in business seemed excellent. I hope this helps a little to anyone deciding. Cheers.