MacBook Air

Review of the 2020 MacBook Air

While you could set your watch to Apple’s yearly iPhone release, the company’s update timetable for its Mac lineup is slightly more erratic. Everyone believed that the Intel-based MacBook Air would be the last Apple would release for at least another year, if not more, given the company’s track record.

People were perplexed when Apple introduced a new MacBook Air. However, the new MacBook Air has been completely redesigned on the inside, rather than just receiving another minor spec hike.

The MacBook Air with M1 should be a serious consideration for people currently looking for a lightweight yet powerful laptop because it is equipped with Apple’s new M1 processor, based on its incredibly powerful A-Series architecture chipsets for the iPhone and iPad.

Display

The MacBook Air with an M1 processor has one upgrade over its predecessor despite having the same 13.3-inch display size and high-resolution 2560 x 1600 screen: P3 broad color support. This is fantastic news for artists who want to use the MacBook Air for graphic creation since it provides a more realistic portrayal of color. However, the advantages also apply to basic jobs like using the laptop to watch movies and TV shows.

With a maximum brightness of 388 nits during our tests, there are undoubtedly brighter laptops on the market, including Apple’s new MacBook Pro, which Apple claims have a maximum brightness of 500 nits. It’s not a dim display, but if you want to work outside or in brilliantly illuminated spaces, you’ll need every bit you can get.

The new MacBook Air has one limitation as compared to the Intel-based model; instead of supporting multiple external displays, as the Intel-based model can, the new model can only support one external monitor (up to 4K 60Hz with HDR enabled).

The same restriction appears to be related to Apple’s chipset rather than a deficiency in graphical power on the M1-based MacBook Pro. If you already have a multi-display system that you connect your MacBook to, it might not matter to everyone, but it might be a deal-breaker for you.

There is a workaround, however, it necessitates downloading DisplayLink software in order to connect two external displays to an M1 MacBook.

Trackpad and keyboard

Older MacBook consumers are still hesitant about Apple’s laptop keyboards as a result of the butterfly mechanism fiasco, thus the company has faced some challenges in this area. For those who are unaware, the Apple laptop series from 2015 to 2019 employed a keyboard mechanism that experienced performance problems when dust and debris got under keys, causing mistress and other issues you wouldn’t anticipate from premium laptops.

The good news is that Apple resolved the problem earlier this year with the Intel-based MacBook Air, which was introduced back in the Spring of 2020. The faulty butterfly mechanism was replaced with the upgraded Magic Keyboard.

It’s an immediately visible upgrade over the earlier butterfly-based keyboard, even on keys that do still function properly, and is present on the newest MacBooks, the iPad Pro’s Magic Keyboard cover, and now the M1-based MacBook Air.

Although the click isn’t quite as pleasing as one on a mechanical keyboard and there is more travel under your finger, it still has a pleasant feel. The MacBook Air is certainly nice enough to use for writing lengthy emails and churning out articles, as I have been doing over the past few weeks.

The only difference from the earlier MacBook Air with an Intel-based keyboard is a few icon tweaks along the top row of keys, which the more keen-eyed may also detect. Apple removed several of the less-used keys, such as the Launchpad and the keyboard brightness controls, and replaced them with features that more accurately represent the way that contemporary Mac users work and play.

Having said that, the redesigned keyboard now provides quick access to an Emoji keyboard, the Spotlight feature (though CMD + Space still works as a substitute), and Do Not Disturb. Although most of this comes down to personal preference—I used to change the brightness of my keyboard frequently on older Macs—I’m confident there is something here for the majority of Mac users.

The MacBook’s huge trackpad, which is located below the keyboard, functions exactly as you’d expect it to, giving you plenty of room to swipe, tap, and click. And yes, it still has the truly amazing haptic feedback integration that deceives you into thinking the absolutely stationary trackpad moves when you click.

Specs and performance

Of course, the most intriguing part of this MacBook Air is what’s inside. If you hadn’t already guessed, Apple has decided to use its own chipset, the M1, in its newest line of laptops instead of Intel’s, and it will eventually extend to the entire Mac lineup. While some people might be wary about switching from Intel to an Apple-designed chipset, it’s important to keep in mind that Apple has been successfully creating its own chipset for the iPhone and iPad for years. More specifically, there are two MacBook Air models to pick from, and there is a tiny performance differential between them. The entry-level model with a 256GB SSD comes with a 7-core GPU, while the more expensive 512GB model comes with an improved 8-core GPU. Both models have the same 8-core CPU, based on the most recent ARM architecture, coupled with 8GB of RAM. It’s important to note that both models allow for storage expansion up to 2TB, albeit at a significant cost. For the sake of honesty, Apple has provided us with the more potent 8-core MacBook Air model with 512GB of storage, which the company claims are 12% faster than the 7-core model. This combined with the 7/8-core GPU gives you some significant power, and my recent use of the new MacBook Air has shown that Apple’s promises of a 3.5x performance increase over the Intel-based MacBook Air are largely accurate. Our benchmarks demonstrate that the MacBook Air outperforms several of the best ultraportable laptops now on the market, as well as the upcoming Intel-based MacBook Pro from early 2020. Check out the benchmarks we’ve provided below to see how the MacBook Air measures up:

Software

With the addition of features like Control Centre and additional functionality within the Messages app, macOS Big Sur, which ships with the MacBook Air out of the box, gives the Mac operating system a much-needed facelift and brings it closer to iOS. It provides synchronization between Apple devices, allowing you to make and receive calls and text messages on your Mac from your iPhone, rapidly switch between audio inputs when using AirPods, and easily share files via AirDrop.

All recent Macs come with these features, but the M1-based MacBook Air is the only one that can run iOS and iPadOS apps natively. Yes, you read that correctly. Thanks to the A-Series’ shared architecture, you can now use your favorite iPhone apps on your Mac.

With the exception of using a mouse to simulate touch input, iOS apps and games that are accessible on the Mac App Store, such as Kitchen Stories and the breakout hit Among Us, function precisely the same as they would on your smartphone. The only significant drawback at the moment is that new iPhone and iPad apps are difficult to find in the Mac App Store, though this may be easily fixed in a future software update.

Specs

Apple MacBook Air (2020) M1: Specs

13.3-inch LED IPS display with True Tone technology, Wide color (P3), and a resolution of 2560 by 1600.
4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores make up the M1 SoC’s 8-core CPU.
7-core GPU
Neural Engine with 16 cores
8GB Memory (configurable to 16GB)
256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB SSD
Touch ID
3.5mm headphone jack, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and USB-C (USB4)
WiFi 6
49.9 watt-hour (Wh) lithium polymer battery, 720p FaceTime HD camera
304.1mm x 212.4mm x 4.1mm-16.1mm

1.29kg

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