Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) vs Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M1)

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MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) compared with MacBook Air 13″ (M1)

	AppleMacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)	AppleMacBook Air 13″ (M1)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2017	November 2020
Display
Screen size
Screen size	12″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	2304 × 1440	2560 × 1600 (better)
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	–	60 Hz
Brightness
Brightness	–	400 nits
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; 16:10 aspect ratio; millions of colours	Retina display; LED-backlit with IPS technology
Pixel density
Pixel density	226 ppi	227 ppi
Colour range
Colour range	–	Wide colour (P3); millions of colours
Screen finish
Screen finish	–	Glossy (Notebookcheck)
Display features
Display features	Supported scaled resolutions of 1440 × 900, 1280 × 800 or 1024 × 640	True Tone; 60 Hz refresh rate (Notebookcheck)
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core m3-7Y32, Intel Core i5-7Y54 or Intel Core i7-7Y75	Apple M1
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	8
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 615	7-core GPU or 8-core GPU
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB	8 GB or 16 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 512 GB	128 GB to 2 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	Dual-core seventh-generation Intel Core m3 at Apple's specified 1.2 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.0 GHz, Core i5 at 1.3 GHz with up to 3.2 GHz, or Core i7 at 1.4 GHz with up to 3.6 GHz; all with 4 MB shared L3 cache. Exact m3-7Y32, i5-7Y54 and i7-7Y75 identifiers confirmed by TechRadar. Apple's configured clocks differ from Intel's nominal base frequencies of 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 GHz respectively.	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
GPU
GPU	Intel HD Graphics 615	7-core or 8-core GPU
AI engine
AI engine	–	16-core Neural Engine
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 1866 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory; configurable to 16 GB	Unified memory, configurable to 16 GB
Storage type
Storage type	PCIe-based onboard SSD; 256 GB with the 1.2 GHz Core m3 base or 512 GB with the 1.3 GHz Core i5 base. The 256 GB base can be configured with Core i5 or i7; the 512 GB base can be configured with Core i7.	SSD; consumer models started at 256 GB, configurable to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB. Apple's US education price list also lists an 8 GB / 128 GB model with a 7-core GPU.
Cooling
Cooling	Fanless design (TechRadar)	Fanless
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 12 hours	Up to 18 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	41.4 Wh	49.9 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	0.92 kg (better)	1.29 kg
Thickness
Thickness	13.1 mm (better)	16.1 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	280.5 × 196.5 mm	304.1 × 212.4 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Lithium-polymer battery; up to 10 hours wireless web, 12 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby. Apple's tests used the 1.3 GHz Core i5, 8 GB memory and 512 GB storage. Chassis tapers from 3.5 to 13.1 mm; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.	Up to 15 hours wireless web; lithium-polymer battery
Charger
Charger	30 W USB-C Power Adapter, as listed in Apple's current technical specifications	30 W USB-C Power Adapter
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure	100% recycled aluminium enclosure
Colours
Colours	Silver, Gold, Space Grey, Rose Gold	Gold, Silver, Space Grey
Connections
Ports
Ports	USB-C, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5	Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.2	5.0
Webcam
Webcam	480p FaceTime	720p FaceTime HD
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	One USB-C port supporting charging, USB 3.1 Gen 1 up to 5 Gb/s and native DisplayPort 1.2; VGA and HDMI through separate USB-C multiport adaptors. 3.5 mm headphone jack.	Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 up to 40 Gb/s, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; 3.5 mm headphone jack
External displays
External displays	One external display up to 4096 × 2304 at 60 Hz alongside the built-in screen, at millions of colours	One external display at up to 6K 60 Hz alongside the built-in display
Keyboard
Keyboard	Second-generation butterfly switches (TechRadar); full-size keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, individual LED backlighting, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and ambient light sensor	Backlit Magic Keyboard; 78 (US) or 79 (ISO) keys with 12 function keys and inverted-T arrow keys; ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensing, Force clicks and Multi-Touch gestures	Force Touch trackpad
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers; wide stereo sound; Dolby Atmos playback
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Three-mic array with directional beamforming
Biometrics
Biometrics	–	Touch ID
In the box
In the box	MacBook; 30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C Charge Cable (2 m), as listed in Apple's current technical specifications	MacBook Air, 30 W USB-C Power Adapter, USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)