Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010) vs Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)

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MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010) compared with MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)

	AppleMacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010)	AppleMacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2010	March 2020
Display
Screen size
Screen size	13.3″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900	2560 × 1600 (better)
Panel
Panel	TN LCD	IPS LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	–	60 Hz
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Glossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD, millions of colours; TN panel confirmed by Notebookcheck's exact-model review. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.	Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; 16:10 aspect ratio
Pixel density
Pixel density	–	227 ppi
Colour range
Colour range	–	Millions of colours
Screen finish
Screen finish	–	Glossy (Notebookcheck)
Display features
Display features	–	True Tone; 60 Hz refresh rate (Notebookcheck)
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 or Intel Core 2 Duo SL9600	Intel Core i3-1000NG4, Intel Core i5-1030NG7 or Intel Core i7-1060NG7
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2 or 4
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4 or 8
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 320M	Intel Iris Plus Graphics
Memory
Memory	2 GB or 4 GB	8 GB or 16 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 256 GB	256 GB to 2 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	Dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 at 1.86 GHz or optional SL9600 at 2.13 GHz, with 6 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz frontside bus. Exact identities confirmed by Notebookcheck and EveryMac; the faster processor is offered only on the higher storage base, as documented by Macworld.	Tenth-generation Intel Core i3, i5 or i7; dual-core i3 at 1.1 GHz, up to 3.2 GHz, with 4 MB L3 cache; quad-core i5 at 1.1 GHz, up to 3.5 GHz, with 6 MB cache; quad-core i7 at 1.2 GHz, up to 3.8 GHz, with 8 MB cache. Exact processor identifiers are confirmed by Notebookcheck's model inventory. Apple T2 Security Chip.
GPU
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce 320M with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory	Intel Iris Plus Graphics; compatible Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processors supported
Memory type
Memory type	2 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 onboard memory, configurable to 4 GB	8 GB or 16 GB of 3733 MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory
Storage type
Storage type	128 GB flash storage with SL9400; 256 GB base supports SL9400 or SL9600. Configurations preserve the base-specific upgrade restrictions; memory cannot be upgraded after purchase.	PCIe-based SSD; 256 GB, configurable to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB
Cooling
Cooling	–	Fan-assisted cooling (Notebookcheck)
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 7 hours	Up to 12 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	50 Wh (better)	49.9 Wh
Weight
Weight	1.32 kg	1.29 kg (better)
Thickness
Thickness	17 mm	16.1 mm (better)
Width × depth
Width × depth	325 × 227 mm	304.1 × 212.4 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Built-in 50 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 7 hours wireless productivity or 30 days standby under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.	Up to 11 hours wireless web, 12 hours Apple TV app movie playback or 30 days standby; lithium-polymer. Apple's tests used the Core i3 with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. Chassis height tapers from 4.1 to 16.1 mm; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
Charger	45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management	30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C charging
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 3 to 17 mm	100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 100% recycled tin in main logic board solder
Colours
Colours	Silver	Gold, Silver, Space Grey
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack, SD card slot	2 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g	Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR	5.0
Webcam
Webcam	FaceTime camera	720p FaceTime HD
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	Two USB 2.0 ports up to 480 Mb/s, Mini DisplayPort output, MagSafe, SD card slot and headphone jack supporting the Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI require separate adapters.	Two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports with charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 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	Built-in screen plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring	One 6K display at 6016 × 3384 and 60 Hz, one 5K display at 5120 × 2880 and 60 Hz, or up to two 4K displays at 4096 × 2304 and 60 Hz alongside the built-in display; VGA, HDMI and Thunderbolt 2 through separate adaptors
Keyboard
Keyboard	Full-size keyboard without backlighting	Backlit scissor-switch Magic Keyboard; 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and inverted-T arrows; 1 mm key travel; ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	Multi-Touch trackpad	Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensing and Multi-Touch gestures
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers; wide stereo sound; Dolby Atmos playback
Microphones
Microphones	Omnidirectional microphone	Three-mic array with directional beamforming
Biometrics
Biometrics	–	Touch ID
In the box
In the box	MacBook Air, power adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; Mac OS X Snow Leopard, iLife ’11, Software Reinstall Drive and documentation	MacBook Air; 30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)