Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M1) vs Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

MacBook Air 13″ (M1) compared with MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011)

	AppleMacBook Air 13″ (M1)	AppleMacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2020	July 2011
Display
Screen size
Screen size	13.3″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	2560 × 1600 (better)	1440 × 900
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	TN LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	–
Brightness
Brightness	400 nits	–
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Retina display; LED-backlit with IPS technology	Glossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD, millions of colours; TN panel confirmed by AppleInsider's exact-model review. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.
Pixel density
Pixel density	227 ppi	–
Colour range
Colour range	Wide colour (P3); millions of colours	–
Screen finish
Screen finish	Glossy (Notebookcheck)	–
Display features
Display features	True Tone; 60 Hz refresh rate (Notebookcheck)	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M1	Intel Core i5-2557M or Intel Core i7-2677M
CPU cores
CPU cores	8	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4
Graphics
Graphics	7-core GPU or 8-core GPU	Intel HD Graphics 3000
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB (better)	4 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 2 TB (better)	128 GB to 256 GB
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	Dual-core Intel Core i5-2557M at 1.7 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 2.7 GHz with 3 MB shared L3 cache; the higher storage base is configurable to Core i7-2677M at 1.8 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz and 4 MB cache. Exact identities confirmed by Notebookcheck; Macworld documents the base-specific upgrades.
GPU
GPU	7-core or 8-core GPU	Intel HD Graphics 3000; 384 MB shared with main memory
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Memory type
Memory type	Unified memory, configurable to 16 GB	4 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 onboard memory
Storage type
Storage type	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.	128 GB flash storage with Core i5; 256 GB base supports Core i5 or Core i7. Configurations preserve the base-specific upgrade restrictions; memory cannot be upgraded after purchase.
Cooling
Cooling	Fanless	–
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 18 hours	Up to 7 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	49.9 Wh	50 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	1.29 kg (better)	1.35 kg
Thickness
Thickness	16.1 mm (better)	17 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	304.1 × 212.4 mm	325 × 227 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 15 hours wireless web; lithium-polymer battery	Built-in 50 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 7 hours wireless web or 30 days standby under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
Charger	30 W USB-C Power Adapter	45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management
Materials
Materials	100% recycled aluminium enclosure	Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 3 to 17 mm
Colours
Colours	Gold, Silver, Space Grey	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack	2 × USB-A, Thunderbolt, MagSafe, headphone jack, SD card slot
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6	802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	4.0
Webcam
Webcam	720p FaceTime HD	FaceTime camera
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	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	Two USB 2.0 ports up to 480 Mb/s, Thunderbolt up to 10 Gb/s with native 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.
External displays
External displays	One external display at up to 6K 60 Hz alongside the built-in display	Built-in screen plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring
Keyboard
Keyboard	Backlit Magic Keyboard; 78 (US) or 79 (ISO) keys with 12 function keys and inverted-T arrow keys; ambient light sensor	Full-size backlit keyboard
Trackpad
Trackpad	Force Touch trackpad	Multi-Touch trackpad
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers; wide stereo sound; Dolby Atmos playback	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Three-mic array with directional beamforming	Omnidirectional microphone
Biometrics
Biometrics	Touch ID	–
In the box
In the box	MacBook Air, 30 W USB-C Power Adapter, USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)	MacBook Air, power adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; OS X Lion, iLife and documentation; Lion Recovery