Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M1) vs Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012)

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MacBook Air 13″ (M1) compared with MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012)

	AppleMacBook Air 13″ (M1)	AppleMacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2020	June 2012
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 Notebookcheck'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 Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.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 i5-3427U or Intel Core i7-3667U
CPU cores
CPU cores	8	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4
Graphics
Graphics	7-core GPU or 8-core GPU	Intel HD Graphics 4000
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB (better)	4 GB or 8 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 2 TB (better)	128 GB to 512 GB
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	Dual-core Intel Core i5-3427U at 1.8 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz and 3 MB shared L3 cache; the 256 GB base is configurable to Core i7-3667U at 2.0 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.2 GHz and 4 MB cache. Exact i5 identity confirmed by Notebookcheck; Macworld documents the higher-base-only i7 upgrade, whose exact identity is confirmed by MacGeneration's review of the 13-inch i7 configuration.
GPU
GPU	7-core or 8-core GPU	Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated graphics
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Memory type
Memory type	Unified memory, configurable to 16 GB	4 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory, configurable to 8 GB
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 base with Core i5; 256 GB base configurable to 512 GB flash storage and either processor. Memory upgrade applies to either base. Configurations preserve the base-specific upgrade restrictions documented by Macworld.
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 2 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 2, 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	720p FaceTime HD
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 3 ports up to 5 Gb/s, Thunderbolt up to 10 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort output, MagSafe 2 and headphone jack supporting the Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone, and SD card slot. DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI and HDMI 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, HDMI audio and video through a compatible adapter
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 with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	Force Touch trackpad	Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag
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 at launch, with a free upgrade to Mountain Lion when available; iLife and documentation