Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M1) vs Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)

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MacBook Air 13″ (M1) compared with MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)

	AppleMacBook Air 13″ (M1)	AppleMacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2020	March 2020
Display
Screen size
Screen size	13.3″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	2560 × 1600	2560 × 1600
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	60 Hz
Brightness
Brightness	400 nits	–
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Retina display; LED-backlit with IPS technology	Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; 16:10 aspect ratio
Pixel density
Pixel density	227 ppi	227 ppi
Colour range
Colour range	Wide colour (P3); millions of colours	Millions of colours
Screen finish
Screen finish	Glossy (Notebookcheck)	Glossy (Notebookcheck)
Display features
Display features	True Tone; 60 Hz refresh rate (Notebookcheck)	True Tone; 60 Hz refresh rate (Notebookcheck)
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M1	Intel Core i3-1000NG4, Intel Core i5-1030NG7 or Intel Core i7-1060NG7
CPU cores
CPU cores	8	2 or 4
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4 or 8
Graphics
Graphics	7-core GPU or 8-core GPU	Intel Iris Plus Graphics
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB	8 GB or 16 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 2 TB	256 GB to 2 TB
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	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	7-core or 8-core GPU	Intel Iris Plus Graphics; compatible Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processors supported
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Memory type
Memory type	Unified memory, configurable to 16 GB	8 GB or 16 GB of 3733 MHz LPDDR4X 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.	PCIe-based SSD; 256 GB, configurable to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB
Cooling
Cooling	Fanless	Fan-assisted cooling (Notebookcheck)
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 18 hours	Up to 12 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	49.9 Wh	49.9 Wh
Weight
Weight	1.29 kg	1.29 kg
Thickness
Thickness	16.1 mm	16.1 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	304.1 × 212.4 mm	304.1 × 212.4 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 15 hours wireless web; lithium-polymer battery	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	30 W USB-C Power Adapter	30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C charging
Materials
Materials	100% recycled aluminium enclosure	100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 100% recycled tin in main logic board solder
Colours
Colours	Gold, Silver, Space Grey	Gold, Silver, Space Grey
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6	Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
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 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	One external display at up to 6K 60 Hz alongside the built-in display	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	Backlit Magic Keyboard; 78 (US) or 79 (ISO) keys with 12 function keys and inverted-T arrow keys; ambient light sensor	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	Force Touch trackpad	Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensing and Multi-Touch gestures
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers; wide stereo sound; Dolby Atmos playback	Stereo speakers; wide stereo sound; Dolby Atmos playback
Microphones
Microphones	Three-mic array with directional beamforming	Three-mic array with directional beamforming
Biometrics
Biometrics	Touch ID	Touch ID
In the box
In the box	MacBook Air, 30 W USB-C Power Adapter, USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)	MacBook Air; 30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)