Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) vs Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)

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MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) compared with MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)

	AppleMacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)	AppleMacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2018	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
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; 16:10 aspect ratio	Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; 16:10 aspect ratio
Pixel density
Pixel density	227 ppi	227 ppi
Colour range
Colour range	Millions of colours; sRGB rather than P3 (Macworld)	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 i5-8210Y	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	4 or 8
Graphics
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 617	Intel Iris Plus Graphics
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB	8 GB or 16 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 1.536 TB	256 GB to 2 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	Eighth-generation dual-core Intel Core i5 at 1.6 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz, with 4 MB L3 cache; exact i5-8210Y identifier confirmed by Macworld and TechRadar. Apple T2 Security Chip with secure boot and storage encryption.	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	Intel UHD Graphics 617; compatible Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processors supported	Intel Iris Plus Graphics; compatible Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processors supported
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB or 16 GB of 2133 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory	8 GB or 16 GB of 3733 MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory
Storage type
Storage type	PCIe-based SSD; 128 GB or 256 GB standard, configurable to 512 GB or 1.5 TB	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 13 hours	Up to 12 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	50.3 Wh (better)	49.9 Wh
Weight
Weight	1.25 kg (better)	1.29 kg
Thickness
Thickness	15.6 mm (better)	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 12 hours wireless web, 13 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby; lithium-polymer. Apple's tests used 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. Chassis height tapers from 4.1 to 15.6 mm; 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	30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C charging	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 5	Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.2	5.0
Webcam
Webcam	720p FaceTime HD	720p FaceTime HD
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	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	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 display at 5120 × 2880 and up to 60 Hz, or two at 4096 × 2304 and up to 60 Hz alongside the built-in display; VGA, HDMI and Thunderbolt 2 through separate adaptors	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	Third-generation butterfly mechanism (Macworld); 78 US or 79 ISO individually LED-backlit keys, 12 function keys and four 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 with pressure sensing and Multi-Touch gestures	Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensing and Multi-Touch gestures
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers; wide stereo playback	Stereo speakers; wide stereo sound; Dolby Atmos playback
Microphones
Microphones	Three microphones	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)