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

Apple · MacBook Air

MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)

Released March 2020

The last Intel MacBook Air added a scissor-switch Magic Keyboard and tenth-generation Core processors, with dual-core and quad-core options.

Model history · 13 models, 2008–2020
  1. 2008MacBook Air (Original)Compare
  2. 2008MacBook Air (Late 2008)Compare
  3. 2009MacBook Air (Mid 2009)Compare
  4. 2010MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010)Compare
  5. 2011MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011)Compare
  6. 2012MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012)Compare
  7. 2013MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013)Compare
  8. 2014MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014)Compare
  9. 2015MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)Compare
  10. 2017MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)Compare
  11. 2018MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)Compare
  12. 2019MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)Compare
  13. 2020MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
Size
13.3″
Display
IPS LCD, 60 Hz
Processor
Intel Core i3, i5 or i7
Memory
8 GB – 16 GB
Weight
1.29 kg
Battery
12 h

What reviewers say

Reviewers welcome the improved keyboard, trackpad and sturdy portable design. Both find it suitable for everyday tasks, with sustained heavy work constrained by cooling and processor performance. Notebookcheck finds the Core i3 quieter than the quad-core version. Limited ports and the webcam are recurring criticisms.

From arstechnica.com and notebookcheck.net

Display

Screen size
13.3″
Resolution
2560 × 1600
Panel
IPS LCD
Refresh rate
60 Hz
Touchscreen
No
Display type
Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; 16:10 aspect ratio
Pixel density
227 ppi
Colour range
Millions of colours
Screen finish
Glossy (Notebookcheck)
Display features
True Tone; 60 Hz refresh rate (Notebookcheck)

Performance

Processor
Intel Core i3-1000NG4, Intel Core i5-1030NG7 or Intel Core i7-1060NG7
CPU cores
2 or 4
CPU threads
4 or 8
Graphics
Intel Iris Plus Graphics
Memory
8 GB or 16 GB
Storage
256 GB to 2 TB
CPU
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
Intel Iris Plus Graphics; compatible Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processors supported
Memory type
8 GB or 16 GB of 3733 MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory
Storage type
PCIe-based SSD; 256 GB, configurable to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB
Cooling
Fan-assisted cooling (Notebookcheck)

Battery and size

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 12 hours
Battery capacity
49.9 Wh
Weight
1.29 kg
Thickness
16.1 mm
Width × depth
304.1 × 212.4 mm
Battery life detail
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
30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C charging
Materials
100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 100% recycled tin in main logic board solder
Colours
Gold, Silver, Space Grey

Connections

Ports
2 × Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth
5.0
Webcam
720p FaceTime HD
Operating system
macOS
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
External displays
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
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
Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensing and Multi-Touch gestures
Speakers
Stereo speakers; wide stereo sound; Dolby Atmos playback
Microphones
Three-mic array with directional beamforming
Biometrics
Touch ID
In the box
MacBook Air; 30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorage
Intel Core i3-1000NG48 GB256 GB
Intel Core i3-1000NG416 GB256 GB
Intel Core i3-1000NG48 GB512 GB
Intel Core i3-1000NG416 GB512 GB
Intel Core i3-1000NG48 GB1 TB
Intel Core i3-1000NG416 GB1 TB
Intel Core i3-1000NG48 GB2 TB
Intel Core i3-1000NG416 GB2 TB
Intel Core i5-1030NG78 GB256 GB
Intel Core i5-1030NG716 GB256 GB
Intel Core i5-1030NG78 GB512 GB
Intel Core i5-1030NG716 GB512 GB
Intel Core i5-1030NG78 GB1 TB
Intel Core i5-1030NG716 GB1 TB
Intel Core i5-1030NG78 GB2 TB
Intel Core i5-1030NG716 GB2 TB
Intel Core i7-1060NG78 GB256 GB
Intel Core i7-1060NG716 GB256 GB
Intel Core i7-1060NG78 GB512 GB
Intel Core i7-1060NG716 GB512 GB
Intel Core i7-1060NG78 GB1 TB
Intel Core i7-1060NG716 GB1 TB
Intel Core i7-1060NG78 GB2 TB
Intel Core i7-1060NG716 GB2 TB

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Backlit Magic Keyboard and Touch ID
  • Supports two external 4K displays at 60 Hz
  • Thunderbolt 3 supports compatible external graphics processors

Cons

  • Two USB-C ports, with no HDMI or SD card slot
  • Memory is limited to 16 GB
  • 720p webcam and Wi-Fi 5

Closest rivals

Model
SizeDisplayProcessorMemoryWeightBatteryReleased
13.3″IPS LCD, 60 HzApple M18 GB – 16 GB1.29 kg18 hNov 2020
13.3″TN LCDIntel Core 22 GB – 4 GB1.32 kg7 hOct 2010
13.3″IPS LCDIntel Core i58 GB – 16 GB1.25 kg13 hNov 2018

Previous model: MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019). Newer model: MacBook Air 13″ (M1).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/111991
  2. apple.com/uk/newsroom/2020/03/new-macbook-air-has-more-to-love-and-is-now-just-…
  3. notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Air-2020-Review-Is-the-Core-i3-the-better-choic…
  4. notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Air-2020-Series.461284.0.html

Photo: apple.com

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