Intel MacBook Air vs. M1 MacBook Air: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the Intel MacBook Air and M1 MacBook Air models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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Intel MacBook Air image

Intel MacBook Air

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M1 MacBook Air

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Intel MacBook Air Pros

We couldn't find any advantages of Intel MacBook Air over M1 MacBook Air.

M1 MacBook Air Pros

Reasons that M1 MacBook Air is better than Intel MacBook Air.

Much faster CPU performance

Apple M1 (8C, 8G) inside M1 MacBook Air has a 145% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-1060NG7 inside Intel MacBook Air.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
M1 MacBook Air - Apple M1 (8C, 7G)
7,414
M1 MacBook Air - Apple M1 (8C, 8G)
7,414
Intel MacBook Air - Intel Core i7-1060NG7
3,018
Intel MacBook Air - Intel Core i5-1030NG7
2,818
Intel MacBook Air - Intel Core i3-1000NG4
1,942

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Intel MacBook Air and M1 MacBook Air.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 16GB

Both laptops supports up to 16GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Intel MacBook Air
16 GB
M1 MacBook Air
16 GB

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

Intel MacBook Air Price
Apple MacBook Air (13-inch Retina display, 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, 128GB) - Space Gray (Renewed)
 Apple MacBook Air (13-inch Retina display, 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, 128GB) - Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$378.98
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2017 Apple Macbook Air with 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Silver (Renewed)
 2017 Apple Macbook Air with 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$234.99
$249.00 6% OFF
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Early 2020 Apple MacBook Air with 1.1GHz Intel Core i3 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Gold (Renewed)
 Early 2020 Apple MacBook Air with 1.1GHz Intel Core i3 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Gold (Renewed)
By Apple
$459.95
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M1 MacBook Air Price
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
 Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$638.00
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Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
 Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$799.99
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Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
 Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$610.00
See at Amazon

Specs Comparison

Availability

Intel MacBook AirM1 MacBook Air
Released20202020
Release Date
  • Announced on March 18th, 2020
  • Available on March 18th, 2020
Announced on November 10th, 2020
Pricing
  • $999 - Intel Core i3 | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $1,299 - Intel Core i5 | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD
  • $999
    Apple M1 Chip (7 cores GPU) | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $1,249
    Apple M1 Chip (8 cores GPU) | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD
Generations

Exterior

Intel MacBook AirM1 MacBook Air
Dimensions
  • Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm)
  • Depth: 8.36 inches (21.24 cm)
  • Height: 0.16–0.63 inch (0.41–1.61 cm)
  • Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm)
  • Depth: 8.36 inches (21.24 cm)
  • Height: 0.16–0.63 inch (0.41–1.61 cm)
WeightStarting at 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)Starting at 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)
Colors
Gold Space Gray Silver
Gold Space Gray Silver
Keyboard and TrackpadBacklit Magic Keyboard with:
  • 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures
Backlit Magic Keyboard with:
  • 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures

Display

Intel MacBook AirM1 MacBook Air
Size13.3 Inches13.3 Inches
InfoRetina display
  • 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
  • Supported scaled resolutions:
    • 1680 by 1050
    • 1440 by 900
    • 1024 by 640
  • 16:10 aspect ratio
  • True Tone technology
Retina display
  • 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
  • Supported scaled resolutions:
    • 1680 by 1050
    • 1440 by 900
    • 1024 by 640
  • 16:10 aspect ratio
  • 400 nits brightness
  • Supports wide color (P3)
  • True Tone technology

Ports

Intel MacBook AirM1 MacBook Air
Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB‑C) ports with support for:
  • Charging
  • DisplayPort
  • Thunderbolt (up to 40Gb/s)
  • USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)
M1 MacBook Air Ports
Image Source: Apple
Left (2)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), Charging, DisplayPort
Right (1)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone

Internal Specs

Intel MacBook AirM1 MacBook Air
Processor
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1000NG4
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.10 → 3.20 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 9W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1030NG7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.10 → 3.50 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 10W
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1060NG7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.20 → 3.80 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 10W
  1. Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores)
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W
  2. Apple M1
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1000NG4
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1030NG7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1060NG7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  1. Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores)
    Apple M1 iGPU
    7 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
  2. Apple M1
    Apple M1 iGPU
    8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
Memory
8GB
Configurable to 16GB 3733MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory
  • 8GB
    unified memory
  • Configurable to 16GB
Storage
256GB 512GB
Configurable to 1TB and 2TB SSD
  • 256GB 512GB
    SSD
  • Configurable to 1TB or 2TB

Connectivity

Intel MacBook AirM1 MacBook Air
Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
  • 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
BluetoothBluetooth 5.0 wireless technologyBluetooth 5.0 wireless technology

Battery

Intel MacBook AirM1 MacBook Air
Size49.9 Wh lithium‑polymer battery49.9 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life
  • Up to 11 hours wireless web
  • Up to 12 hours Apple TV app movie playback
  • Up to 30 days of standby time
  • Up to 15 hours wireless web
  • Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback
Power Supply30W USB‑C Power Adapter30W USB‑C Power Adapter

Software

Intel MacBook AirM1 MacBook Air
OSShipped with macOS CatalinaShipped with macOS Big Sur
Built-in Apps
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview Music Podcasts TV Books App Store Time Machine Find My QuickTime Player
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview Music Podcasts TV Books App Store Time Machine Find My QuickTime Player

Camera & Audio

Intel MacBook AirM1 MacBook Air
Camera720p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio
  • Stereo speakers
  • Wide stereo sound
  • Support for Dolby Atmos playback
  • Three-mic array with directional beamforming
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • Stereo speakers
  • Wide stereo sound
  • Support for Dolby Atmos playback
  • Three-mic array with directional beamforming
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack

Misc

Intel MacBook AirM1 MacBook Air
Sensors
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
Security
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Apple T2 Security Chip
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box
  • MacBook Air
  • 30W USB‑C Power Adapter
  • USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
  • MacBook Air
  • 30W USB‑C Power Adapter
  • USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
WarrantyYour MacBook Air comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.Your MacBook Air comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.
MoreVideo Support
  • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:
    • One external 6K display with 6016-by-3384 resolution at 60Hz at millions of colors, or
    • One external 5K display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz at millions of colors, or
    • Up to two external 4K displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at millions of colors
  • Thunderbolt 3 digital video output
    • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
    • VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)
Video Support
  • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:
    • One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz
  • Thunderbolt 3 digital video output
    • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
    • VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)

Key Features

Intel MacBook AirM1 MacBook Air
At Glance
Released in Early
2020
16:10 QHD+
13.3”
1600p 60Hz
Weight
2.8 lb
1.27 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1060NG7
4C/8T, 1.20 → 3.80 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,119
Single Core
Geekbench 5
3,018
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4X
Released in Late
2020
16:10 QHD
13.3”
1600p 60Hz
Weight
2.8 lb
1.27 kg
Up to
Apple M1 (8C, 8G)
8C/8T, 3.20 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,705
Single Core
Geekbench 5
7,414
Multi-Core
With integrated
Apple M1 iGPU
8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
Unified Memory
M1 MacBook Air Ports
Starting at
$999
M1 (7 GPU Cores), 8GB, 256GB SSD
Up to
18 Hours
Battery Life
Built-in
Touch ID
With T2 Chip
Dual
USB-C
USB4 & Thunderbolt 3
Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.0

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