M1 MacBook Air vs. 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between M1 MacBook Air and 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

M1 MacBook Air Pros

Reasons that M1 MacBook Air is better than 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15.

Slightly faster CPU performance

Apple M1 (8C, 8G) inside M1 MacBook Air has a 8% better multi-core CPU performance score than the AMD Ryzen 9-4900H inside 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
M1 MacBook Air - Apple M1 (8C, 7G)
7,414
M1 MacBook Air - Apple M1 (8C, 8G)
7,414
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 - AMD Ryzen 9-4900H
6,806
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 - AMD Ryzen 7-4800H
6,440
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 - AMD Ryzen 5-4600H
4,908
About 45% lighter

M1 MacBook Air weighed 2.8 pounds, 45% lighter than the 5.07 pounds 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15.

WeightM1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
Pound
2.8 lbs.
5.07 lbs.
Kilogram
1.27 kg
2.30 kg

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Pros

Reasons that 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is better than M1 MacBook Air.

Supports larger memory

The 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 supports a larger memory capacity than the M1 MacBook Air. It supports up to 32GB versus 16GB of system memory on the M1 MacBook Air.

Max system memory size
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
32 GB
M1 MacBook Air
16 GB
Upgradable memory

The 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 comes with two SODIMM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed. On the flip side, you can't upgrade RAM on the M1 MacBook Air since it has onboard memory.

MemoryM1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
Slots
Onboard
x2
TypeUnifiedDDR4
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 vs. integrated

Upgradable storage

The 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 comes with two M.2 slots that you can easily upgrade and install an additional SSD to expand the storage on the device. On top of that, it also has a single SATA slot that users can use to install a 2.5-inch SATA SSD, SSHD, or a hard disk drive to add even more storage.

SlotsM1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
M.2
Onboard
Yes x2
17% larger display

The 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 has a 15.6-inch screen size 17% larger than the 13.3-inch M1 MacBook Air.

Display size
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
15.6-inch
M1 MacBook Air
13.3-inch
Has six more ports and slots

The 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 has more ports and slots count than the M1 MacBook Air. It has nine versus three amount of ports and slots on the M1 MacBook Air.

PortsM1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
HDMINoYes
headphone jackYesYes
lock slotNoYes
power portNoYes
RJ-45NoYes
Thunderbolt 3Yes x2No
USB-ANoYes x3
USB-CNoYes
Total39
More versatile connectivity

The 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 has better versatile I/O connectivity than the M1 MacBook Air. It has six versus two commonly used ports and slots on the M1 MacBook Air.

PortsM1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
headphone jackYesYes
HDMINoYes
power portNoYes
RJ-45NoYes
Thunderbolt 3YesNo
USB-ANoYes
USB-CNoYes

Prices

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

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
$644.94
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
$609.99
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
$729.95
$815.69 11% OFF
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Price
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2024) Gaming Laptop, 15.6” FHD 144Hz Display, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2050, AMD Ryzen™ 5 7535HS, 8GB DDR5, 512GB PCIe® Gen4 NVMe™ SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 11, FA506NF-ES51
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2024) Gaming Laptop, 15.6” FHD 144Hz Display, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2050, AMD Ryzen™ 5 7535HS, 8GB DDR5, 512GB PCIe® Gen4 NVMe™ SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 11, FA506NF-ES51
By ASUS
$699.99
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Gaming Laptop, 15.6” 144Hz FHD IPS-Type, AMD Ryzen 5 4600H, GeForce GTX 1650, 8GB DDR4, 512GB PCIe SSD, Gigabit Wi-Fi 5, Windows 10 Home, FA506IH-AS53
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Gaming Laptop, 15.6” 144Hz FHD IPS-Type, AMD Ryzen 5 4600H, GeForce GTX 1650, 8GB DDR4, 512GB PCIe SSD, Gigabit Wi-Fi 5, Windows 10 Home, FA506IH-AS53
By ASUS
$795.00
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2023) Gaming Laptop, 15.6” FHD 144Hz, 100% sRGB Display, GeForce RTX 4050, AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, 16GB DDR5, 1TB PCIe SSD, Wi-Fi 6E, Windows 11, FA507NU-DS74,Mecha Gray
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2023) Gaming Laptop, 15.6” FHD 144Hz, 100% sRGB Display, GeForce RTX 4050, AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, 16GB DDR5, 1TB PCIe SSD, Wi-Fi 6E, Windows 11, FA507NU-DS74,Mecha Gray
By ASUS
$1,060.00
$1,199.99 12% OFF

Availability

M1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
Released20202020
Release DateAnnounced on November 10th, 2020-
Pricing
  • $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

M1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
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)
14.16” x 10.07” x 0.89 ~ 0.98” (359.8 x 256 x 22.8 ~ 24.9 mm)
WeightStarting at 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)2.3 kg
Colors
Gold Space Gray Silver
  • Fortress Gray
  • Bonfire Black
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
  • Chiclet keyboard with isolated Numpad key
  • RGB backlight with ASUS AURA RGB with four modes:
    • Static
    • Breathing
    • Color Cycle
    • Strobing
  • Overstroke technology can withstand over 20 million pressed.

Display

M1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
Size13.3 Inches15.6 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
  • 400 nits brightness
  • Supports wide color (P3)
  • True Tone technology
  • 15.6" (16:9) LED-backlit FHD (1920x1080) 144Hz Anti-Glare IPS-level Panel with 45% NTSC
  • 15.6" (16:9) LED-backlit FHD (1920x1080) 60Hz Anti-Glare IPS-level Panel with 45% NTSC
  • 15.6" (16:9) LED-backlit FHD (1920x1080) 144Hz Anti-Glare IPS-level Panel with 72% NTSC
  • With Adaptive-Sync

Ports

M1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
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
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Ports
Image Source: ASUS
Left (7)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort 1.4
  • 2 x USB-A
    USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.0b
  • 1 x RJ-45
    1 Gbps
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
  • 1 x power port
Right (2)
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 2.0 (480 Mbps)
  • 1 x lock slot

Internal Specs

M1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
Processor
  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
  1. AMD Ryzen™ 5 4600H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 3.00 → 4.00 GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 8MB L3 Cache, 45W
  2. AMD Ryzen™ 7 4800H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.90 → 4.20 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 8MB L3 Cache, 45W
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 9 4900H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 3.30 → 4.40 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 8MB L3 Cache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  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
  1. AMD Ryzen™ 5 4600H
    AMD Radeon™ Graphics
    6 Graphics Cores, 1500 MHz
  2. AMD Ryzen™ 7 4800H
    AMD Radeon™ Graphics
    7 Graphics Cores, 1600 MHz
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 9 4900H
    AMD Radeon™ Graphics
    8 Graphics Cores, 1750 MHz
Memory
  • 8GB
    unified memory
  • Configurable to 16GB
Up to 32GB Dual Channel DDR4 3200MHz SDRAM
2 x SO-DIMM socket for expansion.
Discrete Graphics-
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060, with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660TI, with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650Ti, with 4GB GDDR6 VRAM
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650, with 4GB GDDR6 VRAM
Storage
  • 256GB 512GB
    SSD
  • Configurable to 1TB or 2TB
Storage Slots
  • 1 x SATA HDD slot
    Not available on 90Wh battery models.
  • 2 x M.2 NVMe slots
    Only one NVME slot on GTX1650 and 1650Ti models.
 

Connectivity

M1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
Integrated Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 ac (2x2))
BluetoothBluetooth 5.0 wireless technologyBluetooth 5.0
Ethernet-Gigabit LAN
Speed: 10/100/1000 Mbps.

Battery

M1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
Size49.9 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
  • 90 Wh lithium-polymer battery Battery
  • 48 Wh lithium-polymer battery Battery
Battery Life
  • Up to 15 hours wireless web
  • Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback
  • Up to 12.3 hours of video playback
    Tested on 90Wh battery models.
  • Up to 8.7 hours of web browsing
    Tested on 90Wh battery models.
Power Supply30W USB‑C Power Adapter
  • 150W power adaptor
    Plug type :ø6.0 (mm) 20V/7.5A.
  • 180W power adaptor
    Plug type :ø6.0 (mm) 20V/9A.
  • 230W power adaptor
    Plug type :ø6.0 (mm) 19.5V/11.8A.

Software

M1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
OSShipped with macOS Big Sur
  • Windows 10 Home
  • Windows 10 Pro
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
Armoury Crate

Camera & Audio

M1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
Camera720p FaceTime HD cameraFront-facing camera
Top-mount front camera, 0.92 Megapixels (1280 x 720 HD).
Audio
  • Stereo speakers
  • Wide stereo sound
  • Support for Dolby Atmos playback
  • Three-mic array with directional beamforming
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • Two speakers with four cut-outs
  • DTS:X™ Ultra technology
    Delivers high-fidelity 7.1-channel virtual surround sound for theater-quality audio with stereo headsets.

Misc

M1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
Sensors
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
-
Security
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Apple T2 Security Chip
  • Kensington lock
  • FTPM (Firmware-based Trusted Platform Module)
In the box
  • 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.-
MoreVideo 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

M1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
At Glance
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
Released in
2020
16:9
15.6”
1080p 144Hz
Weight
5.07 lb
2.30 kg
Up to
AMD Ryzen 9-4900H
8C/16T, 3.30 → 4.40 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,137
Single Core
Geekbench 5
6,806
Multi-Core
With integrated
AMD Radeon™ Graphics
8 Graphics Cores, 1750 MHz
Upgradable up to
32GB
3200 MHz DDR4
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 2060
6GB GDDR6

Comparison Summary

M1 MacBook Air vs. 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15

Apple has released the M1 MacBook Air, a 13.3-inch machine, in late-2020. It is powered by up to an octa-core Apple M1 (8C, 8G). The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Apple M1 iGPU (8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 15.6-inch TUF Gaming A15 was introduced by ASUS around the same year in 2020. It comes with up to an octa-core AMD Ryzen 9-4900H with a boost clock speed up to 4.40 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 with 6GB GDDR6.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

M1 MacBook Air1
Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores)1,705100.00%
2
Apple M11,705100.00%
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A151
AMD Ryzen™ 5 4600H98757.89%
2
AMD Ryzen™ 7 4800H1,07863.23%
3
AMD Ryzen™ 9 4900H1,13766.69%
01,705

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

M1 MacBook Air1
Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores)7,414100.00%
2
Apple M17,414100.00%
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A151
AMD Ryzen™ 5 4600H4,90866.20%
2
AMD Ryzen™ 7 4800H6,44086.86%
3
AMD Ryzen™ 9 4900H6,80691.80%
07,414

The M1 MacBook Air has a 13.3-inch display which is considerably smaller than the 15.6-inch 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15. In addition, The M1 MacBook Air weighs 2.8 lbs. about 81% lighter than the 5.07 lbs. 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15. Moreover, measured at 11.97” x 8.36” x 0.63”, the M1 MacBook Air is much more portable than the 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 at 14.16” x 10.07” x 0.89”.

M1 MacBook Air2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15

There are only a Thunderbolt 3 port, a headphone jack available on M1 MacBook Air. With that said, it has six ports and slots fewer than the 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 that has a USB-C port, three USB-A ports, an HDMI port, an RJ-45 port, a headphone jack, a power port, and a lock slot.

Moving over to upgradability, Apple claims that the M1 MacBook Air supports up to 16GB Unified memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. It also has soldered storage, and there are no M.2 slots for expansion.

For 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15, it supports up to 32GB 3200 MHz DDR4 memory that you can upgrade with two memory module slots on the motherboard. It also has two M.2 slots that users can easily swap or add an extra SSD to get extra space when needed. Besides that, it also comes with a SATA slot where you can install an additional 2.5-inch SATA-based SSD, SSHD, or a hard disk drive.

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