M1 MacBook Air vs. MacBook Air 11” 2015: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively compared the specifications for the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Air 11” 2015 models. The report includes detailed information regarding both models' CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Compare With
Please enter device name or part of it
M1 MacBook Air image

M1 MacBook Air

See at Amazon
Compare With
Please enter device name or part of it
MacBook Air 11” 2015 image

MacBook Air 11” 2015

See at Amazon

M1 MacBook Air Pros

Reasons that M1 MacBook Air is better than MacBook Air 11” 2015.

Much newer manufacturing

2020 vs. 2015

Much faster CPU performance

Apple M1 (8C, 8G) inside M1 MacBook Air has a 382% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-5650U inside MacBook Air 11” 2015.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
M1 MacBook Air - Apple M1 (8C, 7G)
7,414
M1 MacBook Air - Apple M1 (8C, 8G)
7,414
MacBook Air 11” 2015 - Intel Core i7-5650U
1,538
MacBook Air 11” 2015 - Intel Core i5-5250U
1,266
Supports larger memory

M1 MacBook Air supports a larger memory capacity than the MacBook Air 11” 2015. It supports up to 16GB versus 8GB of system memory on the MacBook Air 11” 2015.

Max system memory size
M1 MacBook Air
16 GB
MacBook Air 11” 2015
8 GB
14% larger display

M1 MacBook Air has a 13.3-inch screen size 14% larger than the 11.6-inch MacBook Air 11” 2015.

Display size
M1 MacBook Air
13.3-inch
MacBook Air 11” 2015
11.6-inch

MacBook Air 11” 2015 Pros

Reasons that MacBook Air 11” 2015 is better than M1 MacBook Air.

About 16% lighter

MacBook Air 11” 2015 weighed 2.38 pounds, 16% lighter than the 2.8 pounds M1 MacBook Air.

WeightM1 MacBook AirMacBook Air 11” 2015
Pound
2.8 lbs.
2.38 lbs.
Kilogram
1.27 kg
1.08 kg

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
$629.00
See at Amazon
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
$732.50
See at Amazon
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
MacBook Air 11” 2015 Price
Early 2015 Apple MacBook Air with 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB) Silver (Renewed)
 Early 2015 Apple MacBook Air with 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB) Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$207.90
$285.00 27% OFF
See at Amazon
Apple Macbook Air MJVM2LL/A Intel i5 1.6GHz 8GB 128GB (Renewed)
 Apple Macbook Air MJVM2LL/A Intel i5 1.6GHz 8GB 128GB (Renewed)
By Apple
$219.99
$235.00 6% OFF
See at Amazon
Apple MacBook Air MJVP2LL/A 11.6-Inch 256GB Laptop (Renewed)
 Apple MacBook Air MJVP2LL/A 11.6-Inch 256GB Laptop (Renewed)
By Apple
$233.75
$249.00 6% OFF
See at Amazon

Specs Comparison

Availability

M1 MacBook AirMacBook Air 11” 2015
Released20202015
Release DateAnnounced on November 10th, 2020
  • Available on March 10, 2015
Pricing
  • $999
    Apple M1 Chip (7 cores GPU) | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $1,249
    Apple M1 Chip (8 cores GPU) | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD
  • $899
    Intel Core i5 5250U | 4GB RAM | 128GB SSD
  • $1,099
    Intel Core i5 5250U | 4GB RAM | 256GB SSD
Generations-

Exterior

M1 MacBook AirMacBook Air 11” 2015
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)
11.8” x 7.56” x 0.11 - 0.68” (300 mm x 192 mm x 3 - 17 mm)
WeightStarting at 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)Starting at 2.38 pounds (1.08 kg)
Colors
Gold Space Gray Silver
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
Full-size backlit keyboard with:
  • 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement) with ambient light sensor
  • Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control; supports inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities

Display

M1 MacBook AirMacBook Air 11” 2015
Size13.3 Inches11.6 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
  • 11.6-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors
  • Supported resolutions: 1366 by 768 (native), 1344 by 756, and 1280 by 720 pixels at 16:9 aspect ratio; 1152 by 720 and 1024 by 640 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768 and 800 by 600 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio

Ports

M1 MacBook AirMacBook Air 11” 2015
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
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 2 port
    Supports data transfers up to 20 Gbps.
  • 2 x USB 3.0 ports
    Supports data transfers up to 5 Gbps.
  • 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • 1 x MagSafe 2 power port

Internal Specs

M1 MacBook AirMacBook Air 11” 2015
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. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5250U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.60 → 2.70 GHz, 3MB Cache, 15W
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB Cache, 15W
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. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5250U
    Intel® HD Graphics 6000
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 950 MHz
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U
    Intel® HD Graphics 6000
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Memory
  • 8GB
    unified memory
  • Configurable to 16GB
4GB
Configurable to 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Storage
  • 256GB 512GB
    SSD
  • Configurable to 1TB or 2TB
128GB 256GB
Configurable to 512GB flash storage.

Connectivity

M1 MacBook AirMacBook Air 11” 2015
Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
BluetoothBluetooth 5.0 wireless technologyBluetooth 4.0 wireless technology

Battery

M1 MacBook AirMacBook Air 11” 2015
Size49.9 Wh lithium‑polymer battery38 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life
  • Up to 15 hours wireless web
  • Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback
  • Up to 9 hours of wireless web
  • Up to 10 hours of iTunes movie playback
  • Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply30W USB‑C Power Adapter45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.

Software

M1 MacBook AirMacBook Air 11” 2015
OSShipped with macOS Big SurShipped with OS X El Capitan
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 Safari Mail Messages FaceTime Calendar Notes App Store iTunes iBooks Maps Contacts Reminders

Camera & Audio

M1 MacBook AirMacBook Air 11” 2015
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
  • Dual microphones
  • Headphone port
  • Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone

Misc

M1 MacBook AirMacBook Air 11” 2015
Sensors
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
-
Security
  • 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 11″
  • Power adapter
  • AC wall plug
  • Power cord
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.Limited Warranty and ServiceYour MacBook Air comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan to extend your service and support to three years from your computer’s purchase date. Only the AppleCare Protection Plan provides you with direct telephone support from Apple technical experts and the assurance that repairs will be handled by Apple-authorized technicians using genuine Apple parts. For more information, visit Apple Support or call 800-823-2775.
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)
Video Support
  • Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840 by 2160 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors
  • Thunderbolt digital video output
    • Native Mini DisplayPort output
    • DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter (sold separately)
    • VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter (sold separately)
    • Dual-link DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (sold separately)
    • HDMI audio and video output using third-party Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (sold separately)

Key Features

M1 MacBook AirMacBook Air 11” 2015
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 Early
2015
16:10 HD+
11.6”
756p 60Hz
Weight
2.38 lb
1.08 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-5650U
2C/4T, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz
Geekbench 5
737
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,538
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 6000
48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Up to
8GB
1600 MHz LPDDR3

Comments

Ask questions or share your thought and experience about the comparison between M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Air 11” 2015.

Loading Comments...