Apple MacBook Air M1 Review, Price, Related Data, Configuration
Best Apple Laptop: The MacBook Air with M1 packs MacBook Pro-like power and amazing battery life
Apple MacBook Air M1: The new Apple MacBook Air with M1 took your idea of what a MacBook Air is, and threw it in the recycling bin. Yes, it still has the same iconic wedge aesthetic, but the Apple silicon makes it more powerful and capable than ever. Thus, a new era began for the MacBook Air — one with pro-grade power that challenges Intel-based Windows PCs — and often beats them.
As a potential MacBook buyer, I'm happy to say that the new MacBook Air offers serious performance gains over its predecessor, and several hours of battery life as well. This MacBook Air with M1 review will show why it's one of the best laptops, period. In fact, it's so good that it won our Toms Guide Awards 2021 recommendations for overall best laptop and longest lasting laptop.
Most of the apps I've used on the MacBook Air are still Intel versions, which macOS Big Sur uses Rosetta 2 to translate to work on its ARM-based processors. Once app developers create a Universal Edition, their apps will run even faster on Apple silicon systems, such as the M1-based MacBook Air.
Not only am I going to put the new M1 MacBook Air up against the best PC laptops in this review, but I'm also comparing it to the Intel-based MacBook Air released earlier this year to show just how much has changed. is (or is) t). And since we just released our Dell XPS 13 OLED review, we're going to mention how it compares to color output and battery life.
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MACBOOK AIR WITH M1: SPECS
- Price: $999 (starting), $899 (education)
- CPU: Apple M1
- Display: 13.3‑inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel
- Battery: 14:41 (tested)
- Memory: 8GB to 16GB
- Storage: 256GB to 2TB
- Dimensions: 12 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
- Weight: 2.8 pounds
MacBook Air with M1: Price and Release date
The MacBook Air with M1 starts at $999, though educational customers can get it for $899. That model has an 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. The $1,249 model is a bit more stacked, with 512GB of SSD storage -- plus an 8-core GPU.
Currently, you can get $100 on Amazon for $200 on the 512GB MacBook Air M1 for $1,099 and $899 on the 256GB MacBook Air M1.
The MacBook Air along with the M1 debuted on November 17, 2020, but those who are still waiting can be rewarded. The MacBook Air 2021 is rumored to have thinner bezels and MagSafe charging.
But if you don't need a new laptop right now, you may have to wait a few months. The latest Bloomberg report suggests that a new MacBook Air will be followed by the Pros (which is expected early this summer). This laptop will be the "direct successor" to the Apple M1 chip, with multiple computing cores - but running faster. Graphics cores will increase by two: from 7 or 8 to 9 or 10.
MacBook Air with M1: Performance
The performance of the MacBook Air - powered by the M1 processor and 16GB of RAM - is phenomenal. When I split its screen between 20 Chrome (Intel, not universal) tabs and 1080p YouTube videos—plus Apple's Mail and Photos apps, Pixelmator (again, an Intel app), and 1Password (Intel, again) In the background, I never noticed anything close to a hiccup. Oh, and in the background, 20GB of 4K video was being transferred AirDrop while everything remained smooth and stable.
During a group call, I also got time to play with the iOS app, download and open Overcast Podcatcher, HBO Max, and the game Among Us. While playing 4K YouTube videos of Chef cooking on my laptop monitor, I played each of them in the app so I could start an Adventure Time episode, download a podcast, and drag my Lil Among Us man across the screen. could. Yes, I am very good at multitasking.
Most of the time, the MacBook Air with the M1 felt -- performance-wise -- like it was similar (if not faster) than the 2020 Core i5 MacBook Pro I used to test the Big Sur or the 2017 Core i7 MacBook Pro work computer I used to test. is used. believed. This includes when I connected an external monitor. Before that, I was a bit skeptical, even with the 3.5x better performance of Apple's Intel MacBook Air released earlier this year, because I've always pushed my MacBook to the limit, and the MacBook Pro's. Need it, not air. , to do my work. This MacBook Air? It sounds like a pro.
And let's see how it shakes out in benchmarks - and I'll note that not all of our testing was done with universal versions of the apps, and the Intel versions aren't optimized for the M1.
The Air scored 5,962 in the Geekbench 5.1 (Intel) multicore test, which was practically in dead-heat from the M1 MacBook Pro with 5,925. The Air beat the ZenBook 13 by 5,084 and the XPS 13 (both tested with an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU and 16GB of RAM) by 5,319 on the comparable Geekbench 5.2 test. The older Intel MacBook Air Y-Series Intel CPUs only had 2,738.
On our HandBrake (Universal) video conversion test, which transcodes 4K video to 1080p, the MacBook Air completed the test in 9 minutes and 15 seconds and the MacBook Pro took 7:44 (beta versions of HandBrake optimized for Apple Silicone). But) those times erase the 27:10 time from the ZenBook 13 (17:51) and XPS 13 (18:22), as well as the Intel MacBook Air earlier this year.
Apple also promised twice as fast storage speeds, and they delivered. In the MacBook Air we tested, the 1TB SSD achieved a read speed of 2692 Mbps on the Black Magic Disk Speed Test (Intel), which is more than twice the Intel MacBook Air's 1,301.9 Mbps read rate.
The MacBook Air scored 653 in the Pugetbench Photoshop (Intel) test, trailing the XPS 13 to 588, but falling to 743 from the ZenBook 13 (a rare win for the x86 crowd). The MacBook Pro came pretty close with the 649.
MacBook Air with M1: Graphics
Our test MacBook Air has an 8-core GPU configuration, which (from its experience) may reshape the Mac in the minds of some gamers. I started it off smoothly, running BioShock 2 Remastered (at the native 2560 x 1600 resolution) and the game played smoothly, as rippling waters flowed through the rooms I navigated, powering enemies with lightning. There were tremors, and all the underwater life I had discovered outside the hallway. Went off without a hitch.
But since it's an older game, I brought out Rise of the Tomb Raider (also at 2560 x 1600, and set to medium graphics), which looked great on a MacBook Air — and I never thought I'd Will run MacBook Air with a demanding AAA game at all. Whether I was climbing a snowy Arctic mountain or exploring the Syrian desert, Lara Croft was like she should have gone. Oh, and both of these games are Intel versions running through Rosetta 2, so they're not Universal Editions (yet).
When we benchmarked Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (Intel) on a MacBook Air (where 1440 x 900 was the highest resolution supported), it ran at 37 frames per second, which was the 7 fps score we got from the Intel MacBook Air. The M1 is coming in a bit under the MacBook Pro's 38 fps time. The ZenBook 13 and XPS 13 (which could run that game at a slightly faster 1080p) posted rates of 21 and 16 fps, respectively.
Interestingly, the GFXBench Metal Aztec Ruins graphics benchmark (Universal) gave the Air and Pro practically identical scores: 54 on High and 60 on Normal (both round down).
MacBook Air with M1: Battery Life
Apple announced that its M1 chip will enable all-day battery life, and the company has hit that mark. On the 'ProoWix' Battery Test (web browsing at 150 nits), the new MacBook Air lasted 14 hours and 41 minutes (while the new MacBook Pro hit 16:32)—several times beating the ZenBook 13 (13:47) and both. XPS 13 (11:07). The time for the OLED XPS 13 (7:59) is noticeably shorter.
And for those who want to make comparisons to previous Intel Macs - they are left in the dust. The Intel MacBook Air (9:31) and MacBook Pro (10:21) are now beaten by 5 and 6 hours, respectively.
MacBook Air with M1: Webcam
I wished Apple would give their MacBooks a higher-resolution camera, but they found another way to make MacBooks better for the Zoom era. The M1 chip has an image signal processor that betters you in a few ways.
I put the webcam of the New MacBook Air face-to-face with an early 2020 Intel-based MacBook Pro, both of whom joined the same Google Meet call. My boss, while watching both of me at the same time, noted that the M1-based MacBook Air's video produced better colors, including skin tones and an overall brighter picture. Other calls I made on the MacBook Air, where we didn't do a live comparison, impressed none with video quality indicating that a better webcam would still be welcome.
MacBook Air with M1: Design
The MacBook Air with the M1 looks and feels exactly the same as the early 2020 MacBook Air I made back in March. And that is certainly the case. This MacBook Air has the same wedge-shaped machined aluminum chassis (available in gold, silver, and space gray) that we're used to, as it seems Apple wants to ease users into the silicon age.
So, the 12 x 8.4 x 0.6-inch, 2.8-pound M1 MacBook Air looks exactly like its Intel-based predecessor (11.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches and 2.8 pounds). And to be honest, it still has room to shrink. The 2.5-pound Asus ZenBook 13 (11.9 x 8 x 0.5 inches) is slightly lighter, while the 2.8-pound Dell XPS 13 has a smaller 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6-inch footprint, thanks to its razor-thin InfinityEdge bezels.
Apple sells the MacBook Air in Gold, Silver, and Space Grey. I love gold, so much so that I really wish Apple would offer it for the MacBook Pro (which it doesn't).
MacBook Air with M1: Ports
The M1 MacBook Air has 2 Thunderbolt 3 USB 4 ports, just like its Intel-based predecessor, plus a headphone jack on the side (which I pray Apple never removes). While its USB-C ports are both on the left side, the XPS 13 splits them between the left and right sides, making it easier to connect devices on your right.
Other laptops simply offer more ports. The XPS 13 also has a microSD reader, which the MacBook Air does not. The ZenBook 13 has a full HDMI-out and a USB-A port, but no headphone jack.
Annoyed that the MacBook Air doesn't have the old MagSafe charging? Worry no more, rumor has it that the MacBook Air 2021 will pack the more convenient charging standard.
Plus, the ZenBook is also designed for serious durability, having passed multiple MIL-STD 810G certifications (including extreme temperatures and altitudes, drops, shocks, and vibrations).
MacBook Air with M1: Display
As I watched Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on the MacBook Air M1, I noticed how the pinks, yellows, and blues of Graffiti popped off the screen, as did the greens of the arachnids in young Miles Morales. As for detail, the MacBook Air's 2,560 x 1600-pixel Retina display provided fine detail, the hairs on that spider, the myriad of Ben-de dots throughout the film, as well as the grain of the wood floor in Bong Joon-Ho's parasite. The ZenBook 13 and XPS 13 both have 1080p screens in their initial configuration, which aren't quite as sharp.
We're still waiting for the OLED MacBook because the Dell XPS 13 OLED just came out to garner accolades for its gorgeous panel. That said, its improved screen comes at a major downside, as I mentioned in the battery life section.
According to our Klein K10-A colorimeter, the MacBook Air with the M1 produces 114.3% of the sRGB spectrum, slightly above the scores of the M1 MacBook Pro (10.6%), the Asus ZenBook 13 (107.5%), and the Dell XPS 13. 97.9%). The Intel MacBook Air posted the same 113%, and the OLED XPS 13 hit a hair high at 117.3%
Our colorimeter rates the new MacBook Air's display as 365.8 nits brightness (slightly less than the company's 400-nit estimate), making it similar to the displays on the Intel-based MacBook Air (386 nits) and the ZenBook. 13 (370 nits). The M1 MacBook Pro (434.8 nits) and XPS 13 (469.2 nits) get brighter. When you view the panel 30 degrees to the left and right, this extra brightness can help keep colors from going a little dark.
MacBook Air with M1: Keyboard and touchpad
10Testing the MacBook Air's Magic Keyboard on the FastFingers Typing Test, I clicked my way up to 74 words per minute, not too far from my 80 words per minute average. As was the case with the early 2020 MacBook Air, this keyboard was the upgrade Apple needed, with its very shallow butterfly-switch keys proving controversial, with many arguing that small detritus or dust would get into the keys when they were made. If so, they stick.
The MacBook Air's 4.8 x 3.2 Glass Force Touch trackpad provides accurate input recognition and smooth scrolling. Apple continues to substitute haptic feedback for clicks, a decision that has been successful (though I preferred it the old-fashioned way).
MacBook Air with M1: Audio
Turning the rage against the machine's "Bulls on Parade" I noticed how the MacBook Air's stereo speakers get loud enough to fill my very large living room with melodious sound. Synth and guitar riffs sounded accurate, Zach de la Rocha's vocals came out clearly and the speakers have a large soundstage, delivering a somewhat immersive feel.
In addition, the MacBook Air supports Dolby Atmos, so when I watched Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on the Air, I felt like I'd heard the film's rapidly rising score compared to previous laptops. Whether it was Post Malone and Swae Lee's "Sunflower" or the timing of Nicolas Cage's voice for a spider-noir character, the film just looked better.
When you're making video calls, and the trio of built-in microphones means Siri can (correctly) hear you even when you're speaking away from the laptop.
MacBook Air with M1: Heat
I used the MacBook Air on my lap while writing this review, watching videos, and syncing my personal and professional email in Mail. In the app, I noticed that the air gets a little warm. However, not to an unpleasant degree. This is good news as the new Air does not have a fan.
After streaming 15 minutes of Full HD video on a MacBook Air, our heat gun picked up low readings on its touchpad (78 degrees Fahrenheit), keyboard (80.5 degrees), and underside (83 degrees), all of which were below our 95-degree mark. come. degree comfort range.
MacBook Air with M1: Software and iOS apps
As you've undoubtedly noticed, many of the applications we used to test and benchmark the MacBook Air were applications made for Intel processors. The Apple M1 chip, and all upcoming Apple silicon, will not natively run these applications. Luckily, Rosetta 2 — Apple's tool for keeping applications running smoothly — is here and it performs that action upon installation, so those applications can run without a hitch. Hopefully, developers will build universal versions of these apps sooner rather than later, so that M1 Macs can run to their potential.
Apple silicon chips like the M1 will also allow you to run iPhone and iPad apps on your Mac. They will be distributed in the Mac App Store, but look for the text "Not Verified for macOS" - if you see this, the developer hasn't confirmed that their app runs smoothly on Mac. Apps will default to coming to the Mac App Store, but developers can opt-out, so don't expect everything. I've tried a few of my favorites, including Overcast, and it's nice to have the HBO Max app on Mac so you can save movies for offline viewing. There was a bit of a learning curve between us playing without the touch screen.
Ultimately, macOS Big Sur is at the heart of the new MacBook Air, and I've enjoyed it as I've spent the summer playing with it. Its bright interface makes great use of transparency and translucency, which may require some adjustments depending on your personal preferences. The biggest update for Big Sur is how Safari is getting competitive with Chrome by getting a customizable home screen and new tab previews
MacBook Air with M1 review: Decision
This MacBook Air with M1 review has shown why its amazing stamina and shockingly good speed combine to take the MacBook Air to new heights. If only packed a few more ports and slimmed down its bezel, the new MacBook Air 5-Star could be just right.
The Dell XPS 13 has much smaller bezels, but it lags behind the MacBook Air in performance and battery life. You can save $650 with a similarly configured $999 Asus ZenBook 13, and get some ports, too, but you'll sacrifice performance and about an hour of endurance. For those living and working in the Apple ecosystem, however, the new MacBook Air is the easiest buying decision you'll have in ages.