LaptopApple79% by External Reviewers

Apple MacBook Air

Laptop

Product Gallery

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Product Overview

The 2020 iteration of the MacBook Air sports faster chips for up to twice the CPU performance and 80% faster graphics performance of its predecessor. Apple also includes the improved Magic Keyboard first introduced in the MacBook Pro 16.

Ratings

What we found

Pros
  • Very good performance for the price
  • Long battery runtimes
  • Very good keyboard and touchpad
  • Decent speakers
Cons
  • Keyboard is a bit shallow
  • Only one USB-C port

What external reviewers found

External score 79%
Pros
  • Great performance
  • Great battery life
  • Good speakers
Cons
  • Lackluster performance
  • Only one display option
  • No headphone jack
  • Below-average performance
  • Keyboard is shallow and shallow
  • No Thunderbolt 3

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Price Comparison

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Specifications

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External Reviews

digitaltrends[1]

Reviewer score 70% (normalized by Neofiliac)
Reviewers from digitaltrends have found:
The new MacBook Air is a respectable choice for Mac fans on a budget. The price cut, improved keyboard, and extra storage (now starting at 256GB) are all great quality-of-life improvements. While its performance is already behind the curve, it should remain adequate if your everyday use consists of web browsing and online streaming.
Pros
  • Slim, light design
  • Improved keyboard and touchpad
  • Great battery life
Cons
  • Below-average performance
  • Only one display option

notebookcheck[2]

Reviewer score 79% (normalized by Neofiliac)
Reviewers from notebookcheck have found:
The new quad-core Core i5 processor produces much more heat than the old dual-core. Compared to the previous model, this means the fan is running more often and it also gets louder. At more than 40 dB(A), the small fan is clearly audible under sustained workloads. The MacBook Air is usually silent while idling or light workloads like web browsing with a few tabs.
Pros
  • High-quality aluminum chassis
  • Very good battery life
  • Good speakers
  • Good input devices
Cons
  • Low TDP
  • No Thunderbolt 3

pcmag[3]

Reviewer score 73% (normalized by Neofiliac)
Reviewers from pcmag have found:
The 2020 MacBook Air is unquestionably better than the model it replaces. Apple has clearly realized the errors of its years-long insistence on keys with virtually zero travel distance. The new laptop also has better computing components and a lower price than its predecessor. Apple estimates it will last for up to 11 hours of wireless web browsing.
Pros
  • Excellent keyboard and touchpad
  • Excellent battery life
  • Comfortable keyboard
Cons
  • Lackluster performance
  • Keyboard is shallow and shallow

theverge[4]

Reviewer score 88% (normalized by Neofiliac)
Reviewers from theverge have found:
The new MacBook Air can get up to 11 hours of battery life if you're just browsing the web in Safari. Heavy sustained workloads cause the system to do some aggressive thermal throttling. Apple told me that the MacBook Pro is the better laptop for people who need to push their machine to the limit all the time.
Pros
  • Sleek design
  • Great battery life
  • Great performance
Cons
  • No headphone jack

References

  1. ^ Apple MacBook Air (2020) review: The Mac starter kit. [digitaltrends].
  2. ^ Apple MacBook Air 2020 Core i5 Review – The best MacBook you can get? – No. [notebookcheck].
  3. ^ Apple MacBook Air (2020) Review. [pcmag].
  4. ^ Apple MacBook Air (2020) review: the best Mac for most people. [theverge].

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