Typical Mac easy to use

Apple has never been afraid to break with the past, especially when it leads to one of the best laptops on the market. When it decided the floppy disk was outdated, for example, it dropped it and went all-in on USB. It did the same with Motorola CPUs, dropping them for Intel when the PowerPC could no longer keep up. Now, it’s done it again, this time putting its own ARM-based silicon inside the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro 13, and the Mac mini and leaving Intel behind. That might be a scary proposition for some MacBook fans, because how well could the Apple M1 perform when ARM’s only showcase so far has been the very underwhelming Windows 10 on ARM initiative? If you’ve read our MacBook Pro 13 M1 review, then you already know the answer to that question. At least on that machine, there’s no reason to fear. I put the MacBook Air M1 through its paces to see if the fanless version of Apple’s initiative could perform as well. For this review, I was sent the entry-level $1,000 MacBook Air M...

Apple's M1 blows Intel away; Phenomenal battery life; Excellent keyboard and touchpad; Rock-solid build quality; Simple good looks;

Supports only one external display;

The more expensive MacBook Air 2020 M1 basically shares the same pros and cons we found during the review of the entry-level model. The MacBook Air benefits a lot from the M1 processor.

stays cool despite the lack of a fan; workmanship and iconic design; speakers; performance of native apps

Thunderbolt with limitations; large display bezels; 720p webcam; stability in Rosetta emulated apps; CPU throttling under longer load; relatively slow WiFi 6 at only 80 MHz

It's difficult to recommend against the M1-based MacBook Air. Apple Silicon support still needs a little work, but rivals all have compromises versus the Air in terms of performance, price or portability.

Crisp display; Performance is super-fast; Fanless design; Brilliant keyboard; Not a bank-breaker; Apple Silicon transition is going well; 256GB minimum storage welcome

Maximum memory of 16GB; Large bezels beginning to look dated; No Face ID login; Some key apps don't run on Apple Silicon natively yet

The M1-equipped MacBook Air now packs far better performance than its predecessors, rivaling at times the M1-based MacBook Pro. At $999, it’s the best value among macOS laptops.

Good value; especially for a MacBook; Much-improved performance; thanks to Apple’s new M1 processor; Exceptional battery life; Sleek; portable metal design; High-quality keyboard; touchpad; and display; Multiple color options

Port selection limited to two USB Type-C connections; Still no touch-screen option

Were Charles Darwin here today, once he’d finished screaming at us for tinkering with necromancy and demanding to know what the heck a Lexus was, I think he’d want to see the new MacBook Air.

Apple M1 is astonishingly fast; Excellent battery life; Compatibility with non-native apps is impressive

720p webcam is still underwhelming; Lack of an embedded 4G/5G option is frustrating

“The MacBook Air M1 finally fulfills the promise of a small laptop without performance restraints.”

Apple's M1 blows Intel away; Phenomenal battery life; Excellent keyboard and touchpad; Rock-solid build quality; Simple good looks

Supports only one external display

Apple's MacBook Air has always been my preferred technological travelling companion (back in the days when we actually travelled) thanks to its lightweight design and solid battery life.

Speedy M1 SoC; Outstanding battery life; Rosetta 2 emulation works well with Intel-native apps; Slimline; lightweight design

Design is looking a bit dated; No CPU upgrade options; Expensive RAM and storage upgrades; Only two Thunderbolt ports

The MacBook Air (M1) takes everything that was great about the previous generation and brings it to a new level....

Apple M1 Processor Iconic design Build quality Impressive battery life Large trackpad Good audio for a laptop

Lack of ports 720p camera Possible app incompatibly during the transition phase

Have you ever seen a bird sitting contently on a tree and wondered whether it will be afraid of the branch breaking? The bird in all likelihood doesn’t have that fear because fundamentally it’s trust doesn’t lie in the branch — it lies in its wings.

Sleek design, Impressive performance, Great battery life