“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

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 a good time to be a Mac user. The MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and MacBook Pro all have a...

Lengthy battery life; you get more for your money compared to last-gen Intel versions; super cool and quiet

Lack of USB ports; lack of M1-optimised software; still not as competitive as some PC laptops

M1 Apple MacBook Air (2020): M1 Apple MacBook Air (2020): Why buy anything else?

Fast and quiet; Great battery life; Superb display

Some software may not run; M1 MacBook Pro has better sustained performance

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

There will always be things to complain about – like getting just two USB ports and a headphone socket for connectivity, for example, or the base model’s weird 7-core GPU, but honestly, if you look at the design quality, the performance, the screen and its everyday ergonomic finesse, the MacBook Air...

Finish; design; weight; Excellent Retina display; Silent; fanless design; Performance!

No HDMI port or memory card slot; 8-core GPU model costs more; Barely lighter than MacBook Pro

The thing with the new MacBook Air with M1 is that it is delivering on all the promises. Performance is, for the lack of a better word, incredible. Battery life is, for the lack of a better word, fantastic. System stability is, without a shadow of a doubt, perfectly nailed in.

Blazing speeds, better battery - but a disappointing camera

Super-fast; Great battery life; Retina display is superb

Webcam poor; Thick bezels

The MacBook Air (M1) is a small revolution. As much power as you could need in a light and silent design, with giant battery life.

Stunning performance; Fantastic battery life; Excellent build quality; Good screen

More ports would be nice; Webcam still not great; Some potential niche software compatibility issues

There’s an old saying in tech that you should never buy the first generation of any new product – you’re paying to be an early adopter and to iron out the kinks. The thing is, I cannot find any kinks for your average consumer with the new M1 MacBook Air.

super-fast; super cool; extremely long battery life; fanless; great screen; great keyboard; best-in-class trackpad; good speakers; good mics; recycled materials; Touch ID.

poor webcam; only two USB-C ports; can only drive one external display; expensive; some niche apps may have issues running until updated; no BootCamp/Windows.