If you're a macOS fan who primarily uses a laptop to write and browse the web, the 2020 Apple MacBook Air's redesigned keyboard and lower price make it easy to recommend.

Improved keyboard action and feel; Sleek; lightweight design; Multiple color options; Long battery life; Reasonably priced; for a Mac

As ever; no touch screen; Limited port selection; Lackluster raw computing performance; No support for Wi-Fi 6

Apple’s MacBook Air has experienced some extreme peaks and valleys over the past decade: the second-generation design introduced in 2010 was, for years, the standard by which all midsize laptops were judged. The Air was Apple’s most popular Mac and one of the best and most popular laptops ever made.

New keyboard; Faster processors; Lower price

Middling battery life if you don’t use Apple’s apps; Not suited for intense workloads; Average-at-best webcam

“The MacBook Air is a great choice for Mac fans on a budget.”

New keyboard is an improvement; More affordable; Better graphics; Excellent build quality

Performance still lacking; Bezels are outdated

The MacBook Air is easier to recommend than before, thanks to a lower starting price, double the base storage and, most importantly, a redesigned keyboard that’s actually pleasant to type on.

Finally: a good keyboard! Double the base storage; Sharp Retina display; Excellent trackpad; Touch ID works well and is easy to set up

Port selection still feels too skimpy; The battery life is good but not best in class; The lack of full-size USB ports is still a pain

So far, we’re liking the MacBook Air 2020 as it can handle our tasks given the limited hardware. If you’re a long-time Apple user, you can make this work and already understand the compromises.

Apple MacBook Air (2020): A gorgeous little laptop with a great screen and decent performance for the price

Trademark MacBook Air build; Competitive performance for price; Colour-accurate display

Middling battery life; Only two Thunderbolt 3 ports

The 2020 model takes what was great about its predecessor and enhances it with a much better keyboard, double storage as standard, and a price drop. It's a win-win.

Retina display is bright and detailed; Keyboard is so much better to use; Storage starts at 256GB (larger capacity also available); Sub four-figure price point is key

Still only two USB-C ports; No SD card slot; No Face ID login; Screen bezel is large compared to many Windows alternatives; Some fan noise - even with the i3 model

Slower and quieter. Apple equips the entry-level SKU of the MacBook Air with a dual-core processor, but is the performance still sufficient in 2020? Or should you get a configuration with a quad-core CPU? And: What are the effects on the temperatures and the fan noise?

With all the discussions about the performance of the new quad-core CPUs, you should not forget that...

excellent case; very good input devices; long battery runtimes; good display; improved speakers; lower emissions compared to the quad-core SKU;

weak and loud cooling system; bad webcam; only two USB-C ports and one is blocked for charging; hardly suitable for gaming; no Wi-Fi 6; no upgrade options – everything is soldered;