New MacBook Air (2020): everything we know about the M1-powered laptop Mac 2020
Apple has revealed the new MacBook Air (2020) at its November 10 launch event. Even though we’ve already seen the MacBook Air (2020) earlier this year, this new model comes with some pretty big changes under the hood.
That’s because, unlike earlier models, the new MacBook Air (2020) ditches the Intel processor for Apple’s own ARM-based chip, the new Apple M1.
According to Apple, this custom chip will allow the new MacBook Air (2020) to perform better and run longer whilst on battery.
All applications that you usually run in macOS on Intel-based MacBooks will work fine with the new MacBook Air (2020), thanks to some software wizardry with Apple’s Rosetta tool, which allows apps to run on the new architecture.
Apple claims the new MacBook Air is three times faster than other laptops in its class, and faster than 98% of PC laptops sold in the past year. Its neural engine is nine times faster than the previous MacBook Air, and its SSD is up to twice as fast thanks to the M1 and the latest flash technology.
Also, with the low-powered M1 chip, it doesn’t need a fan for cooling, making it completely silent. As for battery life, we knew the new ‘Apple silicon’ would be more power-efficient, so it’s no surprise that the new MacBook Air has the longest battery life of any MacBook Air – up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing, or up to 18 hours of video, according to Apple.
All this comes with a 13-inch Retina display, auto face recognition, and more. Here’s what we know about the MacBook Air so far.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Apple’s latest lightweight 13-inch MacBook
- When is it out? You can order from November 10
- How much will it cost? Starting at $999 / £999 / AU$1,599
New MacBook Air (2020) release date and price
At Apple’s new MacBook Air (2020) launch event, the company stated that its revamped thin and light laptop will be available to buy today, with units shipping out from next week (starting November 16).
Prices for the new MacBook Air (2020) start at $999 / £999 / AU$1,599. As usual, there are a number of specifications available at launch, and you can further customize these to get the MacBook Air (2020) that best suits your needs and budget.
Here are the configurations we know about so far, and their prices:
- $999 / £999: 8GB/256GB, 7-core GPU, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD
- $1,249 / £1,249: 8GB/512GB, 8-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD
For comparison, the MacBook Air (2020) launched earlier this year for $999 / £999 / AU$1,599, which was actually cheaper than the launch price of the MacBook Air (2019).
So, you’re getting the new MacBook Air (2020) for the same price as the earlier model, which is great news.
The fully maxed-out version of the MacBook Air (2020) comes with a 1.2GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM and 2TB SSD, and costs $2,249 / £2,249 / AU$3,349. Will we see a similar top-end configuration for the new MacBook Air?
New MacBook Air (2020) specs
Apple also announced details of the new MacBook Air (2020) specs and configurations. The base configuration comes with an Apple M1 chip, with an 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU, plus a 16-core ‘Neural Engine’. There’s 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD storage, plus a 13-inch Retina display with True Tone. Touch ID is included, and there are two Thunderbolt ports.
Then there’s a version with an Apple M1 chip with an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU. That extra core could make a noticeable difference in the graphics performance of the new MacBook Air (2020) – Apple has promised that it’ll be able to play modern games, something past MacBook Airs couldn’t really do.
It has 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage as well, plus the same Retina display with True Tone, Touch ID and two Thunderbolt ports.
Apple has revealed the new MacBook Air (2020) at its November 10 launch event. Even though we’ve already seen the MacBook Air (2020) earlier this year, this new model comes with some pretty big changes under the hood. That’s because, unlike earlier models, the new MacBook Air (2020) ditches the…
