Macbook Air 15 Pollici 2016

Laptop Mag Verdict

The MacBook Air 2020 is sleek laptop with practiced endurance, just information technology could use more performance.

Pros

+
Sleek design
+
Nifty battery life
+
Powerful sound
+
Magic keyboard is clicky and comfortable

Cons

-
Display a bit muted without TrueTone enabled
-
Underwhelming operation
-
Only has USB Type-C ports

As ultraportables go, the MacBook Air mostly sits at the top of the heap. However, like nigh Apple products, information technology's been just out of reach of being affordable. Certain, it'due south been the cheapest MacBook you could get, but with a starting toll of $one,099, that'southward not saying much.

That changes with the MacBook Air 2020. Starting at an unheard of $999 ($899 for education users, tested at $1,299), Apple tree is extending consumers' wallets a much-needed olive branch. Just don't presume because it's cheaper, that Apple tree made whatever compromises. The laptop gets a host of new features including an Intel tenth Gen processor and the Magic Keyboard. This just might be the all-time MacBook Air however.

MacBook Air 2020 pricing and availability

The base model costs $999 and has a dual-core Intel 10th Gen Core i3 processor with 8GB of RAM and Intel Iris Plus graphics. The visitor doubled the base of operations storage from a 128 to 256GB SSD, a move everyone tin appreciate.

I had the opportunity to test the $i,299 model which has a quad-core i.1-GHz Intel Core i5-1030NG7 CPU. It'southward a first for the MacBook Air. In that location'due south also 8GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and Intel Iris Plus graphics.

Yous can customize the Air with a 10th Gen Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, but that would jack the toll up to a upkeep-exasperating $ii,249.

MacBook Air 2020 specs

Cost: $ane,299

CPU: Intel Cadre i5-1030NG7 processor

GPU: Intel Iris Plus

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 512GB

Display: thirteen.3-inch, 2560 x 1600

Bombardment: 9:31

Size: 11.9 x viii.4 10 0.6 inches

Weight: 2.8 pounds

MacBook Air 2020 blueprint

What can I say? It's a MacBook Air. That means it'due south just as stunning and sleek every bit its predecessor. Wrapped in gold, I'd be proud to pull this out of my bag no matter where I went. The iconic emblem regally gleams whenever the lite hits the lid. Outside of that, information technology's but a plane of uninterrupted gilt anodized aluminum. It's a gilded minimalist vibe that I'm digging.

And if the Gold is likewise flashy, the laptop is also bachelor in Space Gray and Silver.

The interior offers more gold with a massive Trackpad and a new, improved keyboard (more on that later). Located in the top-correct corner, the power button doubles as the Touch ID sensor.

The 2020 Air has the same dimensions of its predecessor, the MacBook Air (2019) at 2.8 pounds, eleven.9 x 8.4 x 0.half-dozen inches. That puts it on a par with the 2.8-pound, 12.1 x 8.3 x 0.six-inch HP Envy thirteen (Forest Edition, 2020). The Air is also lighter than the Lenovo Yoga C740 (3 pounds, 12.7 x 8.5 x 0.half dozen ~ 0.7 inches) just heavier and thicker than the Dell XPS thirteen (2.seven pounds, 11.nine x seven.viii x 0.five inches) and Microsoft Surface Pro 7 (ane.7 pounds, 2.iv pounds with instance, 12.5 x 7.9 x 0.3 inches).

MacBook Air 2020 ports

Such a slim frame doesn't let for many ports. You only go a headset jack on the right side of the laptop. On the left, there'due south a pair of Thunderbolt three ports and that's it. Then if you're planning to employ a mouse or an SD card, you're going to need a dongle or a USB Blazon-C hub.

MacBook Air 2020 display

Apple's Retina display continues to be as pretty as the proverbial moving-picture show. Singer/actress Janelle Monae's wine-colored pantsuit drew my gaze during the Antebellum trailer, on the Air's 13.3-inch, 2560 x 1600 console. Details were well-baked enough that I could run into the individual creases and folds in what appeared to be the sateen cloth.

And that was before I enabled TrueTone, which adjusts the color temperature automatically according to the surround. In my naturally-lit living room, the color looked more natural while it seemed a chip more vivid in my bedroom to accommodate for the dimmer setting.

I would definitely recommend keeping TrueTone enabled every bit the colors seemed a flake muted without the feature.

Measuring for color reproduction ability, the MacBook Air reached 113% of the sRGB gamut, which is above our 100% minimum, only below the 122% premium laptop boilerplate and the Green-eyed's 116%. Still, the Air was more vivid than both the XPS 13 (111%) and the Surface (97%).

Averaging 386 nits, the Air is pretty bright, outshining the 357-nit boilerplate and the XPS 13 (382 nits). However, the Surface Pro and Envy were brighter at 395 and 401 nits respectively.

MacBook Air 2020 audio

The laptop might be lite similar a gentle cakewalk, merely it tin go as loud as a hurricane. According to Apple, the speakers evangelize "twice the bass and 25% more volume. The Air's pair of top-mounted speakers filled my smallish living and dining rooms with crisp percussion on Jay-Z's "Lucifer." However, the guitar and piano were fighting for a cramped soundstage which only fabricated the rapper and the background singer'south vocals sound distorted.

I got cleaner audio when I started listening to Teyana Taylor'southward "We Got Love." The depression-cease was distinct as were the vocals. The keyboard was clear upwards to a point, but when all the elements of the track came together, there was noticeable brassiness.

MacBook Air 2020 keyboard and trackpad

From hither on out, the only time I desire to hear about collywobbles is when I'm nervous or taking a nature hike. Apple made the wise determination to ditch those horrid Butterfly keys for the Magic Keyboard establish in the 16-inch MacBook Pro. The difference is palpable.

Boasting a ane-millimeter key travel, the Air's keys are springy and offer a satisfying click that makes me desire to keep typing. And even after an hour of typing, my fingers feel like they just started working. When I took the 10fastfingers typing exam, I banged out seventy words per infinitesimal, matching my average.

The Air's 4.viii x three.two-inch Trackpad is massive. Simply despite its largesse, my hands never accidentally brushed beyond. But when information technology was time for my fingers to engage, my Trackpad was shine and absurd to the bear on with fast, accurate response. The lesser corners of the pad were nice and clicky.

MacBook Air 2020 operation

Apple outfitted my review unit with a quad-core 1.1-GHz Intel Core i5-1030NG7 processor with 8GB of RAM. This is the first time the MacBook Air has gotten a quad-core processor. The CPU held its ain confronting my drove of 30 open Google Chrome tabs. I didn't see any sign of slowdown, even when I started resizing a few photos in Adobe Photoshop.

However, the MacBook Air had a bit of a rocky start on our synthetic benchmarks. Information technology only scored ii,738 on Geekbench 5.0, an overall performance examination. That's beneath the four,248 premium laptop average. The Green-eyed and its Cadre i7-1065G7 CPU fared somewhat amend at 3,487. The Surface Pro (Core i5-1035G4 CPU) and XPS 13 (Core i7-10710U CPU) produced fifty-fifty college results at four,443 and 5,481, respectively.

The MacBook Air took 27 minutes and 10 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p, missing the 19:46 category average. However, with the exception of the XPS 13 (14:25), the competing systems didn't clear the bar either. The Surface Pro completed the task in 24:56 while the Surface Pro clocked in 32:47.

When we ran the BlackMagic benchmark, the MacBook Air's 512GB SSD showed off its agility with a 1,301.9MBps read speed, topping the ane,162.7MBps average.

Let'southward cut to the chase, yous're not going to exist doing much gaming on the Intel Iris Plus GPU – unless of course, yous're planning to invest in an Apple tree Arcade subscription. That doesn't hateful you can't do some light photo or video editing. Running the Sid Meyer's Civilization VI test, the MacBook Air hit a score of 7, slightly below the 9 category boilerplate and the xiii put up by the Envy.

MacBook Air 2020 battery Life

Worker bees will be happy to know that the MacBook Air can last a full work day and then some. The laptop lasted 9 hours and 31 minutes on the Laptop Magazine Bombardment test (continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits), surpassing the 8:42 category average. The XPS 13 tapped out at 7:56 while the Surface Pro clocked in at seven:30. The Envy had the shortest time of half dozen:31.

MacBook Air 2020 estrus

The MacBook Air is one absurd client. After fifteen minutes of playing a fullscreen high-definition video, we tested fundamental areas on the laptop. The touchpad measured 78 degrees Fahrenheit. The center of the keyboard and bottom of the laptop registered 86 and 92 degrees, respectively. Each temperature is well below our 95-degree comfort threshold.

MacBook Air 2020 webcam

Similar most webcams, the MacBook Air's 720p shooter will do in a pinch. Test shots I took were grainy, but surprisingly color accurate, capturing the purple in my pilus and the pinkish stripes in my plaid shirt. However, if you're looking for sharp particular, yous'll need to invest in an external webcam.

macOS Catalina

The latest MacBook Air ships with macOS Catalina. In the interest of unification, Apple has killed iTunes in favor of Music, Podcasts and Telly. The last one comes in handy since purchasing an Air gets you a gratis year of Apple Tv. The interface is iTunes-reminiscent with the navigation carte du jour on the left, controls at the top, and the content in listing/icon form in the rest of the screen. In practice, information technology's a very smooth experience.

And while I don't use Safari a lot, I appreciate the tweaks Catalina brings such as helping you avoid opening redundant tabs and creating stronger passwords. The new tab screen now shows iCloud tabs and Siri Suggestions. System Preferences has been retooled to fit all of your Apple ID data, allowing you to manage your continued devices, contact info, password and more than.

One thing I'll always appreciate about macOS is the lack of bloatware. Outside of essentials similar Safari, Photos and the App Store, y'all're not going to see much flotsam.

Lesser Line

Information technology seems that Apple tree has checked off most of the boxes on its fans' MacBook Air wish list. You go the fantastic Magic keyboard and Touch ID in the beautiful svelte chassis we've come to wait from the brand. Plus, for $ane,299, you lot can go a quad-core 10th Gen Intel CPU, a starting time for the series. And the laptop lasts over 9 hours on a charge.

However, if you need more ability, you might want to consider the $1,599 Dell XPS 13, which while more expensive has Core i7 CPU. Information technology too has a brighter, more bright display. Simply if you want an ultraportable with bully battery life, speedy SSDs and a super comfortable keyboard, the MacBook Air is a practiced choice. And if yous're looking to save a few dollars, consider the $999 Core i3 model.

Sherri L. Smith has been cranking out production reviews for Laptopmag.com since 2011. In that fourth dimension, she'southward reviewed more than than her share of laptops, tablets, smartphones and everything in betwixt. The resident gamer and audio junkie, Sherri was previously a managing editor for Black Web 2.0 and contributed to BET.Com and Popgadget.