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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Display
- Interface
- Connectivity
- Configuration
- Performance
- Additional Features And Software
- Comments
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) vs Framework Laptop 13 (2021)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
Framework Laptop 13 (2021)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Aug 08, 2024 02:46 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8
Updated May 10, 2024 02:24 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Size13.3"
Operating SystemmacOS
Size13.5"
Operating SystemWindows 10
Variants
- MacBook Air 13 (MGND3LL/A) (Gold - 7-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MGNE3LL/A) (Gold - 7-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MGN93LL/A) (Silver - 7-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MGNA3LL/A) (Silver - 7-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MGN63LL/A) (Space Gray - 7-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MGN73LL/A) (Space Gray - 7-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- Laptop 13 (Base) (Silver - i5/8GB/256GB)
- Laptop 13 (Performance) (Silver - i7-1165G7/16GB/512GB)
- Laptop 13 (Professional) (Silver - i7-1185G7/32GB/1TB)
Our Verdict
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
Framework Laptop 13 (2021)
The Framework Laptop 13 (2021) and the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) are very different laptops. The MacBook Air has limited configuration options and runs macOS, while the Framework Laptop is much more flexible as it allows you to choose each component individually, and you can even skip the operating system if you want to install something else like Linux. The Framework Laptop also has a modular I/O system that lets you change the port configuration on the fly, and it's much easier to service and upgrade. As for the user experience, the MacBook Air has a sharper screen with better reflection handling and better-sounding speakers, and its touchpad is larger and tracks better. Apple's M1 SoC performs better than the Intel Core i7-1165G7 and is more power-efficient, resulting in longer battery life.
Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable.
Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our
laptops test methodology.
Read more
Main Differences forSchool
School
Threshold
School
8.4
8.3
Ports
4.0
8.5
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
9.5
8.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.1
9.4
Hinge Photo
Range
135°
180°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
9.1
8.8
Dimensions Photo
Size
13.3"
13.5"
Thickness
0.5" (1.3 cm)
0.7" (1.7 cm)
Width
12.0" (30.5 cm)
11.7" (29.8 cm)
Depth
8.4" (21.2 cm)
9.1" (23.0 cm)
Volume
51.3 in³ (840.6 cm³)
71.1 in³ (1,165.2 cm³)
Weight
2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)
2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)
Charger Size
5.5 in³ (90.6 cm³)
5.9 in³ (97.2 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)
Serviceability
3.3
8.9
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
5.5
9.5
RAM Slots
0
2
Storage Slots
0
1
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
No
Yes
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
2560 x 1600
2256 x 1504
Aspect Ratio
16:10
3:2
Pixel Density
225 PPI
200 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
84%
83%
Refresh Rate
5.9
5.9
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
No
Contrast
6.8
7.7
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
1,044 : 1
1,546 : 1
Brightness
7.8
7.7
Maximum Brightness
372 cd/m²
362 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
4 cd/m²
11 cd/m²
Reflections
8.9
7.0
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Glossy
Glossy
Total Reflections
1.73%
4.67%
Indirect Reflections
0.16%
0.37%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.57%
4.3%
Black Uniformity
7.4
7.6
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
1.071%
0.946%
Horizontal Viewing Angle
6.8
7.5
Horizontal Viewing Angle Video
Horizontal Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Left
25°
29°
Color Washout From Right
28°
32°
Horizontal Hue Picture
Color Shift From Left
40°
60°
Color Shift From Right
46°
60°
Horizontal Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Left
28°
29°
Brightness Loss From Right
31°
34°
Black Level Raise From Left
60°
60°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
29°
34°
Gamma Shift From Right
32°
38°
Vertical Viewing Angle
6.8
7.1
Vertical Viewing Angle Video
Vertical Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Below
25°
23°
Color Washout From Above
25°
27°
Vertical Hue Picture
Color Shift From Below
37°
45°
Color Shift From Above
41°
45°
Vertical Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Below
27°
27°
Brightness Loss From Above
28°
34°
Black Level Raise From Below
45°
45°
Black Level Raise From Above
45°
45°
Gamma Shift From Below
37°
23°
Gamma Shift From Above
35°
29°
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
9.7
6.1
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
1.75
5.18
Avg. Gamma
2.2
2.24
Avg. Color dE
1.21
3.04
Avg. Color Temperature
6,883.6 K
6,262 K
Color Gamut
9.4
8.5
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
99.96%
99.73%
sRGB uv
99.84%
99.44%
Adobe RGB xy
88.07%
76.47%
Adobe RGB uv
92.88%
86.31%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
99.57%
78.63%
DCI P3 uv
99.15%
85.3%
Rec. 2020 xy
72.25%
56.45%
Rec. 2020 uv
73.92%
62.3%
Flicker
10
10
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
Yes
Yes
Flicker Frequency
No Flicker
No Flicker
Flicker Active Below
0%
0%
Interface
Keyboard
7.6
7.8
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
7.5
7.5
Numpad
No
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
63 gf
66 gf
Actuation Force
37 gf
37 gf
Pre-Travel
0.76 mm
1.07 mm
Total Travel
0.85 mm
1.73 mm
Touchpad
8.8
8.0
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
9.0
8.0
Size
14.9 in² (96.0 cm²)
13.5 in² (87.0 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
8.9
7.5
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
79 dB SPL
74 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
4.5 dB
4.3 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
1.6
-0.7
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
247 Hz
325 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
20 kHz
8 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
1.9 dB
0.6 dB
Webcam & Microphone
8.2
8.7
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
8.5
8.5
Resolution
720p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
Yes
Face Unlock
No
No
Connectivity
Ports
4.0
8.5
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
0
0
USB-C Ports
2
4
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 3
Thunderbolt 4
USB-C Charging
Yes
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
Yes
HDMI
No
No
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
No
No
Ethernet
No
No
Proprietary Port
No
No
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.0
5.2
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Apple
Intel
Model
M1
Core i7-1165G7
Core Count
8
4
Thread Count
8
8
GPU
Brand
Apple
Intel
Model
M1
Iris Xe Graphics G7
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A
N/A
RAM
Capacity
8 GB
16 GB
Modules
2 (Soldered)
2
Type
LP-DDR4X
DDR4
Speed
4,266 MHz
3,200 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
256 GB
512 GB
Usable Capacity
218 GB
477 GB
Drive 1
SDRGJHI4
Western Digital Black SN750
Drive 1 Type
SSD
SSD
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
8.8
8.2
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,721 points
1,584 points
CPU Multi-Thread
7,437 points
5,013 points
GPU Compute
19,359 points
17,166 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
9.1
8.7
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,497 points
1,525 points
Multi-Thread
6,855 points
5,620 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
6.2
6.4
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
7.3 min
6.9 min
GPU Render Time
N/A
N/A
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
6.1
5.1
Basemark Image
Overall Score
26,868
16,658
Storage Drive Performance
9.3
9.3
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
2,580.5 MB/s
1,424.5 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
2,487.4 MB/s
2,562.7 MB/s
Random Write Speed
51.5 MB/s
111.5 MB/s
Random Read Speed
60.5 MB/s
48.9 MB/s
Battery
8.8
8.7
Capacity
50 Wh
55 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
13.3 hrs
11.4 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
6.6 hrs
8.1 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
2.6 hrs
1.7 hrs
Charge Time
3.1 hrs
2.7 hrs
Borderlands 3
2.4
2.2
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
15 fps
14 fps
1% Low
6 fps
10 fps
0.1% Low
3 fps
7 fps
1% Low Delta
86 ms
31 ms
0.1% Low Delta
302 ms
79 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
32 fps
31 fps
Civilization VI
5.6
4.8
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
32 fps
23 fps
1% Low
23 fps
16 fps
0.1% Low
21 fps
16 fps
1% Low Delta
12 ms
19 ms
0.1% Low Delta
17 ms
21 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
71 fps
91 fps
Avg. Turn Time
11.63 s
7.71 s
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
7.7
6.1
CS:GO graph
Avg. FPS
65 fps
78 fps
1% Low
N/A
31 fps
0.1% Low
N/A
25 fps
1% Low Delta
N/A
20 ms
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
27 ms
Avg. FPS On Low
94 fps
109 fps
Counter-Strike 2
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
1% Low
0.1% Low
1% Low Delta
0.1% Low Delta
Avg. FPS On Low
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
2.0
3.5
Avg. FPS
13 fps
18 fps
1% Low
9 fps
14 fps
0.1% Low
5 fps
9 fps
1% Low Delta
31 ms
18 ms
0.1% Low Delta
135 ms
58 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
26 fps
30 fps
Thermals And Noise
8.3
7.2
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
28 °C (82 °F)
28 °C (83 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
47 °C (117 °F)
42 °C (108 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
N/A
25.0 dBA
Fan Noise Under Load
N/A
51.5 dBA
Power & Fan Control App
No
No
Performance Over Time
7.5
9.9
Performance Over Time Graph
Performance Over Time Image
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
N/A
81 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
13% loss
0% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
N/A
66 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
3% loss
0% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
macOS
Windows 10
Additional Software
None
None
Extra Features
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen
No
No
Secondary Display
No
No
Biometrics
Fingerprint Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
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Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
Framework Laptop 13 (2021)
Comments
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) vs Framework Laptop 13 (2021): Main Discussion
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