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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 Google Pixelbook Go (2019)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
Google Pixelbook Go (2019)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Aug 08, 2024 02:46 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Feb 22, 2023 03:40 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Size13.3"
Operating SystemmacOS
Size13.3"
Operating SystemChrome OS
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)
- Pixelbook Go (GA00526-US) (Just Black - 4K/i7/16GB/256GB)
- Pixelbook Go (GA00523-US) (Just Black - FHD/i5-8200Y/16GB/128GB)
- Pixelbook Go (GA00521-US) (Just Black - FHD/i5-8200Y/8GB/128GB)
- Pixelbook Go (GA00519-US) (Just Black - FHD/m3/8GB/64GB)
Our Verdict
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
Google Pixelbook Go (2019)
The Google Pixelbook Go (2019) and the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) are both thin and light ultraportable laptops, but they run on different operating systems. The Pixelbook Go runs Chrome OS, a lightweight Linux-based operating system that supports web apps, Android apps, and Linux apps. On the other hand, the MacBook Air runs macOS, which supports programs optimized for the MacBook Air's M1 SoC, iOS and iPadOS apps, and x86 applications through Rosetta 2. While both laptops are powerful enough for simple tasks like web browsing, the MacBook Air can handle significantly heavier workloads. Battery life is about the same on both laptops for light productivity, but the Pixelbook Go can last much longer for video playback.
Check Price
Gold - 7-core GPU/8GB/256GB
MacBook Air 13 (MGND3LL/A)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comJust Black - 4K/i7/16GB/256GB
Pixelbook Go (GA00526-US)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comGold - 7-core GPU/8GB/512GB
MacBook Air 13 (MGNE3LL/A)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comJust Black - FHD/i5-8200Y/16GB/128GB
Pixelbook Go (GA00523-US)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSilver - 7-core GPU/8GB/256GB
MacBook Air 13 (MGN93LL/A)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comJust Black - FHD/i5-8200Y/8GB/128GB
Pixelbook Go (GA00521-US)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSilver - 7-core GPU/8GB/512GB
MacBook Air 13 (MGNA3LL/A)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comJust Black - FHD/m3/8GB/64GB
Pixelbook Go (GA00519-US)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSpace Gray - 7-core GPU/8GB/256GB
MacBook Air 13 (MGN63LL/A)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSpace Gray - 7-core GPU/8GB/512GB
MacBook Air 13 (MGN73LL/A)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comNotice:
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
8.0
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
8.8
4.7
Reflections
8.9
6.3
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
9.5
9.0
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.1
9.1
Hinge Photo
Range
135°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
9.1
9.2
Dimensions Photo
Size
13.3"
13.3"
Thickness
0.5" (1.3 cm)
0.5" (1.2 cm)
Width
12.0" (30.5 cm)
12.3" (31.2 cm)
Depth
8.4" (21.2 cm)
8.1" (20.7 cm)
Volume
51.3 in³ (840.6 cm³)
47.3 in³ (775.0 cm³)
Weight
2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)
2.4 lbs (1.1 kg)
Charger Size
5.5 in³ (90.6 cm³)
6.2 in³ (100.9 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
Serviceability
3.3
3.3
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
5.5
6.5
RAM Slots
0
0
Storage Slots
0
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
No
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
No
No
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
2560 x 1600
1920 x 1080
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:9
Pixel Density
225 PPI
165 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
Yes
Screen-To-Body Ratio
84%
79%
Refresh Rate
5.9
5.9
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
No
Contrast
6.8
8.3
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
1,044 : 1
2,000 : 1
Brightness
7.8
7.5
Maximum Brightness
372 cd/m²
345 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
4 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Reflections
8.9
6.3
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Glossy
Glossy
Total Reflections
1.73%
5.64%
Indirect Reflections
0.16%
0.14%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.57%
5.5%
Black Uniformity
7.4
7.0
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
1.071%
1.279%
Horizontal Viewing Angle
6.8
6.6
Horizontal Viewing Angle Video
Horizontal Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Left
25°
26°
Color Washout From Right
28°
27°
Horizontal Hue Picture
Color Shift From Left
40°
37°
Color Shift From Right
46°
41°
Horizontal Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Left
28°
27°
Brightness Loss From Right
31°
27°
Black Level Raise From Left
60°
60°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
29°
30°
Gamma Shift From Right
32°
30°
Vertical Viewing Angle
6.8
6.5
Vertical Viewing Angle Video
Vertical Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Below
25°
25°
Color Washout From Above
25°
25°
Vertical Hue Picture
Color Shift From Below
37°
41°
Color Shift From Above
41°
38°
Vertical Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Below
27°
28°
Brightness Loss From Above
28°
27°
Black Level Raise From Below
45°
45°
Black Level Raise From Above
45°
45°
Gamma Shift From Below
37°
26°
Gamma Shift From Above
35°
26°
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
9.7
8.6
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
1.75
2.09
Avg. Gamma
2.2
2.24
Avg. Color dE
1.21
2.53
Avg. Color Temperature
6,883.6 K
6,575 K
Color Gamut
9.4
8.3
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
99.96%
98.18%
sRGB uv
99.84%
96.82%
Adobe RGB xy
88.07%
75.13%
Adobe RGB uv
92.88%
84.01%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
99.57%
76.51%
DCI P3 uv
99.15%
81.84%
Rec. 2020 xy
72.25%
54.99%
Rec. 2020 uv
73.92%
60.13%
Flicker
10
10
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
Yes
Yes
Flicker Frequency
No Flicker
No Flicker
Flicker Active Below
0%
0%
Interface
Keyboard
7.6
7.2
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
7.5
7.0
Numpad
No
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
63 gf
62 gf
Actuation Force
37 gf
34 gf
Pre-Travel
0.76 mm
0.66 mm
Total Travel
0.85 mm
1.02 mm
Touchpad
8.8
8.5
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
9.0
9.0
Size
14.9 in² (96.0 cm²)
11.6 in² (74.9 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
8.9
8.4
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
79 dB SPL
79 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
4.5 dB
5.1 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
1.6
1.7
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
247 Hz
298 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
20 kHz
17 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
1.9 dB
1.6 dB
Webcam & Microphone
8.2
8.2
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
8.5
8.5
Resolution
720p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
No
Face Unlock
No
No
Connectivity
Ports
4.0
3.0
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
0
0
USB-C Ports
2
2
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 3
No
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 5 (802.11ac)
Bluetooth
5.0
4.2
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Apple
Intel
Model
M1
Core m3-8100Y
Core Count
8
2
Thread Count
8
4
GPU
Brand
Apple
Intel
Model
M1
UHD Graphics 615
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A
N/A
RAM
Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Modules
2 (Soldered)
2 (Soldered)
Type
LP-DDR4X
LP-DDR3
Speed
4,266 MHz
1,866 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
256 GB
64 GB
Usable Capacity
218 GB
48 GB
Drive 1
SDRGJHI4
hC8ap
Drive 1 Type
SSD
eMMC
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
8.8
4.7
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,721 points
718 points
CPU Multi-Thread
7,437 points
1,554 points
GPU Compute
19,359 points
N/A
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
9.1
0.0
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,497 points
N/A
Multi-Thread
6,855 points
N/A
Blender (3D Rendering)
6.2
0.0
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
7.3 min
21.9 min
GPU Render Time
N/A
N/A
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
6.1
1.9
Basemark Image
Overall Score
26,868
4,203
Storage Drive Performance
9.3
4.9
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
2,580.5 MB/s
86.8 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
2,487.4 MB/s
316.0 MB/s
Random Write Speed
51.5 MB/s
2.8 MB/s
Random Read Speed
60.5 MB/s
17.8 MB/s
Battery
8.8
9.3
Capacity
50 Wh
47 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
13.3 hrs
13.7 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
6.6 hrs
12.9 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
2.6 hrs
3.9 hrs
Charge Time
3.1 hrs
2.5 hrs
Borderlands 3
2.4
0.0
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
15 fps
N/A
1% Low
6 fps
N/A
0.1% Low
3 fps
N/A
1% Low Delta
86 ms
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
302 ms
N/A
Avg. FPS On Very Low
32 fps
N/A
Civilization VI
5.6
0.0
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
32 fps
N/A
1% Low
23 fps
N/A
0.1% Low
21 fps
N/A
1% Low Delta
12 ms
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
17 ms
N/A
Avg. FPS On Minimum
71 fps
N/A
Avg. Turn Time
11.63 s
N/A
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
7.7
0.0
CS:GO graph
Avg. FPS
65 fps
N/A
1% Low
N/A
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
94 fps
N/A
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
0.0
SOTTR Graph
Avg. FPS
13 fps
N/A
1% Low
9 fps
N/A
0.1% Low
5 fps
N/A
1% Low Delta
31 ms
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
135 ms
N/A
Avg. FPS On Lowest
26 fps
N/A
Thermals And Noise
8.3
7.9
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
28 °C (82 °F)
26 °C (79 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
47 °C (117 °F)
51 °C (124 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
N/A
N/A
Fan Noise Under Load
N/A
N/A
Power & Fan Control App
No
No
Performance Over Time
7.5
0.0
Performance Over Time Graph
Performance Over Time Image
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
N/A
N/A
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
13% loss
N/A
GPU Temp (Heaven)
N/A
N/A
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
3% loss
N/A
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
macOS
Chrome OS
Additional Software
None
Yes
Extra Features
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen
No
No
Secondary Display
No
No
Biometrics
Fingerprint Sensor
No
Check Price
Gold - 7-core GPU/8GB/256GB
MacBook Air 13 (MGND3LL/A)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comJust Black - 4K/i7/16GB/256GB
Pixelbook Go (GA00526-US)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comGold - 7-core GPU/8GB/512GB
MacBook Air 13 (MGNE3LL/A)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comJust Black - FHD/i5-8200Y/16GB/128GB
Pixelbook Go (GA00523-US)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSilver - 7-core GPU/8GB/256GB
MacBook Air 13 (MGN93LL/A)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comJust Black - FHD/i5-8200Y/8GB/128GB
Pixelbook Go (GA00521-US)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSilver - 7-core GPU/8GB/512GB
MacBook Air 13 (MGNA3LL/A)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comJust Black - FHD/m3/8GB/64GB
Pixelbook Go (GA00519-US)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSpace Gray - 7-core GPU/8GB/256GB
MacBook Air 13 (MGN63LL/A)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSpace Gray - 7-core GPU/8GB/512GB
MacBook Air 13 (MGN73LL/A)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
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Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
Google Pixelbook Go (2019)
Comments
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) vs Google Pixelbook Go (2019): Main Discussion
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