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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 Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Aug 08, 2024 02:46 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Apr 04, 2025 07:50 PM
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Amazon.com
Size13.3"
Operating SystemmacOS
Size13.6"
Operating SystemmacOS
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)
- MacBook Air 13 (MXCV3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXW3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXV3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MXCT3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXR3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXQ3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MXCR3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXP3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXN3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MXCU3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXU3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXT3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
Our Verdict
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) is a newer version of the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020), though two generations apart. The 2024 model is better overall; it has a brighter display, a better webcam, and a faster M3 SoC. It also has a MagSafe charging port, which frees up a USB-C that you would otherwise need to charge the laptop, and it can output to two external displays, albeit with the laptop closed. Its battery life isn't quite as good as the M1 model for light uses, but it's much better for video playback, thanks to the addition of an AV1 decoder.
Main Differences forSchool
School
Threshold
School
8.4
8.6
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
9.5
9.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.1
9.1
Hinge Photo
Range
135°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
9.1
9.1
Dimensions Photo
Size
13.3"
13.6"
Thickness
0.5" (1.3 cm)
0.5" (1.3 cm)
Width
12.0" (30.5 cm)
12.0" (30.4 cm)
Depth
8.4" (21.2 cm)
8.5" (21.5 cm)
Volume
51.3 in³ (840.6 cm³)
51.9 in³ (849.7 cm³)
Weight
2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)
2.7 lbs (1.2 kg)
Charger Size
5.5 in³ (90.6 cm³)
5.5 in³ (89.4 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
0.3 lbs (0.2 kg)
Serviceability
3.3
3.5
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
5.5
6.0
RAM Slots
0
0
Storage Slots
0
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
No
No
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
2560 x 1600
2560 x 1664
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
Pixel Density
225 PPI
224 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
84%
86%
Refresh Rate
5.9
5.9
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
No
Contrast
6.8
7.6
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
1,044 : 1
1,518 : 1
Brightness
7.8
8.4
Maximum Brightness
372 cd/m²
453 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
4 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Reflections
8.9
9.2
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Glossy
Glossy
Total Reflections
1.73%
1.35%
Indirect Reflections
0.16%
0.4%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.57%
0.95%
Black Uniformity
7.4
9.4
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
1.071%
0.556%
Horizontal Viewing Angle
6.8
6.6
Horizontal Viewing Angle Video
Horizontal Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Left
25°
27°
Color Washout From Right
28°
28°
Horizontal Hue Picture
Color Shift From Left
40°
31°
Color Shift From Right
46°
35°
Horizontal Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Left
28°
29°
Brightness Loss From Right
31°
30°
Black Level Raise From Left
60°
60°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
29°
27°
Gamma Shift From Right
32°
28°
Vertical Viewing Angle
6.8
6.4
Vertical Viewing Angle Video
Vertical Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Below
25°
24°
Color Washout From Above
25°
25°
Vertical Hue Picture
Color Shift From Below
37°
33°
Color Shift From Above
41°
29°
Vertical Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Below
27°
27°
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°
28°
Gamma Shift From Above
35°
29°
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
9.7
9.3
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
1.75
2.18
Avg. Gamma
2.2
2.25
Avg. Color dE
1.21
1.38
Avg. Color Temperature
6,883.6 K
6,821.3 K
Color Gamut
9.4
9.4
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
99.96%
99.98%
sRGB uv
99.84%
99.98%
Adobe RGB xy
88.07%
87.68%
Adobe RGB uv
92.88%
92.89%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
99.57%
99.31%
DCI P3 uv
99.15%
99.25%
Rec. 2020 xy
72.25%
72.02%
Rec. 2020 uv
73.92%
73.74%
Flicker
10
9.0
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
Yes
No
Flicker Frequency
No Flicker
> 1000Hz
Flicker Active Below
0%
100%
Interface
Keyboard
7.6
8.0
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
7.5
8.0
Numpad
No
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
63 gf
64 gf
Actuation Force
37 gf
39 gf
Pre-Travel
0.76 mm
0.76 mm
Total Travel
0.85 mm
0.86 mm
Touchpad
8.8
9.2
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
9.0
9.5
Size
14.9 in² (96.0 cm²)
15.8 in² (102.0 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
8.9
8.1
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
79 dB SPL
75 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
4.5 dB
3.7 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
1.6
0.1
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
247 Hz
236 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
20 kHz
20 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
1.9 dB
1.3 dB
Webcam & Microphone
8.2
8.7
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
8.5
9.0
Resolution
720p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
No
Face Unlock
No
No
Connectivity
Ports
4.0
5.0
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
0
0
USB-C Ports
2
2
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 3
Thunderbolt 3
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
Apple MagSafe 3
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.0
5.3
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Apple
Apple
Model
M1
M3
Core Count
8
8
Thread Count
8
8
GPU
Brand
Apple
Apple
Model
M1
M3
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A
N/A
RAM
Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Modules
2 (Soldered)
Unknown
Type
LP-DDR4X
LP-DDR5
Speed
4,266 MHz
6,400 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
256 GB
256 GB
Usable Capacity
218 GB
214 GB
Drive 1
SDRGJHI4
Apple SSD AP0256Z
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
9.3
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,721 points
2,347 points
CPU Multi-Thread
7,437 points
10,793 points
GPU Compute
19,359 points
29,965 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
9.1
9.7
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,497 points
1,897 points
Multi-Thread
6,855 points
9,006 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
6.2
8.6
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
7.3 min
3.9 min
GPU Render Time
N/A
2.2 min
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
6.1
6.8
Basemark Image
Overall Score
26,868
36,620
Storage Drive Performance
9.3
9.2
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
2,580.5 MB/s
2,816.8 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
2,487.4 MB/s
2,702.2 MB/s
Random Write Speed
51.5 MB/s
40.0 MB/s
Random Read Speed
60.5 MB/s
64.2 MB/s
Battery
8.8
8.8
Capacity
50 Wh
53 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
13.3 hrs
11.6 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
6.6 hrs
11.6 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
2.6 hrs
3.3 hrs
Charge Time
3.1 hrs
3.0 hrs
Borderlands 3
2.4
3.2
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
15 fps
20 fps
1% Low
6 fps
7 fps
0.1% Low
3 fps
3 fps
1% Low Delta
86 ms
88 ms
0.1% Low Delta
302 ms
265 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
32 fps
37 fps
Civilization VI
5.6
4.4
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
32 fps
30 fps
1% Low
23 fps
17 fps
0.1% Low
21 fps
14 fps
1% Low Delta
12 ms
27 ms
0.1% Low Delta
17 ms
37 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
71 fps
92 fps
Avg. Turn Time
11.63 s
11.76 s
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
7.7
CS:GO graph
Avg. FPS
65 fps
1% Low
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
94 fps
Counter-Strike 2
0.0
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
N/A
1% Low
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
N/A
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
2.0
4.3
Avg. FPS
13 fps
31 fps
1% Low
9 fps
11 fps
0.1% Low
5 fps
5 fps
1% Low Delta
31 ms
62 ms
0.1% Low Delta
135 ms
150 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
26 fps
41 fps
Thermals And Noise
8.3
8.1
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
28 °C (82 °F)
28 °C (83 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
47 °C (117 °F)
49 °C (119 °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
5.7
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
N/A
83 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
13% loss
12% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
N/A
83 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
3% loss
16% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
macOS
macOS
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)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)
Comments
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024): Main Discussion
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