MacBook Air review (Intel, early 2022)

Our Verdict

The MacBook Air 2020 is the best MacBook for most people, thanks to a major keyboard upgrade, impressive audio and a slap-up display.

For

Comfortable keyboard
Elegant design
Long battery life
Powerful speakers
Twice every bit much storage by default

Against

Performance trails Windows laptops
Low-res webcam
No USB-A ports

Tom's Guide Verdict

The MacBook Air 2020 is the best MacBook for almost people, cheers to a major keyboard upgrade, impressive sound and a great display.

Pros

+
Comfortable keyboard
+
Elegant design
+
Long battery life
+
Powerful speakers
+
Twice every bit much storage by default

Cons

-
Performance trails Windows laptops
-
Low-res webcam
-
No USB-A ports

Editor's annotation: Apple replaced this laptop in its lineup with the MacBook Air with M1 processor — which is i of the best laptops . Here is the original review we published for the Intel-based MacBook Air.

The MacBook Air 2020 is here, and I've haven't been this excited for a keyboard in my life. That'due south how important this year's Air is: it's one of the biggest updates yet to Apple'due south popular wedge-shaped ultraportable. While the 2018 Retina Display update was an important pace forward for the MacBook Air, information technology came with a problem: a butterfly-switch keyboard that was shallow and unreliable.

The new MacBook Air fixes that problem with a new Magic Keyboard with better travel and a more proven scissor-switch mechanism. The new Air too boasts improved battery life, enough to last you a whole day of work.

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On acme of that, you lot've got all the standard aspects of Apple's excellent MacBook line: potent sound, slick blueprint and a sharp, colorful display. Apple tree's even made some pricing and configuration changes that make the new Air a more affordable and value-driven laptop.

On the downside, the new 10th generation Intel processor isn't as fast every bit we'd like at this price, and Apple is still going USB-C only (despite the fact that plenty of USB-A accessories still exist).

MacBook Air 2020 specs

Price: $999 (starting) $1,299 (every bit tested)
CPU: 10th Gen Intel Core i3, Cadre i5, Core i7
GPU: Intel Iris Plus
RAM: 8GB, 16GB
Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
Display: thirteen.3-inch, 2560 x 1600
Battery: ix:31 (tested)
Size: xi.9 x 8.4 x 0.half-dozen inches
Weight: 2.8 pounds

MacBook Air 2020 review: Toll and configurations

As noted above, the Intel-based MacBook Air is no longer available for sale. Information technology came out in March 2020.

For a while, the MacBook Air started at $1,099, meaning that Apple didn't sell a sub-$i,000 laptop. The new MacBook Air fixes that, knocking downwardly the intro level price to $999, for a configuration that includes an Intel 10th Gen Core i3 CPU, 8GB of retentiveness and 256GB of storage. Not merely is that model cheaper than it was last year, but it's likewise got an SSD that'southward twice equally large as the 128GB bulldoze that Apple tree used to default to.

We tested a slightly upgraded model, with an 10th Gen Core i5 CPU, 8GB of retention and 512GB of storage, which costs $one,299. A $150 upgrade to a Cadre i7 CPU would bring the cost to $1,549, while doubling the retention to 16GB costs $200. I'd probably opt for a $one,499 model with an i5 CPU and the extra RAM.

The Dell XPS 13 (2020) starts at $1,249, with a Core i3-1005G1 scrap, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 with Signature Blazon Encompass starts at $908, with the same Cadre i3-1005G1 CPU, simply 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. You can purchase a Core i5/8GB/256GB Surface Pro 7 for $i,199, but then the $159 Blazon Cover brings that up to $i,358.

MacBook Air 2020 review: Design

While Dell and HP are catching up to Apple on aesthetics, the MacBook Air 2020 is even so a gorgeous laptop that stands out in a oversupply. The Gold color version still looks fresh, fifty-fifty though Apple's only made small-scale tweaks to the design over the years. It's a matter of contrast, as the Gold keyboard deck and chassis just pair amend with the black bezel and keyboard than the Silver and Space Gray.

The Air'due south brandish bezels look thin enough on the sides, but the acme bezel (which is wide enough to permit for a web-cam) looks a little mesomorphic. Maybe anytime we'll see a MacBook with a notched brandish and Face ID.

As I tested the xiii-inch MacBook Air, I found myself wishing Apple tree made it in a larger 15-inch design. This was more than most my forearms feeling a footling scrunched than anything else (I'm used to working on larger laptops), though more screen infinite would be welcome.

The new MacBook weighs 2.viii pounds and measures 11.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches. That's the aforementioned as last year's model, showing that the right keyboard doesn't take to change annihilation well-nigh the chassis. The XPS 13 (2.8 pounds, 0.6 inches) measures similarly, while the Surface Pro seven (1.7 pounds, 2.4 pounds with case, 0.iii inches) is both thinner and lighter.

MacBook Air 2020 review: Ports

The new MacBook Air has dual Thunderbolt 3 ports on the left and its headphone jack on the right. I would rather Apple divide USB-C ports between the left and right sides of the laptop, simply information technology'south not a dealbreaker.

When Apple saw the low-cal on replacing the Butterfly keyboard, I was hoping it would also reconsider bringing back the boxy USB-A ports for easier employ with about peripherals. Alas, you'll need an hub or adapter if you want to use any of your slightly older gadgets and cables.

The Surface Pro 7 offers a USB-A port, while the XPS 13 doesn't (Dell throws in a USB-C to USB-A adapter). Both the Surface Pro and XPS xiii include a microSD card reader.

MacBook Air 2020 review: Display

Watching the climactic scene of the film Hereditary on the MacBook Air 2020, I saw precise blues, yellows and magentas in the flowers that comprise Florence Pugh'south dress. I also noticed lots of small detail, such every bit the stamens of the blooms and the slight bruises and wearable and tear on her face. When the camera panned back to the barn, the giant fire rendered in an accurate golden bonfire.

The lite in my flat must be pretty cold, as the True Tone brandish option (which adjusts white remainder for ambient lighting) warmed the color balance on the Air. Every bit I watched Hereditary, and episodes of chef J. Kenji López-Alt's cooking series on YouTube, I plant that the display looked meliorate with True Tone on.

Our colorimeter rates the MacBook Air'southward Retina Display equally producing 113% of the sRGB gamut, which clears the 100% standard for premium laptops. The XPS xiii (108%) and the Surface (97%) had lower scores.

The Air's screen is also plenty bright, producing 386 nits of brightness, which is a minor notch below the 395-nit Surface Pro seven. The 4K version of the XPS 13 rates for 301 nits, while the 1080p XPS 13 outshines the MacBook Air with 417 nits.

MacBook Air 2020 review: Audio and webcam

Never have I heard this much volume come up out of such a minor laptop. As I typed this review, I felt immersed in The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights," with its strong, pulsing bass, silky sugariness vocals and crisp synths. I also heard potent details of the Arctic Monkeys vocal "Practice I Wanna Know?" equally if its guitars were growling at me.

Right now, as the best webcams are sold out everywhere, and we're all learning how to use Zoom, I really wish Apple tree could buck the trend of laptops having the bare minimum when it comes to internal cameras. Instead, the MacBook Air 2020 has the same lackluster 720p webcam as before, which doesn't provide a peachy image of yourself for all the video calls you'll be making and or quarantine vlogs you determine to capture.

MacBook Air 2020 review: Keyboard and touchpad

The biggest reason why I'm because buying the MacBook Air 2020 for myself is the magic of a nifty keyboard. Specifically, the Magic Keyboard that Apple tree finally bestowed upon the MacBook Air (later giving it to the MacBook Pro sixteen-inch last year), which has keys that actually feel great to type on, equally if my fingers are a pack of Marios gleefully bouncing off of goombas.

The new MacBook Air has keys that actually feel great to type on, as if my fingers are a pack of Marios gleefully bouncing off of goombas.

The keys feature 1 millimeter of travel, which is improved from the 0.7mm from final year's keys. That makes a huge departure, adding 42% more depth to the keys so you don't feel like you're slamming your digits confronting metallic.

It's not just the keyboard's depth that has improved, though: Apple tree's swapped out the 'butterfly' style switches information technology used in the MacBook Air for the last two years for a traditional scissors-manner switch, y'all can feel the difference. When I took the keyboard for a spin on the 10fastfingers.com typing examination, I clicked to a rate of 77 words per infinitesimal, which is not too far from my 80wpm average.

The MacBook Air'due south 5.two x 4.7-inch Strength Touch trackpad offers speedy response times to two-finger scrolling and 3-finger macOS gestures. I still wish y'all could actually click the trackpad, as the haptic feedback it provides to try and "fool" your fingers even so doesn't provide enough of a click, even when you increase its reaction setting.

MacBook Air 2020 review: Performance

I tested a configuration of the new MacBook Air with an Intel Cadre i5-1030NG7 processor (which is based on the depression-power Y-series architecture) and 8GB of memory, which enabled moderate multitasking, merely not as much every bit I wanted. To start, I split my screen with a dozen Safari tabs and a 1080p YouTube video of footage shot on a Disney World amusement park ride, and saw no slowdowns or stutter.

But as the twenty-four hours progressed and I pushed the machine harder, I noticed a few pauses. With 12 Safari tabs, sixteen Chrome tabs, Slack, Discord, 1Password and the 4K version of the movie Midsommar open up in the Boob tube app, I saw slight lag as I switched between apps. I could even hear the MacBook Air'due south fans diggings loudly, trying to absurd the organisation to continue upwardly.

The MacBook Air 2020 didn't wow us on constructed benchmarks, with a two,738 on Geekbench 5.0, which measures overall performance. We saw much higher scores from the Microsoft Surface Pro vii (Core i5-1035G4 U-series CPU) and Dell XPS thirteen (Core i7-1065G7 U-series CPU) with 4,443 and 4,847, respectively — which makes sense given their faster U-serial chips.

The MacBook Air 2020 took 27 minutes and 10 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p in Handbrake, which is non great.. The Surface Pro was v minutes faster than the Air with a fourth dimension of 22:30, and the XPS thirteen was nearly twice as fast at xv:40.

The one highlight of the new MacBook Air's benchmark scores came from its mighty fast 512GB SSD. On the BlackMagic speed examination, the Air recorded a 1,301.9MBps read speed, which tops our 1,162.7MBps average for laptops.

The Intel Iris Plus GPU in the MacBook Air 2020 isn't built for serious gaming or graphics work, merely it's notwithstanding capable of basic tasks. I was able to perform snappy edits in the Pixelmator image editor, and the Apple tree Arcade championship Sayonara Wild Hearts played smooth enough, even with dozens of Chrome and Safari tabs open in the background. But on the Sid Meyer'southward Civilization VI test, the MacBook Air simply notched a 7, lagging behind the 9 category average and the XPS 13'south eighteen.vii.

MacBook Air 2020 review: Battery life

The new MacBook Air'due south battery life is a notable improvement over concluding twelvemonth'southward model. On our bombardment exam (continuous spider web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits), the MacBook Air 2020 lasted for 9 hours and 31 minutes, chirapsia the 2019 model'south fourth dimension of 8:51 and outlasting the Surface Pro (seven:30). The 1080p XPS 13, nonetheless, crushed all competitors with an incredible 12 hours and 39 minutes.

MacBook Air 2020 review: Verdict

Equally this MacBook Air 2020 review shows, this model made it easier to find the right MacBook. Its comfortable keyboard, amazing sound quality and lengthy battery life fabricated the Intel the MacBook Air the default MacBook for most — and that stayed true for the M1-based MacBook Air that succeeded information technology.

If you're a power user, but don't want to spend MacBook Pro prices, the Dell XPS thirteen offers more speed and longer battery life, giving Mac users a reason to consider switching. Notwithstanding, if you've got the greenbacks, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is a speed demon worth looking at. But everyday users that are tied to the macOS ecosystem will love the MacBook Air for its abrupt, colorful screen and solid endurance.

Henry is a senior editor at Tom's Guide roofing streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past six-plus years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He'south too covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.