New MacBook Air M1 Review – Best Affordable Laptop for 2021

Last Updated on October 15, 2022

Apple MacBook Air M1 Review

The MacBook Air M1 in brief:

• The New Apple MacBook Air M1 features Apple’s first chip designed especially for Mac.
• The Apple M1 integrates the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine and I/O into a single system on a chip (SoC).
• The new MacBook Air M1 with the fast 8-Core CPU and take on graphics-intensive apps and games with the 7-core GPU.
• The MacBook M1 chip boasts of a 16-core Neural Engine, perfect for machine learning tasks.
• The New MacBook Air is quiet, thanks to a fan-less design.
• Battery life is awesome, you can use the new MacBook for up to 18 hours on one battery charge. You can get up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing and up to 18 hours of video playback.
• The new MacBook Air M1 now has a lot more power. It also has 8GB of unified RAM and a 256GB SSD. It is still sleek and portable..

The MacBook’s Retina Display features a 13.3″ inch screen. The screen resolution is 2560 x 1600 and it has a 16:10 aspect ratio for 227 pixels per inch (ppi). The display also features up to 48 percent more color than the previous generation. The display has a new True Tone technology. True Tone is a new technology, that adjusts the white balance automatically to match the color temperature of the light around you. This gives you a more natural viewing experience.

The MacBook Air processor – Apple M1 Chip

Packed with 16 billion transistors, the Apple M1 integrates the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, I/O, and more into a single system on a chip (SoC). The Apple M1 delivers the performance you need without sacrificing power efficiency. The Apple M1 features four high-performance cores, each designed to run a single task, which allows for multithreaded workloads. There are also four efficiency cores to handle lighter workloads, using only a tenth of the power while still delivering fast performance. This means the Apple M1 performs up to 3.5 times faster than the previous generation.

MacBook Air M1 Display

The new MacBook Air features a 13.3″ Retina IPS Display with four times as many pixels as an HD display. The 13.3″ Retina IPS Display provides up to 48 percent more color than the previous generation. The Retina Display has a 2560 x 1600 screen resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio for 227 pixels per inch (ppi). The display glass goes right to the edge of the screen, making the bezels 50 percent thinner than before.

True Tone Technology

With True Tone technology, the display delivers a more natural viewing experience for design and editing workflows, as well as everyday tasks like browsing the web and writing email.

MacBook Air Microphone

The new MacBook air features a studio-quality microphone for clear recordings and calls.

MacBook Air Camera

The MacBook Air features Apple’s latest camera ISP in the M1 chip, which enables sharper images and more details in shadows and highlights in video calls.

MacBook Air Security

The advanced security and convenience of Touch ID is built into the new MacBook Air M1. Simply place your finger on the integrated Touch ID sensor and your MacBook Air M1 unlocks. Use your fingerprint to immediately access locked documents, notes, and system settings. The MacBook Air M1 is also secured with Secure Enclave. You can also use Apple Pay securely during checkout while online shopping. No need to enter shipping or billing info, and your card details are never shared.

MacBook Air Magic Keyboard

The Magic Keyboard on the MacBook Air M1 features a scissor mechanism that delivers 1mm of key travel. There’s also a physical Esc key and an inverted “T” arrangement for the arrow keys. Combined with the Touch ID, the Magic Keyboard provides a comfortable, accurate typing experience. The Touch Bar allows for shortcuts, the backlit Magic Keyboard provides a comfortable typing experience, and the Force Touch trackpad allows for precise cursor control, pressure-sensing capabilities, and Multi-Touch gestures.

MacBook Air M1 Connectivity

The MacBook Air connects to the internet via Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and use compatible wireless peripherals and accessories with Bluetooth 5.0.

Thunderbolt 3 with USB4 Support

The two Thunderbolt 3 ports provide USB4 support and can even connect to the Apple Pro Display XDR in full 6K resolution.Thunderbolt 3 is a hardware interface that utilizes the reversible USB Type-C connector. Doubling the speed of its predecessor, Thunderbolt 3 features a maximum throughput of 40 Gb/s when used with compatible devices. The connector also supports USB4, allowing you to connect to more peripherals, including the Apple Pro Display XDR in full 6K resolution.

New MacBook Air Improved Software Features

When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered MacBook Air can:

• Export a project for the web with iMovie up to 3x faster
• Integrate 3D effects into video in Final Cut Pro up to 5x faster
• For the first time, play back and edit multiple streams of full-quality, 4K ProRes video in Final Cut Pro without dropping a frame
• Export photos from Lightroom up to twice as fast Use ML-based features like
• Smart Conform in Final Cut Pro to intelligently frame a clip up to 4.3x faster
• Watch more movies and TV shows with up to 18 hours of battery life, the longest ever on MacBook Air Extend FaceTime and other video calls for up to twice as long on a single charge

MacBook Air M1 Specifications:

Display	13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
Processor	System on Chip (SoC) Apple M1 chip; 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores; 16-core Neural Engine
Graphics and Video Support	Apple 8-core GPU
Charging and Expansion	Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with support for: Charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40 Gbps), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps)
Wireless	802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible. Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology
In the Box	13-inch MacBook Air, 30W USB-C Power Adapter, USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
Height	0.16–0.63 inch (0.41–1.61 cm)
Width	11.97 inches (30.41 cm)
Depth	8.36 inches (21.24 cm)
Weight	2.8 pounds (1.25 kg)
Release Date	11/10/2020

The Bottom Line

The new MacBook Air M1 is a great and improved MacBook Air in a lot of ways. It is portable as well as a capable, powerful laptop. It is perfect for everyday use, travel, writing, web browsing, studying and most everyday tasks. Thus the new MacBook Air is a great tool for students, writers, bloggers, and people on the go.