MacBook Air 2020: Price, Review And Specifications.
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Though, Apple's MacBook Air 2020 looks exactly like the MacBook Air 2019, yet, the latest laptop comes with a new and improved keyboard. Apart from the new keyboard, the ultrabook laptop also packed the recent 10th generation Intel processor, faster RAM and better Intel Iris Plus Graphics.
Also, compare to that of the earlier model, MacBook Air 2020 entry-level variant has twice storage space of 256GB and it also attract slightly lower price. Still, while the entry-level of the MacBook Air 2019 has Intel Core-i5 CPU, that of MacBook Air 2020 comes with the Intel Core-i3 processor.
Same Look But Upgraded Keyboard:
Like its predecessors, MacBook Air 2020 has aluminum clamshell and it also comes in colour options of Gold, Silver and Space Grey.
MacBook Air 2020 also has 11.97x8.36x0.63 inches dimension, which is almost the same as that of the 2019 model. However, the latest MacBook Air weigh 1.29Kg (2.8 pounds), which is a little heavier than the 1.25kg (2.75 pounds) weight of the earlier model.
Design-wise, the main thing that distinguished the latest MacBook Air from the earlier ones is the implementation of the recent Magic keyboard, though, physically, you can't really tell difference between the new keyboard and the one on earlier model, except by their arrow keys. In other words, the arrow keys on the latest keyboard come in the shape of inverted T.
Firstly introduced in the recent MacBook Pro 16-inch, Magic Keyboard mechanism is based on the Scissor mechanism; which is used to come with old generation MacBook laptops until Apple replaced it with the Butterfly keyboard in 2016. And ever since, many users have been critisicing Butterfly keyboard for one reason or the other. With the Magic keyboard, however, report are coming up that the typing experience on the new keyboard is more of a pleasant one.
Apart from the new keyboard, the ports and other visible features of the new laptop remain the same as those of the earlier one. For instance, MacBook Air 2020 still features two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, both of which are still located on the left side of the new laptop while the 3.5mm audio jack is also located on the right side.
MacBook Air 2020 Starting Price Is Lower:
MacBook Air 2020 comes with a starting price that's less than that of the 2019 model.
While the entry-level of the 2019 model, with 8th Gen Intel Core-i5 chipset, 8GB of RAM & 128GB SSD, costs $1,099, the entry level of the latest MacBook Air costs $999, and it features 10th Gen Intel Core-i3 1.1GHz processor, with 8GB of RAM and twice storage space of 256GB (SSD).
It should be noted that with the same $999, Dell XPS 13 2020 offers the same 10th gen. Intel Core-i3 chipset, same 256GB SSD but lesser 4GB of RAM. Also with that price, 13.5-inch Microsoft Surface laptop 3 offers a faster 10th Gen. Intel Core-i5 processor, with the same 8GB of RAM but lower 128GB SSD. Though the base variant of the Surface laptop 3 offers touch-display, compared to those of the MacBook Air 2020 and Dell XPS 13 2020.
Meanwhile, the better equipped Core-i5 variant of the MacBook Air 2020 costs the same $1,299 like its 2019 counterpart, and it also features the same 16GB of RAM. However, instead of having 256GB SSD like the earlier one, Apple equipped this latest variant with 512GB SSD. And apart from its twice storage capacity, this variant's Core-i5 processor also features 1.1GHz Quad-core, instead of 1.6GHz Dual-cores; that came with the previous Core-i5 variant.
The high-end variant of the new MacBook Air 2020 costs $2,249. And it features 1.2GHz, Core-i7 processor of the same 10th gen Intel chipset, with 16GB of RAM and storage capacity that can be configured up to 2TB SSD.
10th Gen Intel Chipset, Better GPU, Faster RAM And Higher Storage Options:
Unlike the 2019 MacBook Air, that featured 8th generation Intel chipset, MacBook Air 2020 is powered by the 10th Gen Intel Ice Lake processor; which is also found on the recent Dell XPS 13 2020 and Microsoft Surface laptop 3 13.5-inch (like i mentioned earlier).
Meanwhile, compared to the entry-level of the MacBook Air 2019 that's fitted with the Core-i5 processor (though it's 8th Gen), Apple equipped the entry level of the new laptop with the Core-i3 processor of the recent Intel chipset. This implies that the previous laptop's entry-level may have a slightly better processing power, but this is yet to be confirmed.
Nonetheless, and except for its Core-i3 variant that has a dual-core processor, the Core-i5 and Core-i7 variants of the MacBook Air 2020 have Quad-core processors. It should be noted that the Core-i5 and Core-i7 processors, in the earlier model, have dual-cores.
So it might be a better idea to go for the Core-i5 variant of the new laptop, which also has 512GB storage, yet, with the same price of the Core-i5 of the earlier model.
Furthermore, the new MacBook Air 2020 also guarrantees a better graphics performance than its predecessor as all the variants of the new laptop comes with the recent and better Intel Iris Plus integrated Graphics, which also support external display resolution of up to 6K (6144x3240 or 5760x3240).
And despite that both the previous and latest MacBook Air have the same amount of RAM, the new laptop is fitted with the LPDDR4X RAM which has a faster clock speed of 3733MHz, compared to 2133MHz of of the LPDDR3; that's found on the MacBook Air 2019.
Meanwhile, MacBook Air 2020 is also running on the MacOS Catalina like the 2019 model, and its storage (SDD) configurations also remain the same as those of the earlier laptop. Though, while the storage configurations of the earlier MacBook Air capped at 1TB (Terabyte), MacBook Air 2020 SSD storage can be configured up to 2TB.
Display, Webcam And Most of Other Features Remain The Same:
Though, Apple says that the latest MacBook Air speaker is 25 percent louder than that of its predecessor, and a few PC (Personal Computer) enthusiasts attested to this.
Also, compare to the earlier model that has Bluetooth 4.2, the latest MacBook Air features Bluetooth 5.0.
Nonetheless, other features of the MacBook Air 2020 remain as those of the last year's model. For instance, the MacBook Air 2020 still has the same 13.3-inch, 2560x1600 (227ppi) Retina IPS-LED display like its predecesors.
And like that of the 2019 model, the Retina screen of the latest laptop also features True Tone display; which changes screen colour temprature to match that of the ambient light of your surroundings.
Also, instead of having Killer Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) like the Dell XPS 13 2020 and Surface laptop 3 13.5-inch, mentioned above, MacBook Air 2020 still features Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) like the earlier MacBook Air.
Furthermore, the new laptop also features the same 720p Face Time webcam, and it also has its Touch ID (fingerprint reader) integrated into the power button; located at the top right corner of the laptop deck.
Concerning its battery life, MacBook Air 2020 still features 50W battery. And Apple says that with Wireless internet browsing, the laptop's battery will last for up to 11hrs; which is an hour less than that of the earlier model.
Apple MacBook Air 2020 Specifications:
GENERAL:
Maker: Apple.
Name: MacBook Air 2020.
Year: February, 2020.
DIMENSION & COLOUR:
Dimension: 11.97x8.36x0.63 inches.
Weight: 1.29kg (2.8lbs).
Colour: Silver, Space Grey and Gold.
DISPLAY:
Size and Type: 13.3 inch True Tone IPS-LED Display.
Aspect Ratio: 16:10.
Resolution: Retina (2560X1600).
Pixel density: 227PPI.
PERFORMANCE:
Chipset: 10th Gen. (Ice Lake) Intel Core-i3, Core-i5 and Core-i7 Processors.
GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics.
Operating System: MacOS Catalina.
RAM & STORAGE:
RAM: 8GB-16GB LPDDR4X.
Storage: 256GB-2TB PCIe NVMe SSD (Solid State Drive).
CONNECTIVITY & PORTS:
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, Killer Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).
Ports: 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) and 3.5mm Audio Combo.
MULTIMEDIA & SECURITY:
Multimedia: 720p (HD) Face Time Webcam.
Security: Touch ID (integrated into the Power button).
BATTERY:
49.9Wh (up to 11 hours).
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MacBook Air 2020 Quick Specs.
13.3-inch IPS-LED Retina Display (227ppi).
16:10 Aspect Ratio.
10th Gen. Intel Ice Lake Processor.
MacOS Catalina.
8GB or 16GB of RAM.
256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB PCIe NVMe SSD.
2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), 3.5mm Audio Jack.
49.9W Battery.
Starting Price: $999/£999 (375,850 Naira, GHs 5,565, Kes 102,986, Ugx 3,730,707).
Though, Apple's MacBook Air 2020 looks exactly like the MacBook Air 2019, yet, the latest laptop comes with a new and improved keyboard. Apart from the new keyboard, the ultrabook laptop also packed the recent 10th generation Intel processor, faster RAM and better Intel Iris Plus Graphics.
Also, compare to that of the earlier model, MacBook Air 2020 entry-level variant has twice storage space of 256GB and it also attract slightly lower price. Still, while the entry-level of the MacBook Air 2019 has Intel Core-i5 CPU, that of MacBook Air 2020 comes with the Intel Core-i3 processor.
Same Look But Upgraded Keyboard:
Like its predecessors, MacBook Air 2020 has aluminum clamshell and it also comes in colour options of Gold, Silver and Space Grey.
MacBook Air 2020 also has 11.97x8.36x0.63 inches dimension, which is almost the same as that of the 2019 model. However, the latest MacBook Air weigh 1.29Kg (2.8 pounds), which is a little heavier than the 1.25kg (2.75 pounds) weight of the earlier model.
Design-wise, the main thing that distinguished the latest MacBook Air from the earlier ones is the implementation of the recent Magic keyboard, though, physically, you can't really tell difference between the new keyboard and the one on earlier model, except by their arrow keys. In other words, the arrow keys on the latest keyboard come in the shape of inverted T.
Firstly introduced in the recent MacBook Pro 16-inch, Magic Keyboard mechanism is based on the Scissor mechanism; which is used to come with old generation MacBook laptops until Apple replaced it with the Butterfly keyboard in 2016. And ever since, many users have been critisicing Butterfly keyboard for one reason or the other. With the Magic keyboard, however, report are coming up that the typing experience on the new keyboard is more of a pleasant one.
Apart from the new keyboard, the ports and other visible features of the new laptop remain the same as those of the earlier one. For instance, MacBook Air 2020 still features two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, both of which are still located on the left side of the new laptop while the 3.5mm audio jack is also located on the right side.
MacBook Air 2020 Starting Price Is Lower:
MacBook Air 2020 comes with a starting price that's less than that of the 2019 model.
While the entry-level of the 2019 model, with 8th Gen Intel Core-i5 chipset, 8GB of RAM & 128GB SSD, costs $1,099, the entry level of the latest MacBook Air costs $999, and it features 10th Gen Intel Core-i3 1.1GHz processor, with 8GB of RAM and twice storage space of 256GB (SSD).
It should be noted that with the same $999, Dell XPS 13 2020 offers the same 10th gen. Intel Core-i3 chipset, same 256GB SSD but lesser 4GB of RAM. Also with that price, 13.5-inch Microsoft Surface laptop 3 offers a faster 10th Gen. Intel Core-i5 processor, with the same 8GB of RAM but lower 128GB SSD. Though the base variant of the Surface laptop 3 offers touch-display, compared to those of the MacBook Air 2020 and Dell XPS 13 2020.
Meanwhile, the better equipped Core-i5 variant of the MacBook Air 2020 costs the same $1,299 like its 2019 counterpart, and it also features the same 16GB of RAM. However, instead of having 256GB SSD like the earlier one, Apple equipped this latest variant with 512GB SSD. And apart from its twice storage capacity, this variant's Core-i5 processor also features 1.1GHz Quad-core, instead of 1.6GHz Dual-cores; that came with the previous Core-i5 variant.
The high-end variant of the new MacBook Air 2020 costs $2,249. And it features 1.2GHz, Core-i7 processor of the same 10th gen Intel chipset, with 16GB of RAM and storage capacity that can be configured up to 2TB SSD.
10th Gen Intel Chipset, Better GPU, Faster RAM And Higher Storage Options:
Unlike the 2019 MacBook Air, that featured 8th generation Intel chipset, MacBook Air 2020 is powered by the 10th Gen Intel Ice Lake processor; which is also found on the recent Dell XPS 13 2020 and Microsoft Surface laptop 3 13.5-inch (like i mentioned earlier).
Meanwhile, compared to the entry-level of the MacBook Air 2019 that's fitted with the Core-i5 processor (though it's 8th Gen), Apple equipped the entry level of the new laptop with the Core-i3 processor of the recent Intel chipset. This implies that the previous laptop's entry-level may have a slightly better processing power, but this is yet to be confirmed.
Nonetheless, and except for its Core-i3 variant that has a dual-core processor, the Core-i5 and Core-i7 variants of the MacBook Air 2020 have Quad-core processors. It should be noted that the Core-i5 and Core-i7 processors, in the earlier model, have dual-cores.
So it might be a better idea to go for the Core-i5 variant of the new laptop, which also has 512GB storage, yet, with the same price of the Core-i5 of the earlier model.
Furthermore, the new MacBook Air 2020 also guarrantees a better graphics performance than its predecessor as all the variants of the new laptop comes with the recent and better Intel Iris Plus integrated Graphics, which also support external display resolution of up to 6K (6144x3240 or 5760x3240).
And despite that both the previous and latest MacBook Air have the same amount of RAM, the new laptop is fitted with the LPDDR4X RAM which has a faster clock speed of 3733MHz, compared to 2133MHz of of the LPDDR3; that's found on the MacBook Air 2019.
Display, Webcam And Most of Other Features Remain The Same:
Though, Apple says that the latest MacBook Air speaker is 25 percent louder than that of its predecessor, and a few PC (Personal Computer) enthusiasts attested to this.
Also, compare to the earlier model that has Bluetooth 4.2, the latest MacBook Air features Bluetooth 5.0.
Nonetheless, other features of the MacBook Air 2020 remain as those of the last year's model. For instance, the MacBook Air 2020 still has the same 13.3-inch, 2560x1600 (227ppi) Retina IPS-LED display like its predecesors.
And like that of the 2019 model, the Retina screen of the latest laptop also features True Tone display; which changes screen colour temprature to match that of the ambient light of your surroundings.
Also, instead of having Killer Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) like the Dell XPS 13 2020 and Surface laptop 3 13.5-inch, mentioned above, MacBook Air 2020 still features Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) like the earlier MacBook Air.
Furthermore, the new laptop also features the same 720p Face Time webcam, and it also has its Touch ID (fingerprint reader) integrated into the power button; located at the top right corner of the laptop deck.
Concerning its battery life, MacBook Air 2020 still features 50W battery. And Apple says that with Wireless internet browsing, the laptop's battery will last for up to 11hrs; which is an hour less than that of the earlier model.
Apple MacBook Air 2020 Specifications:
GENERAL:
Maker: Apple.
Name: MacBook Air 2020.
Year: February, 2020.
DIMENSION & COLOUR:
Dimension: 11.97x8.36x0.63 inches.
Weight: 1.29kg (2.8lbs).
Colour: Silver, Space Grey and Gold.
DISPLAY:
Size and Type: 13.3 inch True Tone IPS-LED Display.
Aspect Ratio: 16:10.
Resolution: Retina (2560X1600).
Pixel density: 227PPI.
PERFORMANCE:
Chipset: 10th Gen. (Ice Lake) Intel Core-i3, Core-i5 and Core-i7 Processors.
GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics.
Operating System: MacOS Catalina.
RAM & STORAGE:
RAM: 8GB-16GB LPDDR4X.
Storage: 256GB-2TB PCIe NVMe SSD (Solid State Drive).
CONNECTIVITY & PORTS:
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, Killer Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).
Ports: 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) and 3.5mm Audio Combo.
MULTIMEDIA & SECURITY:
Multimedia: 720p (HD) Face Time Webcam.
Security: Touch ID (integrated into the Power button).
BATTERY:
49.9Wh (up to 11 hours).
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