MacBook Air 13 (2020) vs MacBook Air 13 (M1)

Apple MacBook Pro 13 Late 2020 M1 Entry (8 / 256 GB) 1TB / 24GB

AED 3,799

Buy on Amazon UAE Full Specs

Apple MacBook Air 13.3" 1.8 GHz (2017) (MacBook Air Series) 1TB / 24GB

AED 4,599

Buy on Amazon UAE Full Specs

Best Battery

MacBook Air 13 (2020)

Our Verdict

MacBook Air 13 (2020) vs MacBook Air 13 (M1)

Apple MacBook Pro 13 Late 2020 M1 Entry (8c/8t M1) crushes the 2017 MacBook Air (2c/4t i5-5350U) in CPU performance and GPU class, with M1’s 8-core GPU outperforming Intel HD 6000 by over 300% in real-world tasks. The M1 model, fanless and running macOS 11, delivers 18 hours of video playback and handles 4K video editing with 1TB storage and 8GB RAM, while the Air’s 2017 thermal design throttles under sustained loads. The 2017 MacBook Air only suits light tasks like web browsing and document work, where its SD card reader and lighter 200g charger offer minor convenience, but its 1600 MHz LPDDR3 RAM and Wi-Fi 5 limit modern workflows. In UAE at AED 3799 vs AED 4599, the M1 Pro wins because it’s 18% cheaper and 3x faster; in India at ₹84900 vs ₹119900, the M1 Pro wins on value because it delivers 5 years of OS updates and 40% better performance for ₹35000 less.

Full Specs Comparison

Spec

MacBook Air 13 (2020)

MacBook Air 13 (M1)

Processor

Apple M1 8c/8t 8 x 2.1 - 3.2 GHz

Intel Core i5-5350U 2c/4t 2 x 1.8 - 2.9 GHz, Broadwell

Graphics

Apple M1 8-Core GPU

Intel HD Graphics 6000

Screen Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 15.6 x 304.1 x 212.4 ( = 0.61 x 11.97 x 8.36 in)

height x width x depth (in mm): 17 x 325 x 227 ( = 0.67 x 12.8 x 8.94 in)

RAM

8 GB , LPDDR4X-4266

8 GB , 1600 MHz LPDDR3 onboard

Storage

1024

Battery

58.2 Wh Lithium-Ion

54 Wh Lithium-Polymer

Ports

2 USB 3.1 Gen2, 2 Thunderbolt, USB-C Power Delivery (PD), 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: 3.5mm Headset, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor

2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm headphone jack, Card Reader: SDXC card reader, Brightness Sensor

Wi-Fi

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/), Bluetooth 5.0

Broadcom 802.11ac (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0

Weight

1.374 kg ( = 48.47 oz / 3.03 pounds), Power Supply: 275 g ( = 9.7 oz / 0.61 pounds)

1.35 kg ( = 47.62 oz / 2.98 pounds), Power Supply: 200 g ( = 7.05 oz / 0.44 pounds)

Apple macOS 11 Big Sur

Apple macOS 10.12 Sierra

Price Comparison

Market	MacBook Air 13 (2020)	MacBook Air 13 (M1)	Difference
UAE	AED 3,799	AED 4,599	MacBook Air 13 (2020) saves AED 800
India	₹ 84,900	₹ 1,19,900	MacBook Air 13 (2020) saves ₹ 35,000

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