MacBook Air (2020): Specs and price

Apple updates its lighter laptop, the new MacBook Air (2020) maintains the same design but offers greater performance thanks to 10th Gen Intel Core processors, while the Magic Keyboard promises to resolve issues with the previous butterfly layout of the keys.

For the first time in the lineup, the 2020 MacBook Air offers 4-core processors, with up to twice the performance of previous ones Models. Graphically, the improvement is 80%, which, while not being enough for serious gaming, will be useful for Apple Arcade subscription games available on macOS.

Base storage is doubled, with a 256 GB SSD, while the display receives no changes, but maintains True Tone, an interesting system that calibrates the color according to the ambient lighting of each moment.

The MacBook Air (2020) is not only improved by its additions, but also by an absence: the butterfly keyboard disappears, giving way to the Magic Keyboard, which uses a conventional scissor mechanism, and that the 16-inch MacBook Pro had already released.

It seems that Apple definitely abandons the butterfly keyboard, an own design that helped to design lighter laptops, but that was too much prone to getting stuck when debris gets into the keys.

Force Touch is maintained on the trackpad, with pressure detection, and Touch ID to access the system using our fingerprint.

Connectivity is still very limited, the MacBook Air (2020) is committed to lightness and only includes 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports (compatible with with USB-C) on its left side and a 3.5mm audio jack on the right.

Although Thunderbolt 3 integrates many functions (equipment charging, peripheral connection, video output…), in practice we will sometimes depend on adapters or a USB-C hub if we need to access Internet via Ethernet or take video via HDMI, among other situations.

MacBook Air (2020) Data Sheet

If we take a look at the specs of the MacBook Air (2020) we see that its power has increased considerably, especially in configurations superiors. These are your details:

1. Display: 13.3 inches (2,560 x 1,600 pixels, 16:10 ratio) with True Tone.
2. Processor: 10th generation Intel Core (2 or 4 cores).
3. RAM memory: 8 GB or 16 GB.
4. Storage: 256 GB PCIe SSD (optional up to 2 TB).
5. Webcam: 720p.
6. Networks: WiFi 5 (ac) and Bluetooth 5.0.
7. Ports: 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports (USB-C compatible) and 3.5mm jack.
8. Input: scissor keyboard, pressure-sensing trackpad and fingerprint reader.
9. Battery: 49.9 Wh with 30W USB-C charger.
10. Operating system: macOS Catalina.
11. Dimensions and weight: 30.41 x 21.24 x 1.61 cm and 1.29 kg.

The MacBook Air has always opted for lightness, although little by little it falls short of other Windows PCs. For example, the Dell XPS 13 offers the same screen size in a more compact body thanks to its greater use of the front, and the Acer Swift 5 loses a kilo of weight.

On the other hand, autonomy promises to be high, Apple talks about 11 hours browsing the Internet and 12 hours watching streaming video, and their estimates are usually in line with reality.

MacBook Air (2020), price and availability

The new 2020 MacBook Air will continue to be available in the 3 current colors (space gray, gold and silver), and is already on sale in Spain, with two preconfigured versions:

1. Core i3 (2 cores), 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD for 1,199 euros.
2. Core i5 (4 cores), 8 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD for 1,499 euros.

Additionally, custom models with a Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM and an SSD of up to 2 TB can be ordered, which would raise the price of the MacBook Air (2020) to2,579 euros if we opt for the most advanced version.

In principle, the MacBook Air (2020) update is interesting, with 10th generation Intel processors there is a considerable increase of power, despite the fact that the signs of an ARM-based MacBook are becoming clearer, with an expected launch in 2021.

What do you think of the new MacBook Air? Do you think the 2020 refresh makes it an attractive laptop?