Apple has never feared breaking the usual rules in the industry. Ditching the Intel-based processors and coming up with its ARM-based silicon was another innovation for Apple. M1 is the first computer processor developed by Apple, and the result was the Apple MacBook Air M1.
The MacBook Air M1 (2020) was the slimmest and thinnest invention from Apple till then. Undoubtedly, it has become one of the most powerful laptops. Apart from promising claims from Apple regarding MacBook air M1, the fanless design is something that turns everyone’s head.
The fanless design will definitely keep the device calm during resource-hungry processing. But, is it durable enough for heavier workloads? Let’s find out whether MacBook Air M1’s fanless design does the job.
Design
Since the Apple MacBook Air M1 is a milestone in Apple’s history, we expected a huge makeover in its design. After all, it has the Apple Silicon M1 and comes without any fan. Unfortunately, the MacBook Air M1 looks like any other Intel-based MacBook Air. MacBook Repair Dubai confirmed that this version is available in Silver, Gold, and Space Grey.
The aluminium chassis feels premium and the entire laptop weighs 2.8 pounds, and it’s only 0.6-inch thick. The MacBook Air M1 has larger bezels than the leading 13-inch laptops available. With smaller bezels, it will look more elegant.
Availability of connectivity ports might be an issue for productivity users. The MacBook Air M1 offers only two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a 3.5mm audio jack. If you’re looking for an SD-card reader, then the MacBook Air M1 will disappoint you.
On the other hand, this MacBook is designed to support only a single external display. The MacBook Air M1 feels to be more expensive than other premium laptops in terms of connectivity.
However, its fanless approach keeps the noise down when editing videos or doing any heavy task. Fanless laptops are a great deal for gamers.
Performance
Apple plays it swiftly through a harmonious communication between the hardware and the software. The M1 chip allows the MacBook Air M1 to be compatible with iOS and iPadOS. Copying data among CPU, GPU, and other components on Intel-based Macs took a significant amount of time and processing. With M1 chips, MacBooks have to worry less about copying since everything remains under the same hood.
The MacBook Air M1 comes with an 8-core CPU. Reportedly, it’s three and a half times faster and more efficient than the earlier Intel-based Mac. Four cores of the MacBook Air M1 remain high-performance, while the other four cores are designated for power-consuming tasks.
The MacBook Air M1 can be counted as a gaming laptop. It’s a delight for Apple users who like Apple Arcade or League of Legends fans. The device can wake up at a light-blazing speed. It seems to be inspired by Apple iPhones and iPads.
In addition to this, Apple takes care of compatibility. However, applications might not appear to be compatible with the MacBook Air M1 at first. That’s why MacBook Air runs a translation layer named Rosetta 2. It helps the application to run for the very first time.
Rosetta 2 recompiles the application to make it successfully run on the MacBook Air M1. This implies smoother performance on the MacBook Air M1.
Additionally, this MacBook is more iOS and iPadOS friendly than ever. However, the camera of the MacBook Air M1 will let you down if you expected a transformation. It still serves you with a 720p camera and that’s not enough for video calling.
Battery Life
Does the fanless MacBook Air M1 provide enough battery life? Apple does an excellent job with the ARM-based processor at the heart of the MacBook Air M1. Well, Does the battery justify such a sole performance from Apple Silicon?
Apple claimed 18 hours of video playback on the Apple MacBook Air M1. However, the practical battery life would be a little less than that. According to the claim, MacBook Air M1 should be 50% more efficient than its predecessor.
We tested the device under tedious tasks, and the battery lasted between 8 and 10 hours. And, that’s not 50% better than the Intel version of the MacBook Air. Yet, we can say that the new MacBook Air M1’s battery life is very close to the prior version of the MacBook Air.
However, the device is extremely fast. For instance, applications boot quickly, and the device wakes up too fast. On the other hand, the MacBook Air M1 can last up to 18 hours with video playbacks, and we found the claim’s to be true. We played HD videos in a loop until the device exhausted its entire battery, and it lasted for almost 18 hours.
It turns out that the battery will drain out faster depending upon how hard you push it.
Display
The MacBook Air M1 features a stunning 2560X1600 IPS display. We bet that you’re going to love it as a professional. It holds a brightness of up to 389 nits. Additionally, the colour gamut is a bit wider than average laptops in the same range.
The colour gamut is situated at 100% of sRGB and 79% of AdobeRGB. This is slightly better than premium Windows laptops – almost 98% sRGB and 73% of AdobeRGB. Moreover, accuracy stands at 1.39, which is remarkable.
Overall, the MacBook Air M1’s display is a pleasure to your eyes, and it’s sufficient for editing and high-end results. However, you can prefer the MacBook Pro series if you want more sophisticated outcomes.
Speakers, Keyboard, and Touchpad
Speakers in the MacBook Air M1 sound decent. However, you can’t get a loud volume at the maximum of the speakers. Apart from speakers, the MacBook Air M1 looks promising from a keyboard perspective.
Finally, Apple replaced the butterfly keyboard with Magic Keyboard. The keycaps are sized appropriately, and you can type comfortably. The keys look top-notch and seem faster and more precise than any other laptop.
On the other hand, the touchpad is another amazing modification to the MacBook Air M1. The touchpad is larger than any other 13-inch laptop’s touchpad, and the haptic aspect can be absolutely beneficial once you become used to it.
Besides this, the MacBook Air M1 has a Touch ID sensor with its power button. You can skip typing a password with this touch sensor. It seems to be equivalent to Microsoft’s Windows Hello approach. However, Apple hasn’t included the facial recognition tech inside the MacBook lineup.
Is the MacBook Air M1 Worth the Purchase?
Undoubtedly, the MacBook Air M1 is one of its kind device without fans. You don’t have to withstand the noise and it doesn’t overheat too. Additionally, the MacBook Air M1 is under budget compared to other premium laptop lineups from Apple.
However, there are a few limitations, such as support for one external display and the lack of 16GB memory. Otherwise, the MacBook Air M1 is a durable option that will easily last more than 5 years.
