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iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) vs MacBook Air (M1, 2020)

iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)1MacBook Air (M1, 2020)2

Quick look

Quick look: iMac M1 against MacBook Air M1
FigureiMac M11MacBook Air M12
Price£1,2493launch price£9994launch price
ChipM1chipM1chip
CPU8-coreCPU8-coreCPU
GPU7-coreGPU7-coreGPU
Memory8GBunified memory, base8GBunified memory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base256GB5storage, base
Battery life Not available6No batteryUp to18 hrsvideo playback, claimed
ReleasedMay 20217Release date, month onlyOrderable online from 30 April 2021.10 November 20208Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updatesNot available9Security updatesNot available9Security updates
Price
The iMac M1 is £1,249 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Air M1 is £999 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The iMac M1 is an all-in-one; the MacBook Air M1 is a laptop. The MacBook Air M1 has a battery, whereas the iMac M1 has none.

True to scale

iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) · 547 × 461 mm frontMacBook Air (M1, 2020) · 304.1 × 212.4 mm footprint

An all-in-one and a laptop are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the front face of one and the footprint of the other, from Apple’s published dimensions, at one scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) against Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
SpecificationiMac M11MacBook Air M12
Dimensions461 x 547 x 147 mm4.1–16.1 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm
Weight4.46 kg1.29 kg
ColoursBlue, Green, Pink, Silver10Gold, Silver, Space Grey
PortsTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, 3.5mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports22
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 3
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.11No USB-A ports.12
HDMINo HDMI port.13No HDMI port.14
SD card slotNo SD card slot.13No SD card slot.14
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNot available15No MagSafe port.14
KeyboardMagic KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
Touch IDNo Touch ID.11Yes

Display

Display: Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) against Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
SpecificationiMac M11MacBook Air M12
Display size24 in13.3 in
Resolution4480 x 25202560 x 1600
Pixel density218 ppi227 ppi
Display type4.5K Retina displayRetina display
Brightness500 nits400 nits
Wide colour (P3)YesYes
Nano-texture optionNo nano-texture display option.13No nano-texture display option.14

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) against Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
SpecificationiMac M11MacBook Air M12
ChipApple M1 chipApple M1 chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores88
Performance cores44
Efficiency cores44
GPU cores77
Neural Engine cores1616
Chip optionsM1 with 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU or 8-core GPUM1 with 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU or 8-core GPU
Memory (base)8GB8GB
Memory (maximum)16GB16GB
Memory options8GB or 16GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents16No, as Apple documents17
Storage (base)256GB256GB5
Storage (maximum)2TB2TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) against Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
SpecificationiMac M11MacBook Air M12
Battery capacityNot available649.9 Wh
Rated charge cyclesNot available61,000 cycles18
Video playback (claimed)Not available618 h
Wireless web (claimed)Not available615 h
Included power adapter143 W30 W
Fast chargingNot available6No fast charging.14

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) against Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
SpecificationiMac M11MacBook Air M12
Wi-Fi802.11ax Wi-Fi 6Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth5.05.0
EthernetGigabit Ethernet configurable19No Ethernet port.14
External displays (base)11

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) against Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
SpecificationiMac M11MacBook Air M12
Camera1080p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofersStereo speakers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamformingThree-mic array with directional beamforming

Platform

Platform: Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) against Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
SpecificationiMac M11MacBook Air M12
Shipped withNot available20macOS Big Sur21
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate22macOS 27 Golden Gate22
Model identifieriMac21,223MacBookAir10,124
Model year20212020

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) against Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
SpecificationiMac M11MacBook Air M12
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)2,168252,16425
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)8,365258,22425

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) - Technical Specifications · Default for iMac M1 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Air M1 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac features all-new design in vibrant colours, M1 chip, and 4.5K Retina display · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Apple UK Store (archived 16 December 2020) — MacBook Air, M1 with 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU, 256GB, £999.00 · Apple’s figure · read 3 Oct 2026

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  6. Doesn’t apply: no battery

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  7. Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac features all-new design in vibrant colours, M1 chip, and 4.5K Retina display · Apple’s figure · read 3 Oct 2026

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  8. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  9. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  10. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  11. iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021): No USB-A ports. No Touch ID. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  12. MacBook Air (M1, 2020): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  13. iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No nano-texture display option. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  14. MacBook Air (M1, 2020): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No MagSafe port. No nano-texture display option. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  15. Doesn’t apply: MagSafe is a notebook charging port

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — Install memory in an iMac · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  18. Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops · Apple’s figure · read 15 Oct 2026

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  19. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) - Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  20. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac features all-new design in vibrant colours, M1 chip, and 4.5K Retina display. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  21. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  22. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  23. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model · Apple’s figure · read 10 Oct 2026

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  24. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  25. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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Not published by Apple

iMac M1. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, memory bandwidth, storage upgradeable by user, media engine, maximum continuous power. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart row for this Mac does not state its GPU core count, so no Metal score is shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac features all-new design in vibrant colours, M1 chip, and 4.5K Retina display, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Air M1. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, memory bandwidth, storage upgradeable by user, media engine. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (M1, 2020) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Introducing the next generation of Mac, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my iMac M1 (24-inch, 2021)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Air M1 (2020)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.