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iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) vs MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)1MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)2

Quick look

Quick look: iMac against MacBook Air
FigureiMac1MacBook Air2
Price£1,7993launch price£9994launch price
ChipCore i53.1GHz 6-core 10th-generation IntelCore i31.1GHz dual-core Intel
CPU6-coreCPU2-coreCPU
Memory8GBmemory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Battery life Not available5No batteryUp to12 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released4 August 20206Available online; Apple gave no in-store day18 March 20207Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updatesNot available8Security updatesNot available8Security updates
Price
The iMac is £1,799 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Air is £999 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The iMac is an all-in-one; the MacBook Air is a laptop. The MacBook Air has a battery, whereas the iMac has none.

True to scale

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) · 650 × 516 mm frontMacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 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 (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Air2
Dimensions516 x 650 x 203 mm4.1–16.1 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm
Weight8.92 kg1.29 kg
ColoursNot available9Gold, Space Gray, Silver
PortsTwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, four USB-A ports, SDXC card slot (UHS-II), Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), 3.5 mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports22
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 3
USB-A ports4No USB-A ports.10
HDMINo HDMI port.11No HDMI port.12
SD card slotYesNo SD card slot.12
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNot available13No MagSafe port.12
KeyboardMagic KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard
Touch IDNo Touch ID.11Yes

Display

Display: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Air2
Display size27 in13.3 in
Resolution5120 x 28802560 x 1600
Pixel densityNot available9227 ppi
Display type5K Retina displayRetina display
Brightness500 nitsNot available14
Wide colour (P3)YesNot available14
Nano-texture optionYesNot available14

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Air2
Chip3.1GHz 6-core 10th-generation Intel Core i51.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i3
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.15Intel processor, not Apple silicon.10
CPU cores62
GraphicsAMD Radeon Pro 5300 with 4GB of GDDR6 memoryIntel Iris Plus Graphics
Chip options3.1GHz 6-core Intel Core i5, 3.3GHz 6-core Intel Core i5, 3.8GHz 8-core Intel Core i7, or 3.6GHz 10-core Intel Core i91.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i3; 1.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5; 1.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Memory (base)8GB8GB
Memory (maximum)128GB16GB
Memory options8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userYes, as Apple documents16No, as Apple documents17
Storage (base)256GB256GB
Storage (maximum)8TB2TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB SSD256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Air2
Battery capacityNot available549.9 Wh
Rated charge cyclesNot available51,000 cycles18
Video playback (claimed)Not available512 h
Wireless web (claimed)Not available511 h
Included power adapterNot available1930 W
Fast chargingNot available5No fast charging.12

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Air2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth5.05.0
Ethernet10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45); configurable to 10Gb EthernetNo Ethernet port.12
External displays (base)22

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Air2
Camera1080p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakersStereo speakers
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamformingThree-mic array with directional beamforming

Platform

Platform: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Air2
Shipped withNot available9macOS Catalina20
Newest macOSmacOS Tahoe 2621macOS Sequoia22
Model identifieriMac20,1 or iMac20,223MacBookAir9,122
Model year20202020

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationiMac1MacBook Air2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)1,4552497224
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)6,319241,64724

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications · Default for iMac · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — 27-inch iMac gets a major update · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — New MacBook Air has more to love and is now just £999 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Doesn’t apply: no battery

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  6. Apple Newsroom (UK) — 27-inch iMac gets a major update · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  7. Apple Newsroom (UK) — New MacBook Air has more to love and is now just £999 · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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

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  9. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — 27-inch iMac gets a major update. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  10. MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020): No USB-A ports. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  11. iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020): No HDMI port. No Touch ID. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No MagSafe port. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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

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  14. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — New MacBook Air has more to love and is now just £999. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  15. iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020): Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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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. Doesn’t apply: internal power supply, no power adapter in the box

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  20. Apple Newsroom (UK) — New MacBook Air has more to love and is now just £999 · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  21. Apple Support (UK) — macOS Tahoe 26 is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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

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  23. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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

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Not published by Apple

iMac. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user, maximum continuous power. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart has no Metal score for this Mac (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — 27-inch iMac gets a major update, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Air. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart has no Metal score for this Mac (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — New MacBook Air has more to love and is now just £999, 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 (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)?

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