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MacIQ

MacBook Air (M1, 2020)

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Quick look

Price
£9992launch price
Chip
M1chip
CPU
8-coreCPU
GPU
7-coreGPU
Memory
8GBunified memory, base
Storage
256GB3storage, base
Display
13.3-inchdisplay
Battery life
Up to18 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released
10 November 20204Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updates
Not available5Security updates

Each figure is from the source marked1 unless it carries its own number.

304.1 mm212.4 mm4.1–16.1 mm
Drawn to scale from the published dimensions below: the footprint from above with the closed height beneath it. Outline only — the corner radius is our drawing convention, not a measurement. Apple states the height as a range, 4.1–16.1 mm; the bar is drawn at the thick end, up to 16.1 mm.

Specifications

Body

Dimensions
4.1–16.1 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm
Weight
1.29 kg
Colours
Gold, Silver, Space Grey
Ports
Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports
2
Thunderbolt version
Thunderbolt 3
USB-A ports
No USB-A ports.6
HDMI
No HDMI port.7
SD card slot
No SD card slot.7
Headphone jack
Yes
MagSafe
No MagSafe port.7
Keyboard
Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
Touch ID
Yes

Display

Display size
13.3 in
Resolution
2560 x 1600
Pixel density
227 ppi
Display type
Retina display
Brightness
400 nits
Wide colour (P3)
Yes
Nano-texture option
No nano-texture display option.7

Chip and memory

Chip
Apple M1 chip
Apple silicon
Yes
CPU cores
8
Performance cores
4
Efficiency cores
4
GPU cores
7
Neural Engine cores
16
Chip options
M1 with 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU or 8-core GPU
Memory (base)
8GB
Memory (maximum)
16GB
Memory options
8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by user
No, as Apple documents8
Storage (base)
256GB3
Storage (maximum)
2TB
Storage options
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB

Battery and power

Battery capacity
49.9 Wh
Rated charge cycles
1,000 cycles9
Video playback (claimed)
18 h
Wireless web (claimed)
15 h
Included power adapter
30 W
Fast charging
No fast charging.7

Connectivity

Wi-Fi
Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.0
Ethernet
No Ethernet port.7
External displays (base)
1

Camera and audio

Camera
720p FaceTime HD camera
Speakers
Stereo speakers
Microphones
Three-mic array with directional beamforming

Platform

Shipped with
macOS Big Sur10
Newest macOS
macOS 27 Golden Gate11
Model identifier
MacBookAir10,112
Part numbers
MGN63xx/A, MGN93xx/A, MGND3xx/A, MGN73xx/A, MGNA3xx/A, MGNE3xx/A13
Model year
2020

Benchmarks

Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)
2,16414
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)
8,22414
Geekbench 7 (Metal)
26,92614

What it actually costs

Used, Grade A
£490–£51015cheapest of 3 CeX listings · out of stock online and in store when read · repriced 7 October 2026 · since 15 Oct 2026 · earlier: £475–£515 from 3 Oct 2026
Used, Grade B
£415–£44016cheapest of 3 CeX listings · out of stock online and in store when read · repriced 7 October 2026 · since 15 Oct 2026 · earlier: £395–£420 from 3 Oct 2026
Used, Grade C
£395–£40017cheapest of 3 CeX listings · out of stock online and in store when read · repriced 7 October 2026 · since 15 Oct 2026 · earlier: £375–£380 from 3 Oct 2026
Trade in yours, Grade A
£303 cash / £352 voucher1516% more as store credit

Read 3 November 2026. CeX is one UK retailer; its used and trade-in figures are shown at its condition grades for the base configuration: M1 with 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU, 8GB memory, 256GB storage. “Since” is the first day MacIQ read that figure; “earlier” figures were each read from the date shown. We hold no stock and take no commission.

Apple UK price, as listed

1 December 2020 to 28 February 2024
£9991819

Apple’s UK store page for the base configuration (Apple M1 chip, 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU, 8GB memory, 256GB storage), as the Internet Archive saved it. Each row runs from the first to the last Internet Archive capture MacIQ read at that price; the price may have held before and after. MacIQ read a selection of the Archive’s captures, not every one. Read 18 October 2026.

Software support

Feature updates until
Not available20
Security updates until
Not available20
Basis
our inference from history21

Previous and next model

Previous model

What changed

Ports
Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack MacBook AirTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack MacBook Air M1
Chip
1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i3 MacBook AirApple M1 chip MacBook Air M1
CPU cores
2 MacBook Air8 MacBook Air M1
Video playback (claimed)
12 h MacBook Air18 h MacBook Air M1
Wi-Fi
802.11ac Wi-Fi MacBook AirWi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) MacBook Air M1

Next model

What changed

Weight
1.29 kg MacBook Air M11.24 kg MacBook Air M2
Ports
Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack MacBook Air M1Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5mm headphone jack MacBook Air M2
Display size
13.3 in MacBook Air M113.6 in MacBook Air M2
Resolution
2560 x 1600 MacBook Air M12560 x 1664 MacBook Air M2
Brightness
400 nits MacBook Air M1500 nits MacBook Air M2
Chip
Apple M1 chip MacBook Air M1Apple M2 chip MacBook Air M2
GPU cores
7 MacBook Air M18 MacBook Air M2
Battery capacity
49.9 Wh MacBook Air M152.6 Wh MacBook Air M2

More on this Mac

Comparisons

Popular comparisons

The pairs people have searched for and landed on here, from Google Search Console as read on 11 October 2026.

Against its own line

Against the rest of the range

Sources

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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  13. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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

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  15. CeX — Used, Grade A · third-party figure · read 3 Nov 2026

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  16. CeX — Used, Grade B · third-party figure · read 3 Nov 2026

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  17. CeX — Used, Grade C · third-party figure · read 3 Nov 2026

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  18. Apple Store (UK), as saved by the Internet Archive — Buy 13-inch MacBook Air - Apple (UK), captured 1 Dec 2020 · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  19. Apple Store (UK), as saved by the Internet Archive — Buy MacBook Air - Apple (UK), captured 28 Feb 2024 · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  20. Feature and security updates: end dates not published by Apple. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  21. Apple’s macOS 27 Golden Gate compatibility list names this Mac. endoflife.date says Apple usually provides security updates for the latest three macOS releases, but that this isn’t consistently applied; Apple publishes no end date. Source: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Air (M1, 2020). 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.