2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop: Apple M1 Chip, 13” Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, FaceTime HD Camera, Touch ID; Gold

I finally decided to upgrade from my 2013 MacBook Air and I'm very impressed with the M1 2020 replacement. TBH I can't really believe how good the old one is, but the trackpad got cracked, the battery was on its last legs and the screen doesn't quite measure up to modern standards. The M1 replacement is smaller, much faster, has a much wider soundstage (you'll notice the sounds difference immediately) and the screen is a beauty - not significantly brighter but far better definition. Everything is up and running within a day on the new machine - I don't push them hard but have started using a sailing simulator that only just worked on the old Air whereas its fast and snappy on the new one (admittedly it still got uncomfortably hot with all those electrons flowing). During the transfer of files I realised again how good the old one is, but I'm pleased I know have back up as well as the benefits of more speed and power.I was thinking about this for maybe two years but couldn't justify it to myself. Then the 2022 came along and the choice got harder so I put it off. There is about £250 or 25% price differential between the 2020 and the 2022 - not a huge amount, but then the key elements like memory size, weight, battery life, screen resolution are identical. There are differences, but they didn't excite me so I decided to take the budget route and I'm happy with that decision.There are very few things on Amazon that get 4.8 star average over high volumes of sails, and the M1 2020 deserves to be up there. Most people are delighted and so am I - most complaints are over cracked screens or refurbished replacements - take care and buy new with a warranty and we should be fine. Well done Apple for another great product - and a very reasonable price (it is 20% cheaper than what I paid back in 2013!).

I have owned MAC's for a long time; desktops, macbooks, ipads etc so already love the brand and used to working with the systems etc. However this new Macbook Air is the best yet:- The screen quality is crystal clear- the battery goes on for hours and hours with lots of apps open- it charges quickly- the computer is light to carry back and forth to the office- if does not heat up on your lap- apps open quickly, it is super fast- external SD 1T harddrive means all my music is in an easy to carry file and plug in when I want (not included but worth buying)- Screen is almost edge to edge so easy to work on- Fingertouch ID makes opening it after sleep or shut down really easy, along with apple ID purchases.- I think the cost is good to for what you get.Best apple yet, I think that its the M1 chip that makes it so fast.

The short review for the new M1 MacBook Air is: believe the hype. Lightweight, powerful, cool and silent, coupled with ridiculous battery life make this the ideal laptop for the majority of users.The new M1 processor with integrated RAM and faster SSD is silly. Throughout my use over the last three months it has managed whatever I've thrown at it without issue, be it browsing the web in Safari, managing a spreadsheet in Numbers or editing photos in Pixelmator Pro. Apps launch before the Dock's bounce animation has finished, most impressively with the Photos app library of 1000s of images and videos. Even non-universal Intel apps launch quickly and run smoothly whilst being emulated in realtime. All of this with the MacBook running cool and silent.The battery life is equally impressive. I find that I have to charge the MacBook Air once or twice a week. Previously it would be every other day. Standby battery life feels reminiscent of an iPad.By stepping onto the past, the keyboard is a massive step-up over the divisive butterfly design used for the last few years. More travel and still stable, with a few new additions to the Function row for activating Siri/dictation, Spotlight and Do Not Disturb, plus the bottom left 'Function' key quickly brings up the Emoji picker. It retains Touch ID to unlock the Mac, enable Apple Pay purchases and unlock password protected documents. The trackpad continues to set the gold standard.The only real negative is the FaceTime camera. It is woeful, and that's being generous. Blocky and pixelated even with the extra processing power from the M1s 'Neural Engine' (especially in low light settings), it just doesn't cut it anymore and the extra bulk necessary to install an upgraded camera might be a sacrifice worth making in future updates.The M1 MacBook Air is impossible not to recommend. Apple's first toe into the water of using their own processors in the Mac has been a spectacular success, and the mind boggles and what kind of performance they'll pack into future models.