The MacBook Air is a line of Mac-branded laptops made by Apple. In 2020, Apple stopped using Intel processors in the Air and switched to using their own Apple silicon M-series chips. Since 2026, the MacBook Air is Apple's mid-level laptop, situated above the MacBook Neo and below the MacBook Pro. , it is sold with 13-inch and 15-inch screens.
Apple released the MacBook Air with the Apple M1 system on a chip in November 2020. A redesigned model based on the Apple M2 chip was released in July 2022, and the first 15-inch MacBook Air was released in June 2023. In March 2024, Apple introduced M3 chip–equipped MacBook Airs in both their 13- and 15-inch sizes.
M1 (2020)
On November 10, 2020, Apple announced the MacBook Air with an Apple-designed M1 system-on-a-chip (SoC), launched alongside an updated Mac Mini and 13-inch MacBook Pro as the first Macs with Apple's new line of custom ARM-based Apple silicon processors. Apple released the device a week later, on November 17.
The computer uses a fanless design and adds support for Wi-Fi 6, Thunderbolt 3/USB4 and wide color (P3). The M1 MacBook Air can only run one external display, compared to the previous Intel-based model which was capable of running two 4K displays. The FaceTime camera remains 720p, drawing some criticism, but Apple advertises an improved image signal processor for higher quality video. On March 4, 2024, the M1 MacBook Air was discontinued and replaced by the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air in the lineup.
On March 15, 2024, Walmart announced they would continue to sell the 256 GB M1 MacBook Air under a partnership with Apple despite Apple's retail store discontinuation.
Reception The M1 MacBook Air received positive reviews, with much of the praise going to the capabilities of the M1 chip.
In his review for Engadget, Devindra Hardawar gave the MacBook Air a score of 94/100, praising the performance as "shockingly responsive" and highlighting the lack of fan noise and "excellent" keyboard and trackpad as among some of the pros. Other than that, he only lightly touched on the notebook's design and feel, citing the fact that it had not changed much since the early 2020 MacBook Air. He did, however, praise the case as feeling "sturdy as ever".
Writing for Wired, Julian Chokkattu bemoaned the fact that the Air only came with two USB-C ports, but praised the keyboard and battery life. He also lauded the fanless design, saying it was something he found himself "appreciating over and over again".
The M1 MacBook Air has suffered some problems during its lifetime. Some users reported alarmingly high solid-state drive usage and wear, which drew a lot of attention, as if the drive failed, it could not be replaced by the user. Some USB-C docks also caused Apple silicon MacBooks to stop working.
During tests, the battery life of the MacBook Air was many hours short of Apple's claims, leading to some questioning the veracity of the claims. However, when the same tests were repeated with a lower brightness setting, the computer exceeded Apple's claims. During initial testing, the battery performance of the MacBook Air was so phenomenal that Apple initially presumed the slow change of the battery meter to be a bug.
Technical specifications Discontinued Current
Model13-inch, M1, 2020Basic InfoHardware StringsMacBookAir10,1Model numberA2337Part numberMGN63, MGN93, MGND3MGN73, MGNA3, MGNE3DateAnnouncedNovember 10, 2020ReleasedNovember 17, 2020DiscontinuedMarch 4, 2024 June 6, 2022UnsupportedSupportedOperating System InitialmacOS Big Sur 11.0 Latest MSRP(USD)$999$1249 Colors DimensionsHeight to WidthDepthWeightSecure AuthenticationTouch IDcolspan=3 DisplaySizeDiagonalVertical-by-HorizontalResolutionVertical-by-Horizontal2560 × 1600Density227 ppiAspect Ratio16:10Supported scaled resolutions 1680 × 1050 (Rendered as 3360 × 2100) 1440 × 900 (Rendered as 2880 × 1800, default) 1280 × 800 (Rendered as 2560 × 1600, native) 1024 × 640 (Rendered as 2048 × 1280)TechnologyRetina Display with IPS technologyBacklightLED-backlitNano-texture configurationcolspan=3 Refresh RateMinimum60 HzMaximum60 HzProMotion Displaycolspan=3 Supported Fixed Refresh Ratecolspan=3 Brightness and ContrastSDR Max brightness400 nitsXDR Max brightnesscolspan=3 Contrast ratio (typical):1ColorFull sRGBcolspan=3 Wide Color (P3)colspan=3 Color Depth8-bit (native) with millions of colorsTrue Tonecolspan=3 Night Shiftcolspan=3 PerformanceCooling SystemAluminum heat dissipator attached on processor, no fan includedChipChip NameApple M1Technology Node5 nm (N5)Bit64-bitTotal CPU Cores8High-performance Cores4 × 3.20 GHzEnergy-efficiency Cores4 × 2.06 GHzcolspan=3 Graphics ProcessorApple G13GTotal GPU Cores78GPU FamilyApple GPU Family 7Hardware-accelerated Ray Tracingcolspan=3 Neural Accelerators in GPUcolspan=3 Metal SupportMetal 4colspan=3 Neural Engine16-core (11 TOPS FP16)Media EngineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVCApple Intelligencecolspan=3 Unified MemoryMemory TypeLPDDR4X-4266 (2133 MHz)Memory Bus Width128-bitMemory Bandwidth68.3 GB/sMemory Size8 GB16 GBStorageStorage TypePCIe 4.0-based SSDStorage SpeedUp to 3.3 GB/s read speedStorage Size256 GB512 GB512 GB1 TB2 TB1 TB2 TBConnectorHDMIcolspan=3 SDXC card slotcolspan=3 USB-C/ThunderboltTwo Thunderbolt/USB4 USB-C ports supporting charging and DisplayPort protocols among othersTransmission SpeedUp to 40 Gbit/s transmission speed (Thunderbolt 3 or USB4)External Display Support Maximum display1One external display 1 × 6K at 60 Hz (Thunderbolt)ConnectivityWi-FiWi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax)BluetoothBluetooth 5.0Keyboard and TrackpadTypeBacklit Magic Keyboard with (scissor-switch) mechanism and ambient light sensorNumber of keys65 (U.S.) or 66 (ISO)Arrow keys4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangementFunction keyscolspan=3 Touch Barcolspan=3 TrackpadForce Touch trackpadCameraResolution720p FaceTime HDAdvanced image signal processor with computational videocolspan=3 Center Stage and Desk Viewcolspan=3 AudioSpeakersStereo speakersForce-cancelling wooferscolspan=3 Wide stereo soundcolspan=3 Dolby Atmos playbackcolspan=3 Dolby Atmos with built-in speakerscolspan=3 colspan=3 MicrophoneThree-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming3.5 mm jackcolspan=3 Audio output from HDMIcolspan=3 PowerBattery11.4 V 49.9 W·h (4,379 mA·h)Power adapter30 W USB-C colspan=3 Charging methodUSB-C portsFast Charge Capabilitycolspan=3
M2 and later (2022–present) On June 6, 2022, at WWDC 2022, Apple announced an updated MacBook Air based on the M2 system on a chip. It incorporates several design elements from the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro models, such as a flat, slab-shaped design, full-sized function keys, and a Liquid Retina display with rounded corners and a notch for a 1080p webcam. It includes two combination Thunderbolt 3 / USB4 ports and adds MagSafe charging. Along with retaining the Space Gray and Silver color options, the Gold color option has been discontinued and replaced by Starlight (a color mixture between natural silver and champagne gold) in addition to a new Midnight color option (a color mixture between dark blue and dark gray).
The M2 MacBook Air started shipping on July 15, 2022. A model was announced at Apple's WWDC event on June 5, 2023. Apart from the larger screen, the hardware specs are mostly identical to the other M2 Air models. Preorders for the new model began on June 6, 2023, with deliveries and retail availability beginning the following week on June 12. On the same date, the M2 MacBook Air received a price cut from US$1199 to US$1099.
On March 4, 2024, Apple announced the M3 MacBook Air in both and sizes. This model retains the same design as the M2 MacBook Air, but adds support for two external displays when the lid is closed. On the same date, the M2 MacBook Air received a price cut from $1099 to $999 and the M2 MacBook Air was discontinued.
The M4 MacBook Air was announced by Apple on March 5, 2025. The starting price for both sizes were dropped by $100, with the model starting at $999 and $1199 for the model. It supports three displays (two external and the built-in screen) and raises the base memory configuration to 16 GB. The webcam was upgraded to the same 12 MP Center Stage camera present in the M4 MacBook Pro, and the Space Gray color option was replaced by a new Sky Blue color. Both the M2 MacBook Air and all M3 MacBook Air models were discontinued following the announcement.
On March 3, 2026, Apple announced the M5 MacBook Air. The starting price was increased from US$999 to US$1099. The base storage capacity was increased to 512 GB. The M5 MacBook Air has a 10-core CPU and can be configured up to 10 GPU cores. It also has the N1 chip and supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. On June 25, 2026, the starting price for the M5 models was raised again to US$1299.
Reception The M2 MacBook Air was generally well received. Several reviewers praised the new design, as well as the improved display, performance, and webcam. Dan Seifert of The Verge described it as "a success on virtually every level". The price increase over the M1 model was noted, with most concluding that the M1 model was a better value. Due to a lack of active cooling, the M2 can overheat on high workloads, leading to thermal throttling issues.
In the 256 GB model of the M2 MacBook Air, there was only one NAND chip present. This resulted in a slower SSD, with read speeds 40 to 50% slower and write speeds 15 to 30% slower than the 256 GB M1 model.
The M4 MacBook Air was positively received by critics, with Brenda Stolyar of Wired praising its great performance, bright display, updated webcam, long battery life, and double the base memory. Mark Spoonauer of Tom's Guide called it "the best MacBook for most people and for me the top laptop for most people, period.
Technical specifications Discontinued Current
M2 models
Model, M2, 2022, M2, 2023Basic InfoHardware StringsMac14,2Mac14,15Model numberA2681A2941Part numberMLY33, MLY13, MLXW3, MLXY3MC7X4, MC7W4, MC7U4, MC7V4MLY43, MLY23, MLXX3, MLY03MQKW3, MQKU3, MQKP3, MQKR3MQKX3, MQKV3, MQKQ3, MQKT3DateAnnouncedJune 6, 2022October 30, 2024June 6, 2022June 5, 2023ReleasedJuly 15, 2022November 8, 2024July 15, 2022June 13, 2023DiscontinuedOctober 30, 2024March 5, 2025 October 30, 2024March 4, 2024UnsupportedSupportedOperating System InitialmacOS Monterey 12.4macOS Ventura 13.3 Latest MSRP (USD)$999 $999$1199 $1299$1499 Colors DimensionsHeightWidthDepthWeightSecure AuthenticationTouch IDcolspan=5 DisplaySizeDiagonalVertical-by-HorizontalResolutionVertical-by-Horizontal2560 × 16642880 × 1864Density224 ppiAspect Ratio9:5.8516:10 without notch9:5.82516:10 without notchSupported scaled resolutions 1710 × 1112 (Rendered as 3420 × 2224) 1470 × 956 (Rendered as 2940 × 1912, default) 1280 × 832 (Rendered as 2560 × 1664, native) 1024 × 666 (Rendered as 2048 × 1332) 1920 × 1243 (Rendered as 3840 × 2486) 1710 × 1107 (Rendered as 3420 × 2214, default) 1440 × 932 (Rendered as 2880 × 1864, native) 1280 × 828 (Rendered as 2560 × 1656)