M1 MacBook Air vs Intel MacBook Air – performance, battery life and features comparison

M1 MacBook Air vs Intel MacBook Air is the new hot topic, since the launch of the new M1 chip for Mac at the November 10 ‘One more thing’ event. It is claimed to be the fastest Apple Silicon made by the company which now powers the new 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

The new MacBook models are the first Macs to ship with the M1 chip, commencing the 2 years transition phase of switching future Mac models from Intel Core processor to Apple Silicon. At the launch event, Apple claimed that the M1 chip is the fastest CPU in a laptop with incredible power consumption to deliver longer battery life. So, we have compared the currently available 13-inch M1 MacBook Air vs Intel MacBook Air models, so that you can make an informed decision when making a purchase.

M1 MacBook Air vs Intel MacBook Air

Contrary to the industry reports, Apple has retained the same exterior design language of Intel MacBook Air in the new M1 MacBook Air and other features like the display, storage, authentication are the same.

But the company has given the hardware a major upgrade with its new M1 chip which houses CPU, GPU, unified memory, and Neural Engine in one chip and inherently reduces the need for more power consumption like Intel Core processer based MacBook Air. The new M1 chip has 4 high-performance cores and 4 high-efficiency cores, along with Neural Engine, up to 8 core GPU, and huge battery life improvements.

Here is a look at the specifications comparison to put both these Macs head-to-head: M1 MacBook Air vs Intel MacBook Air:

Processor

• M1 MacBook Air: 8-core Apple M1 chip with four high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores
• Intel MacBook Air: Up to 4-core Intel Core i7 processor

Graphics

• M1 MacBook Air: Up to 8-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine (the entry model has a 7-core GPU)
• Intel MacBook Air: Intel Iris Plus Graphics

Ports

• M1 MacBook Air: Two Thunderbolt 3/ USB 4 ports
• Intel MacBook Air: Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports

Connectivity

• M1 MacBook Air: 802.11ax Wi-Fi
• Intel MacBook Air: 802.11ac Wi-Fi

Power and Battery

• M1 MacBook Air
  • Up to 15 hours – wireless web browsing
  • Up to 18 hours – Apple TV app movie playback
  • Integrated 49.9-watt hour lithium-polymer battery
• Intel MacBook Air:
  • Up to 11 hours – wireless web browsing
  • Up to 12 hours – Apple TV app movie playback
  • Integrated 49.9-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery

Both Apple Silicon and Intel MacBook Air models have a 13.3-inch Retina display, up to 2TB storage, Touch ID authentication, 2.8 pounds weight, and 0.16–0.63 inch (0.41–1.61 cm) height. The models have the same camera, speakers, and keyboard. Starting at $999, both models may look the same but the delivered performance is worlds apart. All new MacBook models are available for order online and will arrive in stores next week.