Apple Reveals MacBook Air 2020: 10th Gen Intel Quad-Core and Scissor Keyboard, Starting At $999
by Anton Shilov on March 18, 2020 3:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Notebooks
- Apple
- MacBook
- MacBook Air
- Laptops
Apple has unveiled its new generation MacBook Air lineup that features a number of long-awaited upgrades, including Intel’s newest processors with up to four cores as well as Iris Plus graphics, a keyboard with scissor mechanism, more memory, as well as more storage space.
Apple’s early-2020 MacBook Air laptops come in silver, space gray, as well as gold aluminum chassis that are slightly thicker and slightly heavier when compared to enclosures used for the 2018 and 2019 machines. We are still dealing with systems that are up to 1.61 cm thick and weigh no more than 1.3 kilograms, so they are still more portable than MBAs from, say, 2017.
But the slightly different dimensions and weight also brings a big performance gain, as the new MacBook Air notebooks are based on Intel’s new 10th Generation Core processors, with up to four cores as well as Iris Plus Graphics, a significant upgrade when compared to low-voltage 8th Gen dual-core Core i5 CPUs with UHD Graphics 617 used for previous-gen MBAs.
Apple doesn't specifically mention which variants of Intel's 10th gen processors it uses, but given that they describe the graphics being Iris Plus, these parts must be based on the 10nm Ice Lake lineup, as the Comet Lake products don't feature such a GPU.
The new processors are paired with 8 GB or 16 GB of LPDDR4X-3733 memory, providing substantial performance impovements and energy savings. Meanwhile, the new systems can be equipped with a 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB PCIe SSD.
While Apple completely redesigned the guts of the new MacBook Air notebooks, it did not touch their display. The new laptops still feature a 13.3-inch IPS LCD of a 2560x1600 resolution and a 227 PPI pixel density that supports True Tone technology which automatically changes white balance depending on the surrounding environment and illumination.
Connectivity wise, the new 2020 MacBook Air are generally similar to their predecessors: they have two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a Wi-Fi 5 + Bluetooth 5 controller (a minor upgrade), Touch ID fingerprint reader powered by the Apple T2 chip, and a headset jack.
As many people have complained about Apple’s keyboards with butterfly switches, the company is now moving on back to good-old scissor switches that promise to be more reliable. To that end, the new MacBook Airs feature the company’s latest ‘scissor’ Magic Keyboard as well as the signature oversized trackpad with Force Touch.
The new MBAs are equipped with the same 49.9-Wh battery as previous-generation Airs, but now Apple rates them for a slightly lower 11 ~ 12 hours of battery life.
MacBook Air Specifications | |||||||
Model | 2020 (General) | 2019 (Base) | 2018 (Base) | 2017 (Base) | |||
Dimensions | Width | 30.4 cm | 32.5 cm | ||||
Depth | 21.2 cm | 22.7 cm | |||||
Height | 0.41 - 1.61 cm | 0.41 - 1.56 cm | 0.30 - 1.7 cm | ||||
Weight | 2.8 lbs (1.29 kg) | 2.75 lbs (1.25 kg) | 2.96 lbs (1.35 kg) | ||||
CPU | Core i3-1000NG4 2C/4T 1.10 - 3.20 GHz Core i5-1030NG7 4C/8T 1.10 - 3.50 GHz Core i7-1060NG7 4C/8T 1.20 - 3.80 GHz |
1.6 GHz (3.60 GHz Turbo) Core i5 2 CPU Cores |
1.8GHz (2.90GHz Turbo) Core i5-5350U 2 CPU Cores |
||||
GPU | Intel Iris Plus | Intel UHD Graphics 617 | Intel HD Graphics 6000 | ||||
Display | 13.3-inch 2560x1600 IPS LCD DCI-P3 with True Tone |
13.3-inch 2560x1600 IPS LCD DCI-P3 |
13.3-inch 1440x900 TN LCD | ||||
Memory | 8 - 16 GB LPDDR4X-3733 | 8 GB LPDDR3-2133 | 8 GB LPDDR3-1600 | ||||
SSD | 256 GB - 2 TB | 128 GB PCIe | 128 GB PCIe | ||||
I/O | 2x USB 3.1 Type-C w/Thunderbolt 3 3.5mm Audio Touch ID |
2x USB 3.0 Type-A 1x Thunderbolt 2 SDXC Card Reader 3.5mm Audio |
|||||
Battery Capacity | 49.9 Wh | 50.3 Wh | 54 Wh | ||||
Battery Life | 11 - 12 Hours | 12 Hours | 12 Hours | ||||
Price | $999 | $1099 | $1199 | $999 |
When Apple introduced its 2018 MacBook Air notebooks, it increased their entry-level price to $1,199 (up from $999), which was not exactly a customer-friendly move. Last year the company dropped the price of its cheapest MBA model to $1,099, and this year it is finally back where it was several yeas ago, with the new MacBook Airs starting at only $999. Meanwhile, a quad-core Intel Core i5-based MacBook Air with 8 GB of LPDDR4X and 512 GB of storage is priced at $1,299.
Related Reading:
- Apple’s MacBook Air Gets True Tone Display, Lower Price Tag
- Apple Announces 2018 MacBook Air: Entry-Level Laptop Gets Essential Refresh
- Apple Refreshes Mac Laptops: Pro, Vanilla, & Air All Get New CPUs
Source: Apple
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repoman27 - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Apple tends to use Broadcom based modules from either Murata or USI. The MacBook Air has historically been 2x2:2 for power reasons.danielfranklin - Wednesday, March 18, 2020 - link
Is it still fanless?These 9w chips with huge graphics are going to throttle in seconds!
chrkv - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
MacBook Air have never been fanless. May be you are confusing it with MacBook that was using Y-Series processors.repoman27 - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Not only does the redesigned MacBook Air have a fan, but it also uses Y-series processors—in a 13.3-inch laptop.The old 11-inch Air was available with 15W U-series i7s. Most tablets lack fans, have less surface area for cooling, and contain SoCs with TDPs in the 12W range, so I’m not sure why anyone thinks throttling will be an issue here.
FreckledTrout - Wednesday, March 18, 2020 - link
Interesting, the trend to lower bae clocks continues.Retycint - Wednesday, March 18, 2020 - link
9W TDP + quad core = low base clocks. Although a 1.1GHz base clock does sound a bit pathetic.I'm not sure if the benefits of low noise is enough to counteract the lower cooling capabilities of a fanless chassis. Especially since fan noise is imperceptible at low RPM and Apple could have limited the max RPM of the fans. A low RPM fan is still better than zero airflow
trivik12 - Wednesday, March 18, 2020 - link
should have just had I5/I7 considering the price point but this is Apple you are talking about. Its still not a bad laptop IF the keyboard is not as bad as the previous gen's keyboard.sonny73n - Wednesday, March 18, 2020 - link
Under-specs. Overpriced.Retycint - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Overpriced, as compared to what? The XPS 13, or the HP Spectre 13, both of which are about the same price? You can't exactly expect to get a premium product at $500 or somethingid4andrei - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Those notebooks start with a 15W CPU. Apple makes use of a 9W part.