Apple is revamping its iconic line of laptops with the new MacBook Air, a fan-favorite device. This new version will feature the latest processor technology, the M1, and a twist – no mini-LED.
Reports are swirling around about the features of the newest MacBook Air, and what users can expect from the device. So let’s take a look.
New MacBook Air coming later this year with M1, no mini-LED in surprising twist
Apple’s next-generation MacBook Air is set to begin shipping later this year. While lacking some of the features found in the higher-end Pro model, the new MacBook Air will contain Apple’s powerful M1 system on a chip (SoC). Although initially rumored that it would have a mini-LED display, the latest reports suggest that this will not be available for the new Air product line.
The M1 processor is one of Apple’s most advanced silicon systems yet and combines 5 nanometer process technology with over 16 billion transistors packed into a unified 8-core design. This includes four high-performance and energy-efficient cores, enabling macOS Big Sur to run smoother and faster than ever before. In addition to its computational prowess, the M1 also packs an integrated GPU with up to 8 dedicated cores for graphics. Furthermore, it has a secure enclave coprocessor from Apple’s A14 chipsets used in iPhones and iPads.
Although missing out on a mini-LED display, the 2020 MacBook Airs will still feature brighter Retina displays than their predecessors up to 400 nits brightness while maintaining wide color support. Furthermore these laptops can handle up to 16GB RAM and 2TB SSD storage depending on variants selected at purchase, making them more than capable of providing seamless multitasking experiences with typical office mac usage and modern gaming capabilities.
Overall, it looks like Apple’s latest 2020 MacBook Air range will fit into place as a powerful yet lightweight productivity machine that all sorts of people can benefit from not just today but in years ahead too.
Design
With the upcoming design of the next-generation MacBook Air, Apple looks to be making a few interesting changes. From rumors of the M1 chip to the lack of mini-LED display panels, the design of the laptop is sure to be interesting.
Let’s examine the design of the new MacBook Air and what it could bring to the table.
Physical features of the new MacBook Air
The new MacBook Air is said to come with Apple’s new M1 chip, which has been rumored for months. However, despite many expectations, Apple surprisingly decided against incorporating a mini-LED display into the device.
The iconic Apple logo on the lid of the laptop is expected to be backlit once again but will remain in its current location and not be changed or moved elsewhere. In addition, the size of the laptop is said to remain extremely thin and light, providing superior portability and ease of use.
Additionally, it is believed that no changes will be made to the ports featured across the side of this tablet, meaning it will have both USB Type-C and headphone jack ports alongside a standard power port.
For everyday users who need additional security when accessing their laptops, this new version of the MacBook Air is rumored to offer various facial recognition options. This includes both facial scan and finger print scanners for almost instantaneous effective security protection with minimal effort from users at all times.
Display technology used in the new MacBook Air
The new MacBook Air will feature a 13.3-inch Retina display with thin bezels, a resolution of 2560×1600, and support for 1 billion colors. In addition, it will use P3 wide color gamut and True Tone technology to adjust the display temperature according to the user environment. The new display also offers higher contrast and wider viewing angles than the previous generation.
The new MacBook Air will employ mini-LED technology instead of OLED or LCD panels. Apple has used mini-LEDs to reduce power consumption and improve brightness, contrast and color accuracy. The new 12” MacBook Air will use other sophisticated technologies such as TFT/IGZO switching transistors for improved energy efficiency, fast pixel switching for smoother images, and precise backlight control to reduce power consumption.
Mini-LEDs can achieve high resolutions but offer cost savings over OLED and LCDs that require more expensive components such as backlights or organic layers of material on their screens.
Performance
Apple’s upcoming MacBook Air is expected to be powered by its new M1 chip – the long awaited successor to the Intel processor-based Macs. The M1 chip will make the MacBook Air one of the fastest Macs of all time, making it the perfect choice for demanding users who need to multitask or work with powerful applications that require maximum performance.
Let’s explore what other performance improvements the new MacBook Air will bring.
Processor and RAM specs
Apple’s next-generation MacBook Air, due out later this year, will be powered by their new M1 processor and up to 16GB of RAM. The M1 chip is expected to bring major improvements in processing power and energy efficiency compared to the current Intel chips used in the laptop. In addition, as the M1 is made on a 5nm process scale and is integrated with Apple’s first-party twofold memory controllers, this should give users unprecedented processing speeds and a significant battery life boost.
Regarding RAM availability for the upcoming MacBook Air, Apple has announced that 16GB of RAM will be available as an option (up from 8GB in current models). The new model will also support PCIe 4 SSD storage which offers up to 2TB capacity. It also looks like Apple will continue using Intel chips for their 13” model fans, rather than utilizing the more energy-efficient M1 chip. In addition, apple has decided against including Mini LED screens at launch regarding external display support. Overall, users can expect a huge performance boost compared to the currently available Intel models.
Graphics performance
Graphics performance is expected to be one of the major highlights of Apple’s next-generation MacBook Air. The upcoming laptop will be powered by the new M1 chip, which features an 8-core processor and integrated graphics architecture. According to Apple, the CPU and GPU are powerful enough to offer up to three times faster performance than its previous generation, allowing for faster renderings and gaming experiences.
In terms of raw graphics performance power, Apple has stated that the new MacBook Air will offer up to 2.6 teraflops of compute power – significantly greater than even its top-of-the-line MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i7 processor. This means that graphics-intensive tasks like gaming and complex modeling will be possible on the new laptop, allowing users to take advantage of advanced visualizations such as ray tracing or machine learning inference in real time.
Apple has included a custom eight-core Neural Engine for machine learning applications and support for up to 16GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage in its highest configuration option to support this high computational performance. Unfortunately, rumors concerning a mini LED display were not confirmed and instead only a traditional LCD panel is being used due to cost constraints at launch.
Battery Life
Apple aims to make the new MacBook Air last longer than ever with its upcoming M1 chip. This new chip is expected to offer increases in battery life and overall performance, making it ideal for those who spend long hours working on their laptop.
Furthermore, Apple has surprisingly decided to forgo mini-LED displays to further increase the battery life of the MacBook Air. So let’s dive into the details and explore the expected battery life of Apple’s new MacBook Air.
Battery life estimates
Despite its small size and light weight, the new 13-inch MacBook Air features an impressive battery life. Users can expect about 15 hours of battery life from a single charge in normal use. This number varies depending on the tasks performed and the energy efficiency settings selected. For example, setting your laptop to enter sleep mode after one hour of inactivity will lengthen your battery life considerably. Disabling Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity when not in use will also save power.
Apple estimates that with light workloads such as web browsing, people can expect at least 18 hours of battery life with the 2020 MacBook Air models. However, higher workloads such as heavy video editing can result in decreased performance and shorter times, so it is important to remember this when working on specific projects or tasks requiring a lot of power.
Another thing to consider with battery life is that it begins to diminish over time due to usage patterns and age. Therefore, storing batteries at 50% charge level when not using them for extended periods is recommended and avoiding using them frequently until their charge is below about 25%. This ensures that the cells do not become damaged from deep discharges which can significantly reduce the longevity of Apple’s batteries!
Battery life-saving features
The new MacBook Air, which is scheduled to be released later this year, comes equipped with Apple’s new M1 processor and a host of new features designed to extend battery life. The latest addition to the Mac lineup features a larger battery that provides up to 15 hours of web browsing time and 18 hours of video playback. It also uses Apple’s improved power management technology to further protect against power draining tasks.
In addition to the larger battery, Apple has taken several other measures with its next-generation MacBook Air to offer longer battery life. These include optimized CPU Speed Shift, improved idle modes, efficient ambient light sensors that dim key backlights when appropriate and enable an extended sleep mode when idle. Additionally, the M1-powered MacBook Air offers more responsive app launching and can help conserve energy while multitasking. Finally, it features low display brightness settings allowing more energy efficiency while running Wi-Fi or other bandwidth-consuming activities. Similarly designed models also incorporate ambient temperature monitoring which shifts certain tasks among active processors when temperatures become too hot to reduce performance throttling and preserve battery life.
Price and Availability
The new MacBook Air powered by the M1 chip will launch later this year, but Apple has yet to announce when it will be available.
The price of the new MacBook Air has also not been revealed yet, but we can expect it to be on the higher end of the spectrum due to its advanced hardware.
We can look forward to more information regarding the price and availability as the launch date approaches.
Price range of the new MacBook Air
The rumors are true: Apple will introduce a new MacBook Air, equipped with their powerful M1 processor this year. The rumors hint at innovative and unexpected features, but the biggest questions focus on pricing and availability.
According to various sources, the new MacBook Air will have an affordable price tag. Pre-order information leaked in mid-May suggested it might be available for as low as $899. However, retail prices are likely to range from $899 and up depending on configuration options like memory and storage sizes and color choice.
To add up the cost, it is estimated that consumers can expect to pay approximately an additional $400 for additional memory size, bringing the total cost of a 64 GB RAM MacBook Air to around $1299. In terms of color option choices, there are likely to be three colors available – Silver, Space Gray and Gold – with various levels of customization offered.
Final pricing details have yet to be released but all signs point towards an incredibly affordable flagship device offering impressive specs compared to its predecessor models.
Availability of the new MacBook Air
Apple’s new MacBook Air with the M1 chip and Magic Keyboard is expected to be available later this year, with a starting price of $999 for the 13-inch display version – the same as its predecessor. The new laptop replaces Apple’s existing MacBook Air model line, now referred to as the “Early 2020” MacBook Air.
In addition to promising faster performance than current laptops powered by Intel processors, Apple said its new ARM-based M1 chip will offer improved battery life and additional security features, such as two Factor Authentication. It also offers a more powerful GPU than current Intel processors and support for external displays up to 6K resolution.
This year’s update of the 13-inch model doesn’t include any new display technologies such as mini-LED or OLED. Instead, Apple is sticking with its standard LCD Retina display panel. While an upgraded version of Apple’s Touch Bar is also missing from this year’s model refresh, rumors suggest that it may come back in future models.
