Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 (2025) vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)

Compared 2 laptops: Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 (2025), vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020). Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Storage - 256 GB
- 512 GB
- 1024 GB
- 2048 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB
- 1024 GB
- 2048 GB
RAM - 16 GB
- 24 GB
- 32 GB
- 8 GB
- 16 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 (2025) and Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
System Performance
System and app performance
Gaming Performance
Graphics in popular 3D games
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Battery Life
Estimated real-world battery life
Connectivity
Ports, webcam, and interfaces
Case & Design
Appearance, materials, durability, comfort
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
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Function
Importance (Weight)
Performance:
Gaming:
Display:
Battery life:
Connectivity:
Portability:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison

Body

Design and ergonomics comparison
Weight 1.24 kg 1.29 kg
Pixel size 304.1x215x11.3 mm 304.1x212.4x16.1 mm
Area 654 cm² 646 cm²
Screen-to-body ratio 82 % 79.4 %
Side bezels 5.6 mm 8.8 mm
Colors - Black
- Silver
- Gold
- Blue
- Silver
- Gold
- Gray
Material Aluminum Aluminum
Transformer No No
Opening angle 130 ° 130 °
Cooling system
Cooling typePassivePassive
Vapor chamberNoYes
Liquid metalNon/a

Display

Display quality comparison
Diagonal 13.6 in 13.3 in
Type IPS LCD IPS LCD
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Pixel density 225 ppi 227 ppi
Aspect ratio 16:10 16:10
Resolution 2560x1664 pixels 2560x1600 pixels
HDR support Yes, Dolby Vision Yes, HDR10
Sync Tech No No
Touchscreen No No
Coating Glossy (Anti-Reflective) Glossy (Anti-Reflective)
Light sensor Yes Yes
Display test
Max brightness
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 (2025)
500 nits
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
400 nits
Contrastn/a1069:1
DCI-P3 gamutn/a98.6 %
sRGB gamutn/a99.8 %
Adobe RGB gamutn/a85.9 %
Response timen/a35 ms

Battery

Capacity 53.8 Wh 49.9 Wh
Voltage n/a 11.4 V
Full Charge Time n/a 2:23 h
Battery Type Li-Po Li-Po
Removable No No
Fast Charging Yes Yes
USB PD Yes, 70 W Yes, 65 W
Charge Port Location Left Left
Charge Power 30/35/70 W 30 W
Cable Length 2 m 2 m
Charger weight 183/207 g 172 g

Processor

Processor Apple M4 (10-Core) Apple M1
Base frequency 4.41 GHz 3.2 GHz
Cores 10 (4P + 6E) 8 (4P + 4E)
Threads 10 8
Integrated Graphics Apple M4 GPU (10-core) Apple M1 GPU
Process tech. 3 nm 5 nm
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 (2025)
3721
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
2331
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 (2025)
14341
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
8630
Cinebench
Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 (2025)
2023
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
1469
Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 (2025)
11736
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
7548

GPU Model

GPU Model Apple M4 GPU (10-Core) Apple M1 GPU (8-core)
TGP 18 W 15 W
Graphics Type Integrated Integrated
Process tech. 3 nm 5 nm
GPU Frequency 500 MHz 450 MHz
Boost GPU Frequency 1800 MHz 1278 MHz
FLOPS 4.6 TFLOPS 2.6 TFLOPS
Memory Type LPDDR5X LPDDR4X
Tire Width 128 bit 128 bit
Memory speed 7.5 Gbit/s 4.27 Gbit/s
Shader Units 1280 1024
TMUs 80 64
ROPs 40 32

RAM

RAM Size 16 GB 8 GB
Channels 2x8 GB 2x4 GB
Frequency 7500 MHz 4266 MHz
Type LPDDR5X LPDDR4X
Replaceable No No

Storage

Bus Custom Custom
Type SSD (M2) SSD (M2)
Channels 1x256 GB 2x128 GB
Replaceable No No
NVMe Yes Yes
Storage Capacity 256 GB 256 GB

Sound

Audio Formats 2.2 2.0
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Max Volume n/a 79.6 dB
Microphones 3 3

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version v6E v6
Bluetooth version 5.3 5
Fingerprint sensor Yes Yes
IR sensor No No
CD drive No No
Webcam Above Display Above Display
Webcam Resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Ports
USB-ANoNo
USB-C2x4.02x3.1
ThunderboltThunderbolt 4Thunderbolt 3
HDMINoNo
DisplayPortNoNo
VGANoNo
3.5 mm Audio JackYesYes
Ethernet (RJ45)NoNo
Card ReaderNoNo
Charging PortYesNo

Keyboard & Touchpad

Key Type Island Layout Island Layout
Numeric Keypad No No
Backlight Yes Yes
Key Travel 1 mm 1 mm
Touchpad
Sizen/a12.1x8.1 cm
SurfaceGlassGlass
Windows PrecisionNoNo
* Attention! Ports, display type, speakers, and specs may differ by model or country.

Results

No clear favorite identified yet; updates may follow as new data arrives.

Survey

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1 (50%)
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Total Votes: 2

User comments

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