Which is better for schoolwork and everyday use?

The MacBook Air M1. It opens apps faster, handles many browser tabs without slowing, and lasts a full day away from a charger.

The M1. Its battery runs roughly 50% longer per charge, and its newer components will keep up with macOS updates for more years.

Is the M1 worth stepping up to over the older Air?

Yes for most people. The speed, screen, keyboard and battery gains are large, and the older Air's 128GB drive is tight for modern use.

Do I need dongles with the M1?

For USB-A drives, SD cards or HDMI, yes. The older Air has those built in, which is its main advantage.

Can I upgrade the RAM or storage later on either?

No. Both have soldered memory and storage, so pick the capacity you need when you buy.

Is the older Air still fine for basic tasks?

For email, documents and light browsing, yes. It struggles with heavy web pages, video editing and many open apps.

Apple MacBook Air 2020 vs Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (2017)

The MacBook Air M1 is the better laptop by a wide margin. Its M1 chip beats the older Intel Core i5 in speed and efficiency, and it runs cool and silent with no fan. The M1 also has a much sharper Retina display, a modern keyboard, Touch ID, USB-C/Thunderbolt ports and far longer real battery life. The MQD32LL/A is a 2017-era design with a low-resolution screen, an older keyboard and just 128GB of storage. Buy the M1 unless you need built-in USB-A and an SD card slot and want to spend as little as possible.

Choose the MacBook Air M1 if you want the faster, longer-lasting laptop with a sharp Retina screen and modern ports.
Choose the MacBook Air MQD32LL/A if you need built-in USB-A and SD card slots and only do light browsing, email and documents.

Prices

Apple MacBook Air 2020: $237.00 at vipoutlet.com (last seen Nov 9)
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (2017): $285.99 at metroprime shop (last seen Nov 9)
Difference: the Apple MacBook Air 2020 is $48.99 cheaper than the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (2017) at the latest prices (Nov 9)

	Apple MacBook Air 2020	Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (2017)
Processor	Apple M1, 8-core CPU (4 performance, 4 efficiency)	Intel Core i5-5250U, dual-core at 1.6GHz, Turbo up to 2.7GHz
Display	13.3-inch Retina, 2560x1600, 227 ppi, 400 nits, True Tone	13.3-inch, 1440x900, about 128 ppi, no True Tone
Memory	8GB or 16GB unified LPDDR4X, not upgradeable	8GB LPDDR3 at 1600MHz, not upgradeable
Storage	256GB or 512GB SSD	128GB SSD
Battery life	Up to about 15 hours web, 18 hours video	Up to about 10 hours
Ports	Two Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 (USB-C) plus headphone jack	Two USB-A 3.0, one Thunderbolt 2, SDXC card slot, headphone jack
Keyboard and security	Magic Keyboard with scissor switches, Touch ID	Older butterfly keyboard, no Touch ID
Weight and cooling	2.8 lb, fanless and silent	2.96 lb, fan-cooled

Spec	Apple MacBook Air 2020	Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (2017)
Screen Size	13.3 inches	13.3 in
Battery Life	15 hours battery life	10 h
Storage	256GB PCIe-based SSD	128 GB Solid State Drive (SSD)
Processor Speed	3.2 GHz CPU	1.8 GHz
Model	Apple MacBook Air M1 Gold 8GB/256GB (MGND3FN/A)…	—
Resolution	2560 x 1600	—
Operating System	Mac OS	—
With Retina Display	Yes	—
Drive Type	Solid State Drive	—
Number Of Cores	Octa Core	—
Color	Silver, Space Gray, Gray, Gold, Blue, Clear, Go…	—
Language	English / North America	—

Spec	Apple MacBook Air 2020	Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (2017)
Available Ports	USB-C	—
Biometric Security	Fingerprint Scan	—
Weight	2.8 lb	—
Installed Memory	8 GB RAM, 16 GB RAM	—
Display size	13.3-inch (diagonal)	—
Native resolution	2560-by-1600	—
Pixel density	227 pixels per inch	—
Processor	1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i3, Turbo Boost up …	—
Memory	8GB of 3733MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory	—

Apple MacBook Air 2020 vs Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (2017)

Prices

Apple MacBook Air 2020 vs Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (2017)

Prices

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (2017)

What separates them

Price history

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