Apple MacBook Air 2019 vs Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 Comparison

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Apple MacBook Air 2019

13.3 inches | June 2019

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Apple Macbook Air M1 2020

13.3 inches | November 2020

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Apple MacBook Air 2019 vs Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 Comparison Overview

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In this review, we will be comparing MacBook Air 2019 and Macbook Air M1 2020, two laptops by Apple. Apple MacBook Air 2019 was introduced to market in June 2019 and Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 was launched in November 2020. There is 17 months difference between MacBook Air 2019 and Macbook Air M1 2020 so it would still give an advantage to younger Macbook Air M1 2020.

Click for Available Configurations of the Laptops

MacBook Air 2019 and Macbook Air M1 2020 are members of Apple's MacBook Air series of laptops. Below you can find the latest models from this series.

Apple MacBook Air Series History

	Release Date	Screen Size	Dimensions	Weight
Apple MacBook Air 15 M3 2024	March 2024	15.3"	340.4 x 237.6 x 11.5 mm	1.51 kg (3.33 lbs)
Apple MacBook Air 13 M3 2024	March 2024	13.6"	304.1 x 215 x 11.3 mm	1.24 kg (2.73 lbs)
Apple MacBook Air 15 M2	June 2023	15.3"	340.4 x 237.6 x 11.5 mm	1.51 kg (3.33 lbs)
Apple MacBook Air M2 2022	June 2022	13.6"	304.1 x 215 x 11.3 mm	1.24 kg (2.73 lbs)
Apple Macbook Air M1 2020	November 2020	13.3"	304.1 x 212.4 x 16.1 mm	1.29 kg (2.84 lbs)
Apple MacBook Air Intel 2020	September 2020	13.3"	304.1 x 212.4 x 16.1 mm	1.29 kg (2.84 lbs)
Apple MacBook Air 2019	June 2019	13.3"	304 x 212 x 15.6 mm	1.25 kg (2.76 lbs)

Here is a brief look at the main features of Apple MacBook Air 2019 and Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Apple MacBook Air 2019 Key Specs

Launched in June 2019
13.3" IPS LCD, 16:10 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i5 8210Y
GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 617
8GB Ram
304 x 212 x 15.6 mm (11.97 x 8.35 x 0.61 inches)
Weight: 1.25 kg (2.76 lbs)

Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 Key Specs

Launched in November 2020
13.3" IPS LCD, 16:10 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Apple M1
GPU: Apple M1 GPU (8-core)
8GB Ram
304.1 x 212.4 x 16.1 mm (11.97 x 8.36 x 0.63 inches)
Weight: 1.29 kg (2.84 lbs)

Apple MacBook Air 2019 was replaced by Apple MacBook Air Intel 2020. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Apple MacBook Air Intel 2020 vs Apple MacBook Air 2019
Apple MacBook Air Intel 2020 vs Apple Macbook Air M1 2020

Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 was replaced by Apple MacBook Air M2 2022. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Apple MacBook Air M2 2022 vs Apple Macbook Air M1 2020
Apple MacBook Air M2 2022 vs Apple MacBook Air 2019

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how MacBook Air 2019 and Macbook Air M1 2020 compares and decide which one is better for you.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Apple MacBook Air 2019 over Apple Macbook Air M1 2020

Weight	1.25 kg vs 1.29 kg	0.04 kg lighter
Screen-to-Body Ratio	~79.6% vs ~79.4%	Larger screen area ratio
Contrast Rate	1238:1 vs 1069:1	more pleasing colors

Reasons to choose Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 over Apple MacBook Air 2019

sRGB Color Space	99.8% vs 94.6%	Wider sRGB Color Space Coverage
Adobe RGB Profile	85.9% vs 61.3%	Wider Adobe RGB Coverage
CPU Fabrication Process	5 nm vs 14 nm	Newer Generation CPU
GPU Fabrication Process	5 nm vs 14 nm	Newer Generation GPU
GPU FLOPS	2.6 TFLOPS vs 0.4 TFLOPS	Faster RAM Type
RAM Type	LPDDR4X vs LPDDR3	Generates higher sound levels
Speaker Loudness	79.6 dB vs 75.8 dB	More advanced Wi-fi connectivity
WiFi Standard	v6 vs v5	More advanced Bluetooth connectivity
Bluetooth	v5 vs v4.2	Larger Touchpad Area
Touchpad Size	12.1 x 8.1 cm vs 11.6 x 7.8 cm	Better typing feel
Key Travel	1 mm vs 0.5 mm

Common Strengths of Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 and Apple MacBook Air 2019

HDR Support	Yes, HDR10 vs Yes, HDR10	Watch HDR Clips
Fast Charging Support	Yes vs Yes	Charge the battery in a shorter time
USB Power Delivery	Yes vs Yes	Charging via USB port gives flexibility
SSD Type	NVMe vs NVMe	Faster Data Transfers
Dolby Atmos Support	Yes vs Yes	3D Surround Sound Support
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes vs Yes	Easy Login with Fingerprint Sensor
Thunderbolt Port	v3 vs v3	Fast data and power transfer via Thunderbolt Port
VGA Output	No vs No	Connect to External Displays via VGA cable
Keyboard Backlight	Yes vs Yes	Easily see the keys under low light

Common Weaknesses of Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 and Apple MacBook Air 2019

Touchscreen Capability	No vs No	No Touchscreen Capability
Upgradable RAM	No vs No	No Option to increase the RAM size
Upgradable Storage	No vs No	No Option to increase the Storage size
HDMI Output	No vs No	Need an adapter to connect to HDMI displays

Apple MacBook Air 2019 vs Apple Macbook Air M1 2020: Physical Specs Comparison

In this section, we will be comparing the physical specifications and body features of the Apple MacBook Air 2019 and the Apple Macbook Air M1 2020.

Physical Specs
Weight	1.25 kg (2.76 lbs)	1.29 kg (2.84 lbs)
Surface Area	644 cm2 (99.9 inches2)	646 cm2 (100.1 inches2)
Screen to Surface Ratio	~79.6%	~79.4%
Side Bezel Thickness	~8.8 mm	~8.8 mm
Weight per Inch of Screen	0.09 kg/inch	0.10 kg/inch
	0.198 lbs/inch	0.22 lbs/inch
Colors	Silver, Gold, Gray	Silver, Gold, Gray

Comparison of the Apple MacBook Air 2019 and the Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 External Dimensions

Weight

MacBook Air 2019 weighs 1.25 kg (2.76 lbs), whereas the Macbook Air M1 2020 weighs 1.29 kg (2.84 lbs). There is a notable difference in weight between these two laptops. The weight difference between the two laptops is not significant.

Weight Comparison

Displays size 13.0-13.9 inches

Apple MacBook Air 2019 1.25 kg

Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 1.29 kg

Min 0.85 kg

Average 1.22 kg

Max 1.64 kg

Thickness Comparison

Displays size 13.0-13.9 inches

Apple MacBook Air 2019 15.60 mm

Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 16.10 mm

Min 7.90 mm

Average 15.38 mm

Max 19.30 mm

Another value that we use for comparing the weights of the laptops is the Weight per Inch of Screen, which is calculated by dividing the total weight of the model with its usable diagonal screen size. This value for the Apple MacBook Air 2019 is 0.09 kg/inch.In comparison, this value for the Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 is 0.10 kg/inch.Here are some of the best performing laptops in this area:

Microsoft Surface Go 4: 0.05 kg/inch
LG Gram SuperSlim 15.6 2023: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus ProArt PZ13 HT5306: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus Zenbook A14 UX3407: 0.06 kg/inch
Dell Latitude 7330: 0.07 kg/inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2022: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2-in-1 2022: 0.07 kg/inch

Apple MacBook Air 2019 vs Apple Macbook Air M1 2020: Internals (CPU, GPU, RAM, Battery, SSD, etc.) Comparison

CPU Comparison

CPU Model	Intel Core i5 8210Y	Apple M1
Base Frequency	1.6 GHz	2.1 GHz
Turbo Frequency	3.6 GHz	3.2 GHz
Number of Cores	2	8
Number of Threads	4	8
L3 Cache	4 MB
Integrated GPU	Intel UHD Graphics 617	Apple M1 GPU
CPU Fabrication Process	14 nm	5 nm

Above you can see the CPU options and the CineBench and GeekBench test scores for both laptops, which gives an idea about what kind of performance difference you may experience between the Apple MacBook Air 2019 and Apple Macbook Air M1 2020.

You may also read reviews of latest laptops with the same CPU ( Apple M1 ) and compare them:

Apple MacBook Pro 13 M1 2020 Compare

GPU Comparison

GPU Model	Intel UHD Graphics 617	Apple M1 GPU (8-core)
Base Clock Frequency	300 MHz	450 MHz
Boost CLock Frequency	1050 MHz	1278 MHz
TGP (Total Graphics Power)	15 W	15 W
Type	Integrated	Integrated
FLOPS	403.2 GFLOPS	2.6 TFLOPS
Memory Size	System Shared	System Shared
Memory Type	System Shared	LPDDR4X
Memory Bus	System Shared	128 bit
Memory Speed	System Shared	4.27 Gbps
Shading Units Cores	192	1024
TMUs	24	64
ROPs	3	32

GPU is as critical as the CPU for graphic heavy applications and the table above gives a picture of how the two GPU compares. FLOPS is a measure of a GPU's performance based on the number of floating-point arithmetic calculations that the processor can perform within a second. Apple MacBook Air 2019 has a FLOPS value of 0.4 TFLOPS whereas the Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 ' has a FLOPS value of 2.6 TFLOPS. If graphical performance of the laptop is important for your use type, the Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 may be the better choice between these two setups.

RAM Comparison

RAM	8GB 16GB	8GB 16GB
Memory Bus	2x4 GB	2x4 GB
RAM Clock	2133 MHz	4266 MHz
RAM Type	LPDDR3	LPDDR4X
Upgradable	No	No
Total Slots	2
Memory Bus	Custom	Custom

Both laptops, the MacBook Air 2019 and the Macbook Air M1 2020, come with similar RAM capacities of 8 GB, providing comparable performance in memory-intensive tasks.

LOCAL LLM Compatibility Evaluation

This quick guide shows what types of large language models (LLMs) each of these laptops could support, based on their respective hardware specifications. It's meant to help you compare their suitability for running AI models locally.

LLM Category	Apple MacBook Air (2019)	Apple Macbook Air (M1, 2020)
Small Models(1-3B):Examples: Phi-2, Qwen-1.8B	✔ Run smoothly.	✔ Run smoothly.
Medium Models(7-8B):Examples: Mistral-7B, Qwen-7B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Large Models(13-30B):Examples: Mixtral, Qwen-14B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Extra-Large Models(65B+):Examples: LLaMA2-70B, Qwen1.5-72B	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.

Note: Optimized (e.g., 4-bit) models may run on limited hardware. Performance depends on runtime and setup.

📌 MoE Models: Some models like Mixtral 8x7B and Qwen3-30B-A3B use a Mixture of Experts (MoE) design, activating only part of the model during inference. This means they can often run efficiently on laptops with 12–16 GB of VRAM when quantized.

BATTERY

BATTERY	50 Wh	49.9 Wh
Battery Type	Li-Po	Li-Po
Replaceable	No	No
Fast Charging	No	No
USB Power Delivery	Yes	Yes
Charging Port Position	Left	Left
Charge Power	30 W	30 W
Voltage	11.4 V	11.4 V
Full Charging Time	3:00 hr	2:23 hr
Cable Length	1.8 meters	2 meters
AC Adapter Weight	178 gramm	172 gramm

Furthermore, both laptops have the same battery capacity of 50 Wh, ensuring comparable battery performance.

Battery Comparison

Displays size 13.0-13.9 inches

Apple MacBook Air 2019 50 Wh

Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 50 Wh

Min 38.00 Wh

Average 53.1 Wh

Max 80.00 Wh

STORAGE
The Macbook Air M1 2020 offers a larger max storage capacity of 2 TB, providing more room for storing files and data compared to the MacBook Air 2019's storage capacity of 1 TB.

Storage Options	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB
Upgradable	No	No
Storage type	SSD (M2)	SSD (M2)
NVMe	Yes	Yes

If your budget allows, we recommend opting for the largest possible disk size, considering the potential increase in storage capacity needs in the future. However, please keep in mind the question 'What will the laptop be used for?' when making this decision. Of course, you can later upgrade the hard disk capacity by getting a larger disk. However, if your laptop has only one disk slot, it may not be as straightforward as a RAM upgrade, where you simply add or replace a module, as moving or cloning files to a new disk may be necessary.

Apple MacBook Air 2019 vs Apple Macbook Air M1 2020: Display Comparison

The display is an essential aspect to consider when comparing the Apple MacBook Air 2019 and Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 since its is the component that you interact the most and significantly impact the experience.

Screen Area and Dimensions

Now let's look at the comparison of the actual display areas of both laptops below, keeping the bezels around the screens out of the equation. Both MacBook Air 2019 and Macbook Air M1 2020 screens have the same size of 13.3".The total usable screen area of the MacBook Air 2019 is 513cm² / 80inch² whereas the Macbook Air M1 2020's total usable screen area is 513cm² / 80inch².

PPI (Pixels per Inch)
Both MacBook Air 2019 and Macbook Air M1 2020 feature the same pixel density with 227 pixels per inch (PPI).

Screen PPI (Pixels Per Inch) Comparison

Displays size 13.0-13.9 inches

Apple MacBook Air 2019 227 ppi

Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 227 ppi

Min 118 PPI

Average 186 PPI

Max 338.00 PPI

Refresh Rate
Both MacBook Air 2019 and Macbook Air M1 2020 offer the same refresh rate of 60 Hz.

Both MacBook Air 2019 and Macbook Air M1 2020 boast the same response time of 35.0 ms.

Brightness
Both MacBook Air 2019 and Macbook Air M1 2020 offer the same maximum brightness of 400 nits (cd/m²).

Brightness Comparison

Displays size 13.0-13.9 inches

Apple MacBook Air 2019 400 nits

Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 400 nits

Min

30 nits

Average 438 nits

Max 1000.00 nits

Apple MacBook Air 2019 vs Apple Macbook Air M1 2020 Connectivity Comparison

In terms of connectivity,

Wifi
Macbook Air M1 2020 features a more advanced Wi-Fi standard v6, providing faster and more reliable wireless connections compared to MacBook Air 2019 (v5).

Below, you'll find a Wi-Fi Versions Table, along with their release dates and speeds, to provide a brief overview of its development.

Wi-Fi Versions and Speeds

Standard	Speed	Release Date	Network	Frequency Bands (GHz)
Wi-Fi 7	up to 40 Gbps (5 GB/s)	2023	802.11be	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6E	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2020	802.11ax	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2019	802.11ax	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 5	up to 6.93 Gbps (866.25 MB/s)	2014	802.11ac	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 4	up to 600 Mbps (75 MB/s)	2009	802.11n	2.4, 5

* Please note that the provided transfer rates are maximum theoretical values, and real-life performance may vary based on environmental factors.

USB
Neither MacBook Air 2019 nor Macbook Air M1 2020 has USB-A ports.
Both MacBook Air 2019 and Macbook Air M1 2020 feature 2x USB 3.1 USB Type-C ports.

Below, you'll find a table of USB ports, along with their release dates and speeds.
To mitigate the confusion caused by generation names, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) suggests using marketing names like USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and so forth, based on their respective transfer rates.

USB Type and Speeds

USB Type	Version	Speed	Date	Other Features/Explanations
USB4	Gen 4 (2.0)	80 Gbps	2022	Also known as USB 80Gbps
USB4	Gen 3×2	40 Gbps	2019	Also known as USB 40Gbps
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2x2	20 Gbps	2019	Double the data transfer rates of Gen 2
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.1
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.0
USB 3.1	3.1 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2013	Faster data transfer rates
USB 3.0	3.1 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2010	SuperSpeed USB, improved data transfer rates
USB 2.0	2.0	480 Mbps	2000	High-speed data transfer
USB 1.0	1.0	1.5 Mbps	1996	Original USB standard

Thunderbolt
Both MacBook Air 2019 and Macbook Air M1 2020 are equipped with Thunderbolt 3 ports.

HDMI
Neither MacBook Air 2019 nor Macbook Air M1 2020 has an HDMI port for connecting to external monitors. Neither MacBook Air 2019 nor Macbook Air M1 2020 has an HDMI port for connecting to external monitors.

Below, you'll find a comparison table detailing different HDMI versions, including their bandwidth, color depth, maximum resolution, and release dates. This information can be helpful in understanding the capabilities of each HDMI version and choosing the most suitable one for your needs.

HDMI Comparison Table

HDMI Version	Maximum Resolution	Bandwidth (Gbps)	Color Depth (bits)	Release Date
HDMI 2.1-2.1b	7680 x 4320 *(8K)* @ 60p 3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 120p	48.0	48	2017
HDMI 2.0-2.0b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 60p	18.0	48	2013
HDMI 1.4-1.4b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 30p	10.2	48	2009
HDMI 1.3-1.3a	2560 x 1440 @ 60p	10.2	48	2006
HDMI 1.0-1.2a	1920 x 1200 @ 60p	4.95	24	2002

* Please note that the provided resolution values represent the maximum supported resolution, and actual display quality may depend on other factors such as source content and connected devices.

SD Card Reader
Neither MacBook Air 2019 nor Macbook Air M1 2020 has an SD Card Reader.

Audio Jack
Both MacBook Air 2019 and Macbook Air M1 2020 are equipped with a 3.5mm Audio Jack, providing seamless connection to headphones and speakers.

To summarize the connectivity and ports details, please refer to the table below to see them listed.

Connectivity and Ports
WiFi Standard (latest: v7)	v5	v6
Bluetooth (latest: v5.4)	v4.2	v5
USB-A (latest: 3.2)	No	No
USB Type-C (latest: USB4 2.0)	2x USB 3.1	2x USB 3.1
Thunderbolt (latest: 4)	Thunderbolt 3	Thunderbolt 3
HDMI (latest: 2.1)	No	No
Display Port (latest: v2.0)	No	No
VGA	No	No
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes	Yes
Optical Drive	No	No
Audio Jack 3.5mm	Yes	Yes
Ethernet RJ45	No	No
SD CardReader	No	No
Proprietary Charging Port	No	No