MacBook Air M1 – A successful Apple chip debutThe new M1 processor with ARM architecture makes an impressive debut in the MacBook Air. In CPU as well as GPU performance, comparable chips from Intel and AMD are surpassed in terms of the theoretical raw performance – and this is the entry-level configuration of the Air. The passive cooling hardly impacts the everyday performance, the graphics performance does not drop noticeably over time, and only during demanding tasks for the processor there is a noticeable drop after several minutes. But at 11%, this also remains within limits. We can also reassure you about the surface temperatures, with only the internals getting very hot, as is typical for Apple. A huge advantage of the lack of a fan is the silent operation of the notebook, which is perfect in quiet surroundings. The new Apple M1 also has a positive effect on the battery life. With its efficiency cores, it is able to save a lot of power in our WLAN battery test, and it can even last through a full work day at maximum display brightness.
However, the change to the Apple in-house chips does not only bring advantages. Many older apps have to run via Rosetta 2 emulation and significantly lose in performance. On the other hand, the emulation is fast enough to still get better results than when using the old entry-level processors from Intel. Unfortunately not everything works perfectly yet. From stuttering interfaces and longer load times up to app crashes, there are many open problems. So you have to hope for native versions of the software or updates from Apple. Buyers should find out in advance whether the software they use could run into trouble or whether there are alternatives. However, any limitations in the app selection from this are balanced by the numerous newly added iOS apps that will run perfectly thanks to the ARM chip.
The new Apple chips celebrate a successful debut in the MacBook Air. With maturing software, probably no one will miss the Intel chips in the Mac in the future.
The case and the display remained practically unchanged. Here we would have wished at least for a touchscreen – particularly because of the iOS compatibility – and smaller display bezels. Otherwise there are no reasons for complaint at all in terms of the case, input devices, and speakers.
In terms of its price, the entry level is particularly attractive, especially since there are always some good offers from vendors over the years. The additional charge for the octa-core GPU and 16 GB of RAM are not necessarily worthwhile, and the fast 8 GB of Unified RAM should be completely sufficient for most users. The 256-GB SSD represents more of a limitation, and the premiums for more storage space are very hefty. The additional charge for the MacBook Pro 13 with active cooling is also only worthwhile for very few users. Active cooling, a larger battery, a slightly brighter display, and a Touchbar only really matter to very few people. And power users should better wait anyways for the M1X in more powerful models, where you can also hope for more than only 2 TB3 ports.
The new MacBook Air with the M1 chip is already available starting from about 1100 Euros (~$1338; $999 in the US) from Amazon (free shipping), among other places.
The post Apple MacBook Air 2020 M1 Entry Review: Apple M1 CPU humbles Intel and AMD appeared first on abangtech.
source https://abangtech.com/apple-macbook-air-2020-m1-entry-review-apple-m1-cpu-humbles-intel-and-amd/
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