Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
MacBook Air 2020 USER reviews
- Thread starter Untapped Potential
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The thumbnail has a picture of fire on it so we know it's going to be balanced, well produced and the reviewer will be going in with an open mind.
I haven't watched it but I'm guessing it's something like 'MAX TECH IS WRONG, I COULD CHILL FRUIT AND MEAT AND DAIRY WITH THIS THING IT RUNS SO COLD!' It's how the Youtubers bring in the clicks
Really glad he addressed the "over heating" terminology. Honestly, I don't know if people just don't have a strong grasp on the English language or if people are just that ignorant but I've seen this term misused even by reviewers like Max Tech. The computer never over heats in Max Techs review but he says it does. Over heating means the computer is shutting down due to heat. That's over heating. The Macbook Air reaches its t junction temp of 100 degrees and stays there or goes down which is exactly what it's designed to do, the voltage parameters are set by Apple and they work as intended. What people mean when they misuse the term "over heating" is the cpu temps are getting hotter than they think they should be getting. It's utterly ridiculous.
But here's the problem with your stress test: I think you'd find that even a MacBook Pro would "fail" that test. I have a pretty souped-up MacBook Pro 16 that I just bought about 4 months ago. i9 / 32GB / 1TB / 8GB GPU. I just tried opening a few Safari windows, each playing a YouTube 1080p video, started up the Apple TV app and played a movie, and opened up the Photos app to browse some photos. I could hear the fans going and the bottom was feeling pretty hot. I don't currently have a fan/temp app, so I can't give specifics, but maybe I'll do that later. So even the highest-end MBP 16 may not pass your test.
Me too. I'm switching from a 2017MBP just due to the Keyboard - and I had it replaced in Oct2019 ! I'm glad to be able to remember again what the old MBA keyboard felt like. Maybe in 3 years I'll be ready for a MBP again, this time 14in.
Just got my i5/8gb/256 MBA
Been using it for about 4 hours. fan has never come on and it's not hot at all. Not sure what others are doing.
So far I've been browsing the internet and downloading my 50GB Photo Library in the background.
Been using it for about 4 hours. fan has never come on and it's not hot at all. Not sure what others are doing.
So far I've been browsing the internet and downloading my 50GB Photo Library in the background.
Just got my I5, 8 GB RAM in Space Grey. The "overheating issue" is a joke, I almost cancelled my order when researching it, so glad I didn't. I was worried about fan noise. The fan is completely silent so I downloaded the Fan RPM app, here's the fan RPM doing different tasks:
Watching 1080p 60fps YouTube video: 0 RPM
Watching 4k Vimeo video: 0 RPM
playing 10 (ten!) 1080p 60fps YouTube videos at once: 2700 RPM
Opening iMovie for the first time (and it installed something) 3400 RPM
-The fan usually runs at 2700 RPM during normal multitasking, but you wouldn't know it.
The fan is completely silent below 4000 RPM when its on my lap, So I haven't heard it yet.
Its very hard to spin up the fans "out of the box". Its people using Chrome and unoptimized apps that are complaining. Or Maxtech editing 4K videos in Final Cut Pro. Maybe don't use $400 video editing software on a $1000 computer. Nothing new.
Biggest disappointment is the camera- it is horrible. I don't care about resolution specs, I'm mean the actually image quality is crap. I FaceTimed myself with my iPhone 11. The picture on my phone (from the Air) was a speckled dark mess, the picture on my Mac (from my phone) was bright and clear. Huge difference.
Watching 1080p 60fps YouTube video: 0 RPM
Watching 4k Vimeo video: 0 RPM
playing 10 (ten!) 1080p 60fps YouTube videos at once: 2700 RPM
Opening iMovie for the first time (and it installed something) 3400 RPM
-The fan usually runs at 2700 RPM during normal multitasking, but you wouldn't know it.
The fan is completely silent below 4000 RPM when its on my lap, So I haven't heard it yet.
Its very hard to spin up the fans "out of the box". Its people using Chrome and unoptimized apps that are complaining. Or Maxtech editing 4K videos in Final Cut Pro. Maybe don't use $400 video editing software on a $1000 computer. Nothing new.
Biggest disappointment is the camera- it is horrible. I don't care about resolution specs, I'm mean the actually image quality is crap. I FaceTimed myself with my iPhone 11. The picture on my phone (from the Air) was a speckled dark mess, the picture on my Mac (from my phone) was bright and clear. Huge difference.
Last edited:
My toddler ruined my 2019 Macbook Pro with 512GB hard drive and 16GB ram. He had pressed down on the screen and chipped the corner causing light bleed and defects I just couldn't unsee. I managed to sell it to a relative who didn't care and have purchased a 2020 Macbook Air with an i5 processor and 512GB Hard drive and 8GB ram.
In all honesty, outside of slightly lower overall screen brightness and less saturated colour (Not that noticeable for most users) this is a better machine in almost every way possible and the difference in price was enormous. Even if I had have taken the 16GB ram option it would have still been about $650 AUD cheaper than the base 13 inch Macbook Pro with 2 Thunderbolt ports which I had before.
The Macbook Air feels just as fast, the fans hardly ever come on, the keyboard is much better, It doesn't have the useless touchbar (Some people may feel different to me but the novelty wears off) and it's slightly lighter and thinner overall.
I just don't understand why anyone would buy a 13 inch Macbook Pro right now with the Macbook Air available for so much cheaper. No way is the pro worth the price premium unless you need a 16 inch screen in which case the keyboard is the same scissor one in the air.
Is there something I'm missing here?
In all honesty, outside of slightly lower overall screen brightness and less saturated colour (Not that noticeable for most users) this is a better machine in almost every way possible and the difference in price was enormous. Even if I had have taken the 16GB ram option it would have still been about $650 AUD cheaper than the base 13 inch Macbook Pro with 2 Thunderbolt ports which I had before.
The Macbook Air feels just as fast, the fans hardly ever come on, the keyboard is much better, It doesn't have the useless touchbar (Some people may feel different to me but the novelty wears off) and it's slightly lighter and thinner overall.
I just don't understand why anyone would buy a 13 inch Macbook Pro right now with the Macbook Air available for so much cheaper. No way is the pro worth the price premium unless you need a 16 inch screen in which case the keyboard is the same scissor one in the air.
Is there something I'm missing here?
So glad to hear those last few comments. Maybe some people having issues have a flawed earlier batch or something.
If it makes it anymore clear how much I love this machine, I've bought one for my wife and recommended it to my brother who bought one as well. My brother is using Boot Camp with Windows 10 on the same model as mine (i5, 512GB Hard Drive, 8GB Ram) and playing Age Of Empires 2 Definitive Edition connected to a TV and he's loving it.
I feel a lot of the supposed issues with this machine are overblown or from people who have very high needs like video editing who were thinking they could save a lot of money vs the pro.
Apple Laptops have been so overpriced over the years and riddled with reliability problems like poor keyboards and random shutdowns on the base Macbook Pro. I'm happy Apple has finally released a price competitive Macbook with a good screen and keyboard.
Any comments on temperature (from Intel Power Gadget app) and how it compares to your other macs? It's clear that the 2020 Air is a decent performer, but the performance seems to come at the cost of increased heat.
There is no disputing that the 2020 MacBook Air tends to run at a hotter core temperature than the outgoing i5 2019 model. However, considering that the machine now has four cores and the system never gets hot to the touch, I would call the design a decent trade off. Under load, all of my previous experience with MacBooks would lead them to be uncomfortably hot, which is refreshing to see this not the case with the Air. While I am not defending the fan noise or design (as fanboys would), there are a number of benefits. I actually have the privilege of typing this from a Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5", which I would say is a worthy competitor to the MacBook Air and the bottom is significantly hotter than the Air during the same load. Additionally, the fan on the Surface is more noticeable during light tasks, however the Air definitely is louder when taxed. It just so happened that a user's laptop died at work and we needed a quick solution, so an off the shelf product was in order.
On a side note, Apple finally is getting some real competition in the segment as this Surface Laptop 3 is superior in some areas, comparable in others, and worse in some. It is good to see some competitiveness in the industry as that is what drives the industry forward, for better or for worse.
On a side note, Apple finally is getting some real competition in the segment as this Surface Laptop 3 is superior in some areas, comparable in others, and worse in some. It is good to see some competitiveness in the industry as that is what drives the industry forward, for better or for worse.
Unfortunately I don't have my Macbook Pro anymore to check, however I do know that it used to get very hot and the fans spin loudly quite often. I haven't had this happen on the Macbook Air. I also had the dreaded random shutdowns that were a known issue on the base Macbook Pro.
I'm not doubting there will be issues with any machine including the new Macbook Air, I just think in my use scenario which is a lot of Web Browsing, Light Gaming, Emails, Converting Video's etc. It's a fantastic machine.
[automerge]1587700023[/automerge]
Your comment is spot on. This laptop does not get hot to touch regardless of how hot it is running. My Macbook Pro used to get hot enough I couldn't have it on my lap if wearing shorts sometimes. I think having a competitive laptop with the Macbook Air against the Microsoft Surface Laptop which is also a great machine is good for everyone.
Apple has needed to make a machine like this for a long time.
One interesting thought that crossed my mind is how these machines do in a restricted air flow situation. Nearly every student is trotting across campus brandishing a MacBook Air due to the really attractive price point. Using a Pro of any vintage on a bed would lead to fans blasting and a scolding hot machine. How does the Air do? I consider this question because of how it seems to do a better job of maintaining external case temperature than other MacBook models.
Many will argue the comparison, but the root point is still the same. We are at a point where the differentiating factors are no longer leaps and bounds ahead of one another. Windows used to be leaps and bounds ahead of macOS when it came to compatability, but now the margins have narrowed. Likewise, Apple used to be light years ahead of PCs from every brand when it came to design, yet newer models like the XPS 13, Surface Laptop 3, etc. are all narrowing the field.
Do you think 8gb will be enough? I was thinking at least 16 for the longest them (even if I have to go i3). My current 2011 pro 13” is already 16Gb. I’m now maybe thinking i3/16/256....
I went from a 2016 MBP 15" TB 2.6 i7 16Gb to my MBA 13" i3 8GB. TBH, MBP was way more power than I needed.
I have to say - I'm absolutely thrilled with the MBA. The keyboard is absolute perfection, reminds me of my old Mac laptops before the butterfly.
I avoided using my MBP whenever possible and would use my iPhone most of the time for casual web browsing, etc, all because I hated the keyboard (shallow, I was inaccurate on it, just a pain to use).
I am now gravitating to my MBA - i3 has been fine, and its just a pure joy to use, plenty snappy for my casual web browsing and basic use. Screen is good enough, but not incredible or anything. No heat issues whatsoever. Love this computer. And, a great value for something so well constructed.
I have to say - I'm absolutely thrilled with the MBA. The keyboard is absolute perfection, reminds me of my old Mac laptops before the butterfly.
I avoided using my MBP whenever possible and would use my iPhone most of the time for casual web browsing, etc, all because I hated the keyboard (shallow, I was inaccurate on it, just a pain to use).
I am now gravitating to my MBA - i3 has been fine, and its just a pure joy to use, plenty snappy for my casual web browsing and basic use. Screen is good enough, but not incredible or anything. No heat issues whatsoever. Love this computer. And, a great value for something so well constructed.
Last edited:
From my week with the i5 - not great. The 2019, when rested on a bed or in my lap, would not even register as warm to the touch. Fans would be at 0rpm, temps wouldn't break 50c for multi-tabbed web browsing and extended Youtube sessions.
The 2020 i5 was very, very different. The heat and the fan noise wasn't that annoying when I had it set up on my desk as my workstation running Citrix etc for work, but when I transitioned it to the use case you're describing - lazy student laptop, or, in my case, isolated person watching Netflix in bed or scrolling through news/social media, boy oh boy. It got uncomfortably warm in my lap, if it was on the bed I'd feel the heat radiating through the upper half of the case which is a first for me and Macbook Airs.
Used off a desk, my experience was temps weren't able to drop below 68-73c and the fans were on at 4000-5000rpm almost constantly.
I got the i3 today to compare, but if somebody wants a laptop for web browsing/watching videos on the couch or in bed, I'd recommend the 2019 in a heartbeat over the i5. It just couldn't keep itself cool unless it was on a level, cool surface.
I'm not in a tropical area and temps in my location are at about 18c ambient at the moment, so it's a good time to do these kind of tests - if it's really hot in autumn, it's going to be really, really hot in summer.
Cheers
It was enough for my 8 year old 202-Air and it is enough for my new 2020 too. 🥳
As I wrote in my review earlier in this thread, the laptop is great apart from the camera which is crap. Totally agree with what you wrote. However, I've come to terms with it as it's ok in bright light. The resolution is ok (I don't need 1440p/1080p when FaceTiming people) but the sensor is so small it's almost unusable in low light.
I had an 8GB Pro and now have the i5/8/256 Air. I've ordered a Samsung T5 500GB (which is usb-c) as that was so much cheaper than even adding just another 256 to the Air's internal SSD.
A couple of things I've done to "customise" my air ... (1) I've changed the resolution of the screen to 16809x1050 and (b) I've created Sleep, Shutdown and Reboot shortcuts as I'm used to my old Pro which had those by default using the power button. I don't get the touchID button on the Air, as it can be pressed but doesn't seem to work like the old power button did. Anyway, custom keyboard shortcuts fixed that for me.
[automerge]1587719242[/automerge]
Not a scientific test, but after all these comments on temperature, I installed Fanny on both my new Air and my old late-2013 15" Pro. Now, the Pro has a smashed screen so I use it in clamshell mode via screen-sharing from my Air.
So, my Air tends to run around 50-60 degrees in use, and my Pro (in clamshell mode remember, but with no external devices connected at all apart from me over the network) it tends to sit at 60-70 in use.
As an aside, I'm surprised how well the old Pro in clamshell mode works. The old Pro only has power connected to it and so long as I boot up and log in on its keyboard (and use my imagination to work out what the screen is doing lol) and then connect to it (either simply a filesystem in Finder or screensharing) then I can close the lid and it keeps running. Of course, I can use it "normally" by connecting it via an HDMI lead to my TV as I plan to use it as a media server once I've finished "playing".
Last edited:
That was my experience as well, the device is much warmer under basic load. What I did find is moving to a different AV on my mac device has delivered improvements on heat and CPU use. I'm not sure what others are using of if you do use anything at all (I was Sophos) I have now moved to CylancePROTECT and CylanceOPTICS (corporate account) which has since stopped the issues over overheating when using MS teams as well.
Just wanted to give a week (or so) later update to this.
I have been glued to my MBA, it's a little monster. Handling everything I have thrown at it without issue. There was 1 point during the week when I had turned on iCloud photos and it had a bit of an issue maintaining Kali in Virtual Box (I was running a number of tools within it). The photolibrayid service was working away doing its thing, so I left it be and once it was done everything went back to normal. Also, I have been using a second screen for the virtual machine at 1080 resolution with no lag or any issues.
I know how people use of their device is fundamentally different, but I wouldn't put myself in a category that would be considered "light user" as it seems to be where this device is supposed to be positioned. It's a very capable machine to do a heap of things at once. I have only heard the fans 2 or 3 times blowing and have had the turbo booster app running watching temps/fan speed, most of the time the temp sits around 60/70. I have had zero issues with anything I do pertaining to heat/fans...
Anyway, I still love my Air and hope I have it as long as my 2013 that served me well for 7 years and is now going to go on and serve a buddy of mine who needs a laptop.
Last edited:
I really think the i5 MacBook Air is the best overall machine taking into account price, specs, usability etc that Apple has made since the 2nd or 3rd revision of the original MacBook Air. They took out the complaints of the previous MacBook Air (Butterfly Keyboard and outdated processor) and fixed them, while keeping the good stuff like true tone and touch ID.
I know I sound like a broken record and I won't keep saying it, but unless you really like the Touch Bar I just don't know why the Base 13 Inch MacBook Pro would even get a look in at the moment. I spent $2,900 AUD on the base MacBook Pro with 512GB Hard Drive and i5 Processor with 16GB Ram. The equivalent MacBook Air with i5, 512GB Hard Drive and 16GB Ram is $2,300 AUD.
Is a worse keyboard with known reliability issues, a Touch Bar and a wider colour gamut really worth $600 extra? The entry level MacBook Pro would have to be getting a price revamp soon, it just doesn't make sense at the current price point.
Most folks who have to ask whether they need 8 or 16GB don't actually need 16GB. IMHO unless you can point to specific use-cases which you know will require the additional memory, you probably don't need it. Won't hurt to buy it, but you'll have wasted your money since upgrades return only a small fraction of original cost in resale.
Since you already have a mac, check the Memory Pressure graph in Activity Monitor. See here for what stuff means, or post up a screenshot and we'll advise. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201464#memory
Be aware though that macOS will make some use of all the memory available - such as caching files or leaving stuff uncompressed - and so looking at Activity Monitor on a 16GB system will appear to use more than the same tasks would use on an 8GB system. In actual usage you won't perceive a difference though.