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MacBook Air 2020 USER reviews
- Thread starter Untapped Potential
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I picked up my i3/8/256 model today and I have to say I'm pretty impressed with it. After downloading all the software I wanted I still have 212 gb left so that should be plenty for my docs and google slides. Here are some general thoughts I have after playing with it for a few hours.
Heat: As far as heat goes, it runs pretty good, only heard the fan when playing a 4k movie on youtube which wasn't totally smooth btw (in Edge browser) but I just wanted to try it out to see if it could do it. It definitely plays it better than my thinkpad t460s i5 6200u. The fan is much quieter than my thinkpad's fan which ramps up constantly for seemingly no reason.
Speed: This computer is definitely faster than my thinkpad, that's pretty obvious in use. I haven't ran Geekbench yet because I want to give it some time to finish downloading emails etc, but I'll update this post with a geekbench score soon enough.
Keyboard: A definite improvement over the butterfly keyboard I had on my 12" Macbook. The keys operate with more of a "thud" than a clack which I like and the faster I type on it the better it feels. I actually think I like this keyboard better than my thinkpad's keyboard because of the lower travel. It feels like I can type faster on this keyboard for that reason and the key layout is more familiar to me so I make less mistakes. I guess all that typing on a macbook pro in college is still in my muscle memory.
Charger and Cable: The charger is very nice and what you would expect for an Apple product but the cable is absolute trash. It's stiff, kinks easily, has some weird powdery texture that rubs off on your hands. It's just garbage. I ordered a usb-c cable on amazon so that should solve that issue. I cannot stand poor quality cables.
Software: Animations on youtube work better in Safari than in Edge. For example: pressing "F" to toggle between full screen works faster and smoother in Safari rather than in Edge. Haven't tried it out yet in Chrome.
Battery life: I haven't tested it fully yet but it's way better than my 4.5 year old thinkpad which gets maybe 4 hours on a good day.
Trackpad: Amazing. Accurate, everything I missed about having an Apple trackpad. However, the mouse acceleration sucks. I prefer the 1:1 acceleration on Windows 10. There is a fix for it using a terminal command but I haven't tried it yet.
Speakers: The speakers are amazing. Very clear, full bodied, loud enough.
*UPDATES*
Things I forgot to mention...
Screen: I'm surprised at the complaints about the screen brightness having now used the computer for the better part of the day. I find the screen to be very bright, brighter than my thinkpad's display by far and sharper
Touch ID: Very fast, very accurate. I think it's actually better than the touch ID on my iPhone 8 which misses my thumb print quite often.
GeekBench 5: Single-Core 1083 Multi-Core 2175
Confirmation: I suspected my typing speed had increased on this keyboard due to the comfortable bottoming out and lower travel, typing speed is up 5-10 wpm. With practice and more time with it, I think it'll be a lot higher.
*CUSTOMIZATIONS*
A couple things I changed right away:
1. I changed the keyboard shortcut for Spotlight search from cmd+space bar to cmd+s. I find this to be more intuitive and comfortable for my hands.
2. I had to disable banners in iMessage because after all of two minutes that became very annoying.
4k video test:
Heat: As far as heat goes, it runs pretty good, only heard the fan when playing a 4k movie on youtube which wasn't totally smooth btw (in Edge browser) but I just wanted to try it out to see if it could do it. It definitely plays it better than my thinkpad t460s i5 6200u. The fan is much quieter than my thinkpad's fan which ramps up constantly for seemingly no reason.
Speed: This computer is definitely faster than my thinkpad, that's pretty obvious in use. I haven't ran Geekbench yet because I want to give it some time to finish downloading emails etc, but I'll update this post with a geekbench score soon enough.
Keyboard: A definite improvement over the butterfly keyboard I had on my 12" Macbook. The keys operate with more of a "thud" than a clack which I like and the faster I type on it the better it feels. I actually think I like this keyboard better than my thinkpad's keyboard because of the lower travel. It feels like I can type faster on this keyboard for that reason and the key layout is more familiar to me so I make less mistakes. I guess all that typing on a macbook pro in college is still in my muscle memory.
Charger and Cable: The charger is very nice and what you would expect for an Apple product but the cable is absolute trash. It's stiff, kinks easily, has some weird powdery texture that rubs off on your hands. It's just garbage. I ordered a usb-c cable on amazon so that should solve that issue. I cannot stand poor quality cables.
Software: Animations on youtube work better in Safari than in Edge. For example: pressing "F" to toggle between full screen works faster and smoother in Safari rather than in Edge. Haven't tried it out yet in Chrome.
Battery life: I haven't tested it fully yet but it's way better than my 4.5 year old thinkpad which gets maybe 4 hours on a good day.
Trackpad: Amazing. Accurate, everything I missed about having an Apple trackpad. However, the mouse acceleration sucks. I prefer the 1:1 acceleration on Windows 10. There is a fix for it using a terminal command but I haven't tried it yet.
Speakers: The speakers are amazing. Very clear, full bodied, loud enough.
*UPDATES*
Things I forgot to mention...
Screen: I'm surprised at the complaints about the screen brightness having now used the computer for the better part of the day. I find the screen to be very bright, brighter than my thinkpad's display by far and sharper
Touch ID: Very fast, very accurate. I think it's actually better than the touch ID on my iPhone 8 which misses my thumb print quite often.
GeekBench 5: Single-Core 1083 Multi-Core 2175
Confirmation: I suspected my typing speed had increased on this keyboard due to the comfortable bottoming out and lower travel, typing speed is up 5-10 wpm. With practice and more time with it, I think it'll be a lot higher.
*CUSTOMIZATIONS*
A couple things I changed right away:
1. I changed the keyboard shortcut for Spotlight search from cmd+space bar to cmd+s. I find this to be more intuitive and comfortable for my hands.
2. I had to disable banners in iMessage because after all of two minutes that became very annoying.
4k video test:
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external drives suck
they make your thin light machine a thin light machine with a hard drive hanging off it.
sure if it’s data you don’t need then whatever. But if it means you’re constantly having to work from an external drive, your thin lightweight portable just got a lot more clumsy to use when on the go.
I actually use my Macs internal storage somewhat as a portable hard drive to transfer data from one place to another. Rather than buying a seperate external drive. Because it’s far more convenient.
Agreed.
Externals are fine for once-in-a-while stuff, or for stuff you're just handling while sitting at your usual desk. but the point of an MBA is a thin/light/portable sit on the sofa use anywhere system. Regularly dangling an external drive off it is just not an effective solution. IMHO the most expensive internal SSD size is the one that's too small.
Thought I would chime in here. We used our i5/256/8 this weekend on our online games night. Using Google Hangouts (on Chrome) the fan was full blast for the entire (over 2hr) time. It was pretty loud too.
I wish I had an i3 to compare it too. We have two i5 in the house.
I wish I had an i3 to compare it too. We have two i5 in the house.
I've had my 2020 i5 for a few days now and here are my initial thoughts:
My leisure workload of basically web browsing, watching videos and email the temps are in the 60s with generally 0 RPM, so that's great.
My big unknown is how it will do with Zoom/ video conferencing... I have to start teaching a class in a few weeks with 15-20 participants and screen sharing. I assume the fans will be driving hard, but I'll have it in clamshell mode under the desk so as long as it runs without lagging I'll be alright.
EDIT: So today as I've been working I've been switching between apps pretty frequently- i.e. Safari to Excel to Mail- and the temps have been staying in the 90s with the fans as high as 7,000 RPM... hmm.
- My typical use case is ~5-10 browser tabs, 2-3 Excel workbooks, Mail, MS Teams, and a Remote Desktop for work (not run locally so not processor intensive).
- Plugged into a 4K monitor in clamshell mode.
- With the above open my resting CPU temp is about 80-85 degrees and fans at 2,700 RPM. On my 2016 MBP with the same workload it's 65 degrees with the same RPM- so a full 20 degrees hotter. That said, the external case feels fine/ not hot.
- Any time I switch between apps, or even just open a new Safari tab, the temperature immediately shoots up to the mid 90s and falls back to the low 80s within a 10 seconds.
- To me, the fan is not audible at all until 4,000 RPM so while the fans are constantly running at about 2,700 RPM and briefly increase to about 3,500 RPM switching/opening apps, I can't hear it. The outside of the laptop doesn't necessarily feel hotter than my MBP.
My leisure workload of basically web browsing, watching videos and email the temps are in the 60s with generally 0 RPM, so that's great.
My big unknown is how it will do with Zoom/ video conferencing... I have to start teaching a class in a few weeks with 15-20 participants and screen sharing. I assume the fans will be driving hard, but I'll have it in clamshell mode under the desk so as long as it runs without lagging I'll be alright.
EDIT: So today as I've been working I've been switching between apps pretty frequently- i.e. Safari to Excel to Mail- and the temps have been staying in the 90s with the fans as high as 7,000 RPM... hmm.
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FYI it's suggested to reduce the frame rate for screen sharing to something like 4fps.
... and that advice comes from well before the MBA 2020 came out so it's probably more about Zoom than the MBA.
See: https://makandracards.com/makandra-...100-cpu-load-when-screen-sharing-through-zoom
For those who are interested, this cable is WAY better than the one that comes with our Macs. Highly recommend it!
edit: buy this one instead: https://www.amazon.com/uni-Braided-...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
edit: buy this one instead: https://www.amazon.com/uni-Braided-...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
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Apart from the colour, it looks the same as the one I got with the laptop. Mine doesn't kink nor does it have any powdery stuff you say yours has. Maybe exchange yours once the nearest Apple store re-opens.
yes, mine does get warm with texting, email, and light browsing/YouTube. I have decided to return this air and get the 2020 Pro as it has better thermals and does not get hot on my lap. I came from a 2017 13" MBP and that ran cool and quiet up until I had battery issues. If you plan on doing more than light browsing and emails/texts, id go for the 2020 MBP.
For those who are interested, this cable is WAY better than the one that comes with our Macs. Highly recommend it!
Amazon Basics USB-C to USB-C 2.0 Fast Charger Cable, 480Mbps Speed, USB-IF Certified, for Apple iPhone 15, iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Tablets, Laptops, 6 Foot, Black
Amazon Basics USB Type-C to USB Type-C 2.0 Charger Cable - 6 Feet (1.8 Meters) - Blackwww.amazon.com
Why is it better?
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Thinner, more flexible, cheaper and better quality, it's also black so it looks better (comes in white too). Texture is smooth not like Apple's cables which are gritty, rough, stiff, sticky, and cheap. Personally I think Apple cables suck.
[automerge]1588646458[/automerge]
Yeah but (your claims there made be actually check the product page)...
i.e., not certified for up to 100 watt charging/USB-C power delivery (watts = volts x amps, this is rated for 15 watts only), not certified for USB 3.x speeds.
That's why it is thinner.
You won't (at least not reliably) get 10 gigabit USB 3.2 out of it, but more importantly...
If you try to plug it into your MacBook power adapter (which is 30 watts for an air, up to 90+ watts for a Pro!), it may be a fire hazard. You might be OK, particularly if your Mac isn't charging from flat or running something strenuous and drawing less than the full rated wattage from your charger... but, you're way out of spec.
If you were to use it to charge a 15" or 16" machine, or use a charger from one of those doubly so.
It's got a USB-C plug on it, but its a USB 2.x cable and NOT safe to charge with. Its safe to charge a phone or iPad with. DEFINITELY NOT SAFE for a Mac. Basically, USB-C cables like this should not exist, given the standard includes up to 100 watt power delivery!
That's why the Mac USB-C cable is as thick as it is. Because it is rated for 100 watt charging. That requires thicker wires to carry more current (and probably more insulation/possibly more shielding for USB 3.x).
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It's been working fine so far, I only have a 30 watt charger but ya you're right it's not rated for 30 watts. This one is better than Apple's cable too and it's about the same price of course this is only for people who aren't satisfied with Apple's included cable: https://www.amazon.com/uni-Braided-...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
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If I were you I'd ditch it personally.
Possible fire hazard and even if it doesn't catch fire it may melt insulation and short, blowing up one of your USB ports/charger in the process.... then again there's MAYBE some intelligence in the spec to prevent this...
edit:
looks like there is some sort of test a device will do to negotiate > 15 watts which a USB-C 2.0 cable shouldn't pass...
Still. That cable isn't superior to the apple cable, it's a totally different spec.
ref: http://www.ti.com/lit/wp/slyy109/slyy109.pdf?ts=1588649415168
Possible fire hazard and even if it doesn't catch fire it may melt insulation and short, blowing up one of your USB ports/charger in the process.... then again there's MAYBE some intelligence in the spec to prevent this...
edit:
looks like there is some sort of test a device will do to negotiate > 15 watts which a USB-C 2.0 cable shouldn't pass...
Still. That cable isn't superior to the apple cable, it's a totally different spec.
ref: http://www.ti.com/lit/wp/slyy109/slyy109.pdf?ts=1588649415168
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Yea, I'll pick up a braided 100w cable, I also love braided cables : )
This brings up a question I've been meaning to ask.
Is the Apple supplied charging cable actually supporting more than USB2.0 these days? I'd test it myself but don't have any USBC peripherals here.
Back when I bought my rMB12, the included Apple USBC cable only supported up to USB2.0 data speeds.
I've not even unpackaged the cable that came with my new MBA. Just plugged it into the existing cable attached to my existing desktop charger.
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More i research on the topic, then more i am convinced that an i5 is overkill for Air's thermals. i3 is the perfect spot. Definitely going to buy one for my wife in August with specs as yours.
Zoom is also bad at optimization, so not considering it as a benchmark. Also WFH is not going to last for long, so everybody will forget what is zoom in the future when everything goes back to normal.
