2020 Macbook Air Base Model User Reviews

[Ellezk]

I’ve seen the user review thread for the new macbook air, but most seem to have either the i5 or i7.

Anyone who is actually using (or has used) the base model, I would appreciate your honest review!

*EDIT*

My i3 will be arriving soon. Once I do get it, I'll probably add to this post with my thoughts!

And thank you to everyone who replied!

*EDIT 2*

Ok, so I got my new MacBook today.

So far, I love it!

Very snappy, completely silent for me (even when it was starting up/downloading applications such as Microsoft Word, etc), the bottom became slightly warm in the beginning (not hot though) but it's cool to the touch again.

To be fair, I haven't tried to stress it - I personally don't see a reason to, as I just need it to perform when I do my regular tasks (writing, internet browsing, streaming, etc.) I don't do any photo/video editing or games, and I never watch 4k videos lol the highest I'll go is 1080 just bc I'm fine with even 720p. The speakers are great, the display is great, the keyboard is great! I was slightly worried the 13in might be too small, but it's actually perfect for me!

Obviously, I've only had it a day, so my opinion may change a week from now. But so far, I'm completely satisfied with it!

 

[solo118]

Interested as well, the i3 seems pretty decent for the money.

 

[RegularGuy09]

Interested as well, the i3 seems pretty decent for the money.

Yep I was thinking about going for the i5 with 512GB but for $300 less, if the perfomance is similar and you get better battery life than that i5 model, I was thinking about buying the base model.

 

[flalaw]

Was wondering the same. $100 seems super reasonable for the i5, but don't know if I want to if it's at the expense of heat, noise, and battery. Currently have an i5 on order, but seriously considering changing it out for the same specs but with an i3. And maybe save $200 on 16 gb RAM...

 

[esphil]

You can actually get the base model now from Bestbuy for around $800 for a openbox...
I'd say it would probably be perfectly fine. A majority of the user reviews out there on Bestbuy/Amazon are on the base model. I bought a Mac Mini for both of my parents back in 2011. I upgraded the ram to 16gb and to a SSD a few years ago. It feels like a very fast system and works perfectly fine for everything they need. I recently ran a geekbench on one of them this week and was surprised at how low it got. It felt extremely quick in operations but for a "benchmark" it was slow. So you can't always decide based on the numbers a machine gets. Having a SSD alone for the average user would be a huge boost in performance, it should be plenty sufficient. Even if the machine has to swap its swapping to a solid state not a spinning disk.

 

[SwingOnThis]

I went with the base model for two reasons, the doubling of the storage from 128 to 256gb, and the fact that i'm getting a brand new Macbook for $999. I'm a purely recreational user, as my job provides a high powered windows laptop for the design/drafting programs we run. This machine is awesome, i love it, and i feel like i got the bargain of the century. Was able to order from Best Buy online and do curbside pick-up one hour later.

 

[uhhmean]

hey! I have a thread about it but ill recap my expriences with it!

-Bought it because of how much talks there was about the quad cores overheating and the fans spinning up
-Was buying it with the intention of replacing it if it was too sluggish.

-absolutely love it, zippy, fast, no lags or dropped frames.
-handles multiple things thrown at it!
-I had YouTube playing in safari, Spotify, photos syncing, discord and twitter open, and it barley got warm, no performance issues either btw, this thing is zippy.
-edited some photos in Lightroom..no issues at all..
-I Then loaded up Final Cut Pro, editing and scrubbing through 4k 30p files, adding titles and video effects, WITH safari in the background downloading MP3 files for my video, and it got a little warm but FAR from "hot" or uncomfortable. when I switched to 1080p, it didn't even break a sweat or get warm.

-I don't have plans to return it! constantly surprised by how much performance this thing has!

Things to keep in mind:
-Even though this is the i3 base version, its still substantially faster than last years top versions!
-even though the gpu isn't as powerful as the i5/7 versions(48 for i3 vs 64 execution units for i5/7), its almost double the gpu power of last years MacBook airs!
-will be good for anything you throw at it honestly, besides high end 3d gaming(obviously), even 4k video editing(handled my footage with ease), renders times slower than MacBook pros, but that's to be expected.
-battery life is great for me, im averaging 8-9 hours everyday use, and 5-6 when im editing in final cut and using more intensive apps like Lightroom.

**zoom won't let you turn on virtual backgrounds on dual core cpus like this i3 model! which might be a dealbreaker for some!**

hope this helps!

 

[Ellezk]

hey! I have a thread about it but ill recap my expriences with it!

-Bought it because of how much talks there was about the quad cores overheating and the fans spinning up
-Was buying it with the intention of replacing it if it was too sluggish.

-absolutely love it, zippy, fast, no lags or dropped frames.
-handles multiple things thrown at it!
-I had YouTube playing in safari, Spotify, photos syncing, discord and twitter open, and it barley got warm, no performance issues either btw, this thing is zippy.
-edited some photos in Lightroom..no issues at all..
-I Then loaded up Final Cut Pro, editing and scrubbing through 4k 30p files, adding titles and video effects, WITH safari in the background downloading MP3 files for my video, and it got a little warm but FAR from "hot" or uncomfortable. when I switched to 1080p, it didn't even break a sweat or get warm.

-I don't have plans to return it! constantly surprised by how much performance this thing has!

Things to keep in mind:
-Even though this is the i3 base version, its still substantially faster than last years top versions!
-even though the gpu isn't as powerful as the i5/7 versions(48 for i3 vs 64 execution units for i5/7), its almost double the gpu power of last years MacBook airs!
-will be good for anything you throw at it honestly, besides high end 3d gaming(obviously), even 4k video editing(handled my footage with ease), renders times slower than MacBook pros, but that's to be expected.
-battery life is great for me, im averaging 8-9 hours everyday use, and 5-6 when im editing in final cut and using more intensive apps like Lightroom.

**zoom won't let you turn on virtual backgrounds on dual core cpus like this i3 model! which might be a dealbreaker for some!**

hope this helps!

Thank you so much for your informative reply! This is really the type of review I was seeking, as I have little to no knowledge regarding benchmarks and such. I actually have my i3 arriving soon! Sounds like it's perfect for my needs. Hopefully, I'll have a similar experience to yours and won't feel the need to return! Thanks again!

 

[RiaKoobcam]

Hey mate, here's my comparison of the i3/i5 (plus the 2019 i5) for light usage. The 2020 i3 was in my opinion better for my needs than the i5, and about as good as the 2019 for heat/battery. For every day stuff, I didn't notice any performance differences between the i3 and the i5, but as I say, I do not do CPU/GPU intensive tasks.

MacBook Air 2020 USER reviews

2019 i5 vs. 2020 i5 vs. 2020 i3 Comparison Disclaimer: I am not telling you your experience is wrong, I do not have a degree in processor engineering or fluid dynamics. This is my opinion based on my use case. After sending back the 2020 i5, I received and have been testing a 2020 i3. When I...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[uhhmean]

Thank you so much for your informative reply! This is really the type of review I was seeking, as I have little to no knowledge regarding benchmarks and such. I actually have my i3 arriving soon! Sounds like it's perfect for my needs. Hopefully, I'll have a similar experience to yours and won't feel the need to return! Thanks again!

yeah im pretty sure you'll love it, its going to get a bit warm when setting things up at first, but after you open everything you need, and update to the latest version of Catalina, thermals are great, and the fan hasn't spun up I wanna say like 2 times with the 5 days I've had it, when I was editing 4k vids, but I barley heard it. cheers!

 

[ipos]

i'm thinking of buying the base model with the following upgrade:

a. 1GHz quad-core 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz
b. 16GB 3733MHz LPDDR4X memory

what's your take?

 

[RiaKoobcam]

i'm thinking of buying the base model with the following upgrade:

a. 1GHz quad-core 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz
b. 16GB 3733MHz LPDDR4X memory

what's your take?

That's no longer the base model my bro - that's close to the highest specced MBA you can buy (not much real world difference between the i5 and the i7)

 

[unoporfavor]

Hey mate, here's my comparison of the i3/i5 (plus the 2019 i5) for light usage. The 2020 i3 was in my opinion better for my needs than the i5, and about as good as the 2019 for heat/battery. For every day stuff, I didn't notice any performance differences between the i3 and the i5, but as I say, I do not do CPU/GPU intensive tasks.

MacBook Air 2020 USER reviews

2019 i5 vs. 2020 i5 vs. 2020 i3 Comparison Disclaimer: I am not telling you your experience is wrong, I do not have a degree in processor engineering or fluid dynamics. This is my opinion based on my use case. After sending back the 2020 i5, I received and have been testing a 2020 i3. When I...

forums.macrumors.com

Was literally about to post your great review!
[automerge]1588041306[/automerge]

hey! I have a thread about it but ill recap my expriences with it!

-Bought it because of how much talks there was about the quad cores overheating and the fans spinning up
-Was buying it with the intention of replacing it if it was too sluggish.

-absolutely love it, zippy, fast, no lags or dropped frames.
-handles multiple things thrown at it!
-I had YouTube playing in safari, Spotify, photos syncing, discord and twitter open, and it barley got warm, no performance issues either btw, this thing is zippy.
-edited some photos in Lightroom..no issues at all..
-I Then loaded up Final Cut Pro, editing and scrubbing through 4k 30p files, adding titles and video effects, WITH safari in the background downloading MP3 files for my video, and it got a little warm but FAR from "hot" or uncomfortable. when I switched to 1080p, it didn't even break a sweat or get warm.

-I don't have plans to return it! constantly surprised by how much performance this thing has!

Things to keep in mind:
-Even though this is the i3 base version, its still substantially faster than last years top versions!
-even though the gpu isn't as powerful as the i5/7 versions(48 for i3 vs 64 execution units for i5/7), its almost double the gpu power of last years MacBook airs!
-will be good for anything you throw at it honestly, besides high end 3d gaming(obviously), even 4k video editing(handled my footage with ease), renders times slower than MacBook pros, but that's to be expected.
-battery life is great for me, im averaging 8-9 hours everyday use, and 5-6 when im editing in final cut and using more intensive apps like Lightroom.

**zoom won't let you turn on virtual backgrounds on dual core cpus like this i3 model! which might be a dealbreaker for some!**

hope this helps!

Thanks for your feedback. I'm a week in with the i3 and cannot fault it. Very fast, imperceivable fan noise. I think the i5 is a mistake for many - lower battery life with more heat and fan noise.
I find the i3 faster than my MBP 2017 with a 6-core i7

 

[Ellezk]

Hey mate, here's my comparison of the i3/i5 (plus the 2019 i5) for light usage. The 2020 i3 was in my opinion better for my needs than the i5, and about as good as the 2019 for heat/battery. For every day stuff, I didn't notice any performance differences between the i3 and the i5, but as I say, I do not do CPU/GPU intensive tasks.

MacBook Air 2020 USER reviews

2019 i5 vs. 2020 i5 vs. 2020 i3 Comparison Disclaimer: I am not telling you your experience is wrong, I do not have a degree in processor engineering or fluid dynamics. This is my opinion based on my use case. After sending back the 2020 i5, I received and have been testing a 2020 i3. When I...

forums.macrumors.com

Thank you so much! This was very informative and helpful!

 

[reacher]

i'm thinking of buying the base model with the following upgrade:

a. 1GHz quad-core 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz
b. 16GB 3733MHz LPDDR4X memory

what's your take?

I was about similar dilemma, whether to pay for 16 GB RAM or not. (I'm taking i5) I was scared about a stuff around 4k display, but here, on forum, I was convinced to get 8 GB for things I do.
(At once: Safari + Spotify + PyCharm + VS Code + SSH connections, from time to time compile some big project like Tensorflow in cpp, but it will kill 16'' i9 either)

 

[Billiejoe87]

I was about similar dilemma, whether to pay for 16 GB RAM or not. (I'm taking i5) I was scared about a stuff around 4k display, but here, on forum, I was convinced to get 8 GB for things I do.
(At once: Safari + Spotify + PyCharm + VS Code + SSH connections, from time to time compile some big project like Tensorflow in cpp, but it will kill 16'' i9 either)

In all honesty, I keep having second thoughts about the 8GB vs 16GB Ram, but if you check the activity monitor and look at memory pressure, you'll most likely see like me, the memory pressure is virtually always green meaning the mac isn't struggling at all with what it has. I really think Apple makes 8GB of ram the standard on even the high end Macbook Pro 13 inch it sells for a reason.

Chances are anything that's going to need 16GB of ram isn't something that you'll be doing on a Macbook Air anyway, not to mention Ram requirements just aren't increasing the way they used to. DDR4 which comes standard on these is an upgrade anyway.

 

[ipos]

I was about similar dilemma, whether to pay for 16 GB RAM or not. (I'm taking i5) I was scared about a stuff around 4k display, but here, on forum, I was convinced to get 8 GB for things I do.
(At once: Safari + Spotify + PyCharm + VS Code + SSH connections, from time to time compile some big project like Tensorflow in cpp, but it will kill 16'' i9 either)

my usage is mainly surfing net, watching movie and light use of ms word/excel

 

[RegularGuy09]

Anyone yet tried their base i3 model with an external 1440p/4k display? Is there any lag or stutter? Does it run smooth?

 

[deeddawg]

if you check the activity monitor and look at memory pressure, you'll most likely see like me, the memory pressure is virtually always green meaning the mac isn't struggling at all with what it has.

That's really the key - for folks who already have a mac - it's so easy to see how macOS is handling your current memory with your current workload.

Allows you to make an evidence-based decision on memory capacity.

Chances are anything that's going to need 16GB of ram isn't something that you'll be doing on a Macbook Air anyway, not to mention Ram requirements just aren't increasing the way they used to. DDR4 which comes standard on these is an upgrade anyway.

Agreed. We had a jump in ram usage in the 32bit to 64bit transition a few years ago, and mostly steady since then with the exception perhaps of games. I don't do any of that so can't speak to their RAM usage -- but not sure mac's are much of a gaming platform either.

my usage is mainly surfing net, watching movie and light use of ms word/excel

You'll be perfectly fine with 8GB - paying for 16GB for this usage would be a waste of your money.

 

[Sword86]

Great thread.
The pre-retirement me always went overboard on everything I bought.
However, I am still running a late 2008 unibody MB (2.4 ghz, ram bumped to 8 mg, SS HD dropped in plus new battery) and it’s time it was replaced.
Now, the retirement me feels obligated to spend a bit less $$$.
I was thinking of springing for a new MBA (512, i5, 16 gb) but I realize for what I do it’s overkill. I do just about everything on an iPad Air 2.
I surf a bit, Instagram, Twitter, Apple Music, the odd document (a rare event) e-mail, and my taxes every spring. Period. I also never surf with more than a second tab open, and only on the rare occasion.
I would keep the MBA until the time I feel the time has come. (Like now for my 2008 MB)
So is a new MBA i3, 256 with 8 gb realistic? By the sound of this thread, it will do anything I do for a long time with no issues. Any concession would be 512 to accomodate a growing music and photo collection. Sure, I could go whole hog, but is there really any point?
Any suggestions? S

 

[deeddawg]

Great thread.
The pre-retirement me always went overboard on everything I bought.
However, I am still running a late 2008 unibody MB (2.4 ghz, ram bumped to 8 mg, SS HD dropped in plus new battery) and it’s time it was replaced.
Now, the retirement me feels obligated to spend a bit less $$$.
I was thinking of springing for a new MBA (512, i5, 16 gb) but I realize for what I do it’s overkill. I do just about everything on an iPad Air 2.
I surf a bit, Instagram, Twitter, Apple Music, the odd document (a rare event) e-mail, and my taxes every spring. Period. I also never surf with more than a second tab open, and only on the rare occasion.
I would keep the MBA until the time I feel the time has come. (Like now for my 2008 MB)
So is a new MBA i3, 256 with 8 gb realistic? By the sound of this thread, it will do anything I do for a long time with no issues. Any concession would be 512 to accomodate a growing music and photo collection. Sure, I could go whole hog, but is there really any point?
Any suggestions? S

I’d suggest considering i5/8/512 if you think you’ll use/need the storage. That’s very individual and if you do much photography it burns up in a hurry. As good as the i3 is, the enhanced you and double the cores on the i5 is well worth considering for only a $100 cost. even.

if you are an alumni of a college somewhere check if the campus store sells to alumni at education pricing. My undergrad and grad schools both do so. Saved me a chunk of money and shipped to me for free.

 

[kreasonos]

I was hoping a thread like this would come up. Agree, looks like mostly i5/i7 reviews in the primary user review thread.

hey! I have a thread about it but ill recap my expriences with it!

-Bought it because of how much talks there was about the quad cores overheating and the fans spinning up
-Was buying it with the intention of replacing it if it was too sluggish.

-absolutely love it, zippy, fast, no lags or dropped frames.
-handles multiple things thrown at it!
-I had YouTube playing in safari, Spotify, photos syncing, discord and twitter open, and it barley got warm, no performance issues either btw, this thing is zippy.
-edited some photos in Lightroom..no issues at all..
-I Then loaded up Final Cut Pro, editing and scrubbing through 4k 30p files, adding titles and video effects, WITH safari in the background downloading MP3 files for my video, and it got a little warm but FAR from "hot" or uncomfortable. when I switched to 1080p, it didn't even break a sweat or get warm.

-I don't have plans to return it! constantly surprised by how much performance this thing has!

Things to keep in mind:
-Even though this is the i3 base version, its still substantially faster than last years top versions!
-even though the gpu isn't as powerful as the i5/7 versions(48 for i3 vs 64 execution units for i5/7), its almost double the gpu power of last years MacBook airs!
-will be good for anything you throw at it honestly, besides high end 3d gaming(obviously), even 4k video editing(handled my footage with ease), renders times slower than MacBook pros, but that's to be expected.
-battery life is great for me, im averaging 8-9 hours everyday use, and 5-6 when im editing in final cut and using more intensive apps like Lightroom.

**zoom won't let you turn on virtual backgrounds on dual core cpus like this i3 model! which might be a dealbreaker for some!**

hope this helps!

I wonder why they don't support virtual backgrounds in zoom with a dual core. Apple has supported virtual backgrounds in its camera app for dual cores all the way to like 2010. Zoom is such a **** app, I really hate that app. I've been forced to use it almost every day for work and it's just a trash app.
[automerge]1588217569[/automerge]

Was literally about to post your great review!
[automerge]1588041306[/automerge]

Thanks for your feedback. I'm a week in with the i3 and cannot fault it. Very fast, imperceivable fan noise. I think the i5 is a mistake for many - lower battery life with more heat and fan noise.
I find the i3 faster than my MBP 2017 with a 6-core i7

That's likely because the MBA has a faster SSD and way faster ram at 3733
[automerge]1588217665[/automerge]

I was about similar dilemma, whether to pay for 16 GB RAM or not. (I'm taking i5) I was scared about a stuff around 4k display, but here, on forum, I was convinced to get 8 GB for things I do.
(At once: Safari + Spotify + PyCharm + VS Code + SSH connections, from time to time compile some big project like Tensorflow in cpp, but it will kill 16'' i9 either)

My cousin is a software developer at Google and uses a 2015 MBA. Specs are completely overblown and people far over estimate what they need.
[automerge]1588217754[/automerge]

I’d suggest considering i5/8/512 if you think you’ll use/need the storage. That’s very individual and if you do much photography it burns up in a hurry. As good as the i3 is, the enhanced you and double the cores on the i5 is well worth considering for only a $100 cost. even.

if you are an alumni of a college somewhere check if the campus store sells to alumni at education pricing. My undergrad and grad schools both do so. Saved me a chunk of money and shipped to me for free.

With an icloud folder in Finder not sure why anyone even needs more than 256gb of storage.