I was super excited for the early 2020 MBA with Intel quad-core options and Magic Keyboard, and ordered mine on the day they were announced.
I was really disappointed. It often ran hot with fans raging, including when I wasn't doing anything that would tax the processor. And it didn't feel any faster than my 2018 MBA with its outdated dual-core Intel processor. Things didn't improve, and it seemed an expensive step backward, so I returned it and ordered an early 2020 MBP w/ 10th gen Intel quad-core i5. This MBP was much better, but I didn't like the Touch Bar and didn't much care for the MBP form factor - I've been a MBA guy since 2010. But I thought the MBP was the best I could do in 2021, and I couldn't have imagined Apple would release a new model 6 months after the current model was released.
I was wrong.
I resisted ordering a M1 MBA when they first came out, having just spent $1700 on the early 2020 MBP. But after a month of stellar reviews from professional critics and owners, I broke down and bought one.
The M1 MBA has surpassed my high expectations. All my software ran on it with no problem, and programs that weren't optimized for the M1 still ran faster than on my Intel 10th gen quad-core MBP thanks to Rosetta.
The M1 MBA does everything I want it to, it's blazing fast, it runs cool and silent, it's got the portable MBA form factor I love, the Magic Keyboard I love, the retina display with P3 wide color gamut, and the ridiculous 2-full-day battery life.
I had to sell my early 2020 MBP on eBay and lost a few hundred dollars. I knew I would take a loss if I decided to keep the M1 MBA I'd ordered.
But it was so worth it. I freaking love this computer.
Sure, a better one will come out later in 2021, or 2022 at the latest. But the 2020 M1 MBA is so much better than anything I've ever used, and it's such a joy to use, I'm confident it'll serve me well for years.