Upgrade from early 2020 MBA to M1 MBA???

[nepats81]

Hello,

I purchased a MBA in early 2020. I see the new MBA M1 is considered very good.

I went through the trade in calculator on Apples website and I would get $620 for my trade in. At $899 education store pricing - I'm looking at a difference of $279. Not bad and I can afford it. But I don't want to flush money obviously.

My needs are simple. Browsing, music, excel, messaging, YouTube. emails.

What I don't want is massive depreciation on my current device. I would rather capitalize now on a decent trade if its worth it. Obviously if I had known about the M1 I would have waited.

Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[Bending Pixels]

You won't be disappointed with the performance of the M1 MBA

 

[4sallypat]

A lot of buyer's remorse in the Mac ecosystem.

I'd keep the Intel MBA if you are happy with the performance.

The M1 is new hype and helps those that have had older Macs like my 2012 Mini that needed to be upgraded.

OTOH, my 1 year old 16" MBP is not that great but I'll hang onto it and wait for the M1 16" MBP...

 

[MacManTexas56]

M1 is totally worth it, this thing flies and is silent and never even gets warm. we are gonna sell my dad's early 2020 as already got him the new M1. he hated the fan and the heat in the intel.

 

[pnd4pnd]

I made the switch and dont regret it all. Sold my 2020 for $950.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

---

I would do it if your time has value. Or if you're frustrated with slowdowns.

 

[nepats81]

I made the switch and dont regret it all. Sold my 2020 for $950.

Where did you sell it and how did you get so much?

also if I do this I suppose I should get 16 gb?

 

[roncron]

I bought a quad-core i5 MBA last spring and ended up returning it because it often got hot and the fans blasted, even when doing non-processor-intensive tasks. When doing tasks that really taxed the processor, it was no faster than the dual-core 2018 MBA it was replacing.

At work, it was my turn to get a macbook replacement last spring and I requested the early 2020 dual-core i3, which I'd read didn't have the temperature and fan noise issues (due to running at a lower speed, I think). That machine is very slow, and certainly no faster than my 2018 MBA.

I ordered a M1 MBA and received it 2 weeks ago. I love it. It fixes everything I didn't like about the previous models. There's no fan, and it usually runs at 30C, rarely getting above 45C. In contrast, the early 2020 MBA frequently got above 70 and sometimes above 90 or 95. Plus, the battery life is pretty great. I'm easily getting 10-12 hours between charges, whereas all previous MBA's I've owned get 5 or 7 hours before the battery dies.

I run a lot of apps that are not optimized for the M1, and they work perfectly - not just big name apps like MS Office, but also some fairly obscure apps from small developers.

I have the M1 MBA side by side with my early 2020 i3 MBA from work at the moment. But screens are gorgeous, but the M1 MBA has better colors. Not better enough IMO to justify the upgrade. But there are plenty of other ways to justify the upgrade, the better colors are just a bonus.

For $899 (student/teacher price), the M1 MBA is a fantastic value - it's stupid fast, has excellent battery life, runs all my apps beautifully, it never gets hot and there's no fan noise.

I would jump on it - except there's one possible reason why you might wait. Next year, Apple will probably release an M1 MBA with a new form factor - same size chassis but smaller bezels = larger display. If you upgrade now, you might regret not waiting when that machine comes out.

 

[smoking monkey]

there's one possible reason why you might wait. Next year, Apple will probably release an M1 MBA with a new form factor - same size chassis but smaller bezels = larger display. If you upgrade now, you might regret not waiting when that machine comes out.

The rumor is 2022 from Ming Chi Kuo. Take that however you want, but it could be over a year before the new version arrives.

As for the OP, I'd go for it. 280 bucks for a new piece of kit isn't too big a deal if you can afford it. Battery life, heat, speed and noise are all things that will make your computing experience better every single time you use your computer.

 

[dmccloud]

I sold my i3 MBA for $750 and used that towards the M1 Pro I'm currently on. Haven't regretted it for even a second.

 

[kevo0822]

I traded in my base i3 MBA for a base M1 MBA last week. Extremely happy with that decision!

 

[nepats81]

I sold my i3 MBA for $750 and used that towards the M1 Pro I'm currently on. Haven't regretted it for even a second.

Where did you sell? How did you get so much

 

[Yebubbleman]

Hello,

I purchased a MBA in early 2020. I see the new MBA M1 is considered very good.

I went through the trade in calculator on Apples website and I would get $620 for my trade in. At $899 education store pricing - I'm looking at a difference of $279. Not bad and I can afford it. But I don't want to flush money obviously.

My needs are simple. Browsing, music, excel, messaging, YouTube. emails.

What I don't want is massive depreciation on my current device. I would rather capitalize now on a decent trade if its worth it. Obviously if I had known about the M1 I would have waited.

Thanks for your help everyone!

Ordinarily, were the M1 just another Intel Y-series processor update to the 2020 Intel Air, I'd probably suggest that selling your current model is a silly idea seeing as there's nothing wrong with it, unless you're the type that likes to save on overall upgrade costs by selling and upgrading at each release (which, while a pain, DOES save you money year over year). However, given that the 2020 Intel Air had both performance and thermal issues AND given that the M1 Air really is a night and day improvement (if reviews are to be believed), then yeah, I'd definitely sell your Intel Air.

Going rate for them on eBay is around $750 for the base model. Apple's trade-in is surprisingly good if they're giving you $620 (ordinarily it's much worse), though, I'd go the eBay route so you minimize that upgrade-to-M1 cost as I'm sure you can get it closer than $279.

 

[anubis1980]

I was lucky and sold my 2015 MBP for a very good price, however if you are bothered about losing money on your Intel one I would say its only going to depreciate more then level out.

If you can afford it and want the best performance , go for it. My MBA base model blows the intel i7 quad core I had out of the water. I guess if you are happy with your current laptop, you could wait to see what Apple releases next year, but then you wouldn't get as much for your one now.

 

[nepats81]

I was lucky and sold my 2015 MBP for a very good price, however if you are bothered about losing money on your Intel one I would say its only going to depreciate more then level out.

If you can afford it and want the best performance , go for it. My MBA base model blows the intel i7 quad core I had out of the water. I guess if you are happy with your current laptop, you could wait to see what Apple releases next year, but then you wouldn't get as much for your one now.

Ordinarily, were the M1 just another Intel Y-series processor update to the 2020 Intel Air, I'd probably suggest that selling your current model is a silly idea seeing as there's nothing wrong with it, unless you're the type that likes to save on overall upgrade costs by selling and upgrading at each release (which, while a pain, DOES save you money year over year). However, given that the 2020 Intel Air had both performance and thermal issues AND given that the M1 Air really is a night and day improvement (if reviews are to be believed), then yeah, I'd definitely sell your Intel Air.

Going rate for them on eBay is around $750 for the base model. Apple's trade-in is surprisingly good if they're giving you $620 (ordinarily it's much worse), though, I'd go the eBay route so you minimize that upgrade-to-M1 cost as I'm sure you can get it closer than $279.

I think you guys sold me. I just have a hard time beleiving these intel machines will be worth more than $300 in another year.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I think you guys sold me. I just have a hard time beleiving these intel machines will be worth more than $300 in another year.

They will likely still be worth $500-600 in another year. But if you already know that you don't like your 2020 Intel Air (as, again, is common due to both thermal and performance issues), you might as well move to the M1 now while the current resale value is higher. Again, there doesn't seem to be any sign of extraordinary devaluation due to the Intel vs. Apple Silicon element. Which is to say that devaluation appears to be normal for any new refresh release (regardless of the Intel to Apple Silicon transition or the aforementioned thermal/performance issues with the 2018-2020 Intel Airs specifically). There does, however, seem to be an influx of people selling their machines for that specific reason.

 

[vigilant]

Hello,

I purchased a MBA in early 2020. I see the new MBA M1 is considered very good.

I went through the trade in calculator on Apples website and I would get $620 for my trade in. At $899 education store pricing - I'm looking at a difference of $279. Not bad and I can afford it. But I don't want to flush money obviously.

My needs are simple. Browsing, music, excel, messaging, YouTube. emails.

What I don't want is massive depreciation on my current device. I would rather capitalize now on a decent trade if its worth it. Obviously if I had known about the M1 I would have waited.

Thanks for your help everyone!

I’m in a similar but different situation myself. Bought a Macbook Pro 16 back in April. I got it because my 2017 MacBook Pro 13 was slowing me down for work. The MacBook Pro was what I needed at the time, though the random slow downs due to the thermals, and the fan being kicked on so hard over something as simple as Microsoft Teams running drove me nuts.

I just sold my MacBook Pro 16, and my MacBook Pro 13 (2017) that my wife was using to get a MacBook Air, and a MacBook Pro.

Right now, I’m using the MacBook Air M1 until my Pro arrives on Friday. The MacBook Air M1 kicks the teeth in on my MacBook Pro 16. It isn’t a matter of how often, or for what, because it’s pretty much across the line. I can make it slow down, don’t get me wrong. But when I make it slow down, it’s still better than the MacBook Pro 16 that I’m sending out this week. I have no doubt that the double memory, and fan is going to be a huge increase for me compared to my MacBook Pro 16 that is going out to be shipped I think on Wednesday.

I’ll tell you, that right now, I don’t even really care too much about apps that aren’t native because they run like Intel apps today. Sure, they’ll bounce a few times. You’ll get over that. Native applications such as Word, after their first boot, will come up in a bounce or less.

If I knew how the stock market worked, I’d probably be shorting Intel stock at this very second.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I’m in a similar but different situation myself. Bought a Macbook Pro 16 back in April. I got it because my 2017 MacBook Pro 13 was slowing me down for work. The MacBook Pro was what I needed at the time, though the random slow downs due to the thermals, and the fan being kicked on so hard over something as simple as Microsoft Teams running drove me nuts.

I just sold my MacBook Pro 16, and my MacBook Pro 13 (2017) that my wife was using to get a MacBook Air, and a MacBook Pro.

Right now, I’m using the MacBook Air M1 until my Pro arrives on Friday. The MacBook Air M1 kicks the teeth in on my MacBook Pro 16. It isn’t a matter of how often, or for what, because it’s pretty much across the line. I can make it slow down, don’t get me wrong. But when I make it slow down, it’s still better than the MacBook Pro 16 that I’m sending out this week. I have no doubt that the double memory, and fan is going to be a huge increase for me compared to my MacBook Pro 16 that is going out to be shipped I think on Wednesday.

I’ll tell you, that right now, I don’t even really care too much about apps that aren’t native because they run like Intel apps today. Sure, they’ll bounce a few times. You’ll get over that. Native applications such as Word, after their first boot, will come up in a bounce or less.

If I knew how the stock market worked, I’d probably be shorting Intel stock at this very second.

Word is native now? I was under the impression that this was still in development.

I also wonder about Intel's stock; though their woes seem to be isolated to the desktop/notebook processor segment. AMD is starting to eat into their server business, but to nowhere near the degree that they are on the desktop/notebook side of things. Plus, it's not like Intel doesn't have several other businesses that are not in trouble right now.

 

[nepats81]

I’m in a similar but different situation myself. Bought a Macbook Pro 16 back in April. I got it because my 2017 MacBook Pro 13 was slowing me down for work. The MacBook Pro was what I needed at the time, though the random slow downs due to the thermals, and the fan being kicked on so hard over something as simple as Microsoft Teams running drove me nuts.

I just sold my MacBook Pro 16, and my MacBook Pro 13 (2017) that my wife was using to get a MacBook Air, and a MacBook Pro.

Right now, I’m using the MacBook Air M1 until my Pro arrives on Friday. The MacBook Air M1 kicks the teeth in on my MacBook Pro 16. It isn’t a matter of how often, or for what, because it’s pretty much across the line. I can make it slow down, don’t get me wrong. But when I make it slow down, it’s still better than the MacBook Pro 16 that I’m sending out this week. I have no doubt that the double memory, and fan is going to be a huge increase for me compared to my MacBook Pro 16 that is going out to be shipped I think on Wednesday.

I’ll tell you, that right now, I don’t even really care too much about apps that aren’t native because they run like Intel apps today. Sure, they’ll bounce a few times. You’ll get over that. Native applications such as Word, after their first boot, will come up in a bounce or less.

If I knew how the stock market worked, I’d probably be shorting Intel stock at this very second.

Wow.

I suspect in a year... when people can buy a lightly used M1 mba for 700 ... what is a used 2020 intel MBA going to sell for? $400?

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

Hello,

I purchased a MBA in early 2020. I see the new MBA M1 is considered very good.

I went through the trade in calculator on Apples website and I would get $620 for my trade in. At $899 education store pricing - I'm looking at a difference of $279. Not bad and I can afford it. But I don't want to flush money obviously.

My needs are simple. Browsing, music, excel, messaging, YouTube. emails.

What I don't want is massive depreciation on my current device. I would rather capitalize now on a decent trade if its worth it. Obviously if I had known about the M1 I would have waited.

Thanks for your help everyone!

Go for it.

For $279 you'll be pleased.

 

[nepats81]

How have you guys liked the battery life?

 

[spiderman0616]

I was in almost the same boat as you. Just purchased a 2020 12.9" iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard shortly after they launched earlier this year, and sold it to get the M1 MBA instead. One week in, I do not regret it in the slightest. This is the most streamlined, well built, fastest computer I have ever owned. I am (or was) a huge iPad Pro zealot, so this is a major switch for me.

 

[spiderman0616]

How have you guys liked the battery life?

I went 7 full days before needing to charge again, and that was only because I wanted to install macOS 11.1 and it wouldn't let me without plugging in. I was still at 16% and it said I had 2 or 3 hours left of usage still.

 

[nepats81]

what is the fastest this can charge. is there a benefit to getting a faster charger?