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Orchard Lab
MacBook Air (M1)
Mac

MacBook Air (M1)

The laptop that started the Apple silicon era. Five years later it remains quick for everyday work and is one of the best-value used laptops around.

Our score8.8 / 10
Released2020
Launch price$999
Read our coverage All mac

Our take

The laptop that started the Apple silicon era. Five years later it remains quick for everyday work and is one of the best-value used laptops around.

Every Mac we review becomes someone’s main computer for at least a month. We pay most attention to sustained performance, fan noise, battery life on real workdays and how far the base memory goes.

Pros

  • Silent, fanless
  • Still fast for daily work
  • Great used value

Cons

  • Single external display
  • 720p webcam

Specifications

Display13.3-inch Retina, 2560 x 1600
ChipM1, 8-core CPU
Memory8GB or 16GB
PortsTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4
BatteryUp to 18 hours video playback

Specifications are taken from the manufacturer at launch and may differ by region and configuration. Last reviewed October 30, 2026.

Mentioned in

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Tom Akers · February 10, 2026 · 2 min read

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