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M1 Mac mini vs. MacBook Air 11” 2015 - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the M1 Mac mini and MacBook Air 11” 2015, including differences in the chip, memory, storage, display, battery, ports, and more.

By Conor Banett

January 24, 2024 10:13 am

M1 Mac mini vs. MacBook Air 11” 2015

The 2020 M1 Mac mini features the 10W Apple M-Series ARM 64-bit 8-core Apple M1 (8C, 8G) with a clock speed of 3.20 GHz. While the MacBook Air 11” 2015 features the 15W 5th Generation Intel Broadwell dual-core Intel Core i5-5250U up to dual-core Intel Core i7-5650U with the boost speed up to 3.10 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the M1 Mac mini (2020) and the 11.6″ MacBook Air 11” 2015 , we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

M1 Mac mini vs. MacBook Air 11” 2015: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it M1 Mac mini	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Air 11” 2015
Availability
Released	2020	2015
Release Info	Announced on November 10th, 2020	Available on March 10, 2015
Pricing	$699 Apple M1 Chip \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $899 Apple M1 Chip \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	$899 Intel Core i5 5250U \| 4GB RAM \| 128GB SSD $1,099 Intel Core i5 5250U \| 4GB RAM \| 256GB SSD

Display	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Air 11” 2015
Size		11.6 Inches
Info		11.6-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors Supported resolutions: 1366 by 768 (native), 1344 by 756, and 1280 by 720 pixels at 16:9 aspect ratio; 1152 by 720 and 1024 by 640 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768 and 800 by 600 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio

Exterior	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Air 11” 2015
Size Comparison
Dimensions	7.7” x 7.7” x 1.4” (197 mm x 197 mm x 36 mm)	11.8” x 7.56” x 0.11 - 0.68” (300 mm x 192 mm x 3 - 17 mm)
Weight	2.6 lb (1.2 kg)	Starting at 2.38 pounds (1.08 kg)
Colors	Silver	Silver
Keyboard and Trackpad		Full-size backlit keyboard with: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement) with ambient light sensor Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control; supports inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
Ports	Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with support for: DisplayPort Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s) Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI, and VGA supported using adapters (sold separately) 2 x USB Type-A ports Supports data transfers up to 5 Gbps. 1 x Gigabit Ethernet port 1 x HDMI 2.0 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack	1 x Thunderbolt 2 port Supports data transfers up to 20 Gbps. 2 x USB 3.0 ports Supports data transfers up to 5 Gbps. 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack 1 x MagSafe 2 power port

Internal Specs	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Air 11” 2015
Processor	Apple M1 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W	5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5250U 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.60 → 2.70 GHz, 3MB Cache, 15W 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U 2 cores, 4 threads, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB Cache, 15W
Integrated Graphics	Apple M1 Apple M1 iGPU 8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz	5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5250U Intel® HD Graphics 6000 48 Execution Units, 300 → 950 MHz 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U Intel® HD Graphics 6000 48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Memory	8GB 4266 MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory Configurable to 16GB	4GB Configurable to 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Storage	256GB512GB SSD Configurable to 1TB or 2TB	128GB256GB Configurable to 512GB flash storage.

Connectivity	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Air 11” 2015
Wi-Fi	802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible	802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology	Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
Ethernet	10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)

Battery	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Air 11” 2015
Size		38 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life		Up to 9 hours of wireless web Up to 10 hours of iTunes movie playback Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply	150W built-in power supply	45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.

Software	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Air 11” 2015
OS	Shipped with macOS Catalina	Shipped with OS X El Capitan
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSafariMailMessagesFaceTimeCalendarNotesApp StoreiTunesiBooksMapsContactsReminders

Camera & Audio	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Air 11” 2015
Camera		720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio	Built-in speaker 3.5mm headphone jack HDMI 2.0 port supports multichannel audio output	Stereo speakers Dual microphones Headphone port Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone

Misc	M1 Mac mini	MacBook Air 11” 2015
In the box	Mac mini Power cord	MacBook Air 11″ Power adapter AC wall plug Power cord
Warranty	Your Mac mini comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ for Mac to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.	Limited Warranty and Service Your MacBook Air comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan to extend your service and support to three years from your computer’s purchase date. Only the AppleCare Protection Plan provides you with direct telephone support from Apple technical experts and the assurance that repairs will be handled by Apple-authorized technicians using genuine Apple parts. For more information, visit Apple Support or call 800-823-2775.
More	Video Support Simultaneously supports up to two displays: One display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz connected via Thunderbolt and one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz connected via HDMI 2.0 Thunderbolt 3 digital video output supports Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C Thunderbolt 2, DVI, and VGA output supported using adapters (sold separately) HDMI 2.0 display video output Support for one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz DVI output using HDMI to DVI Adapter (sold separately)	Video Support Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840 by 2160 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors Thunderbolt digital video output Native Mini DisplayPort output DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter (sold separately) VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter (sold separately) Dual-link DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (sold separately) HDMI audio and video output using third-party Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (sold separately)