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M1 Mac mini vs. Intel MacBook Air - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the M1 Mac mini and Intel MacBook Air, 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. Intel MacBook Air

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 2020 Intel MacBook Air features the 9W 10th Generation Intel Ice Lake dual-core Intel Core i3-1000NG4 up to quad-core Intel Core i7-1060NG7 with the boost speed up to 3.80 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 13.3″ Intel MacBook Air (2020), we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

M1 Mac mini vs. Intel MacBook Air: Specs Comparison

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M1 Mac mini

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Intel MacBook Air

Key Features

What's new

New Magic Keyboard

Featuring a new Magic Keyboard with a refined scissor mechanism that delivers 1mm of key travel and a stable key feel, as well as an Apple-designed rubber dome that stores more potential energy for a responsive key press.

Double the Storage

The 2020 models now come with double the storage of the previous generation starting at 256GB up to 512GB. It can be also configured to even more storage up to 2TB SSD.

Better Performance

It now comes with the 10th Gen Intel Ice Lake processors with Turbo Boost speed of up to 3.8GHz. The integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics also gain 80 percent than the previous generation.

More and Faster Memory

The new 2020 models come with 8GB of 3733 LPDDR4X memory and can be configured up to 16GB.

Built-in Security and Privacy

With the Apple T2 Security Chip, Apple’s own custom-designed second-generation silicon, MacBook Air checks that software loaded during the boot process has not been tampered with and provides on-the-fly data encryption for everything stored on the SSD.

A three-mic array for more clear voice capture for FaceTime calls.
The industry-best Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and multi-touch navigation.
Thunderbolt 3 ports for data transfer, charging and video output in a single connector.
Support for up to a 6K external display, a first for MacBook Air.
Advanced stereo speakers for immersive and wide stereo sound.

Availability	M1 Mac mini	Intel MacBook Air
Released	2020	2020
Release Info	Announced on November 10th, 2020	Announced on March 18th, 2020 Available on March 18th, 2020
Pricing	$699 Apple M1 Chip \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $899 Apple M1 Chip \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	$999 - Intel Core i3 \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $1,299 - Intel Core i5 \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD

Display	M1 Mac mini	Intel MacBook Air
Size		13.3 Inches
Info		Retina display 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors Supported scaled resolutions: 1680 by 1050 1440 by 900 1024 by 640 16:10 aspect ratio True Tone technology

Exterior	M1 Mac mini	Intel MacBook Air
Size Comparison
Dimensions	7.7” x 7.7” x 1.4” (197 mm x 197 mm x 36 mm)	Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm) Depth: 8.36 inches (21.24 cm) Height: 0.16–0.63 inch (0.41–1.61 cm)
Weight	2.6 lb (1.2 kg)	Starting at 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)
Colors	Silver	GoldSpace GraySilver
Keyboard and Trackpad		Backlit Magic Keyboard with: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement Ambient light sensor Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures
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	Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB‑C) ports with support for: Charging DisplayPort Thunderbolt (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)

Internal Specs	M1 Mac mini	Intel MacBook Air
Processor	Apple M1 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W	10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1000NG4 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.10 → 3.20 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 9W 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1030NG7 4 cores, 8 threads, 1.10 → 3.50 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 10W 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1060NG7 4 cores, 8 threads, 1.20 → 3.80 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 10W
Integrated Graphics	Apple M1 Apple M1 iGPU 8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz	10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1000NG4 Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics 48 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1030NG7 Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics 64 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1060NG7 Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics 64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
Memory	8GB 4266 MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory Configurable to 16GB	8GB Configurable to 16GB 3733MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory
Storage	256GB512GB SSD Configurable to 1TB or 2TB	256GB512GB Configurable to 1TB and 2TB SSD

Connectivity	M1 Mac mini	Intel MacBook Air
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 5.0 wireless technology
Ethernet	10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)

Battery	M1 Mac mini	Intel MacBook Air
Size		49.9 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life		Up to 11 hours wireless web Up to 12 hours Apple TV app movie playback Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply	150W built-in power supply	30W USB‑C Power Adapter

Software	M1 Mac mini	Intel MacBook Air
OS	Shipped with macOS Catalina	Shipped with macOS Catalina
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player

Camera & Audio	M1 Mac mini	Intel MacBook Air
Camera		720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio	Built-in speaker 3.5mm headphone jack HDMI 2.0 port supports multichannel audio output	Stereo speakers Wide stereo sound Support for Dolby Atmos playback Three-mic array with directional beamforming 3.5 mm headphone jack

Misc	M1 Mac mini	Intel MacBook Air
Sensors		Touch ID sensor Ambient light sensor
Security		Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box	Mac mini Power cord	MacBook Air 30W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
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.	Your MacBook Air comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ 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 screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.
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 Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and: One external 6K display with 6016-by-3384 resolution at 60Hz at millions of colors, or One external 5K display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz at millions of colors, or Up to two external 4K displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at millions of colors Thunderbolt 3 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)