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M1 MacBook Air vs. MacBook Air 13” 2013 - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Air 13” 2013, including differences in the chip, memory, storage, display, battery, ports, and more.

By Conor Banett

January 26, 2024 10:15 am

M1 MacBook Air vs. MacBook Air 13” 2013

The 2020 M1 MacBook Air features the 10W Apple M-Series ARM 64-bit 8-core Apple M1 (8C, 7G) up to 8-core Apple M1 (8C, 8G) with a clock speed of 3.20 GHz. While the MacBook Air 13” 2013 features the 15W 4th Generation Intel Haswell dual-core Intel Core i5-4250U up to dual-core Intel Core i7-4650U with the boost speed up to 3.30 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the 13.3″ M1 MacBook Air (2020) and the 13.3″ MacBook Air 13” 2013 , we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

M1 MacBook Air vs. MacBook Air 13” 2013: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it M1 MacBook Air	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Air 13” 2013
Key Features
What's new	Better Performance. With the new Apple M1 Chip, it is now 3x times faster in exporting a project in iMovie, 5x times faster applying 3D effects in Final Cut Pro, editing multiple streams 4K ProRes video in Final Cut Pro with no frame drop, 2x times faster in exporting photos in Lightroom, and more. Better battery life of up to 18 hours. The new M1 MacBook Air has the most extended battery life ever, with up to 18 hours of watching movies and 15 hours of web browsing. Better FaceTime HD camera. With the latest Apple Image Single Processor (ISP) in the M1 chip, image quality is better in noise reduction, has a better dynamic range, and has an improved auto white balance. Better display. It now supports a P3 wide color with 400 nits of display brightness. Improvements It supports the latest USB 4 and Wi-Fi 6. It has better security with the new Secure Enclave in the M1 chip.
What's missing	Natively supports only one external display. The new M1 chip supports only one extended 6K@60Hz display, while the older Intel version supports up to two 4K@60Hz.

Availability	M1 MacBook Air	MacBook Air 13” 2013
Released	2020	2013
Release Info	Announced on November 10th, 2020	Available on June 10, 2013
Pricing	$999 Apple M1 Chip (7 cores GPU) \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $1,249 Apple M1 Chip (8 cores GPU) \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	$1,099 Intel Core i5 4250U \| 4GB RAM \| 128GB SSD $1,299 Intel Core i5 4250U \| 4GB RAM \| 256GB SSD

Display	M1 MacBook Air	MacBook Air 13” 2013
Size	13.3 Inches	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 400 nits brightness Supports wide color (P3) True Tone technology	13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors Supported resolutions: 1440 by 900 (native), 1280 by 800, 1152 by 720, and 1024 by 640 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio and 1024 by 768 and 800 by 600 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio

Exterior	M1 MacBook Air	MacBook Air 13” 2013
Size Comparison
Dimensions	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)	12.8” x 8.94” x 0.11 - 0.68” (325 mm x 227 mm x 3 - 17 mm)
Weight	Starting at 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)	Starting at 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg)
Colors	GoldSpace GraySilver	Silver
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	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 (USB‑C) ports with support for: Charging DisplayPort Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)	1 x Thunderbolt ports Supports data transfers up to 10 Gbps. 2 x USB 3.0 ports Supports data transfers up to 5 Gbps. 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack 1 x SDXC card reader 1 x MagSafe 2 power port

Internal Specs	M1 MacBook Air	MacBook Air 13” 2013
Processor	Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores) 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W Apple M1 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W	4th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-4250U 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.30 → 2.60 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4650U 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.70 → 3.30 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
Integrated Graphics	Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores) Apple M1 iGPU 7 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz Apple M1 Apple M1 iGPU 8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz	4th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-4250U Intel® HD Graphics 5000 40 Execution Units, 200 → 1000 MHz 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-4650U Intel® HD Graphics 5000 40 Execution Units, 200 → 1100 MHz
Memory	8GB unified 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 MacBook Air	MacBook Air 13” 2013
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

Battery	M1 MacBook Air	MacBook Air 13” 2013
Size	49.9 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	54 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life	Up to 15 hours wireless web Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback	Up to 12 hours wireless web Up to 10 hours of iTunes movie playback Up to 30 days standby time
Power Supply	30W USB‑C Power Adapter	45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.

Software	M1 MacBook Air	MacBook Air 13” 2013
OS	Shipped with macOS Big Sur	Shipped with OSX Mountain Lion
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player	Mail Messages Contacts Calendar Safari Reminders Notification Center Notes Dictation iCloud Time Machine FaceTime Photo Booth AirPlay Game Center the Mac App Store iTunes Gatekeeper Twitter and Facebook integration

Camera & Audio	M1 MacBook Air	MacBook Air 13” 2013
Camera	720p FaceTime HD camera	720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio	Stereo speakers Wide stereo sound Support for Dolby Atmos playback Three-mic array with directional beamforming 3.5 mm headphone jack	Stereo speakers Dual microphones Headphone port Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone

Misc	M1 MacBook Air	MacBook Air 13” 2013
Sensors	Touch ID sensor Ambient light sensor
Security	Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box	MacBook Air 30W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)	MacBook Air 13″ 45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter, AC wall plug, and power cord Printed and electronic documentation
Warranty	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.	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 full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and: One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz Thunderbolt 3 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)	Video Support Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 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)