MacBook Air 13″ (M1 base)

By Noel S. / Mac Nerd | March 20, 2025

The MacBook Air 13-inch (M1, 2020) is a lightweight and efficient laptop that marked Apple’s transition to its in-house silicon. This is the “OG” M1 Mac Book Air the started the Apple Silicon Revolution back in 2020. The MacBook Air (M1) remains a great choice for students and professionals seeking portability, strong performance, and long battery life in an affordable package.

Here’s a video by MKBHD with more information.

Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores* Across SOC Generations (Highlighting Base)

M1
Base - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 15,271 BASE ← Pro - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 24,290 PRO Max - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 30,453 MAX Ultra - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 42,741 ULTRA
M2
~ +20 to
+25% faster
than prev. gen.
Base - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 19,137 BASE Pro - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 29,257 PRO Max - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 36,593 MAX Ultra - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 55,078 ULTRA
M3
~ +7 to
+13% faster
than prev. gen.
Base - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 21,625 BASE Pro - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 28,513 PRO Max - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 39,229 MAX Ultra - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 60,296 ULTRA
M4
~ +19 to
+45% faster
than prev. gen.
Base - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 25,689 BASE Pro - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 38,536 PRO Max - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 56,939 MAX
M5
~ +19 to
+21% faster
than prev. gen.
Base - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 31,012 BASE Pro (Est.) - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 50,478 PRO (Est.) Max (Est.) - Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores: 67,907 MAX (Est.)
12,00046,00080,000
CPU/SOCs are clickable for search.
Ultras are omitted as part of generational % comparisons.
Graph calculations based on 39 Macs (124 benchmark metrics).
Last updated: November 22, 2025

Related M1 Machines

Manufacturer Part Number MacBookAir10,1
Year 2020
Model Name MacBook Air 13" (M1)
MSRP ($) $999
Current Market Price $849
Nano-Texture screen Available N/A
CPU/SOC Family M1
CPU/SOC Variant Base
Total CPU Cores 8
Total GPU Cores 8
Memory Bandwidth (GB/s) 68.25
Max Screen Brightness (Nits) 400
Weight (Lbs) 2.8
Geekbench Single Core 2,346
Geekbench Multi Core 8,357
Geekbench Metal GPU 32,946
Performance* 15,216
Bang for Buck 17.92 (B)
External URL 1 www.apple.com/shop/product/FGN...
External URL 2 browser.geekbench.com/macs/mac...
External URL 3 support.apple.com/en-us/111883

Historical Pricing

DatePriceVendorNotesLink
2025-02-28 $507.03 eBay Average price for month of Feb. 2025 Buy
2025-01-31 $518.63 eBay Average price for month of Jan. 2015 Buy
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