Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage)

Top positive review

Welcome to Macintosh™

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2020

Macs continue to be dependable machines with a long life. Recently, a 2011 MacBook Pro I'd picked up used kicked the bucket. I removed its HD and was easily able to migrate my apps, preferences, account data, etc., into this new Macbook Air with Migration Assistant. It was like resurrecting my old machine only under the OS Catalina which my unit arrived with. This was an Amazon Warehouse Deal, which I've had luck with over the years. It arrived looking brand new, even the packing was perfect. Setting up a Mac is ridiculously intuitive and easy. If you're coming from an older machine as I was, some of your apps will be incompatible with latest OS and file system, but for me it was a very small % of what I brought over.

I paired the unit with a keyboard cover and laptop casing and am using USB-C to USB adapters to use my old drives with this Mac. The screen is nice and bright with plenty of detail. I regret having not used the camera yet, as I never make calls from my laptops, so I cannot comment on its quality. I've read it pales in comparison to the quality of an iPhone camera, which baffles me. It's got some weight to it compared to my previous MacBook Air. Handles streaming video like a champ and runs demanding apps like Adobe programs. The keyboard and track pad took a few days to acclimate myself to, but feel great now, and you always have the option of using a mouse.

My device boots up fairly quickly and the power button/fingerprint reader is a welcome addition. You can still type in your pass if you prefer, but the touch button is very reliable.

Battery life seems solid. It's just a nice quality product. I've had PC laptops, but prefer Macs. If you're already a Mac fan, you should appreciate this machine. I highly recommend this model. We've come a long way from the IIe.

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

Want to feel productive on a daily basis? Avoid the MacBook Air.

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2020

Three weeks in. Mac user since 1994. Badly wishing I purchased another laptop for work.

Apple .. not sure what's happened with your products. My last two iPhones have infested with bugginess. Now this MacBook Air.

Bought the MacBook Air as a light-weight machine for light work. I am a consultant and this is my work computer. Here's what I use on a daily basis: Two 17W external monitors, a USB external drive, Chrome, Zoom, and Office 365 through web browser.

This MacBook Air 2020 cannot handle the above. Can you believe that?

If you're in the same boat as me, do not buy this machine. My productivity has tanked. Multiple times a week I have to stop working, pinpoint problem, and hunt and hunt for an easy resolution. Today I am stopping work to write a review. Yet again problems with inadequate resolutions or none at all.

Since purchasing 3 weeks ago, I've lost productivity 2-3 times a week (twice I lost over two hours) trying to figure out:

1 (and most importantly). Why does the fan run continuously LOUD?
Apple resolution: None. Apple doesn't acknowledge the problem let alone a flaw in its design.

Researching reviews from other MacBook Air 2020 owners show running Chrome uses up ALL of the MacBook Air's processing power. The processor overheats and on goes the fan. With 5+ tabs open or tabs plus another application open, the fan powers on full force and Chrome often crashes.

The MacBook Air owners' resolution? Don't use Chrome. Need or want Chrome? Buy a third party app to decrease processing speed. Need processing speed to work? Umm, well, buy a different computer I guess?

I prefer Chrome because clients often use Google products. Chrome's Inspect Element is the best browser tool out there.

Interesting part: All of the publication previews and reviews said MacBook Air 2020 could run Chrome with 30 tabs "without a problem!" Search the internet for us real MacBook Air 2020 purchasers and users.

There are so many other problems in three weeks of use...

2. Why bootup is so incredibly slow.
Apple resolution: Bootup with a simple 250GB external drive plugged in to a mini dock sucks too much power from Mac. What?

3. Why configuring external screens is difficult.
Apple resolution: The shell of a Mac positioned directly below a monitor should be kept closed. What?

4. Why my mini dock can only power two external monitors (17W consumption per monitor) but not with a simple USB external drive.
Apple solution: Buy a separately powered dock.
Okay, how much money do I need to spend on buying and trying accessories?
In the past a Mac would tell you if an accessory was using too much power. This MacBook Air does not.

5. Why after I put the Mac to sleep, the laptop awakes on external screens after I close the shell.
Apple resolution: Keep the Mac shell closed always. What?

6. Why the dock cannot be locked to one screen.
Apple resolution: None.

In buying a work laptop, I should have considered all my Apple problems in the last 10-15 years. Should have stuck to my gut and switched to PC.

17 people found this helpful

8,785 total ratings, 636 with reviews

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From the United States

Andrew J. Holland

Welcome to Macintosh™

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2020

Capacity: 256GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase

Helpful

cesar bucio

Good deal, great laptop, enjoy iOS ecosystem

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2020

Capacity: 256GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase

I’ve owned an iPhone for a long time but I’m a first time Mac user... now I understand the hype.

If you need something heavy duty get a Mac book pro. I wish I got the i5 version for $100 more instead so I can easily use full features with apps like Zoom but no regrets, handles most of my usage with ease.

Heats up a bit because of its thinness but doesn’t impact performance drastically.

Great screen! Super lightweight!

Amazon delivered 14 days before Best Buy told me they would have more in stock. Definitely go with Amazon on this one!

One person found this helpful

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Alex Stav

Amazing!

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2020

Capacity: 256GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase

Came in sealed. Easy to set-up. The screen is beautiful. The Magic Keyboard feels very nice and a definite upgrade from the previous butterfly mechanism. The camera quality is just what I need. If you are going to be at school or at work doing zoom calls with other people, they can see you clearly. The camera, in my opinion, could definitely be improved, especially because of that high price. That seems to be the only “flaw.” Lastly, I will talk about the fan noise and the MacBook “heating up.” In my personal use, the MacBook never heated up (even on the bottom) and the fan was only heard just a bit when I was downloading a large app file. From day-to-day use of browsing, Netflix, zoom calls, and presentations, you would most likely never hear the fan nor feel the heat from underneath your keyboard. I’d definitely recommend this computer, especially if it’s your first Mac. Enjoy!

Update: After less than a week of purchasing, this MacBook still works fantastic. However, once I started up Minecraft and played creative for just 2 minutes, the fan started blasting and was very loud. I do not suggest this computer if you want to game, however, for daily usage, it's wonderful.

14 people found this helpful

Helpful

Blaire Sheffield

VERY PLEASED!!!

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2020

Capacity: 256GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase

First off, let’s start by saying, this is my first ever owned Mac computer! I have used them in schools and such but never owned until now. I do own the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and love everything about them!

Delivery was great, on time, and the item was secured very well!

Start up process was extremely easy but that may be because I already have an Apple ID, but still shouldn’t be hard for first time users!
So far I love it’s speed, it’s sleekness, sharing between apples products, and camera quality isn’t terrible.
One downfall is not having the usb or SD ports but you can easily purchase a docking station fairly cheap.

This computer will be mainly for my sublimation business, so I’m not sure of the uphold just yet, (but I’m sure it will be better than my 2016 HP 2g RAM laptop) but will update in a month!

It’s an awesome computer at an “Apple” reasonable price. I think it’s worth the money!
Overall, Apple has done well and I will continue to purchase their items in the future!

Helpful

Briana

worth it

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

after looking at the reviews, i was afraid to purchase this mac air 2020. i had a HP computer since 2016 and everything freezes for like every 5 seconds and the battery like was 3 hours and it's knocked out. one day, i was in class and for the whole 7+ hours the battery on the mac air 2020, it NOT EVEN HALFWAY DOWN! i was shocked and amazed by this. first, i would like to note that when i first opened the laptop, it was all brand new and not USED. it showed me a welcome screen, good storage that was never used, and screen never touched. however, please keep in mind that this mac air was built MAINLY for businesses, school work, documents, and etc... if your are playing a game such as roblox, minecraft, or any other game that requires a download or a use of plugin, then the fan will start to sound. the fan will continue till you exit the download/game. i've done this for about everyday and i will say, it does not damage or make your computer worse. if you are the type to play/download stuff A LOTTT, then i suggest looking at Microsoft laptops. other than that, i love how you can change the brightness of your keyboard, mute, play button, and etc... HOWEVER, this mac air 2020 laptop is NOT TOUCH SCREEN!!!. the screen is about a size of a good printer paper. its not too big. think of it as using it on an airplane, good space and comfort on your lap, so you don't have to remove everything. i hope this helps!!

Helpful

Googly

Perfect. I am so done with Windows being my primary O/S

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2020

Capacity: 256GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase

Decades working in Information technology, and an IT security professional, and the primary machines I want to work from are Apple laptops. I grew tired of IT managers issuing me PC's, so I just bought my own MacBook Air, and $#1+, I should have done this 5 years ago. Better machine, fast Unix based OS, my Linux virtual machines run better, no more messing with an OS that has held Microsoft's programmers back because they need to be compatible with decades of poorly written old Windows aps..Bye Windows, your messes & complexity provided a tech like me jobs for many years, but now you will only exist in my life as a virtual machine running on my Mac. Love, Joe

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Wilfred Mulenga

Great laptop but slightly overpriced (IMO)

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2020

Capacity: 256GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase

First, I must state that I ordered this laptop through a carrier as I am not in the U.S. So the carrier helped ship it to my country, Zambia. When I got it, it did not has MacOS pre-installed, which I thought was very weird. So I couldnt use any apps until I downloaded Catalina.

I previously used a 2017 Macbook Air so I was pretty comfortable with this new model. The keyboard and display are my two favorite things about it. The keyboard buttons are smooth and easy to press. The laptop turns on and off incredibly fast and running several apps at once does not slow it down significantly. The build and weight is sublime.

Now the things that I dont particularly like. The battery life compared to my previous 2017 Macbook Air is smaller. I guess because they had to reduce the size of the battery. But with the size of the display, I would say if I am using it intensively, I get about 4 hours. The display easily gets smudges and picks up dust so you are going to regularly feel the need to clean the screen. The charger cable feels short and it does not have that magnetic connector at the end to easily come out of the charging port. I feel that for the price they should have used an intel i5 and not i3 and it does make it feel slow when using several apps.

If you are getting this laptop to do none intensive tasks like editing and viewing documents, watching videos, replying to emails, you will be more than happy with this. If you are a Software Developer, I don't think I would recommend this, because you might be running several tasks and might be held back a bit by this laptop and should go for a Pro if you can afford it. I couldnt thats why I chose an Air.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

natasha

Love love love it! Minus a few things

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2020

Verified Purchase

Ive only had my MacBook for 2 days but I love it. First of all, the gold color is too cute. It is so compact and a great size laptop, I love it! it works as fast as is user friendly as you would expect from a MacBook. I've only owned MacBooks so I stuck with what I knew. The tracking pad took me a minute to get used to, but I like it. A few things I can't stand though: The keyboard sucks. It is a little awkward typing because you can't really feel the keys. They are too flat. Also, why is there no USB-A input?!! You have to buy an adapter for USB-A and to charge your phone. For a $1000 computer, you would think they could throw that in there. But So far, those are the only downfalls, but I love this computer.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Cameron

Pretty great battery life, top-notch build quality

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2020

Verified Purchase

I'm a big fan of this MacBook Air. I also own a MacBook 12", and in comparison, the larger display on the air is palpable. Battery life on my MacBook Air is better than on my 2017 MacBook 12".

The Air's retina display is bright and crisp. The keyboard feel is really confidence-inspiring. The only issue I've had with my Air so far is that at certain angles, when I try and click down on the trackpad using my right thumb, it sometimes doesn't register, and I sort of have to stop what I'm doing and try and click elsewhere on the trackpad. Not sure if this is a hardware defect on my MacBook Air, a built-in feature of some sort, or if all MacBook Airs suffer from it, but I don't like it. Luckily I only experience it rarely (a few times a day at most?), and the rest of the laptop is beyond reproach.

Performance-wise, the Air is formidable. From what I gather from tech reviews, the MacBook Air is just as fast as the MacBook Pro 13" is except for one edge case: certain graphics/video-intensive apps. Basically, when your MacBook Air needs high performance, the processor and RAM can deliver, and it's only after more than, say, two minutes of sustained high performance computing that your MacBook Air heats up enough that its performance lags, whereas on the MacBook Pro 13", it has an internal fan that actively dissipates that heat and keeps performance high. Anyways, I don't play computer games, so that's never been an issue for me on my Air, and so the only high performance apps I use are image manipulation software (Photoshop) and video editing software. If you're doing a lot of video editing, I'd recommend that you go with the MacBook Pro because of its built-in fan and dedicated graphics card, but for most people doing light to medium-duty computing, the MacBook Air is what you want. Hell, even if you're just doing Photoshop and Illustrator, the MacBook Air will be just as good as the MacBook Pro.

Anyways, I really like my MacBook Air, and hopefully you'll like yours, too.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Matt

It’s a bang for the buck! ...Almost (see edits)

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2020

Capacity: 256GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase

So far it’s been a killer of a laptop! The keyboard is pretty great and it sounds and feels great to type on. I actually want to write with my laptop now. I got the i3 model, and as it doesn’t sound impressive I think it’s the best option for the MacBook Air as this laptop does have overheating issues (hence the 4/5 stars) and as the i3 doesn’t require as much power as an i5 or i7, it doesn’t have as bad of throttling issues. It remains fast enough for my needs as well, it also has enough storage for my 25GB of music, my entire 20GB of google drive and all my apps, and it runs them all pretty fast, including Adobe Lightroom.

TLDR: A fast little laptop with great build and aesthetic, improved keyboard, great speakers (for a laptop), and a lower than average MacBook price. But with overheating issues (wait for the next MacBook Pro if you want to avoid the heat issue). 5-Stars

EDIT:
I am thinking about getting a return because of the heating issue. If I only have a couple apps open and watch YouTube full screen, my cpu/gpu STILL reach nearly 80degrees. Unacceptable. It’s a great laptop, but that reason alone if such a letdown...Save your money for the next MacBook Pro, or get the 2017 MacBook Air, at least that one has a heat pipe connected to the fan. 2-Stars

EDIT 2:
Ok, so somehow my worries are going down about the heat thing. No matter what I do with it I haven't really noticed any slowdowns or problems. The fans may ramp up at some point, but even so it still cools down relatively quick, so I feel like it is something that I can tolerate as there's nothing else with the laptop I dislike. 4-Stars

32 people found this helpful

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Apple MacBook Air (13-inch Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) - Gold (Previous Model)

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