# Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M1, 2020)

- Source: https://stierproducts.com/products/apple-macbook-air-13-inch-m1-2020
- Category board: https://stierproducts.com/categories/laptops
- Placement: #17 of 17 in Laptops, F tier
- Brand: Apple
- LP on this board: 76
- Last researched: 2026-07-25T03:50:48.415Z
- Method: https://stierproducts.com/methodology
- Reuse: Text, rankings, tier assignments, LP values and verdicts are free to quote and reuse with attribution to stierproducts and a link to the source URL (CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.

## Verdict

A famously durable machine, but buying one new in 2026 means 8GB of RAM and a macOS support clock with little left on it. The MacBook Neo or M5 Air is the correct cheap-Mac answer.

## For

- Famously durable hardware
- Cheapest Mac still on shelves

## Against

- Base config still ships with 8GB of RAM, which 2026 buyer guidance says to avoid
- Six years old with little macOS support left on the clock
- Fits the exact cheap-outdated-model risk profile Which? warns against

## Flagged as one to avoid

This product entered 3 of 6 runs as one buyers cross-shop but should not buy, rather than as a pick. It is published here rather than dropped.

## Evidence

Consolidated from 3 cited sources across 2 outlets

| Outlet | Said by | Stance | Link | Link status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Which? | - | - | https://www.facebook.com/whichuk/posts/-not-all-tech-is-worth-your-money-%EF%B8%8F-big-brands-are-always-pushing-the-latest-upg/1414609427367265/ | outlet blocks automated checks |
| Facebook | - | - | https://www.facebook.com/nwachukwu.donatus.14/posts/so-when-i-said-brand-new-laptops-are-the-best-but-they-are-expensive-this-is-wha/4345766768976816/ | outlet blocks automated checks |
| Facebook | - | - | https://www.facebook.com/whichuk/posts/-not-all-tech-is-worth-your-money-%EF%B8%8F-big-brands-are-always-pushing-the-latest-upg/1414609427367265/ | outlet blocks automated checks |

## Nearest alternatives on this board

| Rank | Product | Tier | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) | S | https://stierproducts.com/products/apple-macbook-air-13-inch-m5 |
| 2 | Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) | A | https://stierproducts.com/products/apple-macbook-pro-14-inch-m5 |
| 3 | Apple MacBook Neo | A | https://stierproducts.com/products/apple-macbook-neo |
| 4 | Microsoft Surface Laptop 8th Edition | B | https://stierproducts.com/products/microsoft-surface-laptop-8th-edition |
| 5 | Asus Zenbook A14 (2026) | B | https://stierproducts.com/products/asus-zenbook-a14-2026 |
| 12 | HP OmniBook 7 Aero | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/hp-omnibook-7-aero |
| 13 | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/lenovo-ideapad-slim-3x |
| 14 | Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/lenovo-chromebook-plus-14 |
| 15 | Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/samsung-galaxy-book6-ultra |
| 16 | MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/msi-prestige-14-flip-ai |

The full board is at https://stierproducts.com/categories/laptops.

## What this tier means

- F: Avoid. The evidence points you elsewhere.

## How to read this

- Each category is researched in four independent runs, one per lens (expert consensus, value, reliability, community pulse). Every run ranks a board of candidates that deliberately includes products buyers cross-shop but should avoid. Placements score on a ranked ladder (LP), and tiers are derived from LP, so no tier is ever assigned by hand.
- LP is this product's points on its own category ladder. It is comparable within a category and not across categories.
- Link status reports what our pre-publication link check found when it fetched the cited URL. It says nothing about the quality of the review.
- A citation with no usable link is listed rather than dropped, and is excluded from the counted total above.

## Image

https://stierproducts.com/images/products/apple-macbook-air-13-inch-m1-2020.webp

Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.