In an official press release dated March 18, 2020, Apple announced its new Macbook Air 2020 with new Magic keyboard and double the storage i.e. 256 GB for the base variant at a startling lower price of 92,990 INR only. Yes, it is still a premium price tag, but for an Apple laptop, it is a budget friendly device especially for students with additional discount.
It comes with updated 10th generation Intel core processors that delivers 2X the performance when compared to the previous generation and Iris plus graphics that gives a huge 80 percent boost in the graphics performance.
Although the base variant still comes with a 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i3 processor only that has Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz, with 4MB L3 cache. This new 10th generation Intel processor architecture family is known for optimal performance with same or even lower batter consumption even with the lower base clock frequency. The previous generation MBA came with a fixed dual-core i5 world-wide. Now you can update to the new MBA 2020 up to quad-core i7 10th Intel processor in most regions with official Apple store. In India, you get to buy a new MBA 2020 with 1.1GHz quad-core 10th-gen Intel i5 processor equipped with 512GB of storage.
Moreover the much needed upgrade of RAM memory, it now comes with a 8GB of (3733) MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory in the base variant. It is even faster than the new 16″ Macbook Pro. Basically, it has a newer generation CPU Intel’s Ice Lake architecture, the first 10nm chip by Intel that is actually shipping in volume. Faster new generation RAM type is in place to support the updated integrated graphics technology, because the GPU requires a specific memory bandwidth to work well.
The Integrated graphics chip is so powerful that it can easily drive a 6K display at 6016×3384, up to 60Hz. It is a good news for people who really seek a Apple’s Pro Display XDR with a portable Mac. It brings more mileage to a consumer and makes the new MBA 2020 more
Does the new MBA 2020 especially the one with quad-core i5 processor translate to a pro Macbook? Yes, for most people including me.
All is not well for the new Macbook Air, it has put on some weight for reasons best known to Apple. The new MBA 2020 now weights 1.29kg versus 1.25kg from previous generation. Further it has lost about an hour of battery life. Apple officially quotes 11 hours of battery life in general web surfing which is 1 hour less than the previous generation.
The new Macbook Air offers a decent 256GB storage for the base variant itself. But now you can upgrade it to a 2TB PCI-e SSD up from 1TB, 2X the previous maximum storage on a MBA. But sadly, it is not something we would see from Apple India owing to lack of official Apple Store yet.
With fixed keyboard, a three-mic array for more clear voice during calls, bigger trackpad, advanced stereo speakers, support for 6K external display, processor options, double the storage, better pricing, this new Macbook Air 2020 is a steal. Isn’t it?
Apple has released a Macbook Air with pro-like features and if you do not have extra love for the touch bar, as of now the quad-core i5 MBA 2020 is the correct one to pick for most people. It is competitively priced at INR 1,22,990 MRP. This excludes any online retailer discounts and bank cashbacks. It actually happens to be cheaper than an iPhone 11 Pro with similar storage. Go for the quad-core variant in India. Every bit of it is totally worth it.
For folks who can wait, I would advise you to wait for the rumored 14″ MBP or updated 13″ MBP for 2020. It should bring more valuable Apple products to the table.
