137 reviews

142 reviews

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The Apple Pick

Consumer Reports · Best Laptops for College Students

Best MacBook

RTINGS · The 7 Best Laptops

Great portability

Strong performance with M1 processor

Up to 12.5 hours of battery life on a single charge

High quality case and good panel

Good optimization for macOS

Great portability and lightweight design

Good keyboard and trackpad

13 Hour battery life

Detachable keyboard and stylus for easy switching between laptop and tablet mode

8GB RAM/256GB storage option recommended for optimal performance

Not suitable for those who need more multitasking power or storage space

Windows laptops offer more performance at a lower price point

No significant design updates since 2018

Not suitable for intensive tasks

Base model with eMMC storage should be avoided due to slow performance

No backlit keyboard on some models

Verdict

The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is a great choice for those looking for a highly portable laptop with strong performance. It features an M1 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of solid state storage. The battery life is also impressive, lasting up to 12.5 hours on a single charge. However, the base model may not be suitable for those who need more multitasking power or storage space. Additionally, some Windows laptops offer more performance at a lower price point.

Verdict

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go is a great choice for those looking for a lightweight and portable laptop. It has a good keyboard and trackpad, as well as a quoted 13 Hour battery life. The 8GB RAM/256GB storage option is recommended to ensure optimal performance. Additionally, it features a detachable keyboard and stylus, making it easy to switch between laptop and tablet mode. However, the base model with eMMC storage should be avoided due to its slow performance.

Reviews by Topic

Our analysis shows how reviewers feel about different topics. Please note these are not full reviews.

Battery Life

All it needed was a totally new keyboard and faster processors

2GHz to get something done and then ramp it back down to 1.1GHz to preserve heat and battery life. This is a pretty normal strategy now.

Negative

2 years ago

theverge.com

Good Laptop for Everyday Online Usage with Notable Annoyances

I have absolutely no idea how reviewers get 10+ hours on any laptop. They must be on 50% brightness and cooking dinner, showering, and jogging while their laptops sit idle to get such good battery life. I'd disregard those reviews when it comes to battery life if you're glued to your computer. Lastly, Microsoft sets up Windows S as the default

3/5

4 years ago

amazon.com

Performance

Verdict – The Core i3 is the better choice for everyday tasks

There are also noticeable advantages in terms of the emissions, and especially the fan is much quieter with a slower maximum speed. This means the i3 MacBook Air is quieter for longer periods of time, even when you stress it.The MacBook Air with the dual-core i3 processor is the better device for basic workloads. The subjective performance impression is very good in these scenarios, the fan is quieter, and you can still enjoy the good display as well as the improved keyboard

Neutral

2 years ago

notebookcheck.net

Make sure you are okay with the compromises

Fingerprint reader: nice and fast logon Performance: all models have an i5 processor and I think this is more than fine for everyday users, even the base model will give you good performance. Neutral: Keyboard: it is okay to type on for me and not as good as the pixelbook go keyboard because it has a somewhat mushy feeling when typing. Screen: it is nice but still it is under 1080p for a device that cost $550 and up. When was the last time you found a device that was not full hd for $500 or up? Sound: I think it sounds decent, not amazing, not a pro or con

4/5

4 years ago

amazon.com

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More Alternatives

Apple MacBook Air (2020)