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Chapter Titles:
0:00 The Walmart MacBook
0:40 Unboxing
2:28 First Impressions
3:43 Battery and Performance
4:43 Value
5:11 Hardware
6:10 Gaming
7:39 Storage
8:27 Is It Worth It?
Got one with only 13 battery cycles off marketplace for $400. Feels like I found buried treasure
battery is easy to replace actually... you should memtest and smart ssd test because those are soldered and very difficult to replace as they are serialized to the motherboard :)
That is buried treasure
What matter is how much the SSD is used. Because it will be the reason why it dies and you canot replace it.
@@MultiNakirthe memory and ssd would be fine in it because it’s almost new if it’s only for 13 battery cycles. He won’t have to replace the battery for a few years 😂 and plus if it does die it doesn’t matter because it was only $400
Batteries age and lose life just as time passes by even when not "cycled"
The message of this video is important. I worked in consumer tech retail for a long time. One thing you learn is - as a tech enthusiast what you want out a machine is far from what normal people want. And this M1 Air actually provides MORE performance than what the average consumer will notice, let alone need.
Giving apple excuses for their overratedness.. because they discounted the previous versions. lol
@@compunerd It has nothing to do with Apple. This sentiment would be true for other expensive computers on discount. Good value for a consumer is good value. Most consumers don't care if it's the latest and greatest if it does what they need!
Yep. I got my mother her computers, one is a fourth gen i3 and through the magic of not running Windows it’s just fine for everything. She also has a Chromebook with a Celeron J4005 and again through the magic of not running Windows, that’s a decent machine. But I want to highlight what a similar J4125 is equivalent to: a second gen i3. Would she even notice if I sneakily swapped her desktop for a 14th gen i5? Nah. The tricks are three: don’t use Windows, have enough ram (4gb is fine for Linux, browsers might disagree with that a little, 8gb is fine full stop, 16 is future proofing lol), and use an ssd, SATA is perfect.
i have one. did the thermal pad mod. even before the mod, it never made me wait, it chugs 1080p final cut and 30 chrome tabs for breakfast.
normal people are going to want more than 8 GB memory and apple could have put 16 for the same price
The m1 MacBook Air is 3+ years old and is still very fast. I’m a graphic designer and do all my work on a base model m1 MacBook Air , it handles everything I do on it with only a few small slowdowns after I open 20+ tabs. It’s the laptop I recommend to anyone that wants a great, affordable machine.
Same here. I also do video editing and it is extremely capable. My only issues with them is the price gouging on storage upgrades (which I can’t stand having a machine with less than 1TB) and the other is RAM. After Effects (and Adobe apps in general) eats it up. It’s super fast ram but when your apps are using it as temp storage ram previews like after effects quantity is what you need and then the machine starts using the SSD as virtual ram. But even then it’s my recommendation for anyone wanting a computer to do everything but maybe the most specialized hardware dependent tasks.
@@heyjustj external ssd or network drives solve the problem
@@qui11Hi, curious about your comment. External SSD solves the swap problem or did you mean it solves the upgrade price issue from Apple when upgrading from the base model? Thanks.
This is probably one of the best laptops that was ever made.
💯
What's wrong with windows laptops of the same price they can be upgraded
@@HypeXesk most of them has soldered rams gpu and cpu so the only thing you actually can upgrade is the harddrive
@@furkanudmir550plus at this price point they will have crappy build quality (in comparison)
@@HypeXesk I’m a big Windows guy but bought this Macbook Air M1 years ago because it’s the only laptop that checks all the boxes for me. No other Windows laptop can be this silent, power efficient, light, powerful, and compact to fit inside a small bag. Not to mention the build quality is great and not just an aluminum looking plastic
This is THE BEST M1 Macbook Air video review I have seen in all of KZhead. Thank you very much, Austin!
I have this MacBook with the same specs. It completely outperformed my 2019 iMac with much higher specs but intel chip. Because of that I used it as my main driver from recording music in Logic Pro moving forward.
the real issue with the late gen intel macbook airs, was simply because apple wouldn't cool it at all, they were so determined to put a huge strain on the processor there was a case fan, NOT A CPU FAN (it was put so far away from the cpu) and before you say it I know I know they have to have heatpipes right? NO they literally put a tiny heat spreader and they had a fan in the case which wasn't even connected to the cpu and had basically no efficient way to suck in air so it would thermal throttle almost immediately. would the m1 processor outperform it with proper cooling? maybe but it would be almost on par.
should of gone for the pro went from a macbook pro 2012 with logic to this m1 but pro and should (last me another 12 years) (airs are made too cheaply and have hardly any ram/bandwidth or storage for projects with multiple layers)
@@BaileyMagikz I got mine for 700$ with a case lightly used can’t really complain. I’ll be putting more into the next Mac mini I get though.
Same. Went from a $3400 2018 macbook pro to a m1 air, m1 air was faster, ran silent, lasts about 5hrs longer. Such a great little machine.
Simply They want to attach an mobile cpu to a laptop with some extra mah only. memory is the problem Ram is definitely ..phones with more Ram pays smoothy performance Attaching Mobile Cpu to processor will conserve more power And an 5nm technology 🙄
this video came at the perfect time Austin, thanks mate. Will be snagging one in the coming days as my laptop for uni, but think ill splurge the extra on 16gb to avoid the stress of 8 not being enough, and avoid having to upgrade again anytime soon
as someone who was thinking of buying an m1 MacBook air, all i can say is thank you Austin, you've got a new subscriber
I've had my Macbook air for a couple years now, and I still absolutely LOVE it. Very fast, very dependable, long battery life.
This is a 3 almost 4 year old laptop but to be fair Apple Silicon honestly has not changed that much for basic computer tasks over the last 4 years and they STILL start at 8GB/256GB in 2024. So in my opinion this is not a bad price for a brand new MacBook with a warranty
You have to be very ... challenged ... to give $700 for a 8/256 GB laptop in 2024 and call it a good deal 😁🤣
It's Good Genuinely Telling Its Good deal like simple work load stuff as compared previous gen Intel laptop it will outperform them 4 year ago there was no laptop 💻 at this price performance display is also appreciable
8GB RAM is simply not enough for more than browsing the internet
@@redpillsatori3020I mean it’s not great by any means, but it’s more than enough for most things… web browsing only is a bit of an exaggeration
@@redpillsatori3020You are absolutely wrong!! I'm so tired of people like you saying that 8GB is not enough. IT IS PLENTY for the majority of consumers buying a base configuration MacBook Air! If you are having memory issues then you bought the wrong configuration for your use case, plain and simple.
My wife has had this same MacBook since 2020 and it's still going strong. Great computer!
The way people in 2020 with the M1 chip we’re going “THIS IS INCREDIBLE OMG I CAN EDIT 8K 60 AND THE SPEAKERS ARE BETTER THAN ANYTHING EVER” and now they’re calling it average is SO funny to me
Compared to other new macbooks
I edited 4k on my base model m1 MacBook Air and it did fine :0
IKR..... The speakers are way better on the M1 air than 80% of all laptops. When he said average I was like pfttt.... 🧐
When the M1 air came out in 2020 it was amazing and everything you said is still true but technology usually gets better... So yes in 4 years the new M3 Macs are better with better speakers...Who's making new iterations that are worse???
1. thats a macbook air not an the pro 2. if you actually paid attention people was going on about how much of an upgrade it was from the intel chipset (4+ years ago) 3. you can tell Max here is a cheap windows boy just from his comment
My wife and I each have one of these and love them. We're pro photographers, and for our workflow and editing, these base model M1 Macbook Air's are absolutely impossible to beat. This thing does photo and video editing better than my gaming computer. The M1 chip with the unified memory are what I feel like Photoshop/Lightroom are optimized for as those run like a dream.
Yeah right 🤣 Budget phones nowadays have more RAM and storage than this crap 😄
That is kinda a good deal for that new/sealed Mac Book M1 base model, but I just got a better deal for a new/sealed Mac Mini M2 base model for $499.
Great insight on the m1 Mac Book Air. Always enjoy your video.
The fact that it has no notch in it should be a selling point! I love my M1 Air. I got it with 16gb or ram and 1TB SSD. It’s been great for about 2 years now.
I’ve been working daily in that same MacBook Air m1 for 4 years and it’s as snappy as the first day
thanks for this video i was deciding whether to get this m1 or newest one this month and decided to go with m1 😊
Very helpful and fun review. For me, typical use would involve heavy word processing, moderate spreadsheet use, and lots of long Zoom calls in addition to web browsing, emails and watching videos. There are also some work related apps I use.
I work with Macs for a living and the 15" MacBook Air is my favorite for day to day use. The blend of performance and portability can't be understated. I feel like the M2/M3 versions of the 13" and 15" Airs are what Steve Jobs envisioned when he introduced the line and really wish I could hear his thoughts on them.
Yeah, he would have not allowed the notch on them. Not without it having an actual function, Face ID or something.
I Love Austin Evans Videos ❤
Recently bought a 2022 Zephyrus G14 new from Asus for $689. With the anime matrix. 16g/1TB. Hasn’t arrived yet but, FTW IMHO and no question if you game. Think the non-anime is still in stock for $799 now. $150 more, but, gaming and you can expand it.
I’m glad made this video Ty
Im rocking this thing since 2021 and its still as amazing as on day 1. Great Performance (Still rock solid on sonoma), Great Battery Life, Great Keyboard and Trackpad. I absolutely love this machine.
I still use the M1 Macbook Air as my portable computer and its perfectly fine for doing general things
Damn I did not know Austin was chill like that. Manual Miata is sick
Great quote. Great words " it's to good to live and that I'd a dangerous place to be" so smart.
These machines are astounding, desktop replacement level machines for a vast swath of users. I hook mine up to a monitor, connect a dongle for my high end peripherals, and it’s a premium experience. Stunning value. Stunning long term usability.
This thing is still more powerful than 80% of what the average buyer needs. This is awesome and I bet it’s going to boost Apple’s market share substantially
Love you Austin!❤❤
When was the Best Buy clip at 4:54 filmed? That specific SKU on Best Buy's website now shows the MBA at $999. :(
I have this MacBook and use it every day! I also love how I only need to charge it about twice a week, because it's so energy efficient!
Hi there, new subscriber. With it been 3 years old how much of updates would I be getting right out of the box? Thanks
BH Photo & Video are selling the base 13" M2 Air for $850 at the moment. So an extra $150 for the M2 chip, and still $150 less than direct from Apple.
It's funny I'm watching this as I'm on break at my Walmart. Lol
This is Austin! Great Video!
the m1 air is still an excellent machine. If you're just doing the basics web browsing, light and occasional photo/audio/video work, its great.
I was hoping u would help me decide between the 79 INsurance that supposedly covers everything vs the applecare+ that covers everything but for 159$
Do you have link for Best Buy? I cannot find a new M1 laptop for 650
I ordered a refurbished M1 base, the week the M3 came out. The used market hadn’t adjusted yet but the business’ knew prices were dropping. I paid $780 ($CAD) about $560 ($USD). I was so happy and thought it would last 6 years for my minor uses. I thought $130 a year was a good price but even if it’s only 5 years I’m only at $156 a year. Bonus, they sent me a 16g ram and 512G memory.
Got one of these used a year ago and this has been an excellent general purpose machine. Great battery & trackpad, good enough keyboard & screen. My partner keeps "borrowing" it because it's a great experience
Still using M1 Pro base . Since launch absolutely no reason to upgrade yet
I daily drive this laptop just for the battery life and you don't have to plug in for maximum performance! My girlfriend's Zephyrus G14 struggles to with word files sometimes when it is not plugged in and it's a 2000 dollar laptop!
These are gonna sell like crazy. Perfectly good laptop for a lot of tasks, i could see this being very popular for students.
Which one would you get, the m1 macbook pro 16 inch with 16gb and 1tb ssd OR the base model M3 15 inch macbook air which cost 100$ less than the pro.
Your video, along with a couple others, helped me make the decision to buy a MacBook Air M1 yesterday (9 April 2024 - Walmart $699.) It is replacing my 2015 MacBook Air 11 inch. Thank you for your review
How does this compare to the lenovo ideapad Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor (1.3GHz up to 3.9GHz) w/ 12gb soldiered ram and 512 ssd w/ 10H?
Would yall recommend this laptop for recording vocals (Fl studio)
Austin's pronunciation of Walmart will never not be weird
How long will this offer last? my friend will go to usa mid may . i want to buy this mac . I am from Bangladesh
Lots of great points in this video. All of Austin's thoughts would suggest to me that there is absolutely no reason Apple should/would drop software support for this model, if in fact the performance difference between the M1 and M3 are as minuscule as he's indicating. That's my only concern, frankly, that Apple will only give this device a couple additional OS updates, before arbitrarily forcing it into obsolescence. Nonetheless, I'm heavily considering this over the M2 or M3, to replace my old intel MacBook pro 15 inch.
There is a big reason: Apple lives from fleecing the sheep 😁 And why would not they ? Apple consumers have one of the worst cases of Stockholm syndrome.
I just got my first Mac. A 2016 MacBook Pro & I love it!
I used to 3D model, texture and animate on the base model MacBook Air. It truly is and was a phenomenal machine for its price point. I got it in 2020 for $800 being a student.
I have a 2019 MacBook Air, it was $530, and it is not that outdated, still runs the newest software, and preforms great.
It’s really funny with this one using the old shell design from the last intel air. It made it cool a little better passively compared to the newer redesign I heard.
Prior to my current M3 macbook, I'd only had Intel-based ones and found them to be slow and constantly overheating while doing just regular browsing. The M3 has no such trouble - the fans don't appear to have come on even once yet.
MB Air + external ssd was the best purchase I’ve ever made ❤️
I daily this computer at work and it's still great.
Only one thing that held me back from buying a refurb M1 MBA. MagSafe, I’ll go for M2 for this one
I am so hesistant on getting any apple computers...ive only used the aio desktops because my high school video editing/photoshop classes used them...and atm i habe no reason to get it because my pc is strong as it is...i mean a 5800x with a 7900 gre is amazing
I'm still using my late 2013 MBP 😅
The speakers are not just average, they sound amazing
I agree.. m1A is probably fine for most.. I know from experience that 8gb doesn't cut it for me and while I've currently got an 18/512gb m3pro, I'll totally admit it's pretty overkill for my average day. Only got it due to finding an absolute killer deal. But an m1A with at least 16gb ram would probably do me just fine. I do make regular use of the extra ports supplied by the pro though.
How good was the killer deal and where at?
Picked up one of these in Dec. at Costco for $750 and I love it. I'm not a heavy user, so it fits my needs well. Your theory is that Walmart is helping Apple empty out some M1 warehouse; and when they're gone, they're gone. I read somewhere that Apple continues to make them. Not sure which is the correct story. If the latter, that's very interesting.
I'm gonna be honest. I thought Austin was wearing his shirt inside-out with how faded it is...
It's ok, we can't all be competent at identifying which side of the stitching you're looking at.
It’s an Alpha Tauri tshirt
The M1 air is a hidden gem great deal! but what's sad is that a 2024 $1599 M3 MacBook Pro comes with the SAME 8GB or RAM from the 699 Walmart one
I have the rose gold version of that same laptop. Got it when it 1st came out. Still going strong. I just hate the non upgradeable hard drive. Sooo, I have an external ssd on the back of my screen.
Reminds me of when I first came to MAC in around 2009 and you could get the standard Mac book for about £799
You know I've been anti apple for so long but I have been needing a laptop for on the go Ive always used Windows but how is macOS experience Ive never used it
It’s different but not crazy, I prefer it on laptops to windows or Linux
I recently moved from windows to mac (a very gently used 2017 macbook pro with 16 gigs of ram, a core i7 @3.5Ghz, and 500 gigs ssd) and it's honestly not that different. I would recommend it if you're not needing to do anything that's exclusive to windows, or wanting to play any windows games.
If you do software development, it's a lot nicer than Windows due to being Unix based. I can basically use all of the dev tools I like on Linux on MacOS while also getting to use some proprietary software like photoshop.
It is a bit of a learning curve. Most things that you get annoyed by can be fixed with 3rd party programs (like being able to tile windows by dragging to the side of the screen). Aside from that, pretty it's pretty good, specially on this price point. Battery is crazy good as well.
over here in France the 256gb model is over 800 € and the 128gb model is over 700€. It's cheaper but at that price I'd consier saving for a more recent one. Even if they are over 1200 € with the minimum specs. ( prices are so high because of the taxes included in the price and that sort of stuff. )
The only entry level 256 Gb MacBook Airs that are worth buying are the M1 and M3 versions. This is because in the M2 MacBook Air the 256 Gb SSD is implemented using one flash module which is slower than twin 128 Gb flash modules in the M1 and M3 MacBook Airs.
You should try running NMS on the m1!
They're going to restock them. Keep your eye out on the 5th for more fun.
Can you add RAM to it and would thid speed up the video editting
I've had my base model M1 MacBook air since early 2021 and it still works great to this day! I've never had any problems with it, the battery life is still good, and I have no intentions to upgrade any time soon. My boyfriend still uses my old 2015 MacBook pro so maybe this is a good incentive for him to upgrade for only $650
I have not used a Mac in years they are typically to expensive, i might have to snag one of these great entry point to just dabble with MacOS last mac i owned Mac OS 9 was still the current OS so yeah dating myself here
I had a 256GB MacBook Air and the only thing I hated was that I couldn’t keep a lot on it, regularly having to manage my storage. To be fair though, I do keep a boatload of music on mine and hate streaming what I could play locally. Also, using mobile internet for streaming on a laptop sucks at times.
Best Buy already ended that $650 Macbook Air sale.
Just bought one at Wally World. Can’t wait!! I need it for school and browsing the net and KZhead. Apple on a budget woo 🎉😂
3:25 - after the release of the M4 iPad Pro, you are now aware that the MBP also has the word PRO abstractly emblazoned on the boxart
I just got a used m1 aur for 475€ and use it for photo editing and i love it sofar. For the price it's the best laptop for stuff like lightroom and photoshop.
This is my daily driver! I use it to DJ and serato runs smooth as always. I bought it when it was recently released 2nd hand for $700. Great return on investment!
The Leap was from intel to the silicon M1 chip. I have never once had my M1 MacBook Pro slowdown. 8 gigs is sufficient for 90% of people. Yes, If you have 10 pages open and edit or do graphic design, than buy a 16g ram.
Solid laptop. How many years of support left?
i have a 2016 macbook pro i5 256/8gb. I edit game videos on youtube and I wonder if the m1 macbook air is a good choice
The M1 even in base trim would run circles around anything but the most tricked out final generation i9 MBP, and that would still be a close race.
i have been using one for quite a while and all it needs is a external nvme ssd dock for me and i have a inland pro 2tb in the dock i use and store most stuff on it
You can run Gamcube/N64/Switch/PS2 (maybe 3) games flawlessly via emulators, and upscale the graphics to 4k. The games look unreal now, and if you just like to game once in a while like myself that is a hell of a good deal for a macbook.
One big downside with Macbook Air M1 is the single display output. serious downside to productive when "docking" the device.
had mine 5 years. best computer i ever had... got the 8 gig 7 core cheapest 999 one when they come out...
I game on GeForce now with my MacBook Air and honestly it’s great. Using gaming monitor it’s even better
I still have my MacBook Pro from 2015. It still feels modern and works perfectly fine. MacBooks last a very long time
I have one too. I’m kind of pissed that I’ll have to get rid of it once Apple stops releasing security patches. Honestly, don’t use it much any more once I bought my Studio. WFH now so I’m one spot all the time. Been through 2 batteries though.
I'm still running a Mid-2012 13" i7 Macbook Pro I have upgraded it to 16GB of RAM put an SSD in it then used an adaptor to put in a Wi-Fi card from a newer Macbook Air to give me AC Wi-Fi, apple devices are built to last as as they tend to use fgar less plastic parts that a lot of PC based laptops, iv seen 1k+ dell & HP have hinges snap not even two years in to the life span due to way to much plastic, this Macbook Air Austin is using here is a better buy than most PC Laptops at the same price for most average users.
agreed but i have a macbook pro mid 2012 with similar upgrades but now i got a macbook pro m1 as its getting harder and harder to port the newer versions of software or updates to work as it now hits 12 years old and the switch to ARM architecture (ended up getting a m1 pro and keeping the 2012 as a... well essentially an overpriced chromebook as a backup so i can at least browse if something goes wrong with the m1 in future )
its a good budget option
Definitely worth it. The M-series notebooks have insane performance.
I have that same macbook and we all know all macbooks after the M1 chip are super fast but the battery life... only the M1 version is worth the money. By now, M2 and M3 are pretty much the same as AMD when it comes to battery drain speed. So, for more money you have less battery and processing power isn't even worth the extra money.
Pretty good laptop got one last year for my dad who wanted to replace his terrible 2017 pro. Lovely performance,battery life plus smooth os and portability. Unfortunately had to sell it coz my dad got a fully specced asus vivobook 16x with the 4050 from work. Not a bad laptop but the m1 was just soo much better, wouldve kept it but due to financial reasons didn't make sense.
Question, why the serious review and yet right at the start be using a laptop with a Windows logo? Also why big up the battery life and the entire time have it plugged in for all to see?
I was early to being a believer in Apple Silicon and bought my wife an M1 MacBook Air when they first came out. It is a CHAMP. Probably the best value in a computer I’ve ever owned as far as longevity of its performance in the market. For gaming we play demeo with on it and my iPad Pro with cross play to our Meta Quest 2 vr headsets and it handles that great. Same with great performance for a lot of emulation. Sure you’re not going to play any of the newest AAA games on steam, but classics up through Xbox 360 and even many PS3 games is impressive and that is a HUGE library of games available to play on M1 Mac’s. Controller support is great too. So if you go the emulation route you really have a LOT to play on a very capable machine.
I just worry about how long you will be able to update it. Bought a mac desktop for our elderly mom in 2019 that was a 2017 model. Memory is hardwired in and cant be upgraded, so It now cant run any more updates. I don’t feel safe with her doing her banking on it.
I agree, this is an important consideration when buying a machine that is three or four years old. You’ll need to replace in three or four years if updates are required for your purposes.
I bought one of these base model MacBook Air M1 to use as a much better Chromebook