Notebookcheck Logo

M1 MacBook Air's SSD is twice as fast as that of the latest Intel-based model

Apple M1 processor used in the new MacBook Air, SSD twice as fast as that of the 2020 MacBook Air with Intel processor (Source: Apple)
Apple M1 processor used in the new MacBook Air (Source: Apple)
A recent storage benchmark result that was published on the MacRumors Forums website by a new owner of the M1 MacBook Air reveals impressive results: almost 2,200 MB/s write and over 2,600 MB/s read speed. These results come alongside a set of excellent Geekbench 5 scores of 1,745 and 7,665 points (single-core and multi-core).
Apple MacBook Storage

The 2020 MacBook Air was one of Apple's shortest-lived notebooks and for a good reason. This reason does not concern any fatal flaws of the model, but how fast is the M1 MacBook Air. However, one of the weakest areas of the Intel-based MacBook Air mentioned above, namely the rather slow storage speeds, is no longer a problem for M1 MacBook Air owners, as shown by a benchmark result that was posted online earlier today.

MacRumors Forums member abbotsford1980 has revealed the results obtained with his new M1 MacBook Air with a 256 GB SSD in Blackmagicdesign's Disk Speed Test and also what he got with the 2019 MacBook Air, which he claims to have similar performance with the 2020 Intel-powered model. These are his numbers:

  • M1 MacBook Air: 2,190.1 MB/s write, 2,676.4 MB/s read
  • 2019 MacBook Air: 1,007.1 MB/s write, 1,319.7 MB/s read

In addition to the above, abbotsford1980 also posted a Geekbench 5 result that is slightly higher than what we have already seen for the M1 MacBook Air: 1,745 single-core and 7,665 multi-core points. He also replied to a question during the discussion that followed and revealed that the boot time of the M1 MacBook Air is 15 seconds (cold boot, from opening the lid to the login screen).

If any M1 MacBook Air owners are reading this, please don't be shy and share your benchmark results and impressions with the rest of us. As usual, the comments section is all yours.

Related Articles

Apple M1 processor used in the latest Macs, plagued by a Fast User Switching bug
Some Apple M1 Macs are affected by a Fast User Switching bug 01/18/2021
Samsung 980 PRO SSD, now available with 2 TB of storage space and US$600 price tag
2 TB Samsung 980 PRO SSD surfaces online, but be ready to cough up almost US$600 12/09/2020
Apple MacBook Air 2020
Apple MacBook Air M1 with 50 % longer battery runtime, but the weak power adapter limits the charging performance 11/27/2020
Apple MacBook Air 2020 M1
Apple MacBook Air 2020 M1 Benchmarks: Should you get 7 or 8 GPU cores? 11/26/2020
The Apple M1 might soon be joined by a potential M1X SoC. (Image source: Apple/Domus)
Alleged Apple M1X SoC in upcoming MacBook Pro 16 ready to outcore and outscore its M1 ARM-based relative 11/25/2020
The new MacBook Air with Apple M1 SoC costs from US$999. (Image source: Apple)
ARM-based M1 in MacBook Air destroys AnTuTu benchmark and all the Apple silicon can go home now 11/25/2020
Apple's M1 chip would do a stellar job of running Windows 10 on Arm. (Image: Apple)
Windows 10 on Apple silicon up to Microsoft says Apple exec in a surprise 11/24/2020
Apple's macOS Big Sur is spying on you. (Image: Apple logo w/ edits)
MacOS Big Sur is spying on everything you do and sending the data to Apple 11/17/2020
The performance of the Apple M1 looks convincing even when emulating x86 code. (Image source: Apple - edited)
The Apple M1 and new MacBook Air cut a fine figure in an emulated x86 benchmark 11/16/2020
It will not be long until we see more Apple Silicon hardware, according to multiple rumours. (Image source: Apple)
Apple's new Intel 16-inch MacBook Pro and AirTags slated for release in 2-3 weeks with up to five Apple Silicon devices due within a year 11/13/2020
Parallels is working on a universal binary version of its popular virtualization software for Apple's M1-powered Macs. (Image: Parallels)
Parallels working on support for Apple's M1 Arm-based silicon, could bring Windows 10 back to the Mac 11/13/2020
Apple anticipates great demand for the M1 processors. (Image Source: Apple)
TSMC cannot meet the entire Apple M1 order volume, Samsung could jump to the rescue 11/12/2020
The Apple M1 SoC looks to give a tough competition to current x86 offerings. (Image Source: Apple)
Apple M1 SoC can be a real threat to x86; M1 in 13-inch MacBook Pro and Mac Mini beats Core i9 in MacBook Pro 16 but performs similarly with or without active cooling 11/12/2020
Apple's new M1 CPU is shaping up to be a powerhouse. (Image via Apple)
New M1 MacBook Air smokes Core i9 16-inch MacBook Pro in Geekbench 11/12/2020
Apple's new M1-powered Macs all look exactly the same as the Intel models they replace. (Image: Apple)
Apple M1 Macs don't support eGPUs, while the new MacBook Air is offered with a less powerful 7-core GPU M1 variant 11/11/2020
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro is an internal upgrade, once again. (Image source: Apple)
Apple announces the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with up 20 hours of battery life and 2.8x faster CPU performance 11/10/2020
Apple expects to sell up to 2.5 million ARM MacBooks in under four months. (Image source: ZONEofTECH)
Apple expects to sell up to 2.5 million ARM-based MacBook Air and MacBook Pro units in four months up to February 2021 11/05/2020
The next MacBook Air may cost as little as US$799. (Image source: CNET)
Apple's ARM-based MacBook Air will reputedly launch at US$799 with the MacBook Pro 13 priced at US$1,099 11/03/2020
Read all 8 comments / answer
static version load dynamic
Loading Comments
Comment on this article
Please share our article, every link counts!
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2020 11 > M1 MacBook Air's SSD is twice as fast as that of the latest Intel-based model
Codrut Nistor, 2020-11-17 (Update: 2020-11-17)