Apple MacBook Air Geek Squad Certified Refurbished 13.3" Space Gray Review

The 2020 Intel MacBook Air is a budget-friendly way into macOS, offering iconic Apple design and a brilliant Retina display for about $370. However, its dual-core i3 processor and 8GB of RAM are best suited for only the most basic tasks. Consider it only if your needs are light and your budget is fixed.

If you're hunting for a reliable, portable Mac on a tight budget, this refurbished 2020 MacBook Air with an Intel Core i3 is a classic option. It's the last of the wedge-shaped Airs, and for around $370, you're getting that iconic Apple build quality, a gorgeous 13.3-inch Retina display, and the convenience of Touch ID. It's a solid pick for students, casual users, or anyone who needs a second computer for basic tasks like web browsing, document editing, and streaming. Just know you're buying into older Intel technology, which has its limits compared to Apple's newer M-series chips.

Let's be real about the performance. The dual-core Intel Core i3 processor lands in the 23rd percentile in our database, which means it's on the slower side for modern laptops. For everyday stuff like email, web browsing, and working in Google Docs, it's perfectly fine. You won't be waiting around. But if you try to run a dozen browser tabs while editing a large photo or have multiple apps open, you'll feel it start to chug. The integrated Intel Iris Plus graphics are fine for video playback but, as the 7.5/100 gaming score shows, this is not a machine for anything beyond the most casual games. The 8GB of RAM is also a bit tight by today's standards, which can limit multitasking.

At around $370, the value proposition is simple: you're trading raw performance for the Apple experience. You won't find a new Mac this cheap, and you're still getting that fantastic screen and build. The main alternatives at this price are Windows laptops, which will likely offer newer processors and more RAM for the money but won't run macOS. If your budget is absolutely fixed under $400 and you need macOS, this is one of your only choices.

This Air is in a different league than the competitors listed, like the MacBook Pro M4 or Legion gaming laptop. A more direct comparison would be with other budget ultraportables. Compared to a new budget Windows laptop at $400, this Air will likely have a worse processor and less RAM but a much better build and display. The real question is whether to spend a bit more for a refurbished M1 MacBook Air, which crushes this Intel model in performance and battery life. Against something like an ASUS Zenbook, you're choosing between macOS with older hardware or Windows with newer, often more capable specs for similar money.

Skip this if you need power for multitasking, video editing, coding, or any kind of creative work. The CPU and RAM just aren't up to it. Also skip if you plan on keeping this laptop for more than a couple of years, as the specs are already dated. Gamers should obviously look elsewhere. For these users, saving up for a refurbished M1 MacBook Air or looking at a modern Windows ultrabook would be a much better investment.

Should you buy this? It's a very specific yes. Buy this if your budget is rock-solid at around $400, you specifically want or need macOS, and your computing needs are genuinely light: writing papers, browsing the web, and streaming videos. It's a fantastic secondary computer or a starter Mac for a student. But if you can stretch your budget by another $200-$300, a refurbished M1 MacBook Air is a massively better computer that will feel fast for years longer. And if you don't need macOS, you can get a much more powerful new Windows laptop for this price.