Absolutely untrue. My M1 Air does not skip a beat at all even under sustained load. Barely gets warm.
Besides, when it throttles, it’s not a huge slowdown, so most people wouldn’t notice it “skipping a beat” anyway.
However, it's not as hot as my old 16" MBP got (which would get too hot to have on your lap), it doesn't noticeably get slower, and it's of course totally silent.