On the threat of repeating myself from Engadget’s MacBook Air M1, M2 and M3 evaluations: The M4-equipped MacBook Air is an almost flawless ultraportable. Even higher, it now begins at $999, which is $100 lower than earlier than. Whereas I might nonetheless prefer to see extra ports and a sooner display refresh price, the MacBook Air nonetheless stays heads and shoulders above the competitors. And when firms attempt to one-up Apple, as ASUS did with its 2.2-pound Zenbook A14, it solely proves how a lot better-designed Apple’s {hardware} really is.
It is simple to take the MacBook Air without any consideration, since its design hasn’t modified for the reason that M2 mannequin arrived in 2022. It is nonetheless a outstanding machine as we speak, one which’s quick, mild and well-built. The one main draw back is that there is a little bit of a studying curve for Home windows customers leaping ship for the primary time. However other than that, the MacBook Air is a no brainer buy when you’re in search of a brand new ultraportable.
{Hardware}
As soon as once more, each the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air fashions really feel impressively skinny (measuring 0.44 inches thick) and lightweight, weighing in at 2.7 kilos and three.2 kilos, respectively. Final yr, I famous “Its unibody aluminum case feels as clean a river stone but as sturdy as a boulder. It is a pc I merely love to the touch.” All of that is still true with the M4 fashions.
Actually, it is much more spectacular that Apple holds such a commanding design lead when rivals have had an opportunity to catch up. As a lot as we just like the Floor Laptop computer, XPS 13 and ASUS’ Zenbook S14, Apple nonetheless maintains a degree of polish that PC makers cannot fairly match. The MacBook Air’s case feels extra luxurious than the remainder, its keyboard is a dream to kind on and it has among the finest trackpads round. (And earlier than you go calling me an Apple fanboy, I am nonetheless primarily a Home windows desktop consumer.)
Apple’s M4 chip — which sports activities a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine (or what you’d name an NPU in a PC) — is the principle improve with these new MacBook Airs. It is also value noting that the bottom $999 13-inch mannequin has a barely slower 8-core GPU, which can barely hamper gaming and media creation efficiency. Except for a brand new Sky Blue choice, there are not any bodily design adjustments. Apple additionally upgraded the webcam to a brand new 12-megapixel Middle Stage shooter, which could possibly be notably useful if you wish to showcase the contents of your desk. (Extra on that later.)
The 13-inch MacBook Air incorporates a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Show, which virtually seems like a 14-inch display, whereas the bigger mannequin has a 15.3-inch show. They’re nonetheless restricted to 60Hz — an annoyance since loads of PC ultraportables are transport with sooner and smoother screens — however they’re spectacular shows however, with help for the P3 broad coloration gamut and 1 billion colours. Each screens may also attain as much as 500 nits of brightness, which is sufficient to be usable on a sunny day.
In use: Quick and lightweight
Each the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs dealt with my fundamental workflow with out a sweat: juggling browsers with a ton of open tabs, Slack, Spotify, messaging apps and the Pixelmator photograph editor. However that was no shock, because the earlier fashions have been equally zippy. Nonetheless, after testing the sluggish Zenbook A14 not too long ago, it felt refreshing to be utilizing laptops that appeared desirous to get to work.
I could not really really feel a distinction with the leap to the M4 chip, however in response to the Geekbench 6 benchmark, it’s 19.5 % sooner than the M3 for single-threaded duties, and 21 % sooner for multi-threaded duties. That is a typical incremental leap for CPU enhancements, so I will not knock Apple an excessive amount of there. The M4’s GPU good points have been far much less spectacular, scoring simply 6 % greater than the M3 within the 3DMark Wildlife Excessive benchmark and 16.3 % higher within the Geekbench GPU check.
| Geekbench 6 CPU | Geekbench 6 GPU | Cinebench 2024 | |
| Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4, 2025) | 3,784/14,745 | 36,273 | 172/660 GPU: 3,465 |
| Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4, 2025) | 3,874/14,873 | 36,131 | 171/748 GPU: 3897 |
| Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3, 2024) | 3,190/12,102 | 30,561 | N/A |
| Apple MacBook Professional 14-inch (M4, 2024) | 3,797/14,571 | 37,869 | 172/979 GPU: 3770 |
| Floor Laptop computer 7 (Snapdragon X Elite) | 2,797/14,400 | 19,963 | 123/969 GPU N/A |
You possible will not be doing a lot critical artistic work on the MacBook Air, particularly since there isn’t any fan to chill issues down. However you possibly can nonetheless squeeze out a little bit of efficiency in a pinch. I used to be in a position to transcode a 4K clip to 1080p in 27 seconds utilizing the M4’s CPU in Handbrake, whereas utilizing the GPU took simply 17 seconds. Compared, the Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ system took 32 seconds with its CPU and 24 seconds with its GPU.
The graphically intense Lies of P ran at a clean 60 fps in 1080p with excessive settings. That was additionally true of the M3 MacBook Air, however this time across the efficiency appeared a bit extra constant. Whereas I might by no means advocate shopping for a MacBook Air with gaming in thoughts, it is good that it might probably deal with a little bit of playtime, no less than.
Whereas leaping between the 13-inch and 15-inch fashions, I discovered rather a lot to love about them each. The smaller one is certainly simpler to journey with, however I additionally liked the immersive display on the 15-inch. Finally, selecting between them comes all the way down to what’s most essential to you.
Equally, the leap to a 12-megapixel Middle Stage digicam is not precisely Earth-shattering, however I appreciated having a barely higher image throughout video calls. I sometimes flip off the precise Middle Stage characteristic on Macs, however I am positive some will recognize its means to trace you round a room. The brand new digicam additionally helps Desk View, which initiatives a barely skewed view of the world immediately in entrance of the MacBook Air.
As for battery life, each MacBook Air fashions lasted for greater than 18 hours whereas enjoying an HD video. The 13-inch Air lasted for 18 hours and quarter-hour, whereas the 15-inch pocket book went for 18 hours and 23 minutes.
How can Apple enhance the MacBook Air?
As a lot as I like the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, there are nonetheless loads of methods Apple can refine them down the road. As I discussed above, it might be nice to have greater refresh price shows, which makes scrolling by way of paperwork far simpler in your eyes. And whereas I do not want Apple to go all-out with ports, it might be good to have no less than one USB-C connection on the appropriate aspect of the Air to permit for simpler charging. Proper now, you are caught with a MagSafe charging port and two USB-C connections on the left aspect.
After all, I do not actually anticipate Apple to really ship these upgrades anytime quickly. I might wager the corporate would nudge extra demanding customers to the $1,599 14-inch MacBook Professional, which has a ton of ports and a excessive refresh price ProMotion display. Nonetheless, a geek can dream.
Do you have to purchase the M4 MacBook Air?
If you cannot inform by now, I feel the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air are the perfect ultraportables for most individuals. So positive, when you’re available in the market for a modern laptop computer, they’re value contemplating. And when you’re a Home windows consumer who’s hesitant to make the leap, I might advocate making an attempt an Air for some time. It is not that arduous to study the fundamentals of macOS, and when you’re not happy you possibly can at all times return it (simply you’ll want to double-check retailer return insurance policies).
Whereas I might wager most customers can be fantastic with the bottom $999 13-inch MacBook Air with 256GB of storage, it could be value leaping as much as the $1,199 mannequin with a 10-core GPU and 512GB SSD when you plan to do mild media work. Or simply leap straight to the $1,199 15-inch mannequin, which comes with a 10-core GPU.
As common, I might additionally advocate avoiding paying Apple’s absurd improve charges for elements. In case you’re contemplating spending $400 extra for 32GB of RAM, it is best to most likely be contemplating a MacBook Professional as a substitute. In case you’re trying to avoid wasting money, several retailers are nonetheless promoting the M2 MacBook Air at a steep low cost of $700. Regardless that it is an older chip, that laptop computer might nonetheless serve most customers nicely for a number of years (simply ensure you’re getting 16GB of RAM).
Wrap-up
As soon as once more, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air are principally all the pieces we wish from ultraportable notebooks. They’re zippy, splendidly mild and might final nicely past a full day of labor. Whereas the M4 chip isn’t a transformative improve, it helps Apple preserve tempo with evolving PC pocket book chips. And now that the MacBook Air begins at $999, even Home windows customers ought to take into account making the leap.