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Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4): Two-minute evaluation
How do you make the most effective MacBook, and arguably among the finest laptops available on the market, higher? You would redesign it, however that’s a transfer fraught with potential downsides; if the present design is widespread, you danger disenfranchising followers. In that case, making small modifications, particularly under-the-hood ones, might be the sensible transfer, and it’s clearly Apple’s technique.
The MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is just about indistinguishable from the M3 mannequin. Apple has left the beautiful keyboard and responsive trackpad untouched, and the identical goes for the sensible Liquid Retina show. The two.7lbs. weight is unchanged, and even the 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports are primarily the identical. Visually, the one factor that is new is a brand new colour choice, and the Sky Blue end is a refined hue that may, relying on the sunshine, look virtually grey, however a second look all the time reveals that pleasing virtually pastel-like azure. It’s a colour that ought to promote out quick.
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The opposite two important modifications are to the {hardware}. Changing the FaceTime digicam is the brand new 12MP Middle Stage Digital camera. It’s an ultra-wide lens in a display notch that may hold you within the body throughout video calls, and it’s a nice-to-have although not earth-shattering replace.
There’s additionally the M4 chip, which provides cores and efficiency over the M3 Apple silicon it replaces. Just like the M3, it is a quick, environment friendly, 3-nanometer chip with loads of headroom for AAA gaming, video enhancing, music creation and, after all, Apple Intelligence.
From one perspective, the most important improve is perhaps within the worth area. Apple doubled the bottom reminiscence from 8GB of unified reminiscence to 16GB whereas decreasing the value to $999 / £999 / AU$1,699. That’s a stunning, and really welcome, flip of occasions. One of the best MacBook is now again to its pre–MacBook Air M3 worth, and higher worth due to it.
It actually is tough to search out any fault with the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4). It’s light-weight, engaging, highly effective, simple to make use of, and up for something. I gamed, streamed video, browsed the net, answered electronic mail, texted buddies, carried out FaceTime calls, edited video, practiced guitar, and wrote this evaluation on it. I’m not involved in regards to the lack of design modifications, and I like the brand new colour, the Middle Stage Digital camera, and particularly the value. I’d not be shocked to see the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) rise to the very prime of our greatest laptops checklist.
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) evaluation: Value and availability
- Begins at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699
- Decrease launch worth than the discontinued M3 mannequin
- M2 and M3 fashions not on the Apple Retailer, however M2 MacBooks may be discovered at third-party retailers
Not often do I get to put in writing a few worth drop for a brand new product that arrives with function enhancements. Normally, we get the identical or typically rather less for the cash. That isn’t the case with the MacBook Air 13-inch M4.
Though Apple hasn’t radically refreshed its finest MacBook, the updates in efficiency, reminiscence, and video conferencing, plus a brand new colour, hit all the suitable notes – and when paired with a now $100 (within the US) lower cost, they’ve me singing a contented tune.
Funnily sufficient, the primary 3lb MacBook Air – the one which slid out of a manilla envelope in 2008 – value $1,799. It will take a couple of years for it to hit that $999 candy spot, which it maintained till not too long ago.
Generally that $999 acquired you a lower-end Intel Core I, however within the age of Apple silicon we’re getting nice efficiency and effectivity at a superb worth.
The MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is available in three base configurations. In case you improve to the $1,199 / £1,199 mannequin the GPU will get a bump from eight to 10 cores, and the storage doubles to 512GB. Go for the $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,399 top-tier mannequin and the bottom unified reminiscence is elevated from 16GB to 24GB, and you’ll stand up to 2TB of storage. Whichever choice you go for, you’ll be able to improve the RAM to 32GB.
It’s obtainable within the new Sky Blue (like my 256GB evaluation unit), Midnight, Starlight, and Silver. Apple has discontinued Area Grey (for now).
Apple unveiled the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) on March 5, 2025, and the laptop computer begins delivery on March 12.
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) evaluation: Specs
The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is available in three pre-configured choices.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) base configuration (reviewed): |
MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) mid configuration (reviewed): |
MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) prime configuration: |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Value: |
$999 / £999 / AU$1,699 |
$1,199 / £1,199 |
$1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,399 |
|
CPU: |
Apple M3 (10-core) |
Apple M3 (10-core) |
Apple M3 (10-core) |
|
Graphics: |
Built-in 8-core GPU |
Built-in 10-core GPU |
Built-in 10-core GPU |
|
RAM: |
16GB unified reminiscence (as much as 32GB) |
16GB unified reminiscence (as much as 32GB) |
24GB unified reminiscence (As much as 32GB) |
|
Display screen: |
13.6-inch, 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina show (500 nits sustained brightness, huge colour P3 gamut, True Tone know-how) |
13.6-inch, 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina show (500 nits sustained brightness, huge colour P3 gamut, True Tone know-how) |
13.6-inch, 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina show (500 nits sustained brightness, huge colour P3 gamut, True Tone know-how) |
|
Storage: |
256GB SSD (as much as 2TB) |
512GB SDD (as much as 2TB) |
512GB SDD (As much as 2TB) |
|
Ports: |
2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3 |
2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3 |
2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3 |
|
Wi-fi: |
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3 |
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3 |
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Digital camera: |
12MP Middle Stage Digital camera 1080p HD video |
12MP Middle Stage Digital camera 1080p HD video |
12MP Middle Stage Digital camera 1080p HD video |
|
Weight: |
2.7 lbs (1.24kg) |
2.7 lbs (1.24kg) |
2.7 lbs (1.24kg) |
|
Dimensions: |
11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (304 x 215 x 11.3mm) |
11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (304 x 215 x 11.3mm) |
11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (304 x 215 x 11.3mm) |
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) evaluation: Design
- No main redesign
- Sky Blue is refined however engaging
- Wonderful building, supplies, keyboard, and trackpad
There are nonetheless some who mourn the passing of the unique MacBook Air’s wedge design, the one which began at a greater than half inch (1.61 cm) at one finish and ended at 0.16 inches (4.064mm) on the different. That design stays so widespread that the M1 mannequin that includes it’s still a top seller at Walmart.
I’ve moved on. The MacBook Air M4 is simply 2.7lbs / 1.24kg, and at 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches / 30.41 x 21.5 x 1.13cm, is thinner than the OG MacBook Air was at its thickest level. This can be a laptop computer that is constructed on your backpack and, sure, it’s gentle sufficient that you just may overlook it’s there.
All the pieces in regards to the MacBook Air M4 feels premium. The 100% recycled aluminum enclosure is gentle however stable and has all of the exacting tolerances Apple is thought for. It’s a finely machined, eye-catching piece of {hardware}, and few laptops can match its magnificence.
Picture 1 of 8
The backlit keyboard is an absolute pleasure to sort on, and has exceptional journey and response for such a skinny design. It contains all of your perform keys and a multipurpose energy / sleep / Contact ID button that’s helpful for unlocking the MacBook Air and logging into numerous apps and providers together with your registered fingertips.
I do want the Microsoft Surface Laptop computer’s Home windows Hi there function, which lets you go online utilizing your face in a lot the way in which you do with Face ID on any of the best iPhones, though I don’t have to the touch something as a result of I set the MacBook Air to unlock mechanically with my Apple Watch.
Whereas Apple hasn’t redesigned the keyboard, there’s one small change that you just may not discover at first look: the mute key now includes a speaker icon with a line by way of it, which matches what you see on-screen if you press the important thing. It is a small however clarifying change.
There’s ample room to relaxation your palms, and the glass-covered multi-touch trackpad is large and responsive.
Ports and different components are unchanged from the final two MacBook Air generations. There are two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the left facet with as much as 40GBps of throughput and that are able to driving two exterior screens, even with the MacBook Air lid open. Subsequent to these is the MagSafe charging port, and on the suitable facet is the three.5mm headphone jack.
The four-speaker stereo sound system is hidden within the hinge under the show. It may fill a room with brilliant, crisp audio, though it principally lacks bass (the 15-inch mannequin provides a 6-speaker sound system with force-cancelling sound woofers).
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) evaluation: Show and Middle Stage
With one exception, the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air’s show is equivalent to the final era. It’s nonetheless a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina panel with 2560 x 1664 decision and 500 nits of sustained brightness, which in my expertise is viewable in direct daylight, and help for one billion colours. It’s a implausible show for all the pieces from gaming to streaming to content material creation.
There’s a notch on the prime for the digicam, however most apps don’t wrap round that cutout, and it’s not distracting on the desktop.
Picture 1 of 3
The notch additionally accommodates the brand new 12MP Middle Stage Digital camera. The concept right here is that the lens is an ultra-wide digicam, however for the needs of video conferencing it crops to an undistorted rectangle. Then, as you progress round, the body strikes round to maintain you within the body. In case you wish to stand up and stroll round, or folks stroll out and in of the video dialog, this may be tremendously helpful, and it labored properly for me so long as I did not stray too far out of body. In case you want the digicam to remain nonetheless (as I do after I use the 1080p digicam to go on TV), you’ll be able to simply flip Middle Stage off.
In comparison with Microsoft’s wonderful Surface Laptop 7, the display is lacking one function: contact. I used Floor laptops for years, and I did get pleasure from with the ability to contact and even draw on the show with a devoted Bluetooth pen. Apple has steadfastly resisted introducing contact on its MacBook line – and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs didn’t think it made sense. In case you require that sort of multipurpose system, chances are you’ll wish to think about the M4 iPad Pro 13-inch plus a Magic Keyboard.
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) evaluation: macOS and Apple Intelligence
- macOS Sequoia is a wealthy, deep, and well-organized platform
- All the pieces is properly built-in into Apple’s wider ecosystem
- Apple Intelligence may be helpful, nevertheless it’s not but compelling
With macOS Sequoia, Apple has constructed one of the vital constant and steady desktop platforms on the planet. It just about by no means crashes, and it’s filled with helpful options.
The most recent model is usually a refinement of the platform, but when it’s been some time because you’ve upgraded you’ll discover function enhancement like higher widgets and window-management instruments, the wonderful new Passwords app, and audio transcription on Notes.
Picture 1 of 3
What’s extra, macOS makes wonderful use of the M4’s energy.
At one level I ran Storage Band, and I used to be happy to find that not solely may I take advantage of the MacBook Air to tune my guitar, nevertheless it may additionally inform me if I used to be taking part in my chords appropriately. I additionally used Pixelmator Professional picture and video editor (now owned by Apple) to effortlessly apply complicated masks.
Picture 1 of 2
After all, the massive information on the software program facet is Apple Intelligence, Apple’s personal model of AI, which is supported by the M4’s 16-core neural engine.
It permits options like Picture Playground, which helps you to think about wild scenes that may embody representations of you and others out of your Images library. It’s good enjoyable, however I nonetheless battle to see the utility, and I ponder when Apple will provide a extra open-range image-generation platform, one that permits me to explain a posh scene in a immediate and get a consequence. Most Windows laptops working Copilot can do that.
Picture 1 of 4
Writing Instruments, which is accessible in Apple’s native textual content composition apps like Notes and Mail, is helpful, particularly when you battle to put in writing clear, cogent sentences. It is of restricted utility to me.
Equally, Siri acquired a couple of good upgrades, like the power to reply to textual content prompts and higher deal with damaged speech patterns, nevertheless it’s nonetheless unable to hold on longer conversations or study something about you, and you continue to cannot use it to comprehensively management your MacBook. What’s worse is that promised updates to Siri that might have made it a extra in a position competitor to ChatGPT and Gemini have failed to materialize. At the least Siri can now faucet into ChatGPT (when you enable it) for extra complicated queries.
Safari is a superb browser, however I nonetheless discover myself utilizing Chrome.
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) evaluation: Efficiency
- M4 has extra CPU cores than the M3 that preceded it
- Ample energy
- Respectable however not huge efficiency improve
- Wonderful platform and growing Apple Intelligence capabilities
Benchmarks
Right here’s how the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) carried out in our suite of benchmark exams:
Geekbench 6.2.2 Single-Core: 3679; Multi-Core: 14430
Geekbench Steel rating (8-core GPU): 48515
Cinebench 2024 Single-core: 165; Multi-core: 652
Battery life (net browsing): 14 hours 51 minutes, and 59 seconds
For comparability, right here’s how the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) carried out in our suite of benchmark exams:
Geekbench 6.2.2 Single-Core: 3,148; Multi-Core: 11,893
Geekbench Steel rating (10-core GPU): 49090
Cinebench 2024 Single-core: 141; Multi-core: 615
Ever since Apple switched from Intel to Apple silicon we’ve seen important beneficial properties in efficiency and effectivity. The facility of those light-weight laptops and the M-class chips can seem limitless, and all-day battery life is now often a given.
After all, the world has not stood nonetheless. Some Home windows laptops at the moment are arriving with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, and these ultraportables typically practically match Apple silicon for efficiency and battery life.
The M4 10-core CPU and 8-Core GPU backed by 16GB of unified reminiscence inside my take a look at system typically outperformed the X Elite on single-core scores however at the moment are matched for multi-core efficiency.
These are simply numbers after all, and I want to depend on real-world efficiency. In my exams, the MacBook Air 13 and its M4 chip dealt with all the pieces I threw at it. It may be tough to emphasize out the system – I performed the AAA sport Lies of Pi at most settings and it was easy as butter, thanks little doubt partially to the brand new Sport Mode that optimizes efficiency for gaming.
I extremely suggest getting a controller (I take advantage of one designed for the Xbox), however regardless, the brand new MacBook Air provides an amazing gaming expertise with thrilling, easy graphics, and wonderful sound.
Picture 1 of 2
I typically ran the sport alongside a number of background apps, together with Remaining Lower Professional. I had no hassle enhancing 4 4K 30fps streams without delay, however after I loaded up 4 4K 120fps clips, I did discover some stuttering on video playback, though as this isn’t a significantly costlier MacBook Pro, that doesn’t concern me.
I observed in my benchmarking that the Steel Rating on the MacBook Air M3 was barely larger than that of the M4 system, however that’s as a result of I had a 10-core GPU on the older MacBook and simply an eight-core GPU on the brand new M4 system. You possibly can, as I famous earlier within the worth part, pay a bit extra for the 2 additional cores. It’s value noting, although, that the variations in efficiency between the M3 10 Core and M4 8-Core GPU have been minimal.
The system helps WiFi 6e and Bluetooth 5.3, which is sweet, if not completely forward-leaning – I would wish to see WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) evaluation: Battery life
- 14 hours battery life (net actions)
- Successfully lasts all day (blended use)
- Prices to 50% in 90 minutes; 100% in three hours
Apple is promising as much as 18 hours of battery life from the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4), which is usually a take a look at of how lengthy the laptop computer can play 1080p video for; for comparability, Microsoft guarantees 20 hours from its Floor Laptop computer 7 for the same job. The MacBook Air 13 M4’s real-world battery life numbers will fluctuate considerably when performing a mixture of typically CPU-intensive duties.
Picture 1 of 2
In my exams, which included taking part in video games (which made the bottom of the laptop computer fairly heat), enhancing video, opening a number of browser home windows and streaming video, battery life got here in round eight hours. That’s fairly good for a tough day of labor, and particularly for such a skinny and lightweight laptop computer. In our Future Labs take a look at, which is primarily net searching, the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) managed 14 hours, 51 minutes, which is about half-hour longer than the M3 however for barely totally different duties.
Total, you are getting good, all-day battery life, however your expertise will fluctuate primarily based on the duties you carry out.
After I drained the laptop computer to zero, I recharged it with the included 30W charger (the costlier 24GB mannequin comes with a 35W charger) and (matching Sky Blue) woven MagSafe charger to 50% in 90 minutes, and 100% in three-and-a-half hours.
Do you have to purchase the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4)?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Ranking |
|---|---|---|
|
Value |
The MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) provides superb worth for cash with a brand new, decrease, beginning worth |
4.5/5 |
|
Design |
Nonetheless a superb construct and design, and the Sky Blue colour is splendid. |
4.5/5 |
|
Show and Middle Stage |
Stunning Liquid Retina Show, and the Middle Stage digicam improve is a welcome one. |
4.5/5 |
|
macOS and Apple Intelligence |
Wonderful platform, however Apple Intelligence shouldn’t be but making it a must-buy |
4/5 |
|
Efficiency |
The M4 raises the bar on efficiency to maintain tempo with and typically surpass the Qualcomm competitors. |
4.5/5 |
|
Battery life |
18 hours is feasible when you solely watch video, however an eight-hour day of onerous work continues to be spectacular |
5/5 |
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) evaluation: Additionally think about
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
MacBook Air 15-inch M4 (2025) |
Dell XPS 13 Plus |
|---|---|---|
|
Value: |
$1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,099 [check] |
$1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,339 |
|
CPU: |
Apple M4 (10-core) |
Intel Core i7-1280P (14-core) |
|
Graphics: |
Built-in 10-core GPU |
Intel Iris Xe |
|
RAM: |
16GB unified reminiscence |
16GB LPDDR5 |
|
Display screen: |
15.3-inch, 2880 x 1864 Liquid Retina show, 500 nits brightness, huge colour P3 gamut |
13.4-inch, 3456 x 2160, 60Hz, OLED, Contact, Anti-Mirror, 400 nit |
|
Storage: |
256GB SSD |
512GB |
|
Ports: |
2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3 |
2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) |
|
Wi-fi: |
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3 |
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
|
Digital camera: |
Middle Stage Digital camera (12MP, 1080p) |
720p, 30 FPS HD |
|
Weight: |
3.3 kilos / 1.51kg |
2.77 kilos / 1.26kg |
|
Dimensions: |
13.40 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches / 34 x 21.2 x 1.56cm |
11.63 x 7.84 x 0.60 inches / 29.54 x 19.9 x 1.52cm |
If our Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) evaluation has you contemplating different choices, listed below are two laptops to think about…
How I examined the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4)
- I used the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) for 5 days
- I labored, performed, listened, edited, and wrote this evaluation on it
- I often ran a number of apps without delay
After receiving my MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) evaluation unit I instantly unboxed it and started testing, and it didn’t go away my facet for a lot of the following 5 days.
I ran benchmarks, put in a number of apps, after which started utilizing it to edit photographs and video, play AAA video games, take heed to music, stream films and reveals, reply electronic mail, browse the net, and generate phrases and pictures with Apple Intelligence.
I have been reviewing know-how for over 30 years, and I’ve examined all the pieces from DOS-based phrase processors to Apple’s Imaginative and prescient Professional. I’ve reviewed laptops of all stripes, together with conventional clamshells and convertibles. I often work on macOS but additionally use the Home windows platform virtually day-after-day – I wish to hold my palms in all of the ecosystems.
First reviewed March 2025