Risking yourself from MacBook Air M1 Engadget, M2 and M3 reviews: M4book Air, equipped with M4, almost impeccable ultraportative. Even better, now it starts with $ 999, which is 100 dollars less than before. Although I would still like to see more ports and a higher screen renewal frequency, MacBook Air is still heads and shoulders over competition. And when companies try to the same applause 2.2 pounds ZenBook A14This only proves how actually the Apple Apple hardware equipment actually is.
It is easy to perceive MacBook Air for granted, since its design has not changed since M2 Model arrived in 2022The field today is still a wonderful machine that is fast, light and well -built. The only important drawback is that for Windows users for the first time there is a learning curve jumping on the ship. But besides this, the MacBook Air is a difficult purchase if you are looking for a new ultraportation.
Once again, the MacBook Air Apple is perfect for most users. This is a little faster, thanks to the M4 chip, as well as a little cheaper with a new starting price for $ 999.
- Fast performance
- Subtle and light design
- Great keyboard
- The best touch panel in its class
- Great autonomous time
- Could use more ports
- The screen is only 60 Hz
Hardware
Once again, both 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models seem to be impressively thin (0.44 inches) and light, weighing 2.7 pounds and 3.2 pounds, respectively. Last year, I noted: “The aluminum corps in the Musca seems to be the same smooth river stone, but as strong as a boulder. This is a computer that I just like to touch. ” All this remains true for M4 models.
In fact, it is even more impressive that Apple holds such a command design when competitors had the opportunity to catch up. As much as we like the surface laptop, XPS 13 and Asus' Zenbook S14Apple still retains the level of polishing with which PC manufacturers cannot match. The MacBook Air case seems more luxurious than the rest, its keyboard is a dream for printing, and it has one of the best trackpads. (And before you call me an Apple fan, I am still first of all by the Windows desktop user.)
The Apple M4 chip, which is equipped with a 10-core processor, a 10-core graphic processor and a 16-core neural engine (or what you call NPU on a PC) is the main update with these new MacBook Airs. It is also worth noting that the base 13-inch model for $ 999 has a slightly slower 8-core graphic processor, which is slightly difficult to games and media performance. In addition to the new Sky Blue version, there are no changes in physical design. Apple also updated the webcam to the new 12-megapixel shooter in the center of the stage, which can be especially useful if you want to show the contents of your table. (Read more about this later.)
The 13-inch MacBook Air is equipped with a 13.6-inch liquid retina, which practically looks like a 14-inch screen, while a larger model has a 15.3-inch display. They are still limited to 60 Hz – irritation, since many PC ultraports are sent with faster and more smooth screens – but they, nevertheless, impressive displays, with the support of the wide color scheme of P3 and 1 billion colors. Both screens can also reach 500 NITS brightness, which is enough to be used on a sunny day.
In use: quickly and light
Both the 13-inch and the 15-inch MacBook Airs processed my main workflow without sweat: juggling browsers with a ton opened tabs, Slack, Spotify, messages for messaging and the Pixelmator photo editor. But this was not amazing, since the previous models were also silent. Nevertheless, after testing the sluggish Zenbook A14, it was recently refreshing to use laptops that seemed to seek to start work.
I could not feel the difference with the jump in the M4 chip, but, according to the Geekbench 6 standard, it is 19.5 percent faster than M3 for single -spaced tasks, and 21 percent faster for multi -flow tasks. This is a typical gradual jump to improve the processor, so I will not knock Apple too much. The growth of the M4 graphic processor was much less impressive, scoring only 6 percent higher than the M3 in an extreme standard standard of 3DMark and 16.3 percent is better in the Geekbench GPU test.
Geekbench 6 CP |
Geekbench 6 Graphic processor |
Cinebench 2024 |
|
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4, 2025) |
3784/14 745 |
36 273 |
172/660 GPU: 3465 |
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4, 2025) |
3874/14 873 |
36 131 |
171/748 GPU: 3897 |
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3, 2024) |
3190/12,102 |
30 561 |
N/a |
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4, 2024) |
3797/14 571 |
37.869 |
172/979 GPU: 3770 |
Superficial laptop 7 (Snapdragon X Elite) |
2797/14 400 |
19 963 |
123/969 GPU n/a. |
Most likely, you will not do many serious creative works on the MacBook Air, especially since there are no fans to cool things. But you can still squeeze a little performance as a last resort. I was able to transform the 4K clamp to 1080p in 27 seconds, using the M4 processor in manual braking, while the GPU took only 17 seconds. For comparison, Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ System He took 32 seconds with his processor and 24 seconds with a graphic processor.
Graphically intense Lies r I ran with a 60 -frame smell per second at 1080p with high settings. It was also true for the M3 MacBook Air, but this time as a result of performance seemed a little more consistent. Although I never recommend buying a MacBook Air taking into account games, it is nice that he can cope with a small number of playing time, at least.
Jumping between 13-inch and 15-inch models, I found a lot in them to like both of them. With a smaller part, it is definitely easier to travel, but I also liked the immersive screen with a 15-inch. Ultimately, the choice between them boils down to what is most important to you.
In the same way, the jump on the 12-megapixel camera of the central scene is not entirely amazing, but I appreciated a little better image during video calls. Usually I turn off the actual function of the central scene on the Mac, but I am sure that some will appreciate his ability to track you around the room. The new camera also supports the view of the table, which projects a slightly distorted view of the area right in front of the MacBook Air.
As for the battery life, both MacBook Air models lasted more than 18 hours during the game in HD -Video. The 13-inch air lasted 18 hours and 15 minutes, while the 15-inch laptop passed 18 hours and 23 minutes.
How can Apple improve MacBook Air?
No matter how I love the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, there are many more ways in which Apple can clarify them down the line. As I mentioned above, it would be great to have higher renewal rates, which facilitates the scroll of documents in front of our eyes. And although I do not need Apple everything possible with ports, it would be nice to have at least one USB-C connection in the right side of the air to provide lighter charging. Right now you are stuck with the Magsafe charging port and two USB-C connections on the left side.
Of course, I do not expect Apple to really deliver these updates in the near future. I hold a bet that the company will push more demanding users $ 1599 14-inch MacBook Prowhich has a ton of ports and a screen of increasing high update speed. Nevertheless, GIK can dream.
Should I buy M4 MacBook Air?
If you can’t say, I think that the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air are perfect ultraports for most people. So, of course, if you are in the market for a smooth laptop, they should be considered. And if you are a Windows user who does not dare to make a jump, I would recommend trying air for some time. It is not so difficult to study the basics of MacOS, and if you are not satisfied, you can always return it (just be sure to check the retail refund policies).
While I keep a bet that most users would be all right with the base 13-inch MacBook Air $ 999 with 256 GB of storage, it may be worthwhile to go to a model of $ 1199 with a 10-core graphic processor and 512 GB SSD if you plan to perform the Light Media work. Or just jump directly to the 15-inch model $ 1199, which comes with the 10-core GPU.
As usual, I also recommend avoiding payment for the absurd fees of Apple for updating for components. If you consider the ability to spend $ 400 on 32 GB of RAM, you must probably consider the MacBook Pro instead. If you want to save some money, Several retailers Still sell M2 MacBook Air in Cool discount 700 dollars. Despite the fact that this is an old chip, this laptop can still serve most users well for several years (just make sure that you get 16 GB of RAM).
Wrap
Once again, a 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air is mainly everything that we want, from the ultraced laptops. They are fastened, surprisingly light and can last far beyond the full day of work. While the M4 chip is not a transforming update, it helps Apple keep up with developing chips for laptops for PCs. And now that the MacBook Air starts at $ 999, even Windows users must consider the possibility of a jump.