MacBook Air M4 Review: Powerhouse on a Budget

Since Apple introduced the M-series chips, the MacBook Air has become a reliable and beloved product. The M1 MacBook Air was a game-changer, and now Apple has followed a similar path with the MacBook Air M4, bringing it even closer to perfection. I’ve been using the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air for nearly three years, so when Apple gave Beebom the chance to review the new, somewhat Blue (more on that later), and more powerful 15-inch MacBook Air M4, I jumped at the opportunity. Here’s my MacBook Air M4 review after two weeks of use.

MacBook Air M4 Specs

In terms of specs, the MacBook Air M4 introduces a few new features compared to its predecessors. We’ve covered all the latest updates in detail below, but you can quickly glance at the specs before continuing.

Keep in mind, this review is based on a fully loaded MacBook Air M4 featuring a 15-inch display, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage.

So, What’s New?

Now that we’ve covered the specifications, let’s dive into what’s new and improved in the MacBook Air M4. First up is the new color option. The MacBook Air M4 introduces Sky Blue, replacing the popular Space Gray. It seems Apple still leans heavily on silver, as the Sky Blue shade is more of a subtle hint of blue mixed with plenty of silver. Still, it’s refreshing to see Apple step away from its usual lineup of dull and monotonous colors.

Next, Apple now includes 16GB of RAM in the base model of the M4 MacBook Air, doubling the 8GB offered in the previous generation. This is a much-needed upgrade, especially given the criticism Apple received for offering only 8GB of RAM in a $1000 laptop. With the M4 MacBook Air, you can now configure up to 32GB of RAM, an increase from the previous maximum of 24GB.

Speaking of price, there’s another great update. Apple has reduced the cost of the MacBook Air lineup, with the M4 MacBook Air base model now starting at $999 (the 15-inch model starts at $1,199). That’s $200 less than the launch price of the M2 MacBook Air and $100 less than the M3 MacBook Air’s debut. It’s almost unbelievable that Apple has released a product with more RAM and storage at a lower price! Don’t worry though Apple probably balanced things out by pricing the new iPhone 16e at a hefty $599!

The MacBook Air M4 is an incremental upgrade, but Apple has introduced some valuable new features most notably, the upgraded webcam. It now offers 12MP resolution and supports Center Stage, a significant jump from the previous model’s 1080p (about 2.1MP) camera. The new webcam also includes Desk View, which lets you share a top-down view of your desk during video calls. Overall, video calls look sharper, clearer, and more detailed compared to my M2 MacBook Air’s 1080p webcam.

Tried and Tested Design

Since the design refresh with the MacBook Air M2, featuring a notch and smoother, more symmetrical curves, Apple hasn’t ventured far from that formula. The MacBook Air M4 follows suit, sporting the same 15.3-inch LCD display with 500 nits of brightness, identical dimensions, and the same weight of 1.51 kg as the MacBook Air M3. When I say Apple hasn’t experimented with the design, it’s because it’s almost flawless there’s little left to improve. You still get a sleek, easy-to-open lid, a sturdy hinge, and a wobble-free base.

Switching from a 13-inch M2 MacBook Air to the new 15-inch M4 MacBook Air wasn’t an easy adjustment. Even though it’s only 0.27 kg heavier, the M4 feels noticeably heftier, and adapting to the larger keyboard took some time. Still, design-wise, the M4 MacBook Air is nearly flawless with a stunning display, MagSafe charging, two USB-C ports on the left, and a single 3.5mm audio jack on the right.

Speaking of ports, Apple has upgraded the USB-C ports from Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 4. While this doesn’t bring many noticeable benefits in everyday use, it does allow you to connect two 6K external displays simultaneously while keeping your MacBook’s lid open.

If you’re feeling let down by the lack of major changes, here’s something to brighten your day. The MacBook Air M4 introduces a new color option – Sky Blue replacing the beloved Space Gray. Apple’s love for silver still shines through, as the Sky Blue is more of a subtle hint of blue blended with plenty of silver. Even so, it’s refreshing to see Apple step away from its usual lineup of dull and monotonous colors.

The Mighty, Powerful M4 Chip

Now, let’s talk about the most exciting part of the new MacBook Air the M4 chip. While the M4 chip isn’t entirely new, having already powered the iPad Pro, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro for a while, it’s now making its debut in the Air lineup. Before I dive into how it performs in real life and the boost I’ve noticed, let’s take a quick look at the M4 chip’s specifications.

The M4 chip features a 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores—two more CPU cores than the M3 chip. The 15-inch MacBook Air M4 comes with a 10-core GPU, while the 13-inch base model is equipped with an 8-core GPU. Additionally, the M4 MacBook Air supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, includes a 16-core Neural Engine, and offers 120GB/s memory bandwidth.

All MacBook Air models, including the M4, are fanless and rely on passive cooling, unlike the MacBook Pro lineup. This design keeps operations completely silent, but during our tests, we noticed the device throttles under sustained heavy load like when rendering an 8K video in Final Cut Pro.

Now, let’s move on to benchmarks. Below are the results from the tests I ran on the MacBook Air M4.

When compared to its predecessors, the M4 MacBook Air delivers about a 25% improvement in both single-core and multi-core Geekbench scores over the M3 MacBook Air, and offers a 10% boost in graphics performance. This means upgrading from an M3 MacBook Air may not be worthwhile. However, if you’re coming from an M1 MacBook Air, you’ll see nearly double the performance.

For reference, the M1 MacBook Air scores 2402 in the single-core Geekbench test and 8608 in the multi-core test, while the M4 MacBook Air achieves 3770 in single-core and 14,687 in multi-core. Clearly, the performance jump is substantial.

When Apple launched the MacBook Air M4, they highlighted the M4 chip’s powerful Neural Engine, designed to “accelerate AI-based tasks.” To test this, I ran a local LLM model using LM Studio with the Deepseek-r1-distill-qwen-7b model. It generated 1,859 tokens at a rate of 17.77 tokens per second and took just 0.27 seconds to produce the first token. I tried multiple prompts, and the responses were nearly instantaneous.

I’m testing the 16GB variant, and it only stuttered once when I was running Death Stranding while simultaneously rendering a 4K video in the background.

MacBook Air M4 Battery Life

One area where the MacBook Air M4 truly shines is battery performance. Apple claims up to 18 hours of battery life, and in real-world use, those claims hold up quite well. My typical workflow includes multiple tabs open on Chrome and Safari, heavy use of Notion for workflow management, Slack for communication, Apple Music playing in the background, along with occasional photo editing.

With this typical usage, the MacBook Air M4 easily lasts up to 16 hours before needing a recharge. During my testing, I also put the laptop through heavy workloads—rendering a 4K video in Final Cut Pro, running a local LLM model, and performing benchmark tests. Even under these conditions, the M4 MacBook Air impressed me with around 12 hours of battery life, which is quite remarkable.

For charging, it includes a 35W Dual USB-C adapter and a color-matched braided charging cable in the box. Using the stock adapter, it takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to fully charge the MacBook Air M4.

But…

So far in my MacBook Air M4 review, I’ve highlighted many positives, and honestly, there’s little to complain about. However, I do have some criticisms. First, a 60Hz LCD display on a $1,000 laptop feels outdated in 2025. Many Windows competitors offer OLED screens with higher refresh rates at similar price points. It’s about time Apple introduces mini-OLED displays in MacBook Air models.

Secondly, the limited port selection on the MacBook Air is a deal breaker for many users. While I understand it’s an entry-level device, pairing a powerful chipset with minimal ports feels excessive. I’d love to see Apple add Ethernet and SD card ports to future MacBook Airs.

Is the MacBook Air M4 Worth Buying?

Now for the key question: Should you buy the MacBook Air M4? More precisely, who is the MacBook Air M4 best suited for? Upgrading from an M2 or M3 MacBook Air probably isn’t worth it, as the performance improvements don’t justify the switch. However, if you’re coming from an M1 MacBook Air, the upgrade offers significant benefits.

You’ll see a roughly 60-70% boost in GPU, CPU, and graphics performance, along with a refreshed design and a more future-proof device. If you’re torn between the MacBook Air M4 and the MacBook Pro M4, keep in mind there’s a significant price gap—the MacBook Pro starts at $1,599, compared to the MacBook Air’s $999. For that extra $600, you get a mini-LED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, about 6 more hours of battery life, 512GB of base storage, and additional ports like HDMI and an SDXC card slot.

Ultimately, the choice depends on your needs. If you’re after a laptop for everyday use, the MacBook Air M4 is a solid pick. Students can also take advantage of Apple’s Student pricing to get the MacBook Air M4 for $899, making it an even better deal.

PROS & CONS

The MacBook Air M4 offers improved performance with the new M4 chip, a fresh Sky Blue color option, and excellent battery life. With a starting price of $999 that includes 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, it stands out as the best value-for-money laptop you can buy right now.

AzMo Tech Score

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The MacBook Air M4 delivers a solid performance boost with the new M4 chip, a fresh Sky Blue color option, and excellent battery life. Priced at $999 with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, it stands out as one of the best value-for-money laptops available right now.