Apple's New M4 MacBook Air Hits Stores: First Impressions

⚡ Performance: M4 Delivers Meaningful Gains

The headline improvement is obviously the M4 chip, and Apple hasn't held back. The base M4 features an 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, paired with a 10-core GPU. Our review unit with 24GB of unified memory handled everything we threw at it with remarkable ease.

Key performance metrics from our testing:

• Geekbench 6: 2,850 single-core / 14,200 multi-core
• Cinebench R24: 165 single-core / 920 multi-core
• SSD Speed: 3,500 MB/s read, 5,200 MB/s write

Compared to the M3 MacBook Air, the M4 delivers approximately 25% faster CPU performance and 40% faster GPU performance in Cinebench tests. The neural engine, crucial for Apple Intelligence features, operates 60% faster than M3.

In practical use, apps launch nearly instantaneously, 4K video editing in Final Cut Pro is smooth and responsive, and multitasking with dozens of browser tabs produces no perceptible slowdowns. The M4 MacBook Air genuinely feels like a professional workstation in an impossibly thin package.

🖤 Design: Space Black Steals the Show

Visually, the M4 MacBook Air looks nearly identical to its predecessor—which isn't a criticism, as the design was already excellent. The unchanged dimensions (11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches) maintain Apple's claim as the thinnest laptop in the world.

The real story is the new color option: Space Black joins Midnight as a dark finish option. Apple describes it as a "deep, rich black" with an anodization process that resists fingerprints far better than the previous Midnight finish. In our testing, the Space Black MacBook Air remained remarkably smudge-free even after hours of use.

The color lineup now includes:

• Space Black (new)
• Midnight
• Silver
• Starlight

The unibody aluminum chassis continues to feel incredibly rigid and premium. The midnight blue keyboard contrasts beautifully with the darker chassis colors, and the Force Touch trackpad remains the industry standard for responsiveness and gesture support.

📺 Display: Familiar Excellence

The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display remains unchanged from the M3 model, which is perfectly fine because it was already outstanding:

• 2560 x 1664 resolution (224 pixels per inch)
• 500 nits brightness
• Wide color (P3) support
• True Tone technology
• поддержка HDR content

For the 15-inch MacBook Air variant, the display measures 15.3 inches diagonally at 2880 x 1864 resolution. Both displays support one external monitor up to 6K at 60Hz—a limitation inherited from the M4 chip's architecture.

The notch containing the 1080p FaceTime camera remains. Apple has not adopted the rumored display upgrade for the MacBook Air, keeping ProMotion (120Hz) exclusive to the Pro lineup.

🔋 Battery Life: All-Day Computing

Apple claims up to 18 hours of battery life for the 13-inch model and up to 19 hours for the 15-inch. In our standardized test (150 nits brightness, continuous web browsing), we achieved:

• 13-inch M4 MacBook Air: 17 hours 45 minutes
• 15-inch M4 MacBook Air: 18 hours 20 minutes

These results represent approximately two hours of improvement over the M3 models, thanks to both the more efficient M4 chip and slightly larger battery capacity in the 15-inch variant. The MacBook Air now comfortably lasts through even the longest workdays without a charger.

Charging via the included 35W dual-port power adapter (13-inch) or 35W adapter (15-inch) takes approximately 90 minutes for a full charge. The laptop also supports USB-C charging at up to 96W for faster refueling.

💾 Specs and Pricing

The M4 MacBook Air starts at $999 for the 13-inch model and $1,199 for the 15-inch:

13-inch M4 MacBook Air

• 16GB/256GB: $999
• 16GB/512GB: $1,149
• 24GB/512GB: $1,299

15-inch M4 MacBook Air

• 16GB/256GB: $1,199
• 16GB/512GB: $1,349
• 24GB/512GB: $1,499

Base RAM has doubled from 8GB to 16GB, which is welcome given the demands of Apple Intelligence and modern computing. The 256GB starting storage remains limiting for professionals, but the $200 upgrade to 512GB is reasonable.

🔌 Ports and Connectivity

The port selection remains unchanged:

• Two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports with charging, DisplayPort, and USB 4 support
• MagSafe 3 charging port
• 3.5mm headphone jack with high-impedance headphone support

Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Wi-Fi 7 would have been a welcome addition, but Apple has reserved that for future Pro models.

🎯 Who Should Buy?

The M4 MacBook Air is an easy recommendation for:

• M1 or Intel MacBook Air users: The performance jump is substantial, and you'll benefit from all modern features.
• Windows laptop users switching to Mac: The M4 MacBook Air offers exceptional value compared to equivalent Windows ultrabooks.
• Students: The combination of all-day battery, lightweight design, and reasonable starting price makes this ideal.
• Remote workers: The excellent keyboard, trackpad, and quiet operation suit home office use perfectly.

Consider the MacBook Pro 14-inch instead if you need more than 16GB unified memory (beyond 24GB option), ProMotion display, or the full suite of ports including SD card slot and HDMI.

📝 Our Analysis

The M4 MacBook Air is everything we hoped for and expected: faster performance, the excellent Space Black option, and improved battery life in the same impossibly thin chassis. Apple has refined an already winning formula rather than reinventing it.

The base 16GB RAM is long overdue and brings the MacBook Air in line with modern computing demands. Combined with the M4 chip's efficiency, this machine will serve most users exceptionally well for five years or more.

Space Black is the standout—it's the MacBook Air color we've been waiting for. The improved anodization means it stays beautiful throughout the day, addressing our primary complaint with Midnight.

If you're in the market for a consumer laptop and can stretch to the $999 starting price, the M4 MacBook Air delivers an exceptional experience that few competitors can match. It's thin, light, powerful, and now more colorful than ever.