Apple sent us the new MacBook Air 13" powered by the M4 silicon in Sky Blue and I sat down to review it over the weekend! Despite a faster processor, more capable webcam, and additional storage options, the basic configuration of the new model has become cheaper. It now starts from “just” $999, although our review unit costs $1,599. Is it worth buying? Let's take a deep dive!
Good
- Top performance despite a price reduction
- High-quality workmanship
- Webcam now comes with Centre Stage
- Supports two 6K displays + own display
Bad
- 60 Hz panel with 500 nits brightness is slowly becoming obsolete
- No option for nanotextured glass
- Hardly repairable, not "upgradable"
- 30/35 W charging adapter is too slow
Apple MacBook Air M4 13: All deals
MacBook Air in Sky Blue: A Fresh New Look
| Design and Build Quality | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions |
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| Weight | |
| Ports |
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| Speakers |
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Hardly anything has changed on the exterior of the new MacBook. There is only one new color variant, Sky Blue, which can be distinguished from the silver color of my MacBook Pro upon closer inspection. In contrast to its iMac models, Apple continues to rely on pastel colors, but they certainly look classy. Compared to the MacBook Pro, it's also nice that the keyboard doesn't have a black background.
The bluish shade individually frames all keys. Personally, I found this to be more attractive, but it is still a matter of personal preference! You can check out the comparison pictures further down in the article.
Speaking of the keyboard, typing on the MacBook Air still feels very comfortable. The keyboard in the Apple layout has a pleasant "clicky" feel without being annoying for those around. The keys are still elegantly backlit, and thanks to the slim 1.13 cm thickness, the angle of my hand when typing on it is more optimal for me than on the thick MacBook Pro.
If I didn't need the extra performance, I would still use a MacBook Air to type stuff down. However, that was already the case with the M3-powered MacBook Air (for review).
At first glance, the ports on the MacBook Air have also remained the same. Two USB-C ports are located on the left, with the magnetic MagSafe charging port right above them. On the right, we find a combined headphone and microphone port. However, if we were to take a closer look at the technical specifications, we find a welcome innovation. Both USB-C ports now offer Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, allowing two high-resolution displays to be hooked up to work in tandem with the internal display.
According to the technical specifications, the MacBook Air now supports two 6K displays together with the internal display, which also boasts a high resolution. If you need a lot of space to work, you theoretically have an advantage here, although bringing home two Apple Pro Display XDRs would cost you a cool $10,000 at the very least. I found that to be foolish, unless you are a real power user (who would not be using a MacBook Air then, right?)
What's also annoying is how the Pro model with M4 already comes with Thunderbolt 5, so it would be technically possible to equip the Air with the more powerful connection. Apple wants to maintain a separation from the Pro model in this department.
Last but not least, the MacBook Air's speakers are more than just a nice extra. The four-speaker sound system is loud enough to replace many a Bluetooth speaker (comparison) when watching a movie. The larger model with six speakers offers even better sound quality.
Ah, one more thing I want to emphasize: The MacBook Air is made from 55 percent recycled materials. Apple wants to become carbon-neutral by 2030 and manufactures the chassis entirely from recycled aluminum. Unfortunately, subsequent repairs and upgrades remain difficult. This, of course, significantly reduces the lifespan of the laptop.
MacBook Air Display: Is It Showing Its Age?
| Display | |
|---|---|
| Size |
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| Resolution |
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| Brightness |
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| Refresh rate | |
| Options |
The fact that Apple's own MacBook Pro models get better displays is the law, and this is entirely understandable. However, the fact that they are sticking with the LCD display that sports a brightness of just 500 nits and 60 Hz from 2022 is rather incomprehensible. While this was already the case last year, there is a difference to the Pro model this year: Apple is not offering the MacBook Air with a nanotexture option.
Apple's iPad Pro and the MacBook Pro can therefore be given a special treatment of having the top display glass upon request. This effectively reduces reflections without sacrificing color accuracy or brightness.
In my opinion, however, this would be particularly useful in the Air model, as it is particularly suitable as a travel computer as it is marketed and purchased accordingly. That's too bad, but at least you can now place two additional 6K displays next to the iced matcha latte in the café in the center of New York!
Apart from these points of criticism, the display is still very impressive in the review. It is bright enough for working in daylight rooms, has an extremely high resolution and its color accuracy makes it a very good companion for video editing and image processing. However, an upgrade next year would be appropriate. This is also beginning to sound like a broken record, especially seeing how we are familiar with this issue plaguing current iPhone models.
Ready for Apple Intelligence
| Software version | |
|---|---|
| Software Version |
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Apple is not introducing a new software version with the MacBook Air M4—but it is ready for Apple Intelligence.
Since we tested the laptop in Germany, where our headquarters are, Apple Intelligence was not fully operational here. However, features like Image Playground and AI writing tools in Notes are available—and quite useful. That said, iPhone mirroring will likely launch in April when Apple Intelligence rolls out fully on iPhones. You can find out more about Apple Intelligence here.
Meanwhile, in an official statement reported by Reuters this week, Apple confirmed that several Apple Intelligence and Siri-related features won’t be released until next year. Reuters even suggests that some of these features may be delayed until 2026.
Is the M4 Truly Impressive?
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| SoC / Processor |
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| RAM options |
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| Storage options |
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| Upgradable? |
Strictly speaking, performance is where the 2025 MacBook Air truly stands out as a reason to upgrade. As the new SoC already cut a very good figure in the newest iPad Pro.
Apple introduced the new SoC here last year, when I was very impressed by the performance of the SoC in the 2024 MacBook Pro. Let's take a look at the benchmarks to see whether the fanless design has a negative impact on performance:
Benchmark table
| Test | MacBook Air M4 | MacBook Pro M4 | MacBook Air M3 | MacBook Pro M3 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 CPU (Single / Multi) | 3,725 / 14,774 | 3,829 / 14,936 | 3,153 / 12,033 | 3,130 / 14,243 |
| Geekbench 6 GPU | 36,019 | 38,134 | 30,457 | 43,050 |
| Cinebench R32 | 3,804 | 3,870 | 3,314 points | 5,426 points |
| 3D Mark Nomad Light | 3,779 | 3,946 | - | |
| AS SSD Benchmark 2.0 read | 2,869.6 Mb/s | 2,924 Mb/s | 3,050 Mb/s | 5,000 Mb/s |
| AS SSD Benchmark 2.0 write | 2,890.8 Mb/s | 2,962 Mb/s | 3,400 Mb/s | 5,600 Mb/s |
As we can see: The performance is slightly better than the iMac with M4 (review) and below the performance of the MacBook Pro with M4. It should be noted that we tested the iMac with the basic configuration (10 CPU cores, 8 GPU cores) and the MacBook Pro with a graphics core upgrade of 10 GPU cores. However, we apparently obtained more performance from the Pro model, where it is highly possible the SoC was actively cooled by Apple here.
However, I was also able to confirm the overall positive impression in everyday use. Even demanding games such as Resident Evil: Village are handled satisfactorily by the SoC with high graphics settings in Full HD.
However, the Mac Mini with M4 Pro (review) was better suited for 4K gaming. Photoshop and Lightroom ran smoothly, and I was able to perform video editing in Davinci Resolve Studio without creating proxies with a smooth Full-HD preview. However, I didn't notice a real leap in performance compared to the M3-powered model. All of these were already quite possible with the M3.
What I found annoying about the MacBook Air is how Apple has failed to equip the notebook for the future with Wi-Fi 7. The fact that Bluetooth 5.3 is available is also not necessarily future-proof.
MacBook Air Finally Gets Center Stage
| Camera | |
|---|---|
| Webcam |
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Our notebook reviews don't actually have a separate section on camera quality, but the MacBook Air has a new feature that is more than welcome: the 12 MP front camera with Center Stage from the latest iPad models. It covers a much wider field of view than the front camera of my MacBook Pro with M3 SoC, for instance, and can keep an eye on me using intelligent face recognition.
This feature is both practical and a welcome addition. The image quality is now among the best available on any notebook, regardless of the operating system. Anyone who frequently joins online meetings and prefers not to use an external webcam or an iPhone as a webcam will appreciate the added convenience.
MacBook Air M4: Battery Life and Charging
| Battery | |
|---|---|
| Battery size | |
| Lifetime |
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| Charging speed |
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What's surprising in the technical specifications? The MacBook Air with M4 has been given a larger battery. The performance has therefore increased from 52.6 Wh to 53.8 Wh. However, this is not noticeable in the battery life. According to the manufacturer, this lightweight notebook lasts up to 15 hours of wireless surfing and up to 18 hours of video playback. These are the same values as the previous model.
Basically, we enjoy an excellent battery life, which is one of the best in the notebook sector. I can report from everyday use that you get extremely used to this independence from power sockets. Switching to the sofa while editing videos and being able to sit there for several hours would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Apple maintains its lead in the market in this department with the latest iteration.
The situation may be different when it comes to fast charging. The supplied charging adapter still only delivers 30 W for the basic model with an 8-core GPU. If you opt for the model with a 10-core GPU, you get the 35 W charging brick with two USB-C ports. The 70 W fast charger remains optional, where choosing it over the 35 W charging brick would not cost you a single cent more. Charging times for the standard charging adapter are as follows:
MacBook Air M4 charging times
| Charge level | Charge time |
|---|---|
| 7% | 0m |
| 30% | 30m |
| 50% | 1h |
| 100% | 2h27m |
Is the New MacBook Air Worth It?
I'm pretty sure that even Tim Cook would agree with me that Apple is simply coasting along with minimal product maintenance on the MacBook Air in 2025. So in the unlikely event where Apple's CEO listens to me, here goes nothing: Tim, feel free to write your opinion in the comments! I would also like to tell you, and just to you, Tim, that I don't think this is a bad thing. While the changes this year are marginal, the MacBook Air with M4 SoC is a better deal for two reasons:
First, it comes with a better webcam, better connectivity for displays, and with the unmissable, more powerful SoC, providing it with obvious technical advantages over its predecessor. Unfortunately, these are not large enough technological leaps for existing customers to buy the new model. The new Air is therefore perfect for new customers, not to mention a price drop.
What I don't quite understand in the year 2025? While I could list many things here as clickbait or to start an Internet firestorm, I simply cannot comprehend how Apple doesn't offer an option for the nanotextured glass. The less reflective display would be particularly useful for the MacBook Air's not-too-bright display. The LCD display with a notch that was introduced in 2022 is also getting old. If Apple wants to continue to score points with its excellent displays, an upgrade is sorely needed next year!
Where to Buy the MacBook Air with M4
The new MacBook Air with M4 goes on sale on March 11. You pay $999 for the 13-inch model in the basic configuration and get 16 GB of RAM, 256 GB of internal memory, and the M4 SoC with a 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU.
The larger model with a 15-inch display is available from $1,199 onwards. Here you also get 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory, although Apple will rely on the 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU.
As usual, when it comes to Apple, upgrades are relatively expensive. Our model costs around $600 more with additional graphic cores and a terabyte of SSD storage. If you need 32 GB RAM instead of 16 GB, you'll pay another $200. What is new, however, is the option to take the middle path with 24 GB RAM which costs $200 more.
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