Better Price for Minimal Upgrades

At the risk of reiterating insights from Engadget’s reviews of the MacBook Air M1, M2, and M3, the latest MacBook Air equipped with the M4 chip stands out as an almost impeccable ultraportable laptop. More impressively, its starting price is now just $999, which is a reduction of $100 from previous models. While I would still appreciate more connectivity options and a faster screen refresh rate, the MacBook Air continues to outshine its competitors significantly. Even when brands like ASUS attempt to challenge Apple’s dominance with their own sleek designs, such as the 2.2-pound Zenbook A14, it only highlights the superior engineering and thoughtful design that goes into Apple’s hardware.

It’s easy to overlook the MacBook Air because its design has remained consistent since the M2 was released in 2022. However, this machine is still a standout today, characterized by its speed, lightweight structure, and robust build quality. The only significant drawback is that first-time switchers from Windows may face a bit of a learning curve with macOS. Nevertheless, aside from this minor hurdle, the MacBook Air is an obvious choice for anyone seeking a new ultraportable laptop that doesn’t compromise on performance or aesthetics.

Explore the Exceptional Hardware Design of the MacBook Air

Both the 13-inch and 15-inch models of the MacBook Air impress with their remarkably thin profile, measuring just 0.44 inches in thickness. The 13-inch variant weighs a mere 2.7 pounds, while the 15-inch model comes in at 3.2 pounds. Last year, I noted that the unibody aluminum casing feels as smooth as a river stone yet as durable as a boulder. This sentiment continues to hold true with the M4 models, which not only maintain this luxurious feel but also showcase Apple’s commitment to high-quality material and craftsmanship.

It’s particularly noteworthy how Apple retains a significant design advantage over competitors, even as they strive to catch up. While devices like the Surface Laptop, XPS 13, and ASUS’ Zenbook S14 have their merits, Apple continues to set the standard with a level of polish that is difficult for PC manufacturers to replicate. The MacBook Air’s casing exudes a premium feel, its keyboard offers an outstanding typing experience, and the trackpad is widely regarded as one of the best in the industry. (And before you label me an Apple fan, I primarily use a Windows desktop myself.)

At the heart of the new MacBook Air models is Apple’s M4 chip, featuring a powerful 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine (which is akin to an NPU found in PCs). This is the primary enhancement that these new MacBook Airs bring to the table. It’s important to highlight that the base $999 13-inch model comes with a slightly less powerful 8-core GPU, which may impact gaming and media creation performance to some extent. Aside from the introduction of a new Sky Blue color option, there are no significant physical design changes. Apple also enhanced the webcam, upgrading it to a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, which can be particularly advantageous for showcasing your workspace during video calls.

The 13-inch MacBook Air is equipped with a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Display that feels almost like a 14-inch screen. The larger model boasts a 15.3-inch display. While both screens are limited to a 60Hz refresh rate — a minor inconvenience compared to many competing ultraportables that offer faster and smoother displays — they still deliver impressive visuals, supporting the P3 wide color gamut and capable of displaying 1 billion colors. Additionally, both screens can achieve up to 500 nits of brightness, making them suitable for use even in bright environments.

Experience Unmatched Performance: In Use with the MacBook Air

The 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models effortlessly manage my daily tasks, including multitasking between numerous browsers with many open tabs, running Slack, Spotify, messaging apps, and utilizing the Pixelmator photo editor. This seamless performance was expected, as previous models also exhibited similar efficiency. However, after using the noticeably sluggish Zenbook A14 recently, it was refreshing to transition to laptops that are eager and responsive.

Although I didn’t perceive a substantial difference with the upgrade to the M4 chip, benchmark tests from Geekbench 6 indicate that it offers a 19.5 percent improvement over the M3 for single-threaded tasks and a 21 percent boost for multi-threaded tasks. Such incremental upgrades are typical with CPU advancements, so I don’t fault Apple too harshly for this. The performance gains from the M4’s GPU were less remarkable, showcasing a mere 6 percent improvement over the M3 in the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme benchmark and a 16.3 percent increase in the Geekbench GPU test.

While serious creative work may not be the primary use case for the MacBook Air — particularly given its lack of a fan for cooling — it still manages to deliver decent performance when needed. For instance, I was able to transcode a 4K video clip to 1080p in just 27 seconds using the M4’s CPU in Handbrake, while utilizing the GPU took only 17 seconds. In contrast, the Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ system required 32 seconds with its CPU and 24 seconds with its GPU.

The visually demanding game Lies of P ran smoothly at 60 fps in 1080p with high settings. While this was also achievable with the M3 MacBook Air, the performance this time appeared more consistent. Although I wouldn’t recommend the MacBook Air for gaming purposes, it’s reassuring to know that it can handle some casual gaming quite well.

Transitioning between the 13-inch and 15-inch models revealed several appealing aspects of both. The smaller 13-inch version is undoubtedly more travel-friendly, while the 15-inch model offers a more immersive display experience. Ultimately, the decision between the two will depend on which features matter most to you.

The upgrade to the 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, while not revolutionary, provides a slight improvement in video call quality. I generally turn off the Center Stage feature on Macs, but I acknowledge that many users may appreciate its capability to follow you around the room during video calls. This new camera also supports Desk View, giving a slightly angled perspective of the area directly in front of the MacBook Air, enhancing your virtual meetings.

In terms of battery life, both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models performed exceptionally well, lasting over 18 hours while playing HD video content. The 13-inch Air achieved a remarkable 18 hours and 15 minutes, while the 15-inch variant provided an impressive 18 hours and 23 minutes.

Identifying Areas for Improvement in the MacBook Air

While I hold the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air in high regard, there are numerous opportunities for Apple to enhance these models in the future. One improvement I’d love to see is the introduction of higher refresh rate displays, which would significantly ease the visual experience when scrolling through documents and web pages. Additionally, while I don’t expect Apple to completely overhaul its port selection, it would be advantageous to have at least one USB-C port on the right side of the Air for more convenient charging options. Currently, users are limited to a MagSafe charging port and two USB-C ports on the left side, which can be less than ideal for multitasking.

That said, I have no real expectations that Apple will implement these upgrades any time soon. It seems more likely that the company will encourage power users to consider the $1,599 14-inch MacBook Pro, which boasts a wealth of ports and a high refresh rate ProMotion display. But then again, one can always dream about what could be!

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