Summary
- The M4 MacBook Air features a faster chip and a lower price.
- The M4 boasts a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU, and a 2x faster neural engine.
- Specs include 12-megapixel camera, 32GB RAM support, 18-hour battery life, Thunderbolt 4 ports, and more.
Apple’s 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air have arrived, and beyond the update to the M4 chip, the tech giant hasn’t changed much about its popular ultra-light laptop — but, on the plus side, the smaller MacBook Air is $100 cheaper now.
Apple says the M4 chip is up to two times faster than the MacBook Air with an M1 processor. It’s likely that, similar to other devices, the gains the M4 MacBook Air offers over its M3 counterpart M3 are relatively minimal, so it’s not surprising the company is touting gains over the M3.
cores, the M4 MacBook Air starts at a 10-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU across the 13-inch and 15-inch version. Apple also says the laptop features a two-times faster neural engine than the M3 MacBook Air.
MacBook Air (M4)
Apple’s M4-powered MacBook Air features the tech giant’s latest chip, a new 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, and a lower starting price.
- Operating System
- macOS
- CPU
- M4 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU
- RAM
- 16GB, 24GB, 32GB
- Storage
- 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
- Battery
- 18 hours
- Display (Size, Resolution)
- 13-inch, 15-inch
- Camera
- 12-megapixel Center Stage
- Colors
- Midnight, starlight, silver, and sky blue
- Memory
- 2 Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4.0 ports ports
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The rest of the new M4 MacBook Air’s specs
This is the definition of “just a chip refresh”
Pocket-lint / Apple
Other notable specs include support for up to 32GB of RAM (base RAM starts at 16GB) and support for two external displays (the M3 only supported two displays when closed, which will be welcome news to anyone who uses their MacBook Air with a desk setup. Interestingly, there are no gains in battery life this year, with Apple listing battery life as up to 18 hours, depending on usage. However, the laptop now features two Thunderbolt 4 ports, an upgrade over last year’s Thunderbolt 3.
And finally, there’s also a new color this year, sky blue (a metallic light blue with an interesting dynamic gradient), which joins midnight, starlight, and silver.
The 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $999 and the 14-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,199.
Broadly, the M4 MacBook Air seems identical to the M3 MacBook Air beyond the marginal spec bump from the M3 to the M4. Often-requested upgrades like a higher refresh rate display and a nano-texture screen coating are still reserved for the more expensive and higher-end MacBook Pro.
Regarding pricing, the 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $999 and the 14-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,199. The laptop is available to pre-order now and releases on March 12th. Earlier this week, Apple revealed the 7th gen iPad Air and 11th gen iPad.
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