Apple MacBook Air M4 Review: More Power, Same Look, Better Value

Apple’s MacBook Air has long been one of the most popular laptops in the world. Whether you’re at a university, a coffee shop, or an office, chances are you’ve seen one. Now, Apple has refreshed the lineup once again with the MacBook Air M4, powered by Apple’s latest M4 chip.

Familiar Design, Subtle Tweaks

At first glance, the M4 MacBook Air looks nearly identical to its predecessor. The design, dimensions, and weight are unchanged. The standout update? A new color option—Sky Blue. While it’s a sharp addition, it closely resembles the previous Silverstone color. Under direct lighting, the color might remind you of the classic Mac gray, but viewed off-axis, the blue hue becomes more noticeable.

Inside the box, Apple keeps it minimal: a sleeved MagSafe to USB-C cable, a 30W USB-C power adapter (with upgrade options to 35W dual or 70W fast charger), and the usual paperwork. Apple stickers are no longer included—a small detail, but missed by fans.

Display, Ports, and Build: Same as Before

On the outside, the laptop is nearly indistinguishable from the M3 version. It features the same 13-inch Liquid Retina display with a 60Hz refresh rate and 500 nits brightness. There’s no ProMotion or mini-LED here—Apple’s keeping those for the Pro line.

Port selection is unchanged: two USB-C ports, a MagSafe charging port on one side, and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the other. The keyboard, trackpad, and webcam also remain the same. The keyboard feels familiar and responsive, and Apple’s trackpad still leads the industry.

Under the Hood: M4 Brings Real Gains

While the outside hasn’t changed much, the M4 chip brings improvements where it counts. It adds two additional efficiency cores, resulting in modest performance gains in most tasks and significant boosts in CPU-heavy applications.

The base model now ships with 16GB of RAM—a welcome change from the 8GB base of the M3 version. RAM can now be configured up to 32GB, up from the previous 24GB max. The battery sees a minor increase in capacity, but Apple rates the battery life the same: up to 18 hours. In real-world video playback tests, the M4 and M3 models perform similarly.

Real-World Performance

In productivity and creative workloads, the M4 shines. Applications like Blender saw up to a 50% reduction in render time. Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, and CPU-based tasks like gaming or simulations (e.g., Stellaris) also showed noticeable improvements. Benchmark scores saw a jump, with multi-threaded performance improving from 600 to 800 points and single-threaded from 140 to 170.

Power draw is slightly higher than the M3 chip, but the improved battery capacity offsets that. In day-to-day use, most users won’t notice a drop in battery life.

Pricing and Value

The MacBook Air M4 starts at $999, which is $100 cheaper than the M3’s launch price. You do get slightly downgraded specs compared to the M4 MacBook Pro—lower base storage (256GB vs. 512GB), fewer GPU cores (8 vs. 10), and no high-refresh-rate screen—but the price difference makes up for it.

For someone still using an Intel-based MacBook Air, a Windows laptop, or dealing with a dying machine, the M4 MacBook Air is a serious upgrade. It’s fast, efficient, beautifully built, and now even more affordable. While it may not be worth upgrading from an M1, M2, or M3 Air, it’s easily one of the best ultrabooks you can buy in 2025.

Bonus: Dbrand Skins

For those who love customization, Dbrand offers a range of skins—including their new X-ray skin, which reveals an artistic rendering of the MacBook’s internals. It’s a sleek way to personalize your new Air without adding bulk.

Verdict:

The MacBook Air M4 isn’t revolutionary in design, but it doesn’t need to be. With meaningful performance gains, higher RAM, better value, and Apple’s unmatched build quality, it cements its place as the go-to laptop for students, professionals, and anyone who needs a fast, reliable machine without the bulk or price of a MacBook Pro.