Apple MacBook Air M4 Review: Feeling Ever So Blue

Will somebody please tell me if thenew Apple MacBook Air M4’s“Sky Blue ” color is blue or just a cold-blooded shade of gray ? I have tipped over the edge of delirium staring at Apple ’s latest laptop computer refresh in different lights , hoping to determine its actual chromaticity . Compared to theall - line MacBook Pro , the Air should be the fun one , should n’t it ? Apple is pushing its good bang - for - Pearl Buck MacBook yet , and still , the company ca n’t let go of sure figure conclusion , even when we ’re all beg Apple for something new or — netherworld — anything as simple as a truly blue MacBook .

MacBook Air M4

The 2025 interpretation of the MacBook Air now get going at its most attractive Mary Leontyne Price point for the secure performance yet . Just do n’t require something so different than previous versions .

Macbook Air M4 Performance Resident Evil 4

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Pros

Cons

take on a Modern MacBook Air for review is like slipping into a fond duad of my favorite pj’s . There ’s a sense of comfort in the conversant . If all you want is a solid MacBook with beneficial carrying into action at its lowest starting price yet , this is it . At base , theMacBook Air M4costs $ 1,000 ( the 15 - in example commence at $ 1,200 ) , which is the price Apple set for the older M2 MacBook Air in 2024 . You no longer have to worry about only net 8 GB of RAM for the stock MacBook , either . Apple has since changed the standard ; now , all model sport 16 gigabyte .

Macbook Air M4 Blue Color 5

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See MacBook Air M4 at Amazon

you’re able to await moderate gains in performance over the 2024 Air , which may be enough for some to make it deserving the upgrade from an early M - series or Intel MacBook . Apple has made it clear that these late Mac production are aimed at user who own the companionship ’s older laptop designs . For user on the fencing , there ’s at least one raw capability that old models did n’t have . The MacBook Air M4 is lastly able-bodied to link up to two external monitors with the lid open for a full three - blind experience .

Otherwise , you still have a choice of 13 - inch or 15 - inch designs . You have the same webcam cutout notch hanging like a grinder from the laptop ’s upper bezel . It ’s the same chassis as we ’ve had the past three years . What I would n’t give to see Apple stay put a singleblaring pinko or unripened iPhone 16 coloron its cheap laptop computer .

Macbook Air M4 Blue Color 4

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For basic to ripe productiveness task on a light and lean laptops , the M4 MacBook Pro does the line with zest . When thebase MacBook Pro 14 M4starts at $ 1,600 , a 13 - in MacBook Air feels all the more like a solid buy . The Apple M - serial still reign supreme in benchmarks , cementing the MacBook as the caliber all - debauchee the lineup has been since the launch of the M1 . If Apple had only lose the nick and give us a few fun color option this would be my forever MacBook . or else , I ’ll just keep staring at the cover until I ’m blue in the face .

Apple MacBook Air M4 Review: Performance

There is a goodly gulf in performance between theM3 MacBook Airand the updated M4 adaptation , though not as big as the M1 to M2 . This time last year , I said the M3 MacBook Air was close in capabilities to the M3 MacBook Pro despite the price difference . The M4 MacBook Pro has a slight lead over the late fragile and wanton Apple laptop , though only by single - digit percentage points . Either way , this latest MacBook seems like a tempting rise for those sitting on an M1 MacBook . In our tests , there were some serious gain over M2 and M3 .

In Geekbench 6 , the MacBook Air M4 hit 3,720 in single - core and 14,891 in multi - core context , Which is close to 600 points and 2,800 more than the MacBook Air M3 . It scored 30 points over the M3 MacBook Air in Cinebench 2024 ’s single - core CPU rendering benchmark and 100 point more in multi - core setting . The same central processor on the MacBook Air was — at max — five points shy of the MacBook Pro 14 in these same trial . If you equate M4 to M2 , some of our tests with these same benchmarks showed serious leaps in potentiality .

The 10 - core GPU was also a better performer than in the yesteryear . In Geekbench 6 Metal benchmarks , the M4 did just under 10 % safe than the M3 . As for our Blender rendering benchmark , where we ask the Mac to render a scene of a BMW , the Macbook Air M4 was 53 seconds quicker than the MacBook Air with M3 , finishing at 3 transactions and 1 2nd while rely on the CPU . The latest MacBook Air was more than 3 minutes faster than M2 return on the GPU .

Macbook Air M4 Blue Color 3

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In our Handbrake tests , where we get the Mac to transcode a 4 cat valium movie into 1080p , the M4 Macbook Air cease the task close to 1 minute and 20 seconds faster than the M3 , ending the test at just over 2 minutes and 7 moment . just put , the M4 MacBook Air is plenty strong for most modal productivity and some more intensive rendering or graphics labor . It wo n’t be the performer of an M4 Pro or M4 Max on aMac minior MacBook Pro , but it pack enough power in its light frame that the tradeoff is deserving it .

It ’s a solid performer in man-made and non - celluloid benchmark , but we were bully to see how well it handles gambling . Apple has proceed to boost its late Mac products as performers in play , but mileage may vary . InResident Evil 4,at the highest resolution of 2560 by 1664 , I could get between 50 and 60 FPS , a unchanging framerate , with the default mid - to - high options with MetalFX upscaling hardening to performance . Fiddling with these preferences could experience free fall as low as 30 FPS , but the game is playable and looks fine in these circumstances . It ’s about what I could get in performance on the MacBook Pro 14 with M4 .

The jumping from Intel to M1 CPUs was a huge bound . Then , whenApple lead from M1onMacBook Air to M2 , some tests showed the newer chip could complete tasks in half the time . The performance delta has closed since then . M3 and M4 are closer in capabilities than M1 and M2 , but if you had wait to spring from early Apple silicon to the latest , this has been the best performance gains from the retiring few generation of Apple laptop .

Macbook Air M4 Blue Color 2

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Apple MacBook Air M4 Review: Build Quality

The late MacBook Air colorway is not “ Sky Blue , ” as Apple mean . The technical school whale says this lustre put up a “ metallic unaccented blue ” colour that ’s supposed to show a unlike color in unlike light . In the nighttime , it has a grainy exterior that seems more facile than blue . If you compare it to a cloudless sky on a bright , sunny day , at most , it ’s a cool gray color with a bare hint of blue air . I went around my office and found everything with a sky blasphemous chromaticity , including last year’sMicrosoft Surface Pro . That Windows tablet laptop is certainly blue . This late Macbook is sure enough not .

The MacBook Air M4 still uses the same shell as the M2 MacBook Air . The last handsome color addition was the “ Midnight ” blue - ish black , which still has a problem clean up fingerprints . Compared to the Starlight on my M3 MacBook Air 13 , the sky blue also tended to pick up mule just from being in my haversack . The Midnight black is anodise to the laptop shell , stand for it should protect well against scuff , bread , or fingerprint ( though it did n’t help much with the latter , in our experience ) . This late MacBook finish is n’t anodized , and I struggled to furbish out any of the blemish that appeared on the lid .

determine for yourself . Take a looking at the pictures below , and tell me if you capture more than a hint of bluing .

Macbook Air M4 Blue Color 1

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Otherwise , it ’s the same honest-to-goodness , relatively thin , and light figure we ’ve seen before . The 13 - inch model is .44 inches thick from stem to stern , and it weighs 2.7 Ezra Pound . No , it ’s not technically the least weighty laptop computer around . I ’ve held equipment like the Asus Zenbook A14 and wondered if there were any actual components inside .

The chance variable send to me for review was the MacBook Air M4 for $ 1,200 with a 10 - core GPU , compared to the base model , which contains an 8 - core GPU . Whether you opt for the bum version , you may still access two Thunderbolt 4 USB port , a headphone jack , and the MagSafe charge interface . It ’s disappointing we did n’t get Thunderbolt 5 on the raw MacBook Air , which now remains a Pro - only feature and one you only get if you spend even more money over the base mannequin .

MacBook Air M4 Review: Display and Sound

There ’s the usual Liquid Retina IPS LCD and the love - it - or - detest - it Magic Keyboard . It ’s still what we ’ve come to require , let in that damn pass . At the very least , it ’s bright enough for dim or bright lights . The only issue you ’ll work into compare to more expensive MacBooks is the reflections on the MacBook Air , which can get a little much in certain lights . It ’s not the unfit , but it ’s not the best either .

The great watershed update for MacBook Air M4 is the power to utilize three displays at once . That includes two extraneous monitors up to 5 cat valium resolution and the MacBook Air ’s display . The M3 model forced you to keep the lid close up for the threefold - screen experience . This works , but of course of study , you ’ll be using up all your precious ports unless you have a port wine dock nearby .

I ’m always surprised by the audio calibre of the MacBook Air , especially considering the lack of speaker fret compared to the MacBook Pro . The 13 - inch reading includes a 4 - speaker system setup , while the 15 - in rounds up to 6 speakers . The sound quality is tacky and clear enough for a night mess about with a better half in bed , and it ’s light enough to frisbee across the room ( hopefully onto a pile of cushions ) when you ’re done with Netflix and desire to move onto the “ chill . ”

Macbook Air M4 Dual Monitors

Apple MacBook Air M4 Review: Verdict

Hello, Mr. (Not So) Blue Sky

As much as I might complain about the MacBook Air ’s deceptive racing shell color , this latest MacBook Air promises to be the undecomposed starting place for those looking to get into Apple ’s laptop ecosystem or advance from an years - quondam organisation . The $ 1,000 rendering come with an 8 - core GPU , and while I ca n’t verbalise to the performance on that version , the CPU capability are already very right for most day-after-day productivity task ; it seems a good option for most potential users .

If I had the choice of buying a MacBook Air M4 or MacBook Pro with the base M4 poker chip , I would prefer for the $ 1,200 theoretical account without much waffling . Of course , Apple ’s upselling model think that if you want the 1 TB SSD on the 10 GB GPU model , you need to spend near to $ 1,400 . That ’s still $ 400 less than the eyeglasses of the MacBook Pro . You miss out on the mini - LED display , estimable resolution , speaker cutouts , and extra ports . However , if you ’re simply looking for a MacBook for basic productiveness , 2025 ’s rendition of the Air at its low price gunpoint is the better choice for the average consumer .

orchard apple tree ’s problem is it keeps endeavor to lure any lingering Intel users to the in vogue Apple silicon by posting numbers over and over while go for those old - schooling Mac users will give care . We ’re a technical school site , and of track , we wish to see numbers go up . But not everybody cares nearly as much . The last prison term Apple updated the MacBook Air shell was in 2022 . It was ok then , but now it feels typified . When I run from event to event , try laptop with anodized“ceraluminum”finishes or shells that avail each PC finger unique , Apple seems stuck in time .

Macbook Air M4 Keyboard