MacBook Air M4 (2025) review: Almost perfect

The new MacBook Air with M4 is faster and cheaper than last year's model. That's a hard proposition to argue with. It's at the level of polish where any complaints are nitpicks or caveats, rather than red flags. It's just a question of deciding whether the MacBook Air is the right device for you.

For the sake of this review, I tested a $1,999 configuration of the 13-inch MacBook Air with M4. It has a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage.

Let's start with cheaper. Apple cut the starting price of the MacBook Air with M4 to $1,699. That's a $100 discount compared to what the MacBook Air with M3 launched at last year. While $100 isn't a huge price cut, it has been unusual for tech to get cheaper over the last few years. With Apple's education discount, prices can get as low as $1,549.

Importantly, the entry-level MacBook Air with M4 starts with 16GB of memory. With past models, I've always suggested upgrading to a minimum of 16GB, as it was very easy to run into the limitations of 8GB even with basic usage.

It would have been nice to have 512GB of storage as a starting point, but given the $1,699, it doesn't feel unreasonable that Apple went with 256GB in the entry-level configuration. Upgrading to 512GB will cost you an extra $300.

As with every recent MacBook, the MacBook Air with M4 isn't user-upgradeable. You'll need to try and work out your future needs when you purchase, cause there's no way to increase the internal storage or memory down the line.

While this can be a bit annoying, Windows laptops have been trending the same way lately. Memory isn't user-upgradeable on Copilot Plus PCs either, but in some cases, you may be able to replace the SSD yourself.

Performance-wise, the MacBook Air is now powered by the same M4 chip we saw introduced in the iPad Pro and entry-level MacBook Pro last year. This is more than twice as fast as the MacBook Air with M1 from 2020, making it a solid boost in performance for anyone considering an upgrade.

The MacBook Air with M4 will be more than capable enough for most users. There's nothing stopping you from doing more demanding tasks like video editing or audio work on this machine, but I'd still go for a MacBook Pro if that's something you're doing every day for the extra headroom.

In a way, the most practical improvement from the chip is proper external monitor support. Last year's MacBook Air with M3 was able to power two external monitors, but only with the lid closed. With the MacBook Air with M4, you can keep the lid open while using two external screens.

A smaller but welcome upgrade is a new 12MP webcam. It gives you better quality in dim environments, and also supports features like Centre Stage (where you get automatically framed), which previously haven't been available on MacBook Air models.

The last change worth noting is a new sky blue finish. It's certainly nice, but It doesn't look blue in all lights. I'm sitting under warm lights as I write this, and they leave the MacBook Air with M4 looking silver. Honestly, I would have liked to see Apple go in on bolder colours. Screw subtlety. Give me a playful blue like the back of the latest iMacs. Hell, bring out red, orange, green, yellow, and purple while you're at it.

There are also a few things that haven't changed. Apple is still promising up to 18 hours of battery life on the 13-inch model, which is the figure that's been given on every 13-inch MacBook Air from the M1 and up. That's not a bad thing, and the MacBook Air with M4 will comfortably last you all day without needing to search for a charger.

Apple makes the same 18-hour promise for the 15-inch model, but I've not had hands-on experience with the larger MacBook Air this time around.

The port selection is still very limited - you only get two USB-C ports, a headphone jack, and the MagSafe charging port. It might not be a big deal for everyone considering the MacBook Air with M4, but it's still worth calling out. There are days I plug nothing into my laptop, but then there are others where I'd love just one more USB-C port.

There haven't been any significant changes to the display either. It's a 60Hz panel rather than the 120Hz panel you get on the MacBook Pro. I definitely don't notice the slower refresh rate on a laptop in the same way that I do on a phone (like the iPhone 16e), so I'd say this would be much of a muchness for most.

Apple has also kept the new nano-texture finish exclusive to its Pro models. While this makes sense to a certain extent, it would still have been nice to have the option on Air. The glare reduction from the nano-texture finish makes a big difference, especially if you're working outside or on the go.

And lastly, depending on how much you like to multitask, I'd potentially consider the 15.3-inch model. I've found the larger display a lot more comfortable when you don't have the option of plugging into a monitor.

The MacBook Air with M4 is at the point where it more than meets the needs of most. It's a perfect all-purpose laptop, and the fact that it's a little cheaper this year is a big plus. Apple has addressed most of the little trade-offs made by past MacBook Airs - such as a worse webcam and the lack of proper dual display - making it even easier to recommend.

If you need more power or more ports, you probably already know and aren't considering a MacBook Air. For the rest of us, the MacBook Air with M4 is a fantastic default.