Product Description:

• The 2025 Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Silver) is powered by the all-new Apple M4 chip, delivering next-level speed, graphics, and energy efficiency in a compact form.
• With 24GB of unified memory and 512GB SSD, it's ideal for professionals, creatives, and everyday users who want fast and fluid performance without compromise.
• The Liquid Retina display offers a rich, immersive viewing experience, while Touch ID and macOS features ensure secure and connected productivity across your Apple ecosystem.
• Whether you're editing video, writing reports, or running multiple apps at once — this MacBook handles it all effortlessly.

  Apple MacBook Air M4 (13-inch, 2025)

An actual price drop is a pleasant surprise, but unsurprisingly, Apple didn't lower prices on upgrades to memory and storage. This means that if you want to upgrade to a 512GB solid-state drive, you'll need to pay an additional $200, and the same goes for increasing the memory. Since the Air configurations start with 16GB of memory, you're in pretty good shape there, but unless you store most stuff in the cloud or an external drive, you'll likely want to at least upgrade storage. 

Most importantly, it's a sizeable improvement over the M1 MacBook Air (as was the M3), so if you have an older M1 Air or an Intel-based Air and it's not feeling snappy anymore, you have good reason to upgrade to an M3 or M4 MacBook Air. 

The graphics performance is also better than that of the Snapdragon X Elite laptops, so if you're looking for something thin and light for photo and video editing or even some gaming, the M4 MacBook Air can handle it. You might need to dial back on the graphics settings on demanding games, and without fans, the Air does heat up, but you can definitely play less graphics-intensive titles and mobile games. As for battery life, I got roughly 15 hours on our streaming video rundown test, which is more or less what I expected based on the M3 MacBook Air I tested last year. Battery life will depend on what you're doing, the screen brightness, audio level, etc., but with basic use, you'll have no problem getting through a workday. 

The M4 MacBook Air's body is the same as its predecessor, which is generally fine: streamlined, clean and attractive. However, there are a few things I'm not a fan of, like the camera notch in the display and the fact that both USB-C ports and the MagSafe charging connector are lumped together on the left, which means all your charging options are on one Apple dropped in a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera with Desk View support for the webcam. Center Stage tracks you and others in the camera frame so you stay centered or it makes room for everyone. Desk View gives you a second top-down view of the area in front of the laptop's keyboard, perfect for demonstrations. It's a bit distorted and low-res, but it works, and it's hard to argue with that. It would be nice if Apple added Face ID and a proximity sensor when it does the next full overhaul of its MacBooks. That would allow you to quickly lock and unlock a MacBook just as you would an iPhone. For now, the Touch ID on the power button is sufficient.

The M4 Air has nearly all its ports on the left; a 3.5mm headset jack is the only thing on the right side. 

Josh Goldman/CNEApple upgraded the USB-C ports on the M4 MacBook Air from USB 4 to Thunderbolt 4. With these ports, the MacBook Air can now connect and extend to up to two 6K external monitors and the built-in Liquid Retina display simultaneously. That gives you up to three displays to work on, plus the use of the keyboard, trackpad and Touch ID. 

Overall, the M4 MacBook Air is a good, if minor, update to an already fantastic laptop, and it has a lower price to boot. If you have an M3 Air or even an M2 Air, there are some reasons to upgrade, like the better camera and external display support. But the performance difference is modest. 

On the other hand, for Intel and M1 MacBook Air owners, the performance gap is sizeable enough that upgrading is definitely worth your while. Something to keep in mind, too, is that while the M3 MacBook Air is going away, you might be able to pick one of those up at a deep enough discount, new or refurbished, to make you forget about the features you're not getting with the M4. Another thing: The M4 Mac Mini is as powerful as the M4 MacBook Air and starts at $600. If you don't need a laptop's mobility (the Mini is certainly small enough for travel, though), it's a great option for less.

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