The MacBook Air M4 is here with a lower price, but this update is minor
The latest update to Apple’s MacBook Air laptop is a minor one, with a move to M3 silicon, a new sky blue colour and a lower price
The world of laptops has changed almost beyond recognition since the last time Apple updated the MacBook Air with the M3 chip back in 2024; and although the M4 MacBook Air will almost certainly prove wildly popular, a five-star review is not the guarantee it once was.
That’s because Windows laptops have been getting steadily better, with improved battery life in particular bringing the likes of Asus, Microsoft and HP machines in line with Apple’s once standout ultraportables. And although the MacBook Air has now been updated with the latest M4 chip, it looks like anyone hoping for a big boost to battery life is going to be sorely disappointed.
Apple M4 MacBook Air (2025): Specifications
- 13in or 15in Liquid Retina display with up to 500 nits of brightness
- Apple M4 chipset (10-core CPU and either 8- or 10-core GPU)
- 16GB of RAM (configurable to 24GB or 32GB)
- 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB SSD
- 53.8Wh (13in) or 66.5Wh (15in) lithium polymer battery with up to 18 hours battery life
- 2x Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3 with up to 70W charging and 3.5mm headset jack
- Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 wireless
- Dimensions: 304 x 215 x 11.3 (WDH), 13in; 340 x 238 x 11.5mm (WDH), 15in
- Weight: 1.2kg, 13in; 1.5kg, 15in
- Price: From £999 (13in, 8-core GPU); £1,199 (15in, 10-core GPU)
- Availability: Pre-order now; on-sale from 12 March 2025 from Apple.com
Apple M4 MacBook Air (2025): What’s new?
Apple states that the new model achieves “up to 18 hours” of battery life (still very good) for video streaming, but that’s the same as the claim for the M3 MacBook Air – and the size of the internal battery is identical, at 53.8Wh for the 13in model and 66.5Wh for the 15in machine.
The M4 chip will, naturally, deliver faster performance than the M3, but as we saw when we reviewed the M4 MacBook Pro last year, there isn’t a huge difference between M4 and M3. That leaves this update as a fairly underwhelming one.
The only other changes are an upgrade for the laptop’s webcam to a 12MP Centre Stage unit and a new colour – sky blue – neither of which are particularly big news. The laptop’s chassis, display, audio system and connectivity all remain the same as before. There’s no upgrade to Thunderbolt 5 or even to Wi-Fi 7, here – the M4 MacBook Air remains stuck on Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6E.
In acknowledgement, perhaps, of the small, incremental update, Apple has, however, extended a slender olive branch to its customers in the form of a price cut. For the second generation in a row, prices for the cheapest model in the range have fallen.
The base 13in M4 is now £999, where the cheapest M3 Air was £1,099 when it first launched and, as before, it comes with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. If you want the model with a 10-core GPU, the price rises to £1,099 while doubling the storage from 256GB to 512GB lifts that cost by another £100.
The 15in model, meanwhile, starts at £1,199 but is only available with the more powerful 10-core GPU, while RAM and storage start at 16GB and 256GB respectively.
This brings to an end – albeit temporarily, perhaps – the split in the MacBook Air range, where the cheapest model you used to be able to buy was an older generation. For 2025, and until the next generation of MacBook Air is announced, you’ll only be able to buy a MacBook Air with an M4 chip inside.
The M4 MacBook Air is available to pre-order right now from the Apple website, with the product on sale from 12 March. We’ll have a full review for you just as soon as we can get our hands on one.
