Apple has officially announced the MacBook Air M4, which brings stronger performance, upgraded memory and, notably, a lower price than the previous generation. The exterior design hasn't changed much, but the new M4 chip is the biggest highlight, with a focus on superior AI processing.
The MacBook Air M4 is now available to preorder in 13-inch and 15-inch sizes, starting at 999 USD, 100 USD less than last year's model. Students get an even better deal at just 899 USD. The device will officially go on sale on March 12.
The M4 Chip: A Big Step in the AI PC Race
The M4 chip debuted last year in the MacBook Pro, Mac Mini and iMac, and has now come to the MacBook Air lineup. Compared with the M3, the new chip keeps the same core characteristics but moves from 8 to 10 CPU cores, adding 2 efficiency cores that improve overall performance.
One notable point is the M4's strong AI processing, with 38 TOPS of performance on the Neural Processing Unit (NPU). That puts Apple in direct competition with the AI PC chips from Intel Core Ultra and Qualcomm Snapdragon X. Apple has also built a range of AI features into macOS, including an image generator, notification summaries, spell checking and smart document organization, but user reaction has remained fairly cautious.
In overall performance, the MacBook Air M4 is a modest upgrade over the M3, but compared with the MacBook Air M1 (2020), Apple claims performance can double in most tasks. Against the 2020 Intel MacBook Air, the MacBook Air M4 is even up to 23 times faster, according to Apple's figures.
Another notable addition is a 12MP camera that supports Center Stage, which keeps users in frame during video calls. The Desk View feature also lets the camera capture both your face and your desk at the same time, making it better suited to online meetings.
MacBook Air M4: Upgraded Configuration, More Memory
Beyond the M4 chip, the design of the MacBook Air M4 is almost unchanged from the previous version. It still starts with a 256GB SSD (on the 999 USD model), but the top configuration now supports up to 32GB of RAM, which can handle AI workloads better.
Alongside the MacBook Air, Apple also introduced a new Mac Studio, powered by the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. This lineup offers more RAM and higher CPU/GPU core counts than the previous generation, and supports up to 16TB of SSD storage. Apple also upgraded all 4 Thunderbolt ports to Thunderbolt 5, while the M3 Ultra model gains 2 additional Thunderbolt ports.
The new Mac Studio starts at 1.999 USD and goes on sale the same day as the MacBook Air M4.
