MacBook Air M4 Review: Is It Worth the Upgrade?
Apple's MacBook Air has been the go-to laptop for students and professionals since the M1 chip revolutionized the lineup. Now with the M4 chip, Apple promises even better performance, improved efficiency, and new features. But is it worth upgrading if you already have an M2 or M3 MacBook Air? And is it the right laptop for first-time Mac buyers? We have spent a week with the new MacBook Air M4 to find out.
The 2026 MacBook Air M4 starts at $1,099 for the 13.6-inch model and $1,299 for the 15.3-inch model. It features the same thin and light design that makes the Air so popular, but with significant internal upgrades that make it more capable than ever.
Design and Display
The MacBook Air M4 keeps the same design as the previous generation. It is incredibly thin at just 0.44 inches and lightweight at 2.7 pounds for the 13-inch model. The build quality is excellent with a fully recycled aluminum enclosure. It comes in four finishes: Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, and Silver. The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display is bright and sharp with a resolution of 2560 by 1664 pixels. It supports P3 wide color and True Tone, which adjusts the color temperature based on your environment. The display gets up to 500 nits of brightness, making it usable outdoors.
The highlight of this generation is the new 12-megapixel camera with Center Stage support. It keeps you centered in the frame during video calls, which is great for students and remote workers.
M4 Performance and Battery Life
The M4 chip brings meaningful performance improvements over the M3. The CPU is about 20 percent faster, and the GPU delivers up to 30 percent better graphics performance. In everyday tasks like browsing, email, and document editing, the MacBook Air feels instant. Even demanding tasks like photo editing in Photoshop and light video editing in DaVinci Resolve run smoothly. The fanless design means it stays completely silent under any workload.
- CPU: Apple M4 with 10-core CPU (4 performance, 6 efficiency cores)
- GPU: Up to 10-core GPU
- RAM: 16GB or 24GB unified memory
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB SSD
- Battery life: Up to 18 hours of video playback
Who Should Buy the MacBook Air M4?
The MacBook Air M4 is an excellent laptop for most people. Students will love the portability, battery life, and performance. Professionals who need a lightweight machine for office work will find it more than capable. If you are coming from an Intel-based MacBook Air or an M1 model, the upgrade is substantial and worthwhile. If you already have an M2 or M3 MacBook Air, the improvements are more modest, and you can wait for the next generation. For first-time Mac buyers, the MacBook Air M4 is the best entry point into the Apple ecosystem.