In a market where innovation meets affordability, the latest iteration of the Apple MacBook Air M4 has taken center stage, redefining the boundaries of what a premium laptop should be. The tech giant has managed to strike the perfect balance between form and function, delivering a sleek, portable, and powerful device that’s poised to take the crown in the highly competitive laptop market. With its exceptional performance, stunning display, and sleek design, the MacBook Air M4 has become the benchmark against which all other laptops are measured.
Design and Build
Premium Feel and Materials
The Apple MacBook Air M4 features a solid, premium-feeling aluminium shell that looks great in either grey or black. The body is still a super-thin machine, measuring 14.2in in size, making it easy to fit into a bag without feeling too cramped for work on the go.
The large glass trackpad is silky smooth and precise, providing a great user experience. This attention to detail and focus on delivering a premium feel are hallmarks of Apple’s design philosophy, and they shine through in the MacBook Air M4.
Screen Quality
The screen is still the star of the show, featuring a super bright and crisp mini LED display with a 120Hz refresh rate to keep things smooth. It is noticeably brighter than many rivals for general work and really shines with HDR content.
Apple now sells a special nano-texture display option for £150 more that significantly reduces glare for working in bright light or outdoors. This is a great option for those who need to work on the go or in environments with a lot of ambient light.
Camera and Audio
The webcam above the screen has seen a very welcome upgrade to a 12MP Stage Centre camera, similar to those used in most iPads since 2021. The camera automatically pans and scans to keep you in the frame, which is a killer feature for anyone who lives on video calls for their work.
The four speakers hidden in the deck top provide excellent audio quality, making video chats a breeze. The combination of great camera and audio quality makes the MacBook Air M4 a great choice for anyone who needs to communicate remotely.
Performance and Power
Chip and RAM Upgrades
The base-model 14in MacBook Pro now starts with a 10-core version of the M4 chip and 16GB of RAM, a welcome upgrade over its predecessor. This increase in power and memory makes the MacBook Air M4 a great choice for anyone who needs to run demanding applications.
The M4 chip is up to 25% faster across the board than the outgoing M3 chip and up to 1.8 times as fast as the original M1 chip, making it very fast indeed. In day-to-day usage, it felt extremely rapid, with launching apps and crunching data noticeably faster than on a MacBook Pro with M1 Pro chip from 2021.
The laptop has class-leading battery life, lasting about 21 hours of light browsing and regularly managing about 18 hours of work with lots of tabs open in Chrome, a word processor, plus various small utilities, note-taking and messaging apps, and some light photo editing in Affinity Photo.
Apple MacBook Air M4 review: the laptop to beat, now cheaper
Apple’s upgraded MacBook Pro for 2024 gets a significant power boost with the M4 chip, double the memory as standard, even longer battery life and a price cut, ending the year on a high.
The longstanding laptop line now starts at £1,599 (€1,899/$1,599/A$2,499), making it £100 or so cheaper than last year’s M3 models. Though still an expensive, premium laptop, it comes with at least 16GB of RAM rather than 8GB, which was an upgrade worth paying extra for on previous models.
The outside hasn’t changed from its predecessor. The body is still a solid, premium-feeling aluminium shell that looks great in either grey or black. It isn’t a super-thin machine but the 14.2in size is easy to fit into a bag without feeling too cramped for work on the go.
Display and Processor
The 14in MacBook Pro features a 3024×1964 mini LED display with a 254 ppi, and is powered by the Apple M4 chip with Pro or Max options.
The M4 chip is up to 1.8 times as fast as the original M1 chip, making it very fast indeed. In day-to-day usage it felt extremely rapid, with launching apps and crunching data noticeably faster than on a MacBook Pro with M1 Pro chip from 2021.
Battery Life
The laptop has class-leading battery life, lasting about 21 hours of light browsing and regularly managing about 18 hours of work with lots of tabs open in Chrome.
The battery life is also excellent for standby, losing only about 1% overnight while closed. For many use cases the M4 chip will be more than enough.
But for those looking to render 3D objects, crunch numbers or author code, M4 Pro and M4 Max chips are available that add more high-performance processing.
Storage and Connectivity
The laptop starts at 512GB of storage, with options to upgrade to 8TB or more.
All models of the 14in MacBook Pro now come with three USB-C ports and can connect to two external monitors at once.
Connectivity options include wifi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 3x Thunderbolt 4/USB 4, HDMI 2.1, SD card, and headphones.
Operating System and Warranty
The laptop ships with macOS 15.1 Sequoia.
The MacBook Air is made with 50% recycled materials, including aluminium, cobalt, copper, glass, gold, steel, tin, rare earth elements, and plastic.
Apple offers trade-in and free recycling schemes, including for non-Apple products.
The 2024 MacBook Air: A Powerful and Portable Option
Apple hasn’t tried to reinvent the wheel, avoiding the frequently fancy folding forms of rivals, focusing instead on perfecting the standard laptop form.
The slim aluminium frame, 13.6in LCD screen, excellent keyboard and large trackpad are all top-notch.
The four speakers hidden in the deck top most rivals, while the 1080p webcam and great mics make video chats a breeze.
The M3 chip means it has far more power and much longer battery life than most compact laptops.
Performance
The M3 chip is about 18% faster than the M2 and considerably faster than Intel-based Macs or PC laptops from a few years ago.
Note that the base model has only 8GB of memory. While it is certainly snappy now, and macOS 14 does a good job at handling memory constraints, 8GB is likely to end up being a bit meagre as the years go by.
Doubling it to 16GB costs an extra £200 (€230/$200/A$300).
Battery Life
The battery life regularly exceeds 16 hours of work between charges, including several hours of photo editing in Affinity Photo, lots of browsing and web apps in Chrome, plus Evernote and a variety of smaller tools.
It took more than two hours to fully charge the Air with the included 30W charger and MagSafe cable, hitting 50% in about an hour, but it can fast-charge to 50% in about 30 minutes with a 70W or higher-power adaptor if you have one.
Verdict
The MacBook Air remains the thin and light notebook to beat, now with more power thanks to the M3 chip.
The keyboard, trackpad and body are still best in class, with a great screen, good speakers and a solid webcam.
Apple nails the bits you interact with every day, making the MacBook Air a great choice for those who need a powerful and portable laptop.
With its long battery life, excellent display and comfortable keyboard, the MacBook Air is a great option for anyone looking for a laptop that can keep up with their demands.
Specifications
Screen: 13.6in LCD (2560×1600; 224 ppi) True Tone
Processor: Apple M3 with eight or 10-core GPU
RAM: 8, 16 or 24GB
Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB SSD
Operating system: macOS 14 Sonoma
Camera: 1080p FaceTime HD
Connectivity: wifi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 2x USB 4, headphones
Dimensions: 215 x 304.1 x 11.3mm
Weight: 1.24kg
Sustainability: The MacBook Air is made with 50% recycled materials, including aluminium, cobalt, copper, glass, gold, steel, tin, rare earth elements, and plastic.
Conclusion
The recent review of the Apple MacBook Air M4 by The Guardian has shed light on the latest addition to Apple’s lineup, highlighting its impressive features and affordable price tag. The article discussed the laptop’s sleek design, powerful performance, and impressive battery life, making it a compelling choice for those in the market for a high-quality laptop. Furthermore, the review noted that the MacBook Air M4’s price drop makes it an even more attractive option for consumers, solidifying its position as the laptop to beat in its class.
The significance of the MacBook Air M4’s review cannot be overstated, as it has major implications for the tech industry and consumers alike. The laptop’s exceptional performance, combined with its affordability, sets a new standard for laptops in its category. As the tech landscape continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how other manufacturers respond to the MacBook Air M4’s competitive pricing and feature set. The review also raises questions about the future of laptop design and innovation, as manufacturers strive to keep up with consumer demands for high-performance, stylish, and affordable devices.
As the tech landscape continues to shift, it will be exciting to see what the future holds for laptops like the MacBook Air M4. With its impressive features and affordable price tag, it’s clear that Apple has set a new benchmark for laptops in its class. As consumers, we can expect to see more innovative designs and features in the coming years, as manufacturers strive to keep pace with Apple’s latest offerings. Ultimately, the MacBook Air M4’s review serves as a reminder that innovation and affordability can go hand-in-hand, and that the future of tech is brighter than ever. With the MacBook Air M4 leading the charge, it’s time to rethink what we expect from our laptops and look forward to a future where technology is more accessible than ever.