One, the M4 chip in the new MacBook Air is seriously fast. Apple says it can deliver twice the performance of the old M1 chip and I’ve seen it do that in a few real-world tasks. That may not matter for simple stuff, like browsing the web or slogging through email, but the minute you want to push things a bit—perhaps editing some 4K footage shot with your phone—you’ll appreciate the added oomph.
Two, despite the added power, the battery life remains impressive—so good you barely even think about charging. Whatever the opposite of battery anxiety is, the Air has it.
And three, the price now starts at $999, a full $200 less than the M2 Air and $100 less than the M3 Air. If you’re asking yourself, “Wait, didn’t the M1 Air start at $999, way back in 2020?” the answer is yes. The new (or should I say old?) price makes the M4 Air an even more compelling value proposition.
In the days ahead, our testers will formally evaluate the new MacBook Air, the M4 chip, and the device’s battery life, using models purchased at retail. But I asked Apple to loan us a review sample to get a quick read on the user experience—in particular, what the new M4 processor can do.
Over the past few days, I’ve used it for various work projects and to do some light photo and video editing. I took it to cafés around Tucson. I even wrote some of this article while sitting in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains. Can’t do that with my gaming desktop!
My overall impression? The M4 Air is a winner. There may be one or two things I’d change (see below), but it’s hard to complain about such a strong package.
The full test results for the new M4 MacBook Air will be available to CR members later this month in our laptop ratings, but for now here’s what I’ve learned.
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