Five years after the launch of the first MacBook Air pass on Apple ’s own atomic number 14 , Apple revealed the new MacBook Air M4 .
Although we have n’t review the fresh MacBook Air M4 yet , we have spent time with the 2020MacBook Air M1and gave the revolutionary laptop computer a perfect five - star rating .
If you ’re still using the MacBook Air M1 , then you ’ll in all likelihood be debate whether or not it ’s finally time to kick upstairs . To aid you settle , we ’ve highlight the biggest departure between the newMacBook Air M4to the MacBook Air M1 .
Keep say to see who comes out on top in MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Air M1 . If you want to see how the unexampled MacBook Air liken to other laptop , visit ourMacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4orMacBook Air M4 vs M3 .
Pricing and Availability
The MacBook Air M4 is useable to purchase now , from Apple ’s internet site , the Apple Store and authorised retailers . Available in a choice of four people of colour : Sky Blue , Midnight , Silver and Starlight , and either 13 - inch or 15 - column inch models , the MacBook Air M4 has a begin RRP of £ 999 for the former and £ 1199 for the latter .
Although it ’s no longer available to grease one’s palms right away from Apple , theMacBook Air M1can be found on third party retailers such as Amazon , commonly in refurbished condition . Unlike its successor , it ’s available in a alternative of three colours ( Space Grey , Gold and Silver ) and just one 13 - column inch sizing .
M4 vs M1
The freehanded difference between the MacBook Air M4 and MacBook Air M1 are their respective processors . Although both sport Apple ’s own M - Saratoga chip , theM1is the erstwhile of the two as it establish back in 2020 .
Apple claims the M4 cow chip in the fresh 2025 MacBook Air features a powerful 10 - core CPU , up to 10 - kernel GPU and financial backing for up to 32 GB of unified memory , making it “ up to 2x faster than the M1 model ” . Plus , the M4 ’s Neural Engine is up to 3x quicker than the M1 , which should significantly increase speed in AI - base tasks .
Having say that , it ’s worth remembering that the MacBook Air M1 still supports the entireApple Intelligencetoolkit despite being nearly five years old .
Apple also claim the project such as spreadsheet calculations in Microsoft Excel are 1.6x faster in the MacBook Air M4 than the MacBook Air M1 , while TV redaction in iMovie and using Adobe Photoshop is up to 2x quicker too .
As we have n’t survey the MacBook Air M4 yet , we ca n’t confirm whether Apple ’s claims are right . It ’s also worth noting that in our review of the MacBook Air M1 , we find its performance to be “ incredible , far exceeding anything [ we ] could have ideate for what is fundamentally a first - gen mathematical product . ”
MacBook Air M4 supports Spatial Audio
While the MacBook Air M1 has becoming stereoscopic picture loudspeaker and documentation for Dolby Atmos playback , the MacBook Air M4 doubtless shoot a line a higher - specced setup .
With a four - speaker strait scheme , support for Spatial Audio when playing content with Dolby Atmos , plusSpatial Audiowith dynamic nous get across when using brook model of thebest AirPods , Apple promises the MacBook Air M4 will see a “ three - dimensional soundstage for music and movies . ”
MacBook Air M4 has a 12MP Centre Stage camera
If you ’re constantly in video calls and rapid growth coming together , then you ’ll be pleased to know the MacBook Air M4 foretell a much better camera than the MacBook Air M1 , with a 12MP lense which proffer 1080p HD television recording .
In fact , its 12MP lens system is tally withCenter Stagetechnology , which see you remain in anatomy at all times , and support Desk View which at the same time display the user and a top - down view of their desk . In comparison , the MacBook Air M1 rollick a measly - sound 720p lens system which we found “ looks washed out and blurry , and it performs poorly in anything but great light . ”
MacBook Air M4 comes in two sizes
We appreciate the versatility of the MacBook Air M4 , as it come in two size choice : a 13 - inch and 15 - inch . For those incessantly on the go , the 13 - column inch modeling might suit them better as it ’s nicely compact and count just 1.24 kg , while the 15 - inch alternative bid more room to multitask . The MacBook Air M1 on the other mitt , is available in just one 13 - inch sizing .
It ’s deserving pointing out that although both are marketed at 13 - inches , the M4 ’s display actually measures at 13.6 - inch while the M1 ’s is 13.3 - inches , as the latter has a slenderly larger bezel around the screen .
MacBook Air M4 has a Liquid Retina display
The MacBook Air M1 skylark an LED - backlit exhibit with IPS technology , that offers up to 400 nit elevation light . In our review , we found the display to be crisp and bright enough for most use cases .
On the other hand , the MacBook Air M4 boasts a Liquid Retina show with a slightly boosted 2560×1664 pixels and up to 500 nits of peak luminance . For the best screen experience , we ’d recommend choose for the pricierMacBook Pro M4with nano - grain which also sports Apple’sProMotiontechnology . Unfortunately , neither MacBook Air benefits from up to 120Hz refresh charge per unit and crest out at just 60Hz instead .
Early Verdict
Considering we pass on the MacBook Air M1 a perfect five - star rating , it supports Apple Intelligence and remains a perfectly equal to simple machine , it ’s understandable why anyone still sporting the laptop computer might not want to branch out on the up-to-the-minute MacBook Air M4 .
However , as Apple promises the heir will be much faster and more powerful , sport a much better photographic camera and has a more immersive display , the MacBook Air M4 look like an exciting upgrade .
We ’ll update this critique once we get our hand on the MacBook Air M4 .
