Apple Unveils Updated MacBook Airs Based on M4 Chip — More Powerful, But Cheaper

Apple has announced a new generation of MacBook Air laptops. They have an M4 processor, a new sky-blue color scheme and, surprisingly, more modest prices. The version with a 13-inch display costs from $999, the 15-inch one – from $1199. The laptops will go on sale on March 12.

Image source: apple.com

Both the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Airs are powered by Apple’s M4 processor, which was previously featured in the Mac Mini, iMac, and MacBook Pro. A major new feature for the MacBook Air is support for two external displays with a resolution of up to 6K when the lid is open. The design of the laptops remains the same, but a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera has been added, inherited from the current MacBook Pros.

The entry-level version comes with an M4 chip with a 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU, 16 GB of unified memory, and a 256 GB drive. There’s also a version with a 10-core GPU, like the base MacBook Pro, 32 GB of RAM, and 2 TB of storage. In practice, the new MacBook Airs aren’t noticeably different from the previous-generation models, although they do have more powerful hardware. The sky blue color scheme is nice, but the iMac traditionally has a wider range of colors.

When it comes to the benefits of using the M4 in the MacBook Air, Apple points out that everything from everyday actions like switching between apps to more complex tasks like editing photos and videos will be faster and smoother. The M4 chip features a powerful 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, making the new MacBook Air 2x faster than the M1 model. The new MacBook Air has up to 18 hours of battery life. The powerful neural engine in the M4 chip, which accelerates AI-based tasks, is also 3x faster than the M1-powered MacBook Air, making it much faster to do things like automatically enhance photos and remove background noise from videos.

Thus, the biggest innovations are the current Apple M4 processor and the Center Stage camera – they do not promise global benefits, but lower prices may be an argument in favor of buying. Pre-orders have already started on the Apple website, and the new MacBook Air will appear in retail in a week, on March 12.