One year after the M3 MacBook Air, Apple has announced the latest version of its lightweight laptop. The MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) was launched along with the Ultraportable MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) and adds a few key improvements to a proven formula.
Like its predecessor, the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) is a streamlined big screen laptop with a quiet design and excellent performance, thanks to Apple’s advanced M4 chip. In a rare VRI it also comes cheaper than the previous edition: Prices start at $ 1,199 / £ 1,199 / AU $ 2,099.
But does the MacBook Air offer 15-inch (M4) good value for money? And is it worth upgrading if you already own the M3 MacBook Air?
We’ve compiled the biggest reviews from all over the web and distilled the results below to help you decide which MacBook is best for you. First up is feedback from our own experience …
MacBook Air M4 reviews
TECHRADAR: “An excellent thin and lightly laptop and one of the best 15-inch laptops you can currently buy”
The good
- Impressive performance
- Lower input price
- Quiet Fanless Design
The bad
- Not a major upgrade
- Lack of Wi-Fi 7
Our MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) review concludes that it is “the best 15-inch laptop you can buy”. We complimented its “brilliant thin and light design” and found that it offers a “more immersive audio experience” than 13-inch version. We also acknowledged that the lower price makes it “a better model for less money.”
We observed that it is “more of a refinement than a complete reimagining” and noticed that it improved performance of the M4 chip, while “very good” does not justify the upgrade if you already have an M2 or an M3 MacBook.
That said, we still found it “a solid artist who can handle any daily task”, with battery life good enough for “More working days on a single charge.” Along with improvements to webcam and the utility of a larger screen, we rated the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) as “Excellent value for money.”
The Verge: “Continuing to seam the basic elements at a fairly affordable price.”
The good
- Full-day battery life
- Thin, light design
- Excellent everyday laptop
- High speakers
The bad
- Limited basic storage
- Not enough gates
- Throttled Performance
Verge’s MacBook Air (M4) reviews match most of our feedback. It notes that the new version offers “even better value”, making it an “excellent choice for most people’s daily needs.” The most important reservation relates to the “smooth spec” storage at the basic level version, although it notices the increase from 8 GB to 16 GB of RAM.
Unlike us, Verge reviewed both the 13 inches and 15-inch versions together at the same time. Like us, it found that “the two extra speakers on 15-inch” allow it to “get quite loud without sounding distorted.”
It concludes that the new models “do nothing groundbreaking” but continues to “nail the basic elements at a fairly affordable price.” It includes “some solid performance gains compared to M3” along with “unique battery life” and “A fantastic keyboard.” The Verge also comments on “Haptic Peeasefield is the best around.”
Cnet: “Sitting in Goldilocks Zone in Apple’s MacBook -lineup”
The good
- Screen size and weight
- Effective performance
- Cheaper starting price
The bad
- Expensive storage
- Expensive RAM upgrades
- No promotion display
CNET’s review shares many of these statements. It sees the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) as an update that “adds step-by-step improvements to an already fantastic laptop,” it assigns an impressive 9/10.
It repeats the view that “the performance gains are not enough on their own to demand an upgrade” from an M2 or M3 model, but identifies “the lower price and larger screen” as two reasons to change. Cnet has plenty of praise for the 15.3-inch display, giving more space for “open windows and chrome tabs” as well as streaming.
Like The Verge, Cnet has a word to say about M4’s storage options fighting against “the semi-outrageous fee of $ 200 to double the warehouse to a 512 GB SSD.” Still, it thinks that “spacious display, trimdesign and new lower starting price” means that 15-inch M4 “should be seen as the default air.”
The cable: “The 15-inch MacBook Air has finally come to its own.”
The good
- Lower price
- Sharper webcam
- Powerful M4 chip
- Keyboard and pointing field
The bad
- Extra storage is expensive
- Unilateral portlayout
Wired joins Cnet in the award of MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) a score of 9/10, noting that it “improves the previous model in remarkable ways, while the price also falls the price.” The most important takeaway is that it is generally a “more rounded option” with an “increase in performance and capacities, paired with a lower price.”
It notes that the core design has not changed, but that “people are still wondering about it”, including “the excellent keyboard and pointing field”. Wired makes sorry that “all power connections are on the left side,” but welcomes the addition of “support to up to two external screens”.
Wired notes “no noticeable benefit difference between 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air”, but finds out that the “extra screen throw” in the larger model makes a huge difference, “without giving up sharpness”. In summary, it assesses the 15-inch M4 as “a clear winner.”
Engadget: “The ideal ultra -portable for most users”
The good
- Quick benefit
- Streamlined design
- Strong battery life
- Great touch plate and keys
The bad
- Not enough gates
- Screen Update speed
Like others, Engadget notes that “M4 chip is not a transformative upgrade” to the MacBook Air, where he reported that it “actually couldn’t feel a difference.” But it still finds the new 15-inch model “A Non-Brainer Buy” and assesses it as “an almost flawless ultra-portable.”
Like elsewhere, Engadget praises several aspects of the air’s “impressively thin” design that describes the keyboard as “a dream to write on” and indicate that “it has one of the best trackpads around.” It also praises the life of the battery and appreciates the tracking feature of the middle stage camera, although the upgrade “is not exactly earthquake.”
Like The Verge, Engadget reviewed the 13-inch and 15-inch versions of the MacBook Air M4 together. It recognizes the benefits of both by finding that “the less is definitely easier to travel with”, but the greater the more “immersive screen”. The Engadget review wants “more gates and a faster screen update rate”, but basically the new MacBook Air sees 15-inch (M4) as “heads and shoulders over the competition”.
MacBook Air M4 judgment
While statements about finer details may vary, there is a strong consensus in the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) Reviews: Each reviewer thought Apple’s new 15-inch laptop is coming close to the sweet place in terms of price, performance and screen size.
Each review commented positively on the model’s new lower price, and the general mood is that it provides better value and a superior everyday user experience than the previous edition. It includes an excellent pointed and keyboard plus extra speakers.
Most of the reviews agree on the disadvantages, which will be well known to owners of previous verions of MacBook Air. Apple has not been generous with the ports, while the storage capacity at the basic level is limited and the cost of upgrading is high.
The most important audience for the smaller MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is students and ordinary travelers. Otherwise, the 15 inch offers fuller sound and a larger screen without much extra weight.
Almost all reviews conclude that the performance improvements provided by the M4 chip do not justify upgrade if you already own a MacBook Air 15-inch (M3). But for everyone else, this is one of the best 15-inch laptops you can buy.
