New M4 MacBook Air: 6 Key Things You Should Know

Apple's newly announced M4 MacBook Air brings several notable upgrades while maintaining the sleek design that's made the Air lineup so popular. Here are six important things you should know about the latest iteration of Apple's ultra-portable laptop.

macbook air 2025
Note that the new 13-inch and 14-inch MacBook Air with M4 chip is available to pre-order now, and it launches Wednesday, March 12.

Support for Two External Displays

In a notable improvement over previous models, the new M4 MacBook Air can natively support two external displays while keeping the laptop's lid open. This means users can work with up to three screens simultaneously (the MacBook's built-in display plus two external monitors).

macbook air multi display support
Apple's technical specifications confirm the new MacBook Air "simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz." Support also includes Thunderbolt 4 digital video output and native DisplayPort 1.4 output over USB-C.

The enhancement eliminates the limitation found in previous M1 and M2 models, which officially supported only one external display. It also improves upon the M3 which could drive two external displays but required the laptop's lid to be closed.

12MP Center Stage Camera

The M4 MacBook Air comes equipped with a major camera upgrade, replacing the previous 1080p FaceTime HD camera with a 12-megapixel camera. This new camera not only provides higher resolution but also supports Center Stage, which automatically keeps you centered in the frame during video calls as you move around.

macbook air desk view camera
The camera also supports Desk View, a feature that provides an overhead perspective of your desk during video calls. MacBook webcam quality has been a long-standing complaint, so this change should address the issue, especially for users who regularly rely on video conferencing.

Easier Setup

Apple has simplified the setup process for new Mac owners. Starting next month with the release of macOS Sequoia 15.4, users will be able to set up their new MacBook Air by simply bringing their iPhone or iPad close to the Mac.

MacBook Air Hello
This proximity-based setup allows you to quickly sign in to your Apple Account and automatically transfer your files, photos, messages, passwords, and other personal data to your new MacBook Air. The iPhone or iPad will need to be running iOS 18.4 or iPadOS 18.4 or newer for this feature to work. Those updates will also be released in April.

New Color (and MagSafe Charger)

The M4 MacBook Air introduces a new "sky blue" color option, replacing the previous space gray variant. To complement this new finish, Apple has also released a matching sky blue USB-C to MagSafe 3 charging cable.

Apple MacBook Air hero
Like other MacBook Air models, the new M4 version comes with a color-matched MagSafe cable in the box. The magnetic connection provides the safety advantage of detaching if someone trips over the cord, preventing potential damage to the laptop. For those wanting an additional cable or a different color, Apple sells the MagSafe 3 charging cable separately for $49.

Battery Life

Despite the performance improvements offered by the new M4 chip, battery life ratings remain unchanged from the previous M2 and M3 models. This consistency suggests that the power efficiency gains from the new chip are being directed toward performance rather than extended battery life.

macbook air spacegray purple battery
In addition, the new MacBook Air features a slightly larger 53.8-watt-hour battery compared to the 52.6-watt-hour battery in previous models, which likely helps maintain battery life despite the more powerful processor.

$100 Price Cut

Apple has reduced the starting price of the MacBook Air, offering the 13-inch M4 model at $999 – that's $100 less than the previous-generation M3 MacBook Air's starting price of $1,099. You also get 16GB of RAM as a minimum, which wasn't the case when the M3 MacBook Air first launched.

macbook air display 1
The base 13-inch configuration includes a 10-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory, and 256GB of SSD storage. The 15-inch model starts at $1,199, maintaining the same price point as its M3 predecessor.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Related Forum: MacBook Air

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Top Rated Comments

Belisama Avatar
7 months ago

Why do they keep limiting the nicest colors to non-premium products! I want a sky blue MacBook Pro!
No.

"Pro" products must be black, or gray.

In The World According to Tim, "pros" don't need colors. Pros are serious people. Serious people don't need colors.

Kapish?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Belisama Avatar
7 months ago
This MBA is quite expected, but I think we should rejoice for ONE reason:
We can read "$100 price cut" and "Apple" in the same article.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleFanBoyCAN Avatar
7 months ago
Why do they keep limiting the nicest colors to non-premium products! I want a sky blue MacBook Pro!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brightonguy Avatar
7 months ago
I still cannot believe MacBook Air is actually not selling out, considering how powerful this machine is and what you get for a thousand dollars. This should be flying off the shelves in my opinion. Apple Marketing team should really do marketing to attract people to macOS features - not just how amazing the hardware is.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iea96 Avatar
7 months ago
Still no compelling reason to upgrade from my M1 MBA. Will consider when they get rid of the notch and switch the screen to OLED. So around 2037 I'm guessing...
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jdclifford Avatar
7 months ago

Still no compelling reason to upgrade from my M1 MBA. Will consider when they get rid of the notch and switch the screen to OLED. So around 2037 I'm guessing...
Try this. https://topnotch.app/?ref=topnotchapp
I’ve been using it on my MBA and MBP for a while now. NO VISIBLE NOTCH.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)