Video Review: Two Months With the M4 MacBook Air

It's been nearly two months since the M4 MacBook Air launched, so we thought we'd take another look at the machine now that it's been out long enough to do some serious testing with it.


Introduced in March, the ‌MacBook Air‌ is equipped with Apple's latest and greatest M4 chip, so it's more than capable of handling day-to-day tasks from web browsing and watching videos to getting work done. It's even powerful enough for photo editing and some light video editing work.

All Macs have a minimum of 16GB RAM now, so the base M4 ‌MacBook Air‌ that starts at $999 is a really good deal for what you get. You can upgrade the RAM and the SSD, which may be worthwhile depending on what you want to do on your Mac.

In terms of design, Apple hasn't changed the look of the M4 ‌MacBook Air‌ compared to the M3 model, but it does come in a subtle blue shade that's new this year. The ‌MacBook Air‌ continues to be Apple's most portable Mac, with the 13-inch model weighing just 2.7 pounds. The 15-inch model is heavier at 3.3 pounds, but both models are lighter than the equivalent MacBook Pro models.

There's an upgraded 12-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls this year, which is a nice upgrade over the prior 1080p camera. The ‌MacBook Air‌ is limited to two USB-C ports and it doesn't have the port selection of the ‌MacBook Pro‌, nor the ability to support as many displays, but it's perfect for on-the-go use and it is the Mac that we recommend for most people.

With the ‌MacBook Pro‌, you're going to get a better mini-LED display, ProMotion support, and the option for nano-texture, but those all come with a much higher price tag.

Make sure to watch our review video for more on our thoughts on the M4 ‌MacBook Air‌ after spending almost two months with it.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Related Forum: MacBook Air

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?

Wednesday September 24, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line. Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
AirPods Pro 3 Newsroom

Apple's 'Back to School' Offer Ends Soon, Now Applies to AirPods Pro 3

Wednesday September 24, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
Apple's annual "Back to School" promotion for students ends soon, so act fast if you want to score free AirPods with the purchase of an eligible new Mac or iPad. Until Tuesday, September 30, college students and qualifying educational staff in the U.S. can receive free AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. This is a $179 value. ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Update for iPhones Coming Soon — Here's What to Expect

Thursday September 25, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. MacRumors has also seen evidence of iOS 26.0.1 in its visitor logs in recent days. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Skipped the iPhone 17 Pro? Here's What is Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro

Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead. Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors. Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
apple tv 4k new orange

Next Apple TV Expected to Launch This Year With These New Features

Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Likely Features N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7 Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
Apple More Personal Siri Ad

Apple Responds to U.S. Class Action Lawsuit Over Delayed Siri Features

Friday September 26, 2025 6:57 am PDT by
In March, Apple delayed the launch of its personalized Siri features, and soon after the company was hit with multiple class action lawsuits over the situation. The plaintiffs said they never would have purchased an iPhone 16, or would have paid less, had they known Apple's marketing about the Siri features was false. In the U.S., all of the complaints were consolidated into one class...

Top Rated Comments

poematik13 Avatar
21 weeks ago
at this point the laptops are perfect, its just the OS bugs that hold everything back

compared to 10 years ago when it was the opposite
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nathansz Avatar
21 weeks ago

But let’s hope macOS gets not just a big sur surface makeover but a profound rethink of what the Mac is in a world where there is the iPhone and iPad.
this is my greatest fear

much prefer macOS be left alone
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
poematik13 Avatar
21 weeks ago

But let’s hope macOS gets not just a big sur surface makeover but a profound rethink of what the Mac is in a world where there is the iPhone and iPad.
NO. leave macOS alone! finder.app, disk utility, having multiple apps open at once, and terminal and all that are the last good things in modern computing

we dont want an iphone or ipad and the reloading full screen app BS. go away!
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nozgog Avatar
21 weeks ago
I recently had M2 and M4 MacBook Air side by side - same specs 16GB RAM and 512 SSD. Both Midnight.

What surprised me most is that the M4 display looks much sharper.
M4 midnight color looks different and less prone to finger prints.
And M4 feels quite faster than M2.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Allen_Wentz Avatar
21 weeks ago

Dual-35W in 2025 should mean all Apple execs get the firing squad. So stingy to make it just 35W in total between both ports. Dual 60W GaN chargers are tiny and affordable. Should be at least 30W per port.
Just curious, why does it matter so much? Modern Mac laptops do so well on battery I never even think about charging specs.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CausticSoda Avatar
21 weeks ago
I think he rather undersells it, and I'm not sure we learn much from a "2 months in" review compared with the reviews when it was released anyway. Also, it doesn't tell us much about its capabilities given he says he uses it mainly for admin work. The message seems to be, yeah, it's good for basic stuff, it works fine. No S**t Sherlock! Design is a personal preference, but I still prefer the wedge design. I'm still loving my M1 16Gb MBA, but the Devil on my shoulder keeps telling me to upgrade just for the hell of it even though it makes no sense at all.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)