Key Takeaways
- Apple released the M4 MacBook Air earlier this month. Several reviews suggest that upgrading is worth it.
- The latest version has a new M4 chip that improves speed and performance, which reviewers said is apparent when compared to older models.
- According to several reviewers, this laptop is a good segue into Apple’s ecosystem, especially at its price.
Apple’s newest laptop has won some admirers.
Apple (AAPL) earlier this month announced the release of its latest laptop, the M4 MacBook Air, which features its most powerful chip yet. The company said the new MacBook also boasts a new FaceTime camera, improved battery life, more base memory—and a starting price of $999 for the base 13-inch model and $1299 for the 15-inch one.
Investopedia read a selection of reviews to get a sense of early responses to the laptop, which hit stores March 12. Here’s a selection of what we found, along with links to the reviews.
‘Impressively Powerful.’ But Is It ‘Blue Enough’ for You?
Several reviews say the biggest upgrade is the M4 chip, which promises quicker speeds and overall better performance. A Mashable review called it “impressively powerful.” A Wired review said the chip might not be used to its best potential in a MacBook Air, which is fanless. But even while using the laptop for gaming, the model’s temperature never got “unbearable,” said the reviewer.
With the extra power of the M4 MacBook Air comes the ability to support two external displays, a win for people like small business owners and hybrid workers, said Wired’s review. And while a How-To Geek review said the upgraded chip’s capabilities might not be noticeable to everyone, if you have an M1 Air model or older, the jump to M4 would be “a pretty substantial improvement.”
“The M4 MacBook Air is an exceptional entry point into macOS and the Apple ecosystem,” said the How-To Geek review, which said this model is “unequivocally the best consumer laptop in its category.”
The camera, microphone, and speaker quality is also an improvement from previous models, according to 9to5Mac’s review.
Among the qualms reviewers have with the M4 MacBook Air are its lack of ports (all on the left side, plus a headphone jack on the right), and the price for upgraded storage space, which holds true for all Apple laptops, several reviews said. Some argued that the new sky blue color is not “blue enough.”
But The Verge calls the latest Air model “a little more for a little less” which seemed to be the consensus for several reviewers: you get a few new bells and whistles (upgraded chip and memory, a new camera and color option of sky blue, efficient battery) for less than previous models.