MacBook Air M4: design, price, specifications, version

Apple’s MacBook Air M3 has finally settled into the Mac lineup, but Apple is already looking to the future with the MacBook Air M4. Reports of the upcoming laptop are starting to emerge, although it’s not expected to ship until next year.

We’ll see more rumors between now and the MacBook Air M4 release. This article will keep track of what is reported and offer perspective based on Apple’s current lineup.

MacBook Air M4: release date

In an April 2024 report, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said the Mac version of the M4 chip would be introduced in the MacBook Pro and iMacs later this year, with a MacBook Air M4 release likely in spring 2025, or around one year later. the MacBook Air M3 is released.

Gurman says the company’s “plans could change,” leaving some wiggle room for the release date. Gurman did not specify whether a change in plans would mean an earlier or later release.

MacBook Air M4: processor

Apple surprised us with the release of the M4 chip in the iPad Pro in early May, just six months after the M3 debuted in the MacBook Pro. Here are the announced chip specifications:

Models with 256 GB or 512 GB of storage

• 9-core processor (3 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores)
• 10-core GPU
• Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
• 16-core neural engine
• 120 GB/s memory bandwidth
• 8 GB of RAM

Models with 1TB or 2TB of storage

• 10-core processor (4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores)
• 10-core GPU
• Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
• 16-core neural engine
• 120 GB/s memory bandwidth
• 16 GB of RAM

Compared to the 8-core M3, the M4 has two more efficient cores and higher memory bandwidth (120 GB/s versus 100 GB/s). Apple will likely use the same design for the Mac, making the M4 the first non-Pro or Max chip with

Ahead of the M4’s arrival on the iPad, Gurman said the chip would focus on AI improvements. Apple spoke briefly at its Let Loose event about the improved Neural Engine and its ability to deliver more than 38 trillion operations per second, but didn’t give many details about its real-world use. We’ll likely hear a lot more about AI during the WWDC keynote and then again at the iPhone 16 launch when the A18 chip is revealed.

MacBook Air M4: design and specifications

The M4 upgrade would be the fourth generation of the M-series chip in the MacBook Air, but it’s not the fourth time for the current Air design. Apple shipped the MacBook Air M1 in 2020 with an older design used with Intel chips and the current design was only introduced with the M2 chip upgrade in July 2022. Apple shouldn’t release it at all modify for the M4.

Apple slightly changed the design of the Air with the M3 update in March 2024, but only for a specific color. The Midnight version now has an anodizing seal to help reduce fingerprints – this is a similar process introduced with the Space Black MacBook Pro. Apple is not expected to offer the process for Silver, Space Gray and Starlight colors.

Mark Gurman reported in April that Apple could increase the upper memory limit of its high-end desktop Macs, which use high-end M-series chips. If the M4 has improved AI capabilities, it could require more memory, whether it’s a base M4 or a higher model. But to keep costs down and persuade customers to consider investing in a higher-tier device, Apple could decide that the base M4 won’t benefit from more memory.

Another feature that could benefit from an upgrade is battery life. If the MacBook M4 follows the iPad Pro’s chip design, it could be more power efficient with two more efficient cores. This could mean longer battery life.

Macwelt

Macwelt

Macwelt

Everything else on the MacBook Air will likely stay the same with an M4 upgrade. The display, size, weight, camera, mics, speakers, ports, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth are expected to remain unchanged.

MacBook Pro M4: price

Here are the prices of current standard configurations of the MacBook Air M3 for reference.

13-inch MacBook Air

• $1,099/£1,099: M3 with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU; 8 GB unified memory; 256 GB SSD
• $1,299/£1,299: M3 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; 8 GB unified memory; 512 GB SSD
• $1,499/£1,499: M3 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; 16 GB unified memory; 512 GB SSD

15-inch MacBook Pro

• $1,299/£1,299: M3 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; 8 GB unified memory; 256 GB SSD
• $1,499/£1,499: M3 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; 8 GB unified memory; 512 GB SSD
• $1,699/£1,699: M3 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU; 16 GB unified memory; 512 GB SSD

Pricing reports for the MacBook Air M4 are yet to be made. Apple will likely offer similar configurations and we don’t expect pricing to change much.