9.0Reviews
The M1 MacBook Air, five years later
It is still the laptop we recommend to most people who ask. Here is what has held up, and what has not.
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MacBook Air 13" (M4)
The default laptop recommendation. 16GB of memory as standard, a better camera and a lower price make the base model a genuinely good machine.
Our score9.2 / 10
Released2025
Launch price$999
Our take
The default laptop recommendation. 16GB of memory as standard, a better camera and a lower price make the base model a genuinely good machine.
Every Mac we review becomes someone’s main computer for at least a month. We pay most attention to sustained performance, fan noise, battery life on real workdays and how far the base memory goes.
Pros
- 16GB memory standard
- Silent, fanless design
- Supports two external displays
Cons
- Only two Thunderbolt ports
- Display is 60Hz
Specifications
| Display | 13.6-inch Liquid Retina, 2560 x 1664 |
|---|---|
| Chip | M4, 10-core CPU |
| Memory | 16GB unified memory (configurable) |
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage |
| Battery | Up to 18 hours video playback |
| Weight | About 1.24 kg |
Mentioned in
9.0
Buying guides
MacBook Air or MacBook Pro: how to choose
Fans, ports, displays and memory: the four questions that decide it for most people.
How-to
A simple backup plan for your Mac
Time Machine, iCloud and an off-site copy: the three layers that protect your files without effort.
