A year on from the M3 MacBook Air, Apple has announced the latest version of its lightweight laptop. Launched alongside the ultraportable MacBook Air 13-inch (M4), the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) adds a few key improvements to a proven formula.
Like its predecessor, the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) is a streamlined large-screen laptop with a silent design and excellent performance, courtesy of Apple’s cutting-edge M4 chip. In a rare twist, it also comes in cheaper than the previous edition: prices start at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,099.
But does the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) offer good value for money? And is it worth upgrading if you already own the M3 MacBook Air?
We’ve pulled together the biggest reviews from across the web and distilled the results below, to help you decide which MacBook is best for you. First up is the feedback from our own experience…
The MacBook Air M4 reviews
TechRadar: “An excellent thin and light laptop, and one of the best 15-inch laptops you can currently buy”
The good
- Impressive performance
- Lower entry price
- Silent fanless design
The bad
- Not a major upgrade
- Lack of Wi-Fi 7
Our MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) review concludes that it’s “the best 15-inch laptop you can buy”. We complimented its “brilliant thin and light design” and found that it offers a “more immersive sound experience” than the 13-inch version. We also acknowledged that the lower price makes it “a better model for less money.”
We did observe that it’s “more of a refinement than a complete reimagining” and noted that the improved performance of the M4 chip, while “very good,” doesn’t justify the upgrade if you already have an M2 or an M3 MacBook.
That said, we still found it “a solid performer that can handle any day to day task”, with battery life good enough for “several work days on a single charge.” Together with webcam improvements and the usefulness of a larger screen, we rated the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) as “excellent value for money.”
The Verge: “Continues to nail the fundamentals at a fairly affordable price.”
The good
- Full-day battery life
- Thin, light design
- Excellent everyday laptop
- Loud speakers
The bad
- Limited basic storage
- Not enough ports
- Throttled performance
The Verge’s MacBook Air (M4) review agrees with most of our feedback. It notes that the new version offers “even better value”, making it an “excellent choice for most people’s everyday needs.” The main reservation relates to the “lackluster spec” of storage on the base-level version, though it does note the increase from 8GB to 16GB of RAM.
Unlike us, The Verge reviewed both the 13-inch and 15-inch versions together at the same time. Like us, it found that “the two extra speakers on the 15-inch” allow it to “get quite loud without sounding distorted.”
It concludes that the new models “don’t do anything groundbreaking” but continue to “nail the fundamentals at a fairly affordable price.” That includes “some solid performance gains over the M3”, along with “exceptional battery life” and “a great keyboard.” The Verge also comments that the “haptic trackpad is the best around.”
CNET: “Sits in the Goldilocks Zone of Apple’s MacBook lineup”
The good
- Screen size and weight
- Efficient performance
- Cheaper starting price
The bad
- Expensive storage
- Costly RAM upgrades
- No ProMotion display
CNET’s review shares many of those opinions. It sees the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) as an update that “adds incremental improvements to an already fantastic laptop,” awarding it an impressive 9/10.
It echoes the view that “the performance gains aren’t enough on their own to necessitate an upgrade” from an M2 or M3 model but identifies “the lower price and bigger screen” as two reasons to change. CNET has plenty of praise for the 15.3-inch display, which offers more space for “open windows and Chrome tabs,” as well as streaming.
Like The Verge, CNET has a word to say about the M4’s storage options, balking at “the semi-outrageous charge of $200 to double the storage to a 512GB SSD.” Even so, it thinks the “roomy display, trim design and new lower starting price” mean the 15-inch M4 “should be viewed as the default Air.”
Wired: “The 15-inch MacBook Air has finally come into its own.”
The good
- Lower price
- Sharper webcam
- Powerful M4 chip
- Keyboard and trackpad
The bad
- Extra storage is expensive
- One-sided port layout
Wired joins CNET in awarding the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) a score of 9/10, noting that it “improves upon the previous model in noteworthy ways while also dropping the price.” The key takeaway is that it’s a “more well-rounded option” overall, with an “increase in performance and capabilities, paired with a lower price.”
It notes that the core design hasn’t changed, but that “people are still marveling at it”, including “the excellent keyboard and trackpad”. Wired does bemoan that “all the power connections are on the left side”, but applauds the addition of “support for up to two external displays”.
Wired notes “no discernible performance difference between the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air”, but find that the “extra screen real estate” of the larger model makes a huge difference, “without giving up sharpness”. In summary, it rates the 15-inch M4 as “a clear winner.”
Engadget: “The ideal ultraportable for most users”
The good
- Rapid performance
- Streamlined design
- Strong battery life
- Great touchpad and keys
The bad
- Not enough ports
- Screen refresh rate
Like others, Engadget notes that “the M4 chip isn’t a transformative upgrade” for the MacBook Air, reporting that it “couldn’t actually feel a difference.” But it still finds the new 15-inch model “a no-brainer purchase” and rates it as “a nearly flawless ultraportable.”
As elsewhere, Engadget praises several aspects of the Air’s “impressively thin” design, describing the keyboard as “a dream to type on” and stating that “it has one of the best trackpads around.” It also commends the battery life and appreciates the tracking feature of the Center Stage camera, even if the upgrade “isn’t exactly earth-shattering.”
Like The Verge, Engadget reviewed the 13-inch and 15-inch versions of the MacBook Air M4 together. It acknowledges the benefits of both, finding that “the smaller one is definitely easier to travel with” but the larger has the more “immersive screen”. The Engadget review does wish for “more ports and a faster screen refresh rate” but fundamentally sees the new MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) as “heads and shoulders above the competition”.
The MacBook Air M4 verdict
While opinions on finer details might differ, there’s a strong consensus in the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) reviews: every reviewer felt that Apple’s new 15-inch laptop gets close to the sweet spot in terms of price, performance, and screen size.
Every review commented favorably on the model’s new lower price and the general sentiment is that it offers better value and a superior everyday user experience than the previous edition. That includes an excellent trackpad and keyboard, plus extra speakers.
Most of the reviews agree on the drawbacks, which will be familiar to owners of previous verions of the MacBook Air. Apple hasn’t been generous with the ports, while the base-level storage capacity is limited and the cost of upgrading is high.
The main audience for the smaller MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is students and regular travelers. The 15-inch otherwise offers fuller sound and a larger display without much additional weight.
Almost all of the reviews conclude that the performance improvements delivered by the M4 chip don’t warrant upgrading if you already own a MacBook Air 15-inch (M3). But for everyone else, this is one of the best 15-inch laptops you can buy.
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christian.rowlands@me.com (Chris Rowlands)
