Apple might have only unveiled the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air with M4 yesterday, March 5, 2025, but I’ve gotten an early preview, putting my eyes and hands on the latest laptop from the Cupertino-based tech giant.
While the leading feature is in the name – the M4 chipset – two other things bubbled up in my mind: the new Sky Blue shade, which has a unique quality to it, and that more affordable price.
I didn’t get to do a formal hands-on, per se, but here are my thoughts after seeing the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air in all four colors, along with some photos and videos of them in action.
Sky Blue really looks stunning
I wasn’t expecting an all-new color for the MacBook Air, but I am thrilled to see Apple expanding the lineup. I, of course, just wish a few more shades were ushered in, potentially some more vibrant colors like the pink and orange of the iMac. One can dream.
In person, the Sky Blue shade is really delightful and almost an optical illusion. Depending on how the light hits it, it can sometimes look silver. It’s not a vibrant blue or a darker one like Midnight, but rather, it sticks out as a light, pastel-y shade of turquoise.
Further, as much as I’d love a punchy Ultramarine MacBook Air like the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, that’s not the case here.
While Apple is ushering Sky Blue to the MacBook Air color options, it’s replacing Space Gray. So, if you don’t want the new color, your options are Starlight, Silver, or Midnight – you can see them in the gallery below.
Apple added its special anodization process to Midnight with the M2 model to help reduce and remove fingerprints – mileage varied at times here. that’s unchanged with the M4, but there’s no such finish on the Sky Blue MacBook Air.
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Even so, Sky Blue does a pretty good job of hiding fingerprints and smudges on the outer shell. It’s a natural property of this shade and the materials here.
If I were to purchase a MacBook Air right now, I would choose Sky Blue for either size. It’s a great shade – not too poppy or vibrant, just the right amount of color to add flair. Please don’t snap a plastic case on the outside of it; stickers are fine, though.
I do hope that with whatever comes next – maybe it’s M5 MacBook Air? – Apple rolls out some additional shades.
A return to form for price
In the United States, the 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $999 for the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. That same model is £999 in the UK or $1,699 in Australia, which is actually a price cut, and Apple’s really stretching the value here. That’s even better than when the MacBook Air M1 rolled out.
Although I didn’t spend much time playing around with macOS on these MacBook Airs, I have zero doubts about the M4 chip’s performance. I saw demos of it playing a game and performing some masking in Pixelmator Pro without skipping a beat or dropping frames.
When I reviewed the iMac as well as TechRadar’s Matthew Hanson with the Mac mini and Lance Ulanoff with the 14-inch MacBook Pro last October – all featuring variations of the M4 – the speeds and performance were fast.
I have a feeling that for the price, the MacBook Air will be the obvious choice for most folks – even for the 15-inch, starting at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,099, which also got a price cut.
@techradar
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Alongside the new color and the M4 chip, Apple also made another change to the MacBook Air: upgrading the FaceTime camera to a 12-megapixel lens with support from CenterStage.
I quickly tested this. As I moved the MacBook Air up or down, the camera frame moved swiftly to keep me in the video (it does this via a crop of a much wider 12MP video frame). It’s nice to have, and considering Center Stage also arrives on the MacBook Pro with the M4, it’s good form to trickle it down to the MacBook Air.
I wish Apple had at least offered the nano-texture option here, as it works great on the MacBook Pro. While I’m at it, upping the base storage to 512GB would also be nice. As it stands, I think this is one of the best MacBook Airs, yet from the price cut to the M4 chip to the shiny shade of blue.
Be sure to check out our first look video with the MacBook Air below, and stay tuned for a review once we get our hands on it, as there is plenty to test here.
If you’re already sold, the M4 MacBook Air is up for preorder now and will formally launch on March 12, 2025.
- 13-inch MacBook Air with M4, starting at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 from Apple or Amazon
- 15-inch MacBook Air with M4, starting at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,099 from Apple or Amazon
@techradar
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jacob.krol@futurenet.com (Jacob Krol)
