Release Date and Immediate Availability
Apple opened pre-orders for the MacBook Air M4 on March 5, 2025, with the first deliveries and in-store availability starting March 12, 2025, across more than 28 countries including the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, China, and India. Additional regions in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East will start shipping in early April. Education customers get standard discounts immediately, and major resellers mirror the launch date. The M2 MacBook Air continues from $999 with 16 GB unified memory in the 13-inch size.
Pricing and Configuration Tiers
The 13-inch MacBook Air M4 starts at $1,099 (education $999), and the 15-inch model starts at $1,299 (education $1,199). Build-to-order options boost unified memory to 24 GB or 32 GB and SSD storage to 512 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB. A fully loaded 15-inch with 32 GB memory and 2 TB storage reaches $2,399. The base configuration now includes the 10-core GPU, a notable upgrade from the 8-core M3 base. All models feature 16 GB unified memory at minimum, doubling the previous 8 GB floor. Pre-configured upgrades include a 512GB SSD and 16GB memory for $1,299 on the 13-inch.
Design and Display
The fanless unibody aluminum design measures just 11.3 mm thin for the 13-inch (2.7 pounds) and 11.5 mm for the 15-inch (3.3 pounds). Liquid Retina displays span 13.6 inches (2,560 x 1,664) and 15.3 inches (2,880 x 1,864), each delivering 500 nits sustained brightness, P3 wide color, and True Tone. For the first time, a nano-texture glass option ($150) reduces glare and reflections. The 1080p camera remains in the notch, and overall dimensions are unchanged, preserving case compatibility. Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, and Silver finishes are available. The improved Midnight anodization seal greatly reduces fingerprints. Both sizes share identical color palettes and the nano-texture option.
M4 Chip Performance
Apple’s second-generation 3nm M4 chip drives the MacBook Air with a 10-core CPU (four performance, six efficiency cores), a 10-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine capable of 38 trillion operations per second (TOPS). This powers on-device Apple Intelligence features without sacrificing battery. Compared to the M1 Air, Apple claims up to 1.6x faster CPU performance and 2.2x faster graphics. The new display engine natively supports two external displays up to 6K at 60 Hz alongside the built-in screen—a first for the fanless Air. Unified memory bandwidth jumps to 120 GB/s. Hardware-accelerated ray tracing, mesh shading, and a dynamic cache allow smooth gameplay with titles like Resident Evil 4 and Baldur’s Gate 3. In sustained workloads, the fanless thermal design uses a heatsink spreader; negligible throttling occurs in everyday tasks, though heavy GPU renders will see gradual clock reduction. The media engine supports AV1 decode and hardware-accelerated ProRes, and the entire system remains silent under load with no fan noise.
Memory and Storage
Base models now ship with 16 GB unified memory, doubling the M3 generation’s 8 GB. Storage starts at 256 GB on the $1,099 13-inch, though upgrading to 512 GB ($200) doubles NAND chips, delivering noticeably faster read/write speeds. The 10-core GPU is now standard across all M4 Air configurations. Users can configure up to 32 GB memory and 2 TB SSD at purchase; all storage is soldered with no aftermarket upgrades. The shared memory architecture pools RAM between CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine, making the 16 GB floor ideal for Apple Intelligence and heavy multitasking sessions. The 512GB option yields up to 3,000 MB/s sequential reads, doubling the speed of the 256GB drive across projects.
Camera and Audio
The 1080p FaceTime HD camera now includes Center Stage and desk view, using the M4’s Neural Engine to keep users framed. A three-mic array with beamforming and voice isolation cuts background noise, and ‘Hey Siri’ works hands-free even with the lid closed. The 15-inch model packs a six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos; the 13-inch uses four speakers. Both feature force-cancelling woofers for richer bass. The 3.5 mm jack supports high-impedance headphones. Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes are supported for calls.
Connectivity and Ports
MagSafe 3 charging returns, leaving two Thunderbolt 4 (USB‑C) ports with 40 Gb/s throughput. The M4 Air natively powers two external displays up to 6K alongside the built‑in screen—no clamshell mode needed. Wi‑Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 are standard. No SD card slot or HDMI port appears. Every box includes a 35W Dual USB‑C Compact Power Adapter; the 15‑inch 512GB model and optional $20 upgrade bundle a 70W fast charger. The 35W adapter also charges an iPhone.
Battery Life and Power Efficiency
Rated for 18 hours of wireless web browsing and 20 hours of video playback on the 13‑inch, matching M3 figures. The 15‑inch delivers up to 15 hours of web use. Battery capacities are 52.6 Wh (13‑inch) and 66.5 Wh (15‑inch). Fast charging reaches 50% in about 30 minutes with the 70W adapter. Efficiency gains let the M4 Air sustain all‑day battery while pushing a 10‑core GPU and Apple Intelligence. Optimized power circuitry keeps the system cool and silent under sustained loads.
macOS Sequoia and Apple Intelligence
Every MacBook Air M4 ships with macOS Sequoia 15.4, integrating Apple Intelligence system‑wide. Writing Tools, Image Playground, Genmoji, and a revamped Siri with on‑screen awareness run seamlessly on the 16‑core Neural Engine. iPhone Mirroring enables full iPhone interaction from the Mac, with notification sync and drag‑and‑drop file transfer. Window tiling, Presenter Overlay, and Safari Highlights enhance productivity. Privacy remains central with on‑device processing and Private Cloud Compute for complex requests. New Core ML APIs accelerate on-device inference for third-party apps with privacy intact, and a dedicated Passwords app adds security. Safari gains Highlights and a redesigned Calculator.
Color Options and Sustainability
Four finishes: Midnight (with improved fingerprint resistance), Starlight, Space Gray, and Silver. The enclosure uses 100% recycled aluminum, magnets incorporate recycled rare earths, and gold plating is 100% recycled. Packaging is 97% fiber-based, advancing Apple’s plastic elimination goal. Both models are Energy Star certified and free of mercury, brominated flame retardants, PVC, and beryllium. Lower power draw reduces carbon footprint across the lifecycle. The Midnight finish resists fingerprints better than ever.