Amazon is selling the M4 MacBook Air for $250 off right now - and I'm jealous as a Pro user

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Apple's MacBook Air M4 (13-inch) is connected merchantability astatine Amazon starting for $749, the lowest terms we've seen yet.
• The M4 Air supports up to 2 outer monitors with the lid open, and scales up to 32GB of unified memory.
• There are inactive lone 2 USB-C ports connected the near side, and I privation determination were a nano-texture show option.

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Before Apple announced the MacBook Air M4 successful aboriginal 2025, rumors abounded connected what caller features the ultraportable would travel with. 

Partly due to the fact that it was the past of Apple's halfway enactment of devices to get the M4 chip, and partially because, well, past year's MacBook Air M3 was (and inactive is) 1 of the champion laptops we've tested -- a future-proofed "AI machine for the masses" that could beryllium seen arsenic a palmy culmination of Apple's design. 

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At nary constituent tin the Apple instrumentality halt producing, however, truthful with the MacBook Air M4, it was evident it would beryllium an incremental upgrade, refining what made past year's mentation large portion offering a small spot much for little outgo to the consumer.  

The MacBook Air M4, for example, starts astatine $999 for the 13-inch configuration with 16GB of representation -- $100 little than past year's M3. At the aforesaid time, the hardware expands connected some the debased and precocious end, with the lowest-tier configuration of the M4 equipped with a 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU, successful opposition to the 8-core M3 spot from past year.

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On the different hand, the high-end configuration offers 32GB of unified memory, which was antecedently capped retired astatine 24GB connected past year's M3. This operation of improvements for basal components and a little starting outgo is strategical positioning connected Apple's portion to incentivize the caller devices and enactment competitory successful an progressively crowded market. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

The MacBook Air M4 is simply a fantastic device, but it's besides a earthy continuation of the merchandise line, which immoderate mightiness spot arsenic a "boring" update. Depending connected who you ask, that could beryllium a bully oregon a not-so-good thing. You can't hole what isn't broken, but I deliberation determination is immoderate country present for a fewer much bold plan choices. 

One of the astir evident is the MacBook Air M4's caller colorway, Sky Blue, which is simply a very subtle blue; a precise cautious determination erstwhile I was expecting thing a small person to Microsoft's Surface Laptop. All that being said, determination are surely immoderate features connected the M4 MacBook Air that acceptable this year's ultraportable apart. Let's interruption them down. 

Triple-screen threat

One of the astir anticipated and sought-after features of the MacBook Air M4 is its quality to enactment 2 outer monitors portion the lid is open. This unsocial opens up caller possibilities for work, productivity, and originative tasks and makes the MacBook Air much competitory with 3 moving displays. 

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The laptop's ain show inactive looks great, arsenic well. Apple's Liquid Retina exertion provides crisp, well-defined text, smooth, vibrant video, and enactment for 1 cardinal colors. Maxing retired astatine 500 nits of brightness, the show connected the Air M4 doesn't get arsenic agleam arsenic the MacBook Pro, but it's inactive agleam capable for the bulk of usage cases. 

I americium a small amazed determination isn't an enactment to upgrade the M4 Air with the nano-textured solid we saw connected the M4 MacBook Pro, however. Maybe we're a spot spoiled now, but the glare is noticeable capable for maine to wonderment why, of each the imaginable things you tin upgrade this laptop with, that isn't 1 of them. 

The different happening astir the show I don't emotion is the notch for the camera, which results successful a chunk of different invaluable surface existent property blacked retired wherever the lens is located. If you support the toolbar toggled on, it's thing you tin get utilized to, but with apps successful full-screen it's decidedly noticeable.

Productivity powerhouse 

While connected the taxable of productivity, the MacBook Air M4 excels astatine much than conscionable aggregate displays. For 1 thing, videoconferencing connected the Air is simply a joy. The webcam's hardware got an upgrade, from the 1080p FaceTime camera from past twelvemonth to a 12MP camera connected the M4 Air with Apple's caller Center Stage feature. 

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We archetypal saw Center Stage connected the MacBook Pro and iMac past fall, and its summation to the Air is 1 of the galore features that bring the ultraportable a small person to its older Pro sibling. If you're unfamiliar with it, Center Stage keeps you focused and centered successful the framework nary substance however you're positioned, handling the ocular logistics of the telephone with minimal input from the user. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

To me, it seems little similar a standalone diagnostic successful its ain close and much similar the inevitable aboriginal of webcam technology. This is however webcams should work, and Apple's innovation present presents a polished acquisition that is arsenic enjoyable for enactment oregon idiosyncratic calls connected FaceTime. 

The operation of top-tier hardware, a seamless and well-integrated product, and quality-of-life features conscionable makes the video telephone acquisition wide amended connected a Mac. 

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I usage a Windows instrumentality arsenic my regular driver, and though I've utilized Macs for years successful the past, I forgot however effortlessly the MacBook Air tin grip multitasking done a operation of the Launchpad, divided screen, and talking straight to Siri. Additionally, improvements to however windows are tiled are satisfying for those of america who similar our desktops arranged successful a peculiar way. 

Reliable, all-day battery

The MacBook Air is inactive a battery-efficient device, and though Apple's Silicon enactment of processors acceptable the modular for artillery show successful ultraportable laptops, the remainder of the marketplace has had immoderate clip to drawback up. 

That doesn't mean the MacBook Air has fallen behind, but it does person immoderate competitors now. During my investigating of the M4, I got implicit 14 hours of artillery beingness with the instrumentality moving a 4K video astatine fractional brightness, which is astir wherever I expected it to beryllium and about the aforesaid arsenic past year's MacBook Air M3. 

By contrast, Microsoft's Surface Laptop got implicit 15 hours during the aforesaid test, and Asus' Zenbook A14 came successful person to 20. The latter, of course, doesn't lucifer the powerfulness connected committee the MacBook Air M4, but it is lighter, thinner, and packs a gorgeous display. That unsocial puts it successful contention territory. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Yes, the MacBook Pro M4 volition past longer arsenic well, but the Air is thinner and lighter and overmuch little variable: the quality successful artillery drain is minimal depending connected what tasks you're putting it done (barring persistent, aggravated workloads).

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The bottommost enactment is that for users who commute into the bureau a fewer times a week, you tin reliably number connected the MacBook Air M4 to past the full time if you hide your charger, adjacent if you're taking a fewer video calls. 

Benchmarking

Putting each that hardware to the test, the MacBook Air M4 performed precise good successful our benchmarking, coming successful precise adjacent to some the MacBook Pro M4 and MacBook Pro M3. As these devices permission their predecessors from conscionable a fewer years agone successful the dust, they get a small spot person to each other. 

So what astir the things I privation Apple did differently? Well, galore of my gripes astir the MacBook Air M4 are thing new. For one, determination are inactive lone 2 USB-C ports, some of which are connected the left-hand broadside of the device. If this felt limiting for you before, not overmuch has changed. 

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Second, Apple's devices stay immoderate of the astir locked-down erstwhile it comes to repairability, keeping consumers strictly bound to Apple's repair and work exemplary by barring the usage of salvaged components. The institution has made strides toward a greener concern exemplary erstwhile it comes to production, but a loosening of the strict power implicit parts replacement would spell adjacent further. 

ZDNET's buying advice

The MacBook Air M4 is inactive 1 of the astir implicit packages you tin inquire for erstwhile it comes to creativity, productivity, and mundane use. The M4 Air's sleek and lightweight signifier origin acceptable the modular for ultraportables, and not overmuch has changed with its plan since, for amended oregon for worse. 

If you person an iPhone and bask Apple's ecosystem of products, the MacBook Air is simply a coagulated prime arsenic a main driver. If you already person a Mac that's much than a fewer years old, the MacBook Air M4 volition consciousness similar a important upgrade. If you person an M2 Pro oregon M3, the leap volition consciousness little noticeable. If you're coming from an older Windows device, well, you'll wonderment however you ever took calls connected your 720p webcam astatine all. 

Considering each of this, the MacBook Air M4 is simply a humble upgrade from its predecessor but pushes the enactment guardant overall. In fact, with burgeoning Apple Intelligence features, the aforesaid camera exertion arsenic the MacBook Pro M4, upgraded hardware, and a little starting price, the MacBook Air seems similar the astir logical prime for a caller Apple laptop successful 2025.