Apple's new M4 MacBook Air is here, with a new chip, new price, and a new color on offer. I took it for a quick spin.
Apple sent me the 15-inch variant of the new MacBook Air in the new "sky blue" color, with an M4 chip, 16GB of memory, and 1TB of storage space. I haven't yet spent enough time with it to tell you whether it's a good purchase, but I can say one thing: The sky blue color will only shine in a certain light.
So, so subtle.
Pulling the new Air out of its box, I thought there must've been a mistake, as the thing seemed gray to my eyes. Only after a direct comparison with my 16-inch, silver MacBook Pro was I able to determine that the device Apple sent me indeed has a blue hue to it.
In its marketing materials, Apple did say that the Air "creates a dynamic gradient when light reflects off of its surface," and it does, but you do need that light to see it. In other words, don't expect people to notice your new fancy Air unless it's basking in sunlight. Oh, and if you wondered, the MagSafe charge cable you get with it is color-matched.
Enough about the color (the new Air is also available in midnight, starlight, and silver). The new Air, as I expected, was incredibly sleek and light next to my massive MacBook Pro. With a 15-inch LED display and at 2.7 pounds of weight, it's definitely not a small laptop, but I feel it still deserves the "Air" moniker, if only barely.
What else is new?
This year's MacBook Air seems to be about refinement. It looks and weighs the same as the last one, but it has the new, faster M4 chip, it starts with more RAM (16GB), it has a much-needed, upgraded 12-megapixel FaceTime camera, and it starts at $999 (down from $1,099) That's for the 13-inch variant, though; the 15-incher that I've tested starts at $1,199.
That's actually quite a lot of improvements, and while I didn't have time to truly put the new M4 chip to the test, the new Air seems to be a no brainer if you're looking for a sleek, portable Apple laptop.
Sure, the display doesn't get as bright as the one on my Pro, but having them both side by side right now, both on maximum brightness, I'm not really noticing that much of a difference. The fact that the Air's display only supports 60Hz refresh rate while the Pro goes up to 120Hz is noticeable when things are moving on screen.
And yes, the Air could definitely use more ports. It only has the MagSafe port (if you wondered, the charinge cable you get with it is color-matched), two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. This could be of particular importance if you plan to use the new Air with two external monitors, which you now can -- those two Thunderbolt ports probably won't cut it for all your needs.
Stay tuned for a more thorough assessment of whether the new Air is worth your money. For now, though, it appears to be a winner.