It's only been a few months since the MacBook Air gained the M3 chip, but it appears Apple is already working on upgrading its most popular laptop to the latest M4 chip.
We know plenty about the chipset since it already appeared in the latest M4 iPad Pro which launched in May of this year, meaning Apple is working on a sort of staggered release date with the two generations of chips - while some devices are still on M2.
While we already expect the M4 Pro to come to the MacBook Pro lineup, it seems a slam dunk it'll come to the Air, too. After all, the MacBook Air has seen M1, M2, and M3 versions since the Apple Silicon transition.
Apple's M4 MacBook Pro is expected to be one of the first devices equipped with the latest generation of Apple silicon, and it could be announced as soon as this year.
Now that the MacBook Air comes in 13 and 15-inch sizes, here's what we can expect from the next generation of Apple's consumer-focused laptop - including all we know about new features and when you might be able to get your hands on one.
M4 MacBook Air: Release date rumors
The MacBook Air M3 made its debut in March of this year, meaning we've only had that generation for the last few months.
Still, Apple is always keeping its foot on the gas with its silicon, and reports suggest the M4 could arrive in early 2025 - meaning around a year after the M3 version.
That comes via Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in April, suggesting the M4 transition would start with the iPad Pro before hitting a low-end MacBook Pro late in 2024, around the same time as the next iMac.
Then, the high-end, 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models would gain Pro and Max versions of the M4 chip, before the M4 MacBook Air in Spring - potentially followed by a Mac Studio.
M4 MacBook Air: Models
It seems likely Apple will stick to the same exterior design it debuted with the MacBook Air M2 in 2022, so you can expect the same screen sizes as a result.
That means the MacBook Air will come in 13.6 and 15.3-inch screen options, likely with the same flat edges and notch in the display.
As for colors, we'd expect the same as the M3 until we hear otherwise, giving you Silver, Starlight, Space Gray or Midnight to choose from.
M4 MacBook Air: M4 chip
Unlike some prior generations of Apple hardware, we have a reasonable idea of what to expect from the M4 chip since it's already found in the very impressive iPad Pro hardware that debuted in May of this year.
The new chip packs 10 CPU and 10 GPU cores and features many of M3's best features. That includes Dynamic Caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and more, and it's the fastest chip for AI that Apple has ever released.
That's good, because macOS Sequoia and Apple Intelligence will go hand in hand later this year, and Apple will want its Mac users to be able to make the most of its new features and tools.
While Apple is yet to provide official M3 vs M4 benchmarks, it has said the M4 is 1.5x faster than the M2 when it comes to CPU performance. Third-party tools put the M4 further ahead again, but by around 10% in single core tasks, it seems.
We don't know anything about the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips as yet, but they'll likely be restricted to the MacBook Pro models.
Still, Apple could spring a surprise by packing an M4 Pro into an Air - watch this space.
M4 MacBook Air: Design
As we mentioned above, the MacBook Air M3 replicates the exact form-factor of the M2 version, and the combination of the two has knocked the M1 off of Apple's store page entirely.
Given the fanless design has been well-received in all corners, we don't see Apple changing things again. On the plus side, that means the same sleek design that's on offer now, but probably means we're unlikely to get any additional USB-C ports on the right-hand side.
M4 MacBook Air: Display
The current MacBook Air display is great, regardless of which size you opt for, but the MacBook Pro still rules the roost with its Liquid Retina XDR panel.
It seems unlikely Apple will bump the Air to such extravagant tech, stealing one of the Pro model's headline features, so expect a 2560x1664 resolution display again.
We've not heard any reports about Apple bringing ProMotion refresh rates of up to 120Hz to the MacBook Air, but given it's reportedly looking to do that for the iPhone 17, there's always a chance.
While the M4 chip does power the tandem OLED of the iPad Pro 2024, it seems if any MacBook will go to an OLED display it'll be the MacBook Pro - so don't expect it on the Air just yet.
M4 MacBook Pro: Memory and Storage
The M3 version of the MacBook Air offers a series of configurations, but there seems to be some frustration among some reviewers that Apple steadfastly sticks to 256GB of SSD storage and 8GB of RAM on the Air lineup while charging a high fee to upgrade either.
Will the M4 see Apple debut 16GB of RAM as standard on the MacBook Air? Here's hoping, but for now it's a paid extra.
M4 MacBook Air: Connectivity
The M2 MacBook Air brought back MagSafe (complete with color-matched cables) in 2022, but we can't see Apple adding to the current suite of ports.
That means the M4 MacBook Air is likely to have two USB-C ports on the left as well as MagSafe, then a headphone jack on the right-hand side.
While SDXC and HDMI ports are available on Apple laptops again as of late 2021, you'll need a MacBook Pro if you want them.
It's worth noting that the move to M3 facilitated the ability for the MacBook Air to extend to two displays at once while in clamshell mode. There's every chance the M4 could up that again, or remove the clamshell requirement.
M4 MacBook Air: Price
The MacBook Air M3 debuted at $1099 for the 13-inch version, meaning it cost less than the M2 model it helped reduce the price of.
There's every chance Apple sticks to this price point, particularly as the 15-inch model is a bigger jump in price to $1299, still with relatively modest specs.
Apple may opt to keep the price the same for the M4 version, or charge slightly more for the new chip and (hopefully) ramp up the base specs.
Time will tell, but at present, the 15-inch MacBook Air isn't that much cheaper than the base M3 MacBook Pro.
