MacBook Air M4: The Best Apple Deal in 2025

Introduction

Apple has surprised everyone with its MacBook Air M4—not just because of the new M4 chip, but due to its unprecedented pricing strategy. The base model now comes with 16GB RAM instead of 8GB, a significant jump for multitasking efficiency.

But the real shocker? The MacBook Air M4 starts at ₹99,990, which is actually cheaper than the M3 version launched last year at ₹1,14,990. With upgraded internals, a new color option, and performance refinements, is it the best value-for-money Apple laptop yet? Let’s dive in.

MacBook Air M4 Design & Build: Familiar Yet Polished

Apple continues with the sleek aluminum chassis, ultra-lightweight design, and fanless architecture that makes the MacBook Air one of the most portable premium laptops in existence.

New Color Option

While the overall design remains unchanged, Apple has introduced a new blue color variant. It adds a fresh premium touch to the MacBook lineup, making it instantly recognizable as the latest model.

Port Selection

You still get:

MagSafe charging port
Two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports
Headphone jack

Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 ensure fast connectivity, but dongles remain necessary for expanded I/O.

Display & Multimedia Experience

The Liquid Retina IPS display remains impressive, color-accurate, and vibrant. It supports Dolby Vision, making video streaming and content consumption a treat.

Brightness levels are solid, even under direct sunlight.
Speaker performance is crisp, offering good bass reproduction for an immersive audio experience.

While OLED would’ve been ideal, Apple’s IPS panel still delivers fantastic visuals.

Performance: The Real Deal

The M4 chip brings incremental performance gains, but it’s not a revolutionary leap over the M3 chip.

Upgraded RAM Configuration

Every MacBook Air M4 now starts at 16GB RAM, a welcome change for creators and professionals handling video editing, Photoshop, and AI workloads.

Benchmark Results

Geekbench CPU Tests:
- Compared to the M1, the M4 sees double the performance increase in both single-core and multi-core scores.
- Compared to the M3, the gains are marginal—so upgrading from M3 isn’t necessary unless you need that extra bit of GPU power.
GPU and AI Enhancements:
- MacBook Air M4’s GPU performs 3x better than the M1 in graphical applications.
- AI workloads (LLM processing) run significantly smoother, making on-device AI tasks more efficient.

Real-World Performance

We tested a variety of demanding tasks: ✔ 4K Video Editing in Final Cut Pro:

Rendering speeds are faster.
No throttling issues thanks to passive cooling.

Gaming Performance:

Rocket League at 1080p runs at 100+ FPS.
Death Stranding maintains 60 FPS at high settings.
Resident Evil 4 struggled at 30 FPS, proving MacBooks aren’t meant for heavy gaming.

Multitasking & Browser Usage:

Multiple Chrome tabs, document editing, coding—the M4 handled everything effortlessly.
No overheating, even under heavy load.

AI Workloads:

Tested DeepSeek AI models—smooth operation with no major slowdowns.
Good for AI researchers and data scientists who need efficient computing power.

Battery & Charging: Apple’s Strength Continues

Battery Life:

Delivers 13-14 hours on a full charge—ideal for workdays without needing a charger.

Charging Speed:

35W charger takes 2.5 hours for a full charge.
Supports 70W fast charging, making rapid recharges possible.

Heat Management:

Even under intense workloads, temperatures stay below 42°C, keeping performance stable without a cooling fan.

MacBook Air M4 vs Previous Models: Should You Upgrade?

Upgrade if you have an M1 or M2:

The M4 is a massive leap in performance, multitasking, and RAM capacity improvements.

Skip upgrading if you own an M3:

The M4 doesn’t offer radical performance gains over M3, so upgrading isn’t necessary unless you need the new color or extra GPU cores.

Final Verdict: Best Value-for-Money MacBook?

Apple’s MacBook Air M4 balances pricing, performance, and efficiency beautifully. ✔ 16GB RAM base model upgrade makes it future-proof. ✔ The new M4 chip delivers respectable improvements, especially in GPU-heavy applications. ✔ Pricing is unexpectedly low, making it the best MacBook for students and professionals.

If you’re using an M1 or M2, upgrading is a no-brainer. But M3 users may want to wait for the next major leap in performance.