explore apple 2025 MacBook air 13-inch m4 review

Apple 2025 MacBook Air 13-inch M4 Review: The Best Air Yet?

When Apple unveiled the 2025 MacBook Air 13 inch with the M4 chip, the buzz was immediate.

People wanted to know—is this just another shiny refresh, or a real step forward?

On paper, it sounds almost too good: lightning-fast performance, up to 18 hours of battery life, Apple Intelligence built in, and a design so light you might forget it’s in your bag.

But specs only tell part of the story. What really matters is how it performs in day-to-day life—whether you’re a student, a creative professional, or just someone who wants a reliable laptop for work and play.

demand of Apple 2025 MacBook Air

The Apple 2025 MacBook Air 13 inch with M4 chip isn’t just another laptop launch—it’s already shaping sales charts.

In Q1 2025 alone, Apple shipped 5.5 million Macs worldwide, with 2.7 million units shipped in the U.S.—a significant jump from 2.1 million during the same period in 2024 (MacRumors).

By Q2 2025, shipments climbed further to 6.2 million units globally, underscoring growing consumer demand.

While Apple doesn’t release exact sales by model, the MacBook Air M4 has quickly risen to one of the top-selling laptops on Amazon USA, which clearly signals its popularity among everyday users, students, and professionals.

In this Apple 2025 MacBook Air 13 inch M4 review, we’ll break down the experience, the pros and cons, and help you decide if this is the MacBook to buy in 2025.

apple 2025 macbook air 13 inch m4 review

The 2025 Apple MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 chip isn’t just a minor refresh — it’s Apple’s attempt to redefine what an “everyday Mac” can do.

At its core is the M4 chip, delivering a redesigned CPU and GPU architecture with faster performance and 120GB/s memory bandwidth, making multitasking smoother and graphics work more fluid than ever.

Apple is also pushing hard on Apple Intelligence (AI), which is now built directly into macOS — meaning features like smart writing assistance, email summarization, and even AI-powered image editing are part of the everyday workflow.

In a bold move, Apple has eliminated the 8GB base memory option — every 2025 Air now starts at 16GB RAM, a future-proof shift that ensures better performance for professionals, students, and creators alike.

The design remains sleek, thin, and fanless, with MagSafe charging returning for convenience.

Alongside classic finishes, Apple has introduced Midnight and Sky Blue as standout color options.

Battery life is another highlight, with Apple promising up to 18 hours on a single charge — a claim that, if true in real-world use, makes it a serious travel companion.

Connectivity hasn’t been neglected either: you get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and support for up to two external displays.

Altogether, Apple promises a laptop that feels light and portable but doesn’t compromise on power, intelligence, or versatility.

Real-World Performance & Benchmarks

  • Everyday Use: In tasks like browsing, working on documents, and streaming, the MacBook Air M4 feels fast, smooth, and highly responsive.

  • Battery Life: Tom’s Guide measured about 15 hours of real-world web usage, close to Apple’s 18-hour claim.

  • Multitasking & Creative Work: Handles multitasking and light video/photo editing effortlessly. Heavy workloads like prolonged 4K video editing or complex rendering may hit thermal limits.

  • Design Perspective: Ars Technica says the Air’s design remains familiar but calls the M4 chip a solid improvement over M2 and M3.

  • Key Upgrades: WIRED praised the doubled base memory (16 GB), brighter display, and sharper webcam, making this version more appealing for students, professionals, and everyday creators.

Pros & Highlights

MacBook_Air_M4_Product_Page_L__en US.psd
  • Excellent Battery Life: Easily lasts a full workday and beyond, with real-world usage often pushing close to 15–18 hours on a single charge. Perfect for students, professionals, and travelers who don’t want to stay plugged in.

  • Ultra-Portable Design: At just 2.7 pounds, the MacBook Air M4 is thin, light, and easy to carry—making it an ideal choice for those constantly on the go.

  • Upgraded Webcam with Center Stage: The 12MP camera paired with Center Stage keeps you in focus during video calls, making it a big win for remote work, online classes, and content creators.

  • Better Value for Performance: Apple finally addressed user concerns by bumping the base model to 16GB RAM while keeping the starting price competitive compared to previous generations.

  • Silent & Fanless: No distracting fan noise, even under moderate multitasking or creative workloads. A big plus if you value a quiet work environment.

  • External Display Support: Unlike older Air models, the 2025 version supports up to two external displays, giving users more flexibility for productivity and creative workflows.

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The Apple 2025 MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is built for speed, power, and portability — making it the perfect laptop for students, professionals, and creators who want performance without compromise. With thousands of users already switching this year, now is the best time to experience the future of Mac.

 

🔥 Buy the MacBook Air M4 on Amazon

Drawbacks & What You Might Miss

  • Limited Ports: With only two Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C ports plus a headphone jack, you’ll likely need a hub or dongle for SD cards, USB-A devices, or HDMI connections.

  • No Active Cooling: The fanless design keeps it silent, but under sustained heavy workloads like 4K video editing or 3D rendering, thermal throttling can kick in.

  • Non-Upgradable Hardware: Like most modern MacBooks, RAM and SSD are soldered in. What you buy is what you’re stuck with—choose wisely upfront.

  • Standard 60Hz Display: While the Retina panel looks fantastic, the lack of a higher refresh rate may disappoint gamers or power users spoiled by ProMotion on iPad Pro and MacBook Pro.

  • Same Familiar Design: The shell hasn’t changed much—still thin and elegant, but the notch remains divisive and some users may find it dated.

  • Expensive Upgrades: The base model is reasonable, but stepping up to larger SSDs or more GPU cores quickly raises the price, making it harder to justify for casual users.

Who This Is For

Best MacBook for Student
PersonaFit for them?Notes
Students / Writers✅ GreatLightweight, long battery, excellent for docs, web, light apps
Professionals (Office/Productivity)✅ Very goodHandles spreadsheets, coding, multitasking well
Creators / Photo editors✅ GoodFor moderate work; heavy video editing may push its thermal limits
Gamers⚠️ LimitedPlays many macOS-optimized games, but many big PC titles lack support
Power users❌ Not idealThose needing many ports, heavy rendering, or upgrade paths may prefer MacBook Pro

Compare Apple Mac Laptops

 
Apple MacBook Air with Apple M3 Chip (13.6-inch)
Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M4 Pro Chip or Apple M4 Max Chip (14-inch)
Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M4 Chip (14-inch)
Apple MacBook Air with Apple M3 Chip (15-inch)
DEVICE
PRICE
$897.00
$1,798.85
$1,399.00
$1,078.38
RATINGS
4.8 out of 5 stars 
4.8 out of 5 stars 
4.8 out of 5 stars 
 4.8 out of 5 stars 
DISPLAY
13.6-inch Liquid Retina display
14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
15.3-inch Liquid Retina display
PROCESSOR
Apple M3 Chip
Apple M4 Pro or Apple M4 Max chip
Apple M4 Chip
Apple M3 Chip
APPLE INTELLIGENCE
check mark
check mark
check mark
check mark
CPU
10-core CPU
Up to 16-core CPU
10-core CPU
10-core CPU
GPU
Up to 10-core GPU
Up to 40-core GPU
10-core GPU
10-core GPU
MEMORY
Up to 24GB unified memory
24GB to 128GB unified memory
16GB to 32GB unified memory
Up to 24GB unified memory
BATTERY
Up to 18 hours battery life
Up to 22 hrs battery life
Up to 24 hours battery life
Up to 18 hours battery life
TOUCH BAR AND TOUCH ID
Touch ID
Touch ID
Touch ID
Touch ID
STORAGE
Up to 2TB storage
Up to 8TB storage
Up to 2TB storage
Up to 2TB storage
LAUNCH YEAR
2025
2024
2024
2025

Tips & Setup Advice

  • Expand your ports with a USB-C hub or dock: Since the M4 Air only has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, investing in a good hub gives you access to SD card slots, HDMI, USB-A, and more.

  • Stick with the 16 GB memory (base) or higher: Apple finally made 16 GB the starting point, which is much more future-proof. If your budget allows, consider more storage upfront, since upgrades aren’t user-replaceable.

  • Keep macOS updated: Apple Intelligence is built into macOS and will continue to get smarter. Regular updates mean better performance, enhanced AI tools, and security improvements.

  • Use an elevated stand for cooling during heavy tasks: While the fanless design is silent, it can throttle under prolonged loads. A stand improves airflow and keeps performance steadier.

  • Leverage Apple’s continuity features with iPhone: With iPhone Mirroring, Universal Clipboard, and Messages on Mac, your workflow becomes seamless. Copy on your phone, paste on your laptop, or answer calls from your Mac without missing a beat.

Technical Details

technical details of Apple 2025 MacBook Air

Chip

  • Apple M4 chip
  • 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores
  • 8-core GPU
  • Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
  • 16-core Neural Engine
  • 120GB/s memory bandwidth
  • Media Engine
  • Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW
  • Video decode engine
  • Video encode engine
  • ProRes encode and decode engine
  • AV1 decode

Apple Intelligence

  • Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.

Display

  • Liquid Retina display
  • 13.6-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1664 native resolution at 224 pixels per inch
  • 500 nits brightness
  • Color
  • Support for 1 billion colors
  • Wide color (P3)
  • True Tone technology

Battery and Power

  • Up to 18 hours video streaming
  • Up to 15 hours wireless web
  • Built-in 53.8-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
  • 30W USB-C Power Adapter (included with M4 with 8-core GPU)
  • 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter (included with M4 with 10-core GPU; configurable with M4 with 8-core GPU)
  • USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable
  • Fast-charge capable with 70W USB-C Power Adapter

Charging and Expansion

  • MagSafe 3 charging port
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • Two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports with support for:
  • Charging
  • DisplayPort
  • Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gb/s)
  • USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s)

Display Support

  • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and:
  • Up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz
  • Thunderbolt 4 digital video output
  • Support for native DisplayPort 1.4 output over USB-C

Video Playback

  • Supported formats include HEVC, H.264, AV1, and ProRes
  • HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10+/HDR10, and HLG

Audio Playback

  • Supported formats include AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos

Keyboard and Trackpad

  • Backlit Magic Keyboard with:
  • 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement
  • Touch ID
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures

Camera

  • 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View
  • 1080p HD video recording
  • Advanced image signal processor with computational video

Audio

  • Four-speaker sound system
  • Support for Spatial Audio when playing music or video with Dolby Atmos on built-in speakers
  • Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking when using supported models of AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max
  • Three-mic array with directional beamforming
  • Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes
  • Enhanced voice clarity in audio and video calls
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones

Final Verdict & Recommendation on Apple 2025 Macbook Air 13 Inch M4 Review

The Apple 2025 MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 chip strikes an impressive balance of performance, battery life, portability, and value.

For the majority of users — students, remote professionals, casual creators, and anyone who needs a fast, reliable everyday laptop — this is arguably the best MacBook Air Apple has ever released.

With the M4 chip, 16 GB of base memory, and Apple Intelligence built into macOS, it feels future-ready. Add in the silent fanless design, improved webcam, excellent battery life (up to 18 hours), and support for external displays, and it’s clear Apple listened to what everyday users wanted most.

Of course, power users running intensive rendering, heavy video editing, or those who need multiple ports may be better served by the MacBook Pro line. But for everyone else, this Air delivers exceptional value at its price point.

With 10K+ units sold in the U.S. last month alone and maintaining an outstanding 4.8 out of 5 stars rating, the MacBook Air M4 isn’t just a hype machine — it’s a proven winner.

👉 Our recommendation: Buy it with confidence. Whether for school, work, or travel, the 2025 MacBook Air M4 is a laptop that won’t let you down.

👉 Don’t wait — grab yours now and enjoy Apple’s most powerful Air yet!

Buy Apple 2025 MacBook Air 13-inch Laptop with M4 chip

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is this laptop good for gaming?

    While the product information highlights its performance capabilities, including handling multitasking, photo/video editing, and even light gaming, it does not provide specific details about its suitability for heavy or high-end gaming.

  • Does it have a backlit keyboard?

    Yes, it does have a backlit keyboard.

  • Does it have a webcam?

    Yes, it does have a webcam. The MacBook Air features a 12MP Center Stage camera.

  • Is the display high resolution?

    Yes, it features a high-resolution 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display.

  • What is the storage capacity?

    The storage capacity of the Apple 2025 MacBook Air is 256GB.

  • Is a new MacBook Air coming out in 2025?

    Not likely. Apple already released the MacBook Air with M4 chip in March 2025.

  • What is the difference between MacBook Air 2025 and 2024?

    • The 2025 model upgrades to the M4 chip, which brings better performance and efficiency. 

    • The base memory now starts at 16 GB (no more 8 GB option).

    • Enhanced external display support, allowing use of two external monitors. 

    • New 12 MP Center Stage webcam for better video calling. 

    • Price adjustment: the 2025 entry starts at $999, $100 lower than prior generation. 

  • Which MacBook to get in 2025?

    • If you want a balanced, lightweight machine for everyday tasks, the MacBook Air M4 (2025) is ideal.

    • If you do heavy creative work (video editing, 3D), need more ports or sustained performance, go for a MacBook Pro.

If this review helped you understand whether the M4 MacBook Air is right for you, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Share with others, drop your questions in the comments. And do not forget to subscribe USA Tech Deals‘ email newsletter!

Name

I’m Steve Hougan, a tech enthusiast with a passion for discovering the coolest computers and electronic gadgets, home & kitchen appliances, technology, and gear.

At usatechdeals.com, I dive deep into the world of technology to bring you honest reviews, insightful recommendations, and top-notch picks for phones, tablets, laptops, and all the latest computer accessories, and many more tech products.

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