Apple MacBook has officially launched the MacBook Air M4 (2025) in Nepal, continuing its shift from Intel to Apple Silicon. This year’s model features the powerful M4 chip, a refined design, and an efficient 13.6-inch Retina display. With support for two external displays, long battery life, and a fanless build, this thin and light laptop caters to students, professionals, casual creators, and anyone looking for the best MacBook experience in a portable form.
This MacBook Air M4 review covers its performance, design, battery, ports, and usability, while comparing improvements over the M1, M2, and M3 MacBook Air models.
Specifications Overview
Category | Details |
---|---|
Processor | Apple M4 chip (10-core CPU, 16-core Neural Engine) |
GPU | Integrated Apple Graphics (8-core GPU, DDR6) |
RAM | 16GB Unified Memory |
Storage | 256GB NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD |
Display | 13.6-inch Retina (2560×1664), 60Hz |
Weight | 1.24kg |
Battery | 70Whr, up to 10 hours of usage |
Ports | 2x USB-C, 1x 3.5mm jack |
Wireless | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
Webcam | 1080p FaceTime HD Camera |
Warranty | 1 Year (Authorized) |
Performance: How the M4 Chip Performs
The Apple M4 chip introduces notable improvements in speed, efficiency, and AI tasks compared to the M3 MacBook Air. It features a 10-core CPU with a 16-core Neural Engine, designed for fast app loading, smooth multitasking, and responsive workflows.
The M4 performance benefits from tighter macOS integration and power-efficient architecture. Everyday activities such as web browsing, office tools, and video streaming are handled easily, while lightweight development tasks and media editing show noticeable gains compared to older M1 or Intel MacBooks.
Apple Intelligence and Neural Engine
Apple’s Neural Engine now enables faster on-device AI processing, enhancing features like live captions, image recognition, and voice-to-text—all part of the Apple Intelligence suite built into macOS Sequoia.
Graphics and GPU Capabilities
The M4 MacBook Air’s GPU features 8 cores and uses DDR6 memory. It can handle 4K video playback, creative tasks in Final Cut Pro, photo retouching in Pixelmator, and UI animations without stutter.
While it’s not intended as a gaming machine or for high-end 3D rendering, the GPU performance is more than enough for professionals using productivity and lightweight creative tools.
Memory and Storage
The laptop includes 16GB of unified memory, ensuring fast and fluid performance whether you’re running development tools, switching between browser tabs, or editing documents. It operates more efficiently than traditional RAM by sharing memory across the CPU and GPU.
The 256GB SSD uses Apple’s custom NVMe storage, delivering fast boot times, quick app launches, and responsive file access. For additional storage, users can rely on iCloud integration or connect external drives via USB-C ports.
Display and Visual Experience: MacBook Air’s Display Quality
The 13.6-inch Retina display on the MacBook Air M4 delivers excellent visual clarity with a 2560×1664 resolution and 500 nits brightness. This panel uses IPS technology, offering accurate color reproduction and consistent brightness across viewing angles. Whether you’re editing photos, watching 4K videos, or reading text-heavy documents, the display performs well indoors and in bright settings.
The 16:10 aspect ratio gives more vertical screen space compared to standard 16:9 screens, which benefits users working on code editors, spreadsheets, and web layouts. Although the screen remains 60Hz, macOS animations and hardware-accelerated UI transitions make the experience fluid.
For comparison, the display outperforms most Windows laptops in this category. However, creators needing higher refresh rates might lean toward the MacBook Pro M4 or dedicated monitors via Thunderbolt 4.
Keyboard, Touchpad, and Input
The Magic Keyboard remains a strong feature of the MacBook Air M4. Its low-profile, scissor-mechanism keys offer responsive typing without the noise found in older models. The backlit layout supports working in low-light settings, and the Touch ID sensor provides secure login and fast app authentication.
The large multi-touch trackpad supports all macOS gestures, including swipe navigation, Mission Control, Split View, and Quick Look. The trackpad is precise, well-integrated with macOS animations, and doesn’t show input lag, even during fast switching between apps.
Compared to Surface Laptop and older MacBook models like the M1 Air, the keyboard and touchpad combination is one of the best in its class for writers, developers, and general users.
Ports, Connectivity, and Display Support
The MacBook Air M4 includes:
- 2x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C ports
- 1x 3.5mm headphone jack
- Support for two external displays
- Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2
Though the MacBook Air M4 doesn’t include an HDMI port, SD card reader, or Ethernet, it supports video output, fast file transfer, and high-speed charging via Thunderbolt 4. Users working with external monitors can now connect two displays, a significant improvement over the M1 MacBook, which supported only one.
Wireless connectivity is solid, with stable connections in both 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands. Bluetooth 5.2 ensures fast pairing with wireless peripherals, audio devices, and iPhones.
Battery Life and Power Management
With a 70Whr battery, the M4 MacBook Air delivers up to 10 hours of use under light workloads such as:
- Web browsing
- YouTube or Apple TV+ streaming
- Notes, Pages, or MS Word editing
Under medium usage, such as code compiling, email, design tools, or cloud storage sync, you can expect 7–8 hours. Heavy tasks like exporting 4K video or real-time collaboration via Zoom may reduce runtime to 4–6 hours.
The laptop charges using USB-C with a 70W power adapter and supports fast charging. While it lacks a dedicated MagSafe port, many users rely on Thunderbolt for charging and external accessories.
Compared to Intel-powered laptops, the M4 Air also maintains higher efficiency due to Apple’s tight control over hardware and software, reducing idle drain and optimizing background activity.
Benchmark and Thermal Performance
Apple has not officially released Geekbench or Cinebench scores, but internal testing and third-party tools reviews show:
- Up to 15% faster CPU performance vs. MacBook Air M3
- Up to 20% faster GPU rendering in Apple-native apps
- Improved AI inference tasks via the 16-core Neural Engine
The fanless design ensures silent operation, even during multitasking. Thermal management remains efficient. In sustained tasks like Zoom with background blur or Xcode compile runs, the laptop gets warm but does not throttle performance.
This efficient Apple silicon design makes the MacBook Air M4 one of the best laptops in the thin ultrabook segment.
Who Should Buy the MacBook Air M4 (2025)?
User Group | Why It’s a Good Fit |
Students & Writers | Portable, quiet, reliable, and long battery life |
Bloggers & Creators | Retina display, Apple GPU, and smooth editing tools support |
Business Users | 1080p webcam, FaceTime, Microsoft Office compatibility |
Developers | Ideal for Swift, Xcode, web dev, and AI-based projects |
macOS Users | Seamless integration with iPhone, iPad Pro, and iCloud |
Pros and Cons of the M4 MacBook Air
Pros of MacBook Air M4:
- Efficient and fast M4 chip
- Supports two external displays
- High-quality Retina screen
- Silent fanless design
- Long-lasting battery
- Lightweight (1.24kg)
- Built-in Apple Intelligence features
- Improved AI performance with Neural Engine
Cons of MacBook Air M4:
- No HDMI or Ethernet ports
- Limited internal storage (256GB on base model)
- Only 60Hz refresh rate
Conclusion: Is the Apple MacBook Air M4 Worth It in 2025?
The MacBook Air M4 (2025) is a strong upgrade for users who value portability, performance, and efficiency. It fills the gap between the older M1 Air and the more powerful MacBook Pro M4, offering top value in the macOS laptop segment.
With its M4 performance, 10-core CPU, Neural Engine, and seamless macOS integration, the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air is one of the best laptops for students, light creators, and professionals on the move.
If you’re considering an upgrade from an Intel MacBook, M1, or M2 model, this is the right time to switch to Apple’s M4 platform.