MacBook Air M4 review

TL; DR

✨The MacBook Air M4 betrays its affordable price tag by delivering a premium MacBook experience. It bundles M4 chip speeds, twice the processing speed of the original M1, and an immersive Liquid Retina display that powers smooth casual and professional use. All-day battery life exceeds a full workday for a streamlined professional experience. Although it lacks the power, graphics, and fan-cooling of the MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air M4 compensates with its affordability for budget-conscious consumers who value quality hardware.

Why can you trust this MacBook Air M4 review?

You can trust our review because at Back Market, we live and breathe tech. Our experts understand that you’re looking for tech that blends great performance with affordable prices. This MacBook Air M4 review is a balanced look at how this laptop compares against the MacBook range, with reference to key features and user reviews. The MacBook Air M4 is regarded as Apple’s best value MacBook for most users, delivering powerful multitasking abilities without the premium price point you might expect from other models.

We comb through the technical specifications, zoom out to understand any compromises made, and identify its superpowers. With a fair analysis of the strengths and limitations of the MacBook Air M4, our review provides a fair and balanced look at whether this well-regarded laptop is right for your needs.

What are the MacBook Air M4’s pros and cons?

✨The MacBook Air M4 is one of Apple’s strongest everyday performers. Excellent value, all-day battery life, and consistent performance are notable, while it’s limited by a dated 60Hz display, minimal ports, and fanless cooling.

How does the MacBook Air M4 compare to the M3?

There have been some significant improvements from the M3 in this latest model in the series. The MacBook Air M3 could support two external displays, but only in clamshell mode with the lid closed. The M4 supports two external 6K displays with the lid open, so you can continue using the MacBook's built-in screen alongside both external monitors.

The M4 takes advantage of the New 16‑core Neural Engine providing 38 TOPS, which Apple designed specifically for AI-use. This offers M4 owners improved performance across Apple Intelligence for writing tools, image generation, Siri, and creating summaries.

The memory bandwidth upgrade from the M3 to the M4 is highly significant. The M4 Air gets a 20% increase in memory bandwidth, from the M3’s 100GB/s to the M4’s 120GB/s. Users benefit from faster multitasking and AI operations, better performance with large images and browser tab load, and more stable performance when using external displays.

The M4 also comes in the new attractive Sky Blue colour, giving consumers a deeper colour palette to match their preferences.

If this analysis left you wanting more, deep dive into the Macbook Air M3 specs.

What Back Market customers say

From our MacBook Air M4 reviews, we can see that our customers value our fast delivery, the healthy refurbished M4 battery life and new chargers, quiet performance, original packaging, and flawless appearances without scratches.

What do Redditors think?

Redditors praise the responsiveness of the M4, with some comparing it to a mini Pro for everyday tasks.

“This is the biggest win. It has no fans, yet it runs significantly cooler than any Windows laptop I’ve owned. My lap is finally thanking me.”

Redditors are baffled by how well the sleep mode works on the M4 and how snappy the OS is.

“I want to gush about how sleep mode works on this laptop; it's so smooth, and unlike my old laptop, I don't have to basically restart when I pick it up the next day. The fingerprint scanner is also without any issue, and, of course, the entire OS feels snappy to use.”

What are the features and benefits of the MacBook Air M4?

The MacBook Air M4 is a major upgrade on Apple’s ultra-portable line: faster, quieter, and more capable than previous Air models. The biggest upgrades are the M4 chip, 16 GB RAM base, excellent battery life, and crystal-clear Liquid Retina display.

M4 chip

✨Users enjoy a snappier performance with the M4 chip

The M4 is the essence of the MacBook Air M4. It features a 10-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing. This means an up to 2X faster CPU performance than M1 Air, supporting multitasking and creative professionals, all in silence, thanks to the laptop’s fanless operation. Students also love the M4 chip’s smooth performance. Going away to uni soon? We have a guide on the best MacBook for students.

“The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is the best ultraportable – and the new price makes it even more appealing.” - Tech Radar

16 GB RAM base

✨Smoother multitasking across varied workflows

The M4 is the first model from the Air family to start with 16 GB RAM. RAM can be expanded to 24 GB or 32 GB. With its extended RAM, it can handle creative apps and AI workflows with ease. The benefits include improved multitasking, longer usage, and the ability to configure RAM.

18-hour battery life

✨All-day use for streamers and professionals

The MacBook Air M4 boasts up to 18 hours of video playback and 15 hours of wireless web browsing. This means you can expect to use it all day for creative multitasking, or browsing and streaming, without charging. It’s ideal for school use, travel, and extensive work.

“It’s $100 cheaper than its predecessors yet packs impressive power, a sharp webcam, and long battery life in an elegant chassis.” — Tom’s Guide

Liquid Retina display

✨Expect bright, true-to-life colours

The MacBook Air M4’s display is comparable to the frontrunning laptops on the market. 500 nits' brightness, P3 wide colour, and True Tone provide bright, lifelike visuals. The display is great for photo editing, daily use, and streaming. With barely-there bezels, you’ll be immersed in whatever is on your screen.

Does the MacBook Air M4 support Apple Intelligence?

The MacBook Air M4 was designed with Apple Intelligence in mind. Its 16-core Neural Engine handles 38 trillion operations per second, which is the kind of processing power that makes on-device AI actually feel instant. Writing tools, image generation, smarter Siri, real-time summaries: it all happens locally, without your data taking a detour to the cloud.

What are the MacBook Air M4’s specifications?

✨The MacBook Air M4 is built around a streamlined setup for broad everyday use, with battery life optimised for extended use but limited premium features.

How to shop for a cheap MacBook Air M4

✨Ultimately, the best place to shop for a cheap MacBook Air M4 is right here on Back Market. Our refurbished laptops can save you hundreds of pounds off the RRP of Apple MacBooks year-round, so you don’t need to time your purchase around seasonal sales.

Previously, the best strategy for saving money on a MacBook purchase was by timing it around major sales events. Black Friday and other seasonal sales provide major discounts, especially bundle deals. Butwhy wait to compete in this mad rush? Instead, consider Back Market’s refurbished MacBooks to benefit from 20-50% off the cost of a new MacBook and the long-term value that comes with reliable performance.

Every purchase comes with a 1-year warranty and a 30-day return period for complete peace of mind and flexibility if it’s not right for you. Over 220 reviewers have rated our refurbished MacBook Air M4 laptops as 4.7/5.

What are the benefits of buying refurbished?

Buying a refurbished laptop saves you cash and is better for the planet.

Refurbishment is what we do; every device we sell is refurbished. As the leading global marketplace for refurbished tech, we professionally restore devices to full working condition, allowing you to get top-end tech for less. Our up to 100-point refurbishment process is the best in class, carried out by trusted refurbishers who inspect, clean, and make necessary repairs to all the devices listed on our website. The Back Market Promise is simple: quality for less, that you can trust.

Every product comes with a 1-year warranty and a 30-day return for no-risk purchases. Our refurbished devices cost a fraction of the high-street prices, at 20-50% off the full price. When you choose Back Market, you secure the best tech without paying full price or compromising on quality.

Buying refurbished is also the best choice for the planet. By repurposing used tech and prolonging the life of electronic devices, we’re able to have 92% less impact on the planet by avoiding wasted energy and pollution by creating new devices.

Trade in your old MacBook for cash

Is your old phone or laptop gathering dust? Trade it in with Back Market for some extra cash. Whether it is brand new or no longer working, the process is simple. Just answer a few quick questions and you get the top offer from over 250 refurbishers in minutes. You ship your item to us for free, and when it’s verified, we process your payment. Trading in your old devices helps you upgrade to something new or just puts money back into your pocket. And you’ll get the satisfaction of knowing your tech gets a second chance at life rather than ending up in landfill.

What is the price of the MacBook Air M4: new vs refurbished?

On Back Market, the MacBook Air M4 starts at just £737.00 or £822.99.

*Back Market prices taken at the date of publication — these are subject to change.

Final thoughts: The MacBook Air M4 is reliable and affordable

The MacBook Air M4 is one of the best MacBook models and the ultimate all-round Apple laptop. It’s Apple’s lightest, most portable laptop, built around a 10-core M4 chip, and the fanless ultra-light design makes it effortless to carry. The 13.6-inch or 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display provides seamless immersion, whether you’re using it for entertainment or a full day of work. It supports two external displays, making it far more flexible than earlier Air models. The trade-offs feel intentional; the 60Hz screen, two Thunderbolt ports, and lower sustained performance than the MacBook Pro keep the Air M4 firmly positioned in Apple’s mainstream mid-range model category. It’s ideal for students, professionals, travellers, and anyone who favours portability over power. In short, the MacBook Air M4 is the best fit for most people, while those with heavier creative or technical workloads prefer the MacBook Pro, see our MacBook Air vs Pro detailed comparison to learn more.