Apple released the M4 MacBook Air back in March of 2025. On the surface it was not a game changing improvement compared to the previous model. We did get some new FaceTime camera features and better external display support but nothing really jumped out at you. But the magic of this laptop is the amount of value you get for the price. Right now you can get a brand new M4 MacBook Air from Amazon for under $750. The amount of power, efficiency and sheer computer you get for that price is insane. Let’s dive in.
The best ways to understand what you are getting from this computer at that $749 price point is to list out the features and see what it costs in other products. For example, this baseline M4 MacBook Air comes with:
- M4 chip: 10-Core CPU, 8-Core GPU, 16-Core Neural engine
- 16GB Unified memory and 256GB SSD storage
- 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display
- 2.7 lbS, premium unibody aluminum build
- MagSafe charging
- Two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports
- Headphone jack
- Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.3
- Up to 14–16 hours of real-world battery life
Of course since this is a laptop, the trackpad, keyboard and display are all included in the price. I wrote about how the M4 Mac mini was the best value at $499 but that still requires you to get all the peripherals. With the M4 MacBook Air you get the identical internal specs as the M4 Mac mini but with everything you need to get started. For context an Apple Magic Keyboard is $100, the Magic Trackpad is $119 ($149 if you want it in black), so even before you get a display you are basically matching the price of a MacBook Air.
How it has held up
I use my M4 MacBook Air in a mostly casual way. It is used for communication apps like Gmail, Slack, WhatsApp, and Discord. I also use it for lots of web browsing and research with apps like Comet, Chrome, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. There are also so personal finance use cases with apps like Excel and Copilot Money. I am able to multitask to my hearts desire with 20-30 Chrome and Comet tabs open, I have ChatGPT working on stuff, I use apps like Canva and Affinity photo from time to time. The baseline M4 MacBook Air has handled these apps and use cases like a champ. If you are looking for something that will handle just day to day work, this computer will last you for years.
Creator work
You’re probably wondering how this laptop holds up with some more intense tasks. If you are a creator and you need to edit video in iMovie or Final Cut Pro, 90% of creators will be able to use this laptop. I tested this M4 MacBook Air with multiple layers of 4k30 and 4k60 footage. I had multiple layers of audio, transitions and text overlays. It rendered the footage in real time and I it got through projects like butter. Now if you started to mess with 8k files, lots of RED or RAW files, it would still handle it but it would slow down a bit, especially for render speeds. But if you are just editing some iPhone footage or Sony cam footage this will be great, especially if you use an external SSD like a Lexar or Samsung T9. I will say, the internal 256GB of storage is a bit limiting, but like I mentioned, if you keep most of your working files on an SSD then you will be fine.
Battery life and portability
The M4 MacBook Air is rated for 18 hours of video playback time. I will be the first to tell you that I have not gotten 18 hours of battery life, but with real world use you can easily get 12 to 14 hours of use. You can get through a full work day no problem, especially if you are using it for my simple communication and document creation tasks. If you are primarily video editing you can get eight to ten hours of continuous editing, which is amazing. For context my $2000 M4 iPad Pro can only get 4-6 hours of video editing time.
Then the design and size is such a pleasure to use. It feels just as premium as any $1500+ priced device and remains thin and light. There are laptops on the Windows side that are twice the price that are still made of plastic.
Where it falls a bit short
There is nothing major missing but just a few things that you should know if you are planning on getting one. First is the base storage. I really wish Apple went to 512GB of base storage, especially going into 2026. The port diversity is also limited. You get two high quality Thunderbolt 4 ports but that is really it. If you need HDMI, or SD card or Ethernet you will need to be living the dongle life. But outside of that, this laptop will be more than enough for 95% of people looking for a laptop.
Final thoughts
After these eight months, the M4 MacBook Air still feels brand new. It has a modern and sleek look, has not slowed or stuttered (even with the new update to macOS 26) and it can handle everything I need it to with speed and great battery life. If you are a student, everyday user, remote worker or even a creator with moderate workloads, this thing is simply the best deal in laptops right now. If you need a bit more screen real estate the 15in M4 MacBook Air also on sale at $950 on Amazon. What do you think? Do you have an M4 MacBook Air? Are you in the market for one? Let’s discuss in the comments below.
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