MacBook Air M4 Is a Much Better Price Than the Pro
Earlier this week, I called the new MacBook Air M4 the best MacBook for most people. In short, that’s because Apple combines everything that’s already great about modern MacBook Airs with its latest M4 chip, all for a fantastic $999 MSRP.
The thing is, the M4 chip itself isn’t anything new: Apple first introduced it in the iPad Pro last May , and introduced the M4 MacBook Pro in October . Until this week, Apple had branded the MacBook Air as the previous generation: If you want an entry-level Apple computer, you can buy the M2 MacBook Air for $999 or the M3 MacBook Air for a little more. If you wanted an M4, this is Pro territory.
M4 vs M4
Not anymore: Whether you buy a new MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, you get an M4 chip. These chips are virtually identical between the Air and Pro, but with one caveat. The SoC (system on a chip) comes with a 10-core processor (four performance cores and six efficiency cores) and a 16-core Neural Engine on all models, as well as a 10-core GPU on the Pro. You can get a 10-core GPU over the air, but only if you pay extra. If you buy the entry-level machine for $999, you’ll get an eight-core GPU. Those extra two GPU cores will cost you $100.
It’s a small difference, but a difference that on paper suggests better performance than the M4 MacBook Pro, especially for graphics-intensive tasks. If you work with animation or high-definition video, or play AAA games, these two Pro GPU cores can come in handy. However, paper specs mean little in real-world use: when you see how these machines actually perform in testing, you realize how big (or small) those differences really are.
We’ll have to wait until Apple releases the M4 MacBook Air before we see these real-world tests in action. But in the meantime, we have some evidence beyond the specification. As reported by Wccftech , testers have uploaded Geekbench Metal tests for the M4 MacBook Air online – and the results are impressive . This test tests GPU performance using the Apple Metal API. The eight-core M4 MacBook Air scored 54,864 in the test, while the 10-core M4 MacBook Pro scored 57,788. That’s a 5% increase for the MacBook Pro, which is nice, but not the huge jump you’d expect from the extra two GPU cores, especially considering the Pro starts at $1,599.
Again, the tests do not necessarily reflect actual usage. These two cores may give the Pro more than these results suggest. Additionally, the Pro has internal fans that keep the M4 chip cool under pressure. The Air doesn’t have fans, which means performance can suffer if temperatures get too hot sooner than the Pro. We’ll just have to see how the two stand up side-by-side when review units arrive.
Power and price
Despite this, the M4 MacBook Air promises to be a powerful machine, especially for its price. For example, the M4 MacBook Pro costs $600 more, and while you get additional benefits like a brighter, higher-quality display, double the storage, an HDMI port, and an SDXC card slot, you may find that you prefer the extra $600 in your wallet. Ignoring these benefits, if you’re shopping for a Mac with power in mind, you no longer need to discount the Air. In fact, it should probably be your first choice, excluding it only if the work you do requires the extra “oomph” that the Pro can offer.
To be clear, this comparison is between the M4 chip and not the M4 Pro chip . You can only get the M4 Pro as part of a MacBook Pro, and that model starts at $1,999. At this point, it’s a completely different discussion.