Apple MacBook Air M4 13-Inch and 15-Inch Review: Minimum Upgrades at a much better price

At the risk of repeating from Engadget’s MacBook Air M1, M2 And M3 reviews: The M4-equipped MacBook Air is almost flawless. It is even better that it now starts at $ 999, which is $ 100 less than before. Although I would still like to see more ports and faster screen refresh speed, the MacBook Air still remains heads and shoulders over competition. And when companies try to deal with Apple as Asus do with its 2.2-pound ZenBook A14This only proves how much better Apple hardware is designed.

It’s easy to take MacBook Air for granted as its design has not changed from The M2 arrived in 2022.S This is still a remarkable machine today that is fast, lightweight and well built. The only major drawback is that there is a small training curve for Windows users for the first time. But also, the MacBook Air is a non-brain purchase if you are looking for a new ultra-delimable.

Hardware

Once again, both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models feel impressively thin (0.44 inches thick) and light, weighs 2.7 pounds and 3.2 pounds respectively. Last year, I noted that “its aluminum case for a brain feels as smooth a river stone, but as sturdy as the stone. This is a computer that I just like to touch.” All this remains true with the M4 models.

In fact, it is even more impressive that Apple holds such a commanding design leader when competitors had a chance to catch up. As much as we like the surface laptop, XPS 13 and ZenBook S14 of AsusApple still maintains a lacquer level that PC manufacturers cannot completely match. The MacBook Air case feels more luxurious than the rest, its keyboard is a dream that you need to write and has one of the best songs around. (And before you go call me an Apple fanboy, I’m still mostly a Windows Desktop user.)

Dewine Hardawar for Engadget

Apple’s M4 Chip has a 10-core processor, a 10-core graphics processor and a 16-core neuron (or what you would call NPU in a computer)-the main upgrade with these new MacBook Airs. It is also worth noting that the 13-inch $ 999 base model has a slightly slower 8-core graphics processor that will slightly impede the performance of the game and the creation of the media. Besides a new Sky Blue option, there are no changes to the physical design. Apple also upgrades the webcam to a new 12-megapixel central shooter, which can be especially useful if you want to show your desk content. (More about this later.)

The 13-inch MacBook Air has a 13.6-inch liquid retin display that practically feels like a 14-inch screen, while the larger model has a 15.3-inch display. They are still limited to 60Hz – annoyance, as the abundance of computer ultrasounds is delivered with faster and more head screens – but they are still impressive displays, with support for the P3 wide color range and 1 billion colors. Both screens can also reach up to 500 nits of brightness, which is enough to be usable on a sunny day.

Dewine Hardawar for Engadget

In use: Fast and light

Both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs dealt with my main workflow without sweat: juggling browsers with an open sections, weak, spotify, messaging applications and Pixelmator Photo editor. But this was not a surprise, as the previous models were similar to zippers. Still, after recently testing the sluggish Zenbook A14, it felt refreshing to use laptops that seemed eager to get to work.

In fact, I couldn’t feel a difference with the jump to the M4 chip, but according to the Geekbench 6 indicator, it is 19.5 percent faster than M3 for tasks with one-time and 21 percent faster for tasks with a lot of summary. This is a typical incremental jump for processor improvements, so I won’t fuck Apple too much there. The M4 GPU profits were far less impressive, marking only 6 percent higher than M3 in 3DMark Extreme Benchmark and 16.3 percent better in the Geekbench GPU test.

You probably won’t do a very serious creative work on the MacBook Air, all the more so that there is no fan to cool things. But you can still pull out a bit of a pinch. I was able to overcome a 4K clip up to 1080p in 27 seconds using the M4 processor in the parking brake, while the use of GPU took only 17 seconds. For comparison, DELL XPS 13 Copilot+ System It took 32 seconds with its processor and 24 seconds with its graphic schedule.

Graphically intensive Lies on pages It was running on a smooth 60 FPS in 1080p with high settings. This also applies to the M3 MacBook Air, but this time it seemed a little more consistent about the performance. Although I would never recommend buying a MacBook Air with a game in your mind, it’s nice that it can handle a little play time.

As I jumped between the 13-inch and 15-inch models, I found a lot to like for both of them. The smaller one is definitely easier to travel, but I also loved the immersive screen of the 15-inch. In the end, the choice between them comes down to what is most important to you.

Similarly, the jump to a 12-megapixel central camera is not exactly destructive, but I appreciated to have a slightly better picture during video calls. I usually exclude the actual function on the MACS central scene, but I’m sure some will appreciate its ability to track you around a room. The new camera also maintains a desk view, which designs a slightly distorted view of the area directly in front of the MacBook Air.

As for the battery life, both MacBook models lasted more than 18 hours while playing HD video. The 13-inch air lasted 18 hours and 15 minutes, while the 15-inch laptop went for 18 hours and 23 minutes.

Dewine Hardawar for Engadget

How can Apple improve the MacBook Air?

As much as I love the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, there are still many ways Apple to refine them along the line. As I mentioned above, it would be great to have a higher displays for refreshing speeds, which makes scrolling through documents far easier to your eyes. And while I don’t need Apple to go out with ports, it would be nice to have at least one USB-C connection on the right side of the air to allow easier charging. You are currently stuck with a Magsafe loading port and two USB-C connections on the left side.

Of course, I don’t really expect Apple to actually deliver these superstructures soon. I would bet the company will squeeze more demanding users of 1599 dollars 14-inch MacBook Prowhich has a ton of ports and high -speed promotion screen. However, a manner can dream.

Dewine Hardawar for Engadget

Do you have to buy M4 MacBook Air?

If you can no longer understand, I think the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air is the perfect ultrasound for most people. So probably if you are on the market for an elegant laptop, they are worth considering. And if you are a Windows user who hesitates to make the jump, I would recommend trying air for a while. It is not so difficult to learn the basics of MacOS and if you are not satisfied, you can always return it (just be sure to check twice the rules for retaining).

Although I would bet that most users will handle the main 136-inch MacBook Air with 256GB storage, it may be worth switching to the $ 1199 model with a 10-sized graphics processor and 512GB SSD if you are planning to do light media work. Or just jump straight to the 15-inch $ 1199 model, which comes with a 10-core graphics processor.

As usual, I would also recommend avoiding paying Apple upgrading fees for Apple components. If you are considering spending another $ 400 for $ 32 GB, you may need to consider MacBook Pro instead. If you are looking to save some money, several retailers still sell the M2 MacBook Air in steep discount of $ 700. Although it is an old chip, this laptop can still serve most users well for several years (just make sure you get 16GB RAM).

Dewine Hardawar for Engadget

Wrapping

Once again, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air is basically everything we want from ultra-delimable notebooks. They are zippy, wonderfully light and can continue far beyond a whole day. Although the M4 chip is not a transforming upgrade, it helps Apple keep up with developing chips for computer notebooks. And now that the MacBook Air starts at $ 999, even Windows users have to consider making the jump.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/Apple-macbook-er-m4-inch-ech-5-review-upgrades-A-A-much-better-Pric-

 

Report

Thank you for Report

Game / Application Name

Your Email: *

Issue: * I can't download the APK file I can't install the APK file The file is not compatible File does not exist Update request Copyright Infringment Spam Invalid Contents Broken Links Others

Submit