You've decided you want a MacBook, but the question of "MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro?" remains. I'm not a certified Apple Genius, but I've spent hundreds of hours using and reviewing every current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro for Laptop Mag, so I'm ready to help you find the best MacBook for your needs.

Let's start with the basics: In 2025, the MacBook Air and Pro lineups consist of four options: 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch MacBook Airs and 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch MacBook Pros.

The MacBook Air models are limited to Apple's M4 chip, while the MacBook Pro features the M4, M4 Pro, or M4 Max. Only the Pro models offer the more powerful "Pro" or "Max" chipsets, one of the most apparent differences between the Air and Pro MacBooks. The base MacBook Pro 14-inch blurs these lines with its standard M4 chip.

People often ask me, "Is the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro better?" There is no universal answer to that question; there is only which is better for you. So, let's find out.

I will compare price, features, performance, battery life, and more to determine whether you should invest in the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro in 2025.

And once we've determined whether the MacBook Air or Pro is better for you, our best MacBook deals can help you secure the best price.

MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: Specs compared

The Quick List

MacBook Air (13-inch, M4): Best for most people

Pros: While the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 looks no different from its predecessor outwardly, multiple changes make it the best MacBook for most people right now. The $100 price cut helps, returning the base MacBook Air to a $999 starting price.

Combined with the bump to 16GB of RAM on the base model, formerly a $200 upgrade, our recommended configuration for the 13-inch MacBook Air is $300 cheaper than last year's, even without scouting for one of the best MacBook deals.

The MacBook Air's 13.6-inch display is one of the brightest laptops around, and True Tone also ensures excellent color accuracy, but the vibrancy falls short of some of the OLED competition. Rumors of Apple moving to OLED in the future abound, but not yet.

Like its predecessors, the MacBook Air M4 is one of the thinnest laptops at only 0.4 inches. However, unlike many ultraportable laptops, it can keep up with an impressive workload, thanks to the M4 chip. Whether it was our benchmarks or real-world usage, the Air M4 was up for any task.

Looking at the benchmarks, the MacBook Air M4 scored 14,489 on Geekbench 6, easily surpassing the competition. Our Handbrake video transcoding test took 5 minutes and 40 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. This blows past the mainstream average, but still can't hold up to the MacBook Pro models in similar tests. SSD speeds are among the best we've seen, with 3,456.2 MBps and 3,018.4 MBps in BlackMagic Write and Read tests, respectively.

All that performance prowess doesn't hurt its battery life, either. If finding an outlet can be a challenge during your day, never fear: The Air M4 powered through almost 16 hours of battery life testing in our lab.

Rounding out the additions and upgrades from this year, the new Apple Center webcam is one of the best I've ever tested, the 12MP camera makes you look your best in any lighting.

Cons: So what are the downsides? If you have a lot of peripherals, the pair of Thunderbolt/USB-C ports may be challenging, but at least you have MagSafe 3 to keep both ports free while charging.

While the base $999 price for the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 is reasonable given what you are getting, if you need to upgrade RAM or storage, each jump is another $200, but neither is user-upgradeable, so don't leave yourself short.

Need more screen real estate? Look no further than the 15-inch MacBook Air M4. It mirrors all of the strengths of its smaller sibling but with a larger 15.3-inch display.

See our full 13-inch MacBook Air M4 review.
See our full 15-inch MacBook Air M4 review.

• ­Back to the top ⤴

MacBook Air (15-inch, M4): Best affordable big screen

Pros: Getting that big 15.3-inch display on a MacBook for as low as $1,199 is hard to pass up, considering that for years, a large screen MacBook was at least $2,499. While it lacks the 120Hz refresh rate of the Pro models, Apple didn't skimp on the display, as it offers an excellent 476 nits of brightness in our testing.

At 3.3 pounds and just 0.45 inches thick, it's a strong contender for the best business laptops or best student laptops for anyone who values a larger laptop that won't weigh down their laptop bag. Thanks to 15 hours and 14 minutes of battery life in our testing, it also won't call it quits on you early.

It features the same M4 chip as the 13-inch Air M4. It delivers nearly identical performance results on many tasks, although sustained tasks like video editing tip in favor of the 15-inch model, presumably due to improved thermal performance.

Cons: Not many. I find the port situation slightly more frustrating on the 15-inch Air as it features the same pair of Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, MagSafe charger, and headphone/mic jack as the much smaller MacBook Air 13-inch. However, most of us who need more ports have long ago added a USB-C hub or laptop docking station to our assortment of gear.

See our full MacBook Air 15-inch M4 review.

• ­Back to the top ⤴

MacBook Pro (14-inch): Best for creative pros on the go

Pros: The base MacBook Pro 14 with its M4 chip is an excellent value for those looking for more power than the Air can offer without spending upwards of $2,000. It's also important to note when comparing against the Air that you start at 512GB of storage, a $200 upgrade for Air buyers. For most users, the base M4 will get the job done, but if time is money for you, then the M4 Pro and M4 Max processors Apple are among the fastest, most power-efficient chips ever built for portable computing.

The base models at both the M4 and M4 Pro levels are better than ever, with the M4 Pro outperforming the M3 Max in many metrics, so consider that before snapping up a deal on the older models. While the base model will be more than enough for most users, you can configure the M4 Max up to 128GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD. Battery life was tested at 18 hours and 32 minutes for the standard M4 configuration, and we would expect fairly similar results from the M4 Pro and M4 Max.

That redesign from 2021 still feels fresh with the 14.2-inch, 3024 x 1964-pixel Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. At 556 nits, this panel is one of the brightest laptop screens ever and both color accurate and vivid enough for creative work.

At 12.3 inches x 8.7 x 0.6 inches and 3.4 pounds, the 14-inch MacBook Pro remains portable despite the power it packs underneath the hood.

The 12MP Center Stage camera is another notable upgrade for the M4 MacBook Pros, it's the best webcam we've ever seen on a laptop with outstanding color accuracy while holding up well in differing lighting conditions. Add in Touch ID, a six-speaker setup, and a comfortable keyboard and the 14-inch MacBook Pro has a lot going for it.

Cons: So, what's wrong with the laptop? I'll be honest, not much. It would be great to get Face ID support for facial recognition login since that's been available on Windows laptops for years. While your mileage may vary, I find the vent placement makes the MacBook Pro uncomfortable to hold in certain orientations, which isn't a major issue, but it's something I haven't encountered on a MacBook previously.

See our full MacBook Pro 14 M4 review.

• ­Back to the top ⤴

MacBook Pro 16-inch: Best for peak performance

Pros: This MacBook Pro has everything we love about the 14-inch MacBook Pro but with a large 16-inch display. It has the same M4 Pro and M4 Max chip options along with up to a ludicrous 128GB of memory and up to an 8TB SSD. Battery life is even better, at 20 hours and 46 minutes in our testing, our second-longest result ever and the longest ever for a MacBook. Given the sky-high performance benchmarks, that battery life is almost unbelievable, I've speculated before that Apple has a secret pocket dimension in the MacBook Pro chassis, and I'm still not counting that out as a possibility.

If you plan to keep your laptop for 5-7 years or more and particularly are doing creative work or other work that requires data transfers between your laptop and either an SSD or other hardware, then the 16-inch MacBook Pro offers another advantage over its smaller Pro sibling, Thunderbolt 5 ports. While there is little to take full advantage of the new standard at the moment, Thunderbolt 5 docks, external SSDs, and more are starting to arrive and will pick up over the next 12 months.

Cons: You can get most of what is available in the 16-inch MacBook Pro in the 14-inch model for $500 less. If you need the larger panel or Thunderbolt 5 support, then get the 16-inch MacBook Pro, but if that's not crucial, there is little reason to pay up for the larger laptop.

Also, at 14 x 9.8 x 0.66 inches and 4.7 pounds, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is considerably larger than the 14-inch model, so if you regularly tote your laptop around, that's worth considering as well.

Like the 14-inch model, I wish Face ID was available, and I'm not a fan of the vent configuration, but these are minor concerns overall.

See our full MacBook Pro 16-inch M4 Pro review.

• ­Back to the top ⤴

How We Test MacBooks

We put MacBooks through extensive benchmark testing—both synthetic and real-world—before they are handed to our reviewers. We evaluate everything from speed and battery life to display brightness, speaker volume, and system heat.

We use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect a laptop display's brightness and sRGB color gamut. For performance benchmarking, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 6, BlackMagic Disk Speed Test, and PugetBench for Adobe CC.

We task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution to determine real-world performance. Our real-world graphics tests on MacBooks include Borderlands 3, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm, and Total War: Warhammer III in 1080p and native resolution settings.

We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video, and our proprietary Laptop Mag Battery Test consists of continuous web surfing over wifi at 150 nits of brightness. Anything over 10 hours is considered strong battery life, a standard every current Macbook easily surpasses.

Following these tests, the laptop is given to our expert reviewers for extensive hands-on testing. Our reviewers will spend days using the laptop as part of their typical workflow to get a sense of the real-world performance and live with the laptop to come away with a thorough understanding of the hardware and software experience. This blended lab testing and hands-on approach allows us to offer you a clear and comprehensive view of every laptop that comes through Laptop Mag.

• ­Back to the top ⤴

Why Trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over a hundred laptops yearly, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.

We are 100 percent independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades and continues to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.

One of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing, enforces our editorial trustworthiness. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

• ­Back to the top ⤴

Apple may be preparing to release an all-new affordable MacBook beyond its Air and Pro models, according to information shared by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Potentially arriving by the end of the year, this new MacBook could be the most accessible of all, trading in the opportunity to sport Apple's upcoming M5 chip for a surprisingly more modest option, the A18 Pro Bionic — the very same chip used by the iPhone 16 Pro.

Sound a little far-fetched? Perhaps not. We've actually been tracking reports of low-cost MacBook across a string of rumors dating all the way back to September 2023.

What is the MacBook SE?

Tentatively labelled the MacBook SE, this modestly priced MacBook has reportedly been in the works, with Apple exploring ways to cut down on costs to deliver a product that doesn't aim to challenge its typical Windows counterparts, but this time, the Chromebook.

Early rumors suggested that Apple would cut costs by adopting less premium materials and components during construction. One option may include adopting a rigid plastic chassis, as it did with the Apple Watch SE 3.

According to an article posted by Kuo to X, Kuo shares that the new MacBook's chassis could come in four potential case colors, including silver, blue, pink, and yellow.

Kuo also shares that this long-rumored MacBook is expected to enter mass production late in the fourth quarter of 2025 or in the early first quarter of 2026, suggesting a release next year, potentially unveiling it sometime in March 2026 during its annual Spring event.

MacBook SE: What's the point?

Challenging Chromebooks seems like an odd decision at first, but having delivered serious competition in practically every market there is, Apple has one frontier it's yet to conquer: the classroom.

Ask any college goer what the best laptop for students is, and you're bound to be met by a slew of arguments that favor Apple's MacBooks, but when it comes to K-12 education, the Chromebook reigns supreme.

However, should Apple follow through on its low-cost MacBook plans, even the best Chromebooks would have reason to worry.

While Chromebooks win on price and simplicity, an Apple alternative, even one running an A-series chip, could bring a much broader toolkit with it, cutting out the reliance on web apps, granting access to Apple Intelligence, and delivering a host of macOS content through a thriving App Store.

That said, putting a powerful and less narrow computing experience in the hands of students for less wouldn't just benefit those in education, but Apple, too.

Apple's ecosystem: Get them while they're young

Another huge benefit for Apple would be having its OS in K-12 classrooms across the country, developing an instant familiarity with macOS among a younger generation, and, in turn, challenging Windows' dominance as the "standard" operating system for computing.

A move like this isn't just about expanding on a classroom's toolset; it's about quietly rewriting digital instincts among younger generations, something that Microsoft similarly managed to pull off in the 90s with Windows 95.

While Google's follow-up efforts haven't exactly turned ChromeOS into a major player among wider users, it has helped to proliferate use of Google's Workspace suite and get many to trade purchasing office software for using the company's free alternatives, regardless of which OS they eventually move on to.

A low-cost MacBook isn't just about increasing sales — though Kuo does project it accounting for 5-7 million units in 2026 — it's about Apple laying new groundwork for long-term loyalty, and redefining what is seen as the "default" for a whole new generation of tech-savvy youngsters.

More from Laptop Mag

• Dear Apple, it's 2025, where’s my MacBook SE?
• Apple doesn't want you to see its latest MacBook ad — or several others just like it
• Apple's Mac Minis are turning into fancy bricks – but there's a fix

Apple has experienced yet another advertising fumble, but good luck finding any evidence of it.

This week, Apple posted and abruptly deleted a 7-minute ad on YouTube titled "Convince Your Parents to Get You a Mac," which showed comedian Martin Herlihy giving a room full of teenagers a presentation teaching them how to persuade their parents to cough up the cash for a MacBook.

The ad has since been seemingly wiped from the internet and is no longer available on Apple's YouTube channel.

This isn't the first time Apple has quickly backpedaled on an advertising fumble recently, and arguably isn't anywhere close to its biggest slip-up. Here's a look at what you missed in the ad and a few highs (and lows) from Apple's advertising rollercoaster.

Apple mysteriously removes controversial MacBook ad

This weekend, Apple hastily removed a 7-minute ad from its YouTube channel less than 24 hours after the video went live. Titled "Convince Your Parents to Get You a Mac," it was an uncanny cross between an awkward skit and an unironic instruction manual for teenagers to persuade their parents to buy them a MacBook.

Apple even posted the "Parent Presentation" slides for teens to duplicate and use. The actual video has been removed from nearly every corner of the internet, but the slides are still accessible at the time of writing. Be warned, the presentation is 81 slides long.

The whole thing seems like it was probably meant as a meme, but it comes across as a little too manipulative. You can catch it in full in the X post above, one of the last few places the ad has managed to stay online.

Ironically, MacBooks are already considered among the best laptops for students, and considering iPhones are overwhelmingly the most popular phones for teenagers, this wasn't really a demographic Apple needed to do much to appeal to.

This somehow isn't Apple's biggest marketing fumble in recent years, either. That honor goes to the infamous "Crush" ad.

The "Crush" controversy: Apple's best (and worst) ads over the years

When Apple launched its thinnest iPad ever last year, all anyone could talk about was the (literally) soul-crushing ad that followed.

The "Crush" ad was quickly removed shortly after Apple posted it, but it showed a giant industrial press machine physically crushing a multitude of objects used for creating art and music. When everything was destroyed, the press opened again to reveal an iPad Pro.

The ad lives on in a response ad Samsung made with the tagline "Creativity cannot be crushed."

That ad is arguably Apple's most tone-deaf ad to date in light of artists' widespread fears of AI threatening their jobs. While the "Crush" ad didn't mention AI specifically, it seemed to imply that one device (or technology broadly) can replace a wealth of creative tools used for self-expression, from guitars to paint to cameras, and by extension, maybe even artists themselves.

Ironically, people do use iPads for creating art. Like the "Convince Your Parents to Buy a Mac" situation, Apple somehow managed to drop the ball while communicating with an audience it had already widely won over.

Both fumbles are perplexing considering Apple's marketing history. This is the same brand that produced some of the most iconic ads ever, like the long-running "I'm a Mac" series starring Justin Long.

Going back even further, one of the most famous ads ever was Apple's 1983 Super Bowl ad for the Macintosh 128K. Released in 1984, Apple introduced it in a surprisingly cinematic ad based on George Orwell's book 1984. This ad was meant as a subtle jab at Apple's then-rival IBM, but there's a lot of symbolism to unpack in it. The actual Macintosh 128K isn't even shown.

Of course, an advertising stumble doesn't mean MacBooks aren't good laptops for students. They're just not the only good laptops for students. If you're looking for the right laptop for college, you should probably be basing your decision on reviews and lab testing rather than a 7-minute Apple ad anyway.

More from Laptop Mag

• I'm a teacher, and these are the 7 best laptops for students that I recommend in 2025
• Apple's out-of-touch iPad Pro 'Crush!' angers creatives — here's what people are saying
• Cheap laptops aren't always a great value — here are 3 budget laptops I love

Block your calendars Apple fans and bargain shoppers! This year's Amazon Prime Day sale takes place from July 8 to 11. Yep, you read that right, Prime Day 2025 will be a four-day smorgasbord of summer deals and back-to-school savings for early birds.

As always, you can expect to see some unprecedented Prime Day MacBook deals. And not just on Amazon. There will be Prime Day alternative deals on MacBooks at Apple, Best Buy, Walmart, and B&H. During Prime last year, I saw discounts of up to $700 on MacBooks.

Expect this year's Prime Day MacBook deals to be on par.

If you want to buy a macOS laptop at a student discount price or better, Prime Day is one of the best sales to shop. This is when we typically see Black Friday-like discounts on MacBooks, just in time for back-to-school season.

Apple is leading the charge with a limited-time offer that's hard to refuse. If you are a student or faculty member, from now through September 30, you can get free AirPods, a Magic Mouse, a Magic Keyboard, or a Magic Trackpad when you buy a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro at the Apple Education Store.

Prices start from $899 for the 5-star rated MacBook Air M4. It's the Editor's Choice best-value MacBook for most people.

The cheapest MacBook deal you can get now is the 2020 MacBook Air M1 for $649 ($350 off) at Walmart. While we don't typically recommend products over 2 years old, it's still a great value if you want a sub-$700 laptop.

Explore more summer savings with Amazon's early Prime Day deals and browse my recommended early Prime Day MacBook deals below.

Best early Prime Day 2025 MacBook deals — Quick links

• Apple 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter: was $59 now $39 at Amazon
• Apple Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable: was $129 now $76 at Amazon
• Apple M3 MacBook Air 13: was $1,099 now $799 at B&H
• Apple M4 MacBook Air 13: was $999 now $849 at Amazon
• Apple M4 MacBook Air 15: was $1,199 now $1,035 at PC Richard
• Apple M3 Pro MacBook Pro 14: was $1,999 now $1,399 at Best Buy
• Apple M4 MacBook Pro 14: was $1,599 now $1,426 at PC Richard

Best early Prime Day 2025 MacBook deals

Early Prime Day 2025 Macbook deals at retailers

• Amazon: Early Prime Day MacBook deals from $849
• Best Buy: Early Prime Day MacBook deals from $799
• PC Richard: Early Prime Day Macbook deals from $849
• B&H: Early Prime Day MacBook deals from $799

Apple fans, listen up! I just found the lowest price M3 Pro MacBook Pro deal ahead of Prime Day. For a limited time, you can get the 14-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pro for $1,399 at B&H.

Previously priced at $1,999, that's a whopping $600 off and its lowest price ever. I track deals for a living, and I rarely see this MacBook Pro priced so cheap. The last time it hit this record low price was in March of this year on Amazon.

Browse: B&H's entire sale

As far as Prime Day-worthy MacBook deals, this is one of the best in town. It's also $380 cheaper than B&H's current price for the latest M4 Pro MacBook Pro with 24GB of RAM.

Launched in late 2023, the M3 MacBook Pro series was replaced by Apple's latest M4 Pro-powered MacBooks seven months ago. Though it's technically been dethroned, the M3 Pro-powered MacBook Pro is still one of the best laptops worth buying in 2025. Especially now.

Over its predecessor, the M3 Pro-charged MacBook Pro delivers stronger performance and supports more unified memory. It's beneficial to power users and creators who work with advanced Adobe Photoshop functions like panoramic images.

At $600 off, the MacBook Pro with M3 Pro with 18GB of RAM is the cheaper alternative to the M4 Pro MacBook Pro with 24GB of RAM.

This deal ends June 18 at 11:59 pm ET, so don't dilly-dally too long!

Today's best M3 Pro MacBook Pro deal

Amazon's annual Prime Day sale might still be a month away, but early deals are already popping up, including up to $150 off on Apple tech!

Some of my favorite daily driver devices are from Apple, like the iPad 11, which offers fantastic bang for your buck. Apple gear can be great, but it can also be pricey. That's why I highly recommend you wait for sales to roll around to save hard-earned cash.

For instance, right now you can pick up the iPad 11 for just $299, a $50 discount off the regular price. The Magic Keyboard Folio is also $50 off, so you can save a total of $100 on a budget-friendly laptop alternative. I had a surprisingly good experience with this combo, which is likely to get even better with some major upcoming improvements to iPadOS.

Even if you're not an iPad fan, there are still plenty of great deals you can snag right now on M4 MacBooks and Apple's full headphones line-up. These devices could sell out during Prime Day, so you might want to pick them up now ahead of that big sale.

See also: Amazon Prime Day 2025: When it starts and what to expect

Top 9 early Prime Day deals on MacBooks, iPads, and headphones

More from Laptop Mag

• Amazon Prime Day 2025: When it starts and what to expect
• The iPad 11 is the best budget-friendly tablet you can buy, but there are two big drawbacks
• WWDC 2025 recap: Liquid Glass, iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, Apple Intelligence, and all the highlights from Apple

Amazon Prime Day 2025 runs from July 8-11, and I expect this year's Prime Day Apple deals to be especially tempting. For bargain shoppers due for a summer tech upgrade or college students and parents seeking back-to-school deals on Apple gear, Prime Day is a can't-miss summer savings event.

I track retail trends and shop deals for a living, and here's what I've learned over the last seven years. Prime Day is one of the best times of year to snag deep discounts on MacBooks, iPads, AirPods, Apple Watch, and more.

In true Amazon fashion, early Prime Day Apple deals are already trickling in. For example, the Apple Watch Series 10 is now on sale for $299 on Amazon. This is its lowest price ever on Amazon and one of the best early Prime Day Apple deals available now. Best Buy mirrors this discount.

Though we didn't get our hands on this latest model, the Apple Watch Series 9earned our Editor's Choice Award for its snappy performance, nifty double-tap gesture, and bright display.

Outside of Amazon's Prime Day sale, you'll also find alternative Prime Day Apple deals happening next month at Best Buy, B&H, and Walmart. In some instances, the best Prime Day Apple deals beat the Apple Education Store's all-year-round discounts.

So if your Apple gear is long overdue for a refresh, Prime Day is your golden ticket to scoring huge savings. Browse today's best early Prime Day Apple deals below and see our Prime Day deals hub for more savings.

Best early Prime Day Apple deals — Quick links

• Apple Cables and Chargers: from $9 at Amazon
• Apple iPad 11: was $349 now $299 at Amazon
• Apple M4 MacBook Air 13: was $999 now $849 at Amazon
• Apple 11" iPad Air M3: was $599 now $549 at Amazon
• Apple M4 iPad Pro: was $999 now $909 at Amazon
• AirPods 4: was $129 now $119 at Amazon
• AirPods 4 with ANC: was $179 now $159 at Amazon
• AirPods Pro 2: was $249 now $199 at Amazon

Best early Prime Day Apple deals

Apple MacBook

Apple iPad

Apple iPhone

Apple Watch

Apple AirPods

Apple cables & chargers

It's not the Xbox 360's "red ring of death" or the PS5 System update bricking bonanza, but critical hardware failures are back in the spotlight this week, this time with Apple in the hot seat.

Not all Apple devices are impacted, just specific Mac Mini models. So, if you have a MacBook or an iPhone, you're safe.

According to a report from Mac Rumors, Mac Mini models with the M2 chipset have been randomly bricking.

Thankfully, there's already a fix in the works.

Here's what you need to know.

The problem?

Some Apple Mac Mini models with the Apple Silicon M2 series chipset have failed to power on due to a critical power issue.

This issue doesn't impact all Mac Mini M2 units, either. Apple launched the Mac Mini with the M2 chipset in January 2023; however, the impacted models were manufactured between June 16, 2024, and November 23, 2024.

If your Mac Mini consistently fails to power on, or if you think it might be part of the scuffed Mac Mini batch, don't despair.

There is a fix, and it is free.

The Fix

Apple has launched a worldwide repair program for impacted Mac Mini devices. If your Mac Mini is one of the affected units, you can drop it off at an Apple Authorized Service Provider or an Apple Store location for repair.

You can find out if your Mac Mini M2 is eligible for the repair program by entering its serial number into the search bar on the dedicated Apple Support page.

Since Apple provides this repair service for free, it's one of the few cases where bricked hardware won't cost you anything. So you don't need to turn your dead Mac Mini M2 into some modern art statement piece.

Unless you want to, that is. We won't stop you.

Even if your Mac Mini M2 is still powering on, it may still need to be repaired due to the critical hardware issue impacting this specific batch of Mac Minis. So, if you think your Mac might be one of the affected units, you should still get it fixed.

More from Laptop Mag

• This Mac is completely useless, and you should absolutely buy it
• WWDC 2025 recap: Liquid Glass, iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, Apple Intelligence, and all the highlights from Apple
• MacOS 26 Tahoe: The big reasons to update — or to not update

Apple is done with its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), where it showed the upcoming software updates to all of its devices, which will now end with the number "26" as part of a new naming scheme.

With software out of the way, it's back to focusing on hardware. News of the next iPhone changes has been leaking for the past few months, including news of a thinner variant referred to as the iPhone 17 Air. The new MacBook Pro will make its way out soon after, but there are already rumors of what's new with next year's laptops from Apple.

A few big details of a MacBook Pro redesign set to happen in 2026 have already been leaked, according to a report by 9to5Mac. The most prominent leaks are regarding the upcoming laptop's processor, screen, and chassis.

Up first is the MacBook Pro's new chip, which will be a big jump from the current M4. This year's MacBooks will likely come with a new M5 chip, but Apple is rumored to be already developing the M6 and M7 chips at the same time. This will be the first generation of Apple Silicon to use 2nm technology from the Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). It'll be some time before testing can be done to see if this new tech will make for impressive performance gains for the MacBook Pro.

Another change for the 2026 model is its display. The Apple laptop is rumored to use the tandem OLED display currently found in the 2024 iPad Pro. The MacBook Pro 2026 will reportedly come with a two-stack OLED display, which would mean improved brightness and make it last longer. Current MacBook Pro laptops use the IPS LCD with mini-LED backlighting, so a jump to an OLED display would be significant.

It's also rumored that the 2026 MacBook Pro will slim down a bit. There are no specifics on how slim the laptop will be, but it's likely that the OLED display will reduce the size of the MacBook Pro just a bit.

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the MacBook Pro 2026 redesign.

When are the new Macbooks coming out?

With WWDC over, Apple is heading into its season of prepping for its hardware releases.

September is typically the time when Apple releases its new iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. This year, it’s speculated that Apple will debut the iPhone 17, Pro, and Max versions, along with the new iPhone 17 Air.

Apple then releases its line of computers and laptops in October. Last year, the company didn't hold an event for its new hardware, but it did show off its latest iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro models.

More from Laptop Mag

• MacOS 26 Tahoe: The big reasons to update — or to not update
• WWDC 2025 recap: Liquid Glass, iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, Apple Intelligence, and all the highlights from Apple
• How to turn any laptop into an RTX gaming rig for only $2.39

A new macOS update is coming soon, but is it worth your time?

Sure, you do want to keep your system relatively up to date to maintain proper app support and get all the latest security patches. But there's a difference between jumping on a new OS update immediately and getting to it a few weeks or months later.

During Monday's Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple shared details on its upcoming plans for the iPhone, Mac, and iPad platforms and some updates to the Apple App ecosystem.

As part of the Mac announcements, Apple detailed all of the changes coming with macOS Tahoe 26, which include an expanded Apple Intelligence portfolio, expanded Continuity features, a desktop facelift, and a revamped Spotlight search.

But are these updates enough? Let's take a look.

Expanded Apple Intelligence

Apple's proprietary AI features, called Apple Intelligence, have been generally underwhelming to start. Many of the features that were announced for Apple Intelligence at WWDC last year are still not available on any Apple devices.

If you were hoping for this year's WWDC to announce any significant changes there, you will continue to be disappointed. Apple still has not confirmed when it will be rolling out the better version of the Siri personal assistant, and the other AI updates are mostly just improvements on existing AI features like updates to the existing Apple Image Playground and Genmoji systems, better shortcuts, and AI-powered Reminders.

Apple's big AI win for Tahoe is live translation across the Messages, Phone, and FaceTime apps.

This is very similar to the Live Captions feature of Microsoft's Copilot+ or Google's translation system built into the Gemini AI on ChromeOS and Android devices.

Expanded Continuity features and Spotlight Search

Apple's other major changes with the macOS 26 Tahoe update are built around offering a more seamless experience.

Not only does macOS Tahoe come with a new design, offering more customization and better ease of use for quick settings controls, but the new operating system iteration also brings over some additional Continuity features to make switching from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac even more seamless.

With the Mac iPhone app, you can make and take calls more easily from your laptop or desktop. Tahoe makes the Phone app look even more like the Phone app from your iPhone and offers the same features, like Recents, Favorites, and Voicemail. Plus, the new Phone app for Mac includes Apple's enhanced call screening and hold assist features.

Live Activities also go over from iOS to Mac with the Tahoe update, porting straight from your iPhone. So if you've got an upcoming flight or ride-share notification on your phone, the information will also appear in the menu bar of your MacBook, so you don't lose track when you swap devices.

Finally, Spotlight Search is getting a major overhaul. You can now take direct action from the search window, including sending an email or playing a podcast. Spotlight Search can now access third-party cloud storage devices in addition to your local storage and iCloud drive.

Should you upgrade to macOS 26 immediately or wait?

Ultimately, it's up to you whether you install macOS Tahoe the instant its available on your MacBook or iMac.

The Apple Intelligence offerings for macOS and iOS devices are still slim and ultimately far from compelling. There's not enough new about Apple Intelligence coming with Tahoe, just the Image Playground and Genmoji features we've already seen on iOS or live translation on video calls, which launched on Windows Copilot+ PCs a year ago. So you won't be missing much if you hold off on your upgrade.

However, there are plenty of compelling reasons to update anyway. Between keeping your apps up to date, getting the latest security features, the revamped Phone app, and enhanced Spotlight Search, there's really no reason to hold off for long.

Certainly, Tahoe has its uses, even if it doesn't quite cash in on Apple Intelligence in a satisfying way.

Apple will launch macOS Tahoe 26 this fall, likely alongside the next generation of MacBooks. However, if you'd like to take an early look at macOS Tahoe, the OS update is currently available through the Apple Developer Program, and a public beta test will be available next month.

More from Laptop Mag

• Apple is finally giving iPadOS the update it desperately needs — but is it enough to compete with macOS?
• Valve has the secret to making MacBooks great for gaming, but Apple won't use it
• Google quietly gave Gemini a big upgrade that could change everything

Age aside, the 2023 M3 Pro MacBook Pro with 18GB of RAM is still one of the best laptops worth buying in 2025. Seven months after being replaced by the M4 Pro-charged MacBook Pro, the M3 Pro MacBook Pro is now priced to move.

If you want more multitasking power, but don't want to spend $2,000 on the M4 Pro MacBook Pro with 24GB of RAM, here's a deal for you.

B&H continues to offer the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro with M3 Pro Chip for $1,499. That's a staggering $500 in savings and one of the lowest prices I've seen for this pro-tier Apple laptop. For context, it's $100 shy of its lowest price ever seen on Amazon back in March.

Browse: B&H's entire sale

If we're talking about Prime Day-worthy MacBook deals, this is one of the best you can get now. It's also $300 cheaper than B&H's current price for the latest M4 Pro MacBook Pro with 24GB of RAM.

Over its predecessor, the M3 Pro-charged MacBook Pro delivers stronger performance and supports more unified memory. It's beneficial to power users and creators who work with advanced Adobe Photoshop functions like panoramic images.

At $500 off, the MacBook Pro with M3 Pro with 18GB of RAM is massively discounted for a limited time. It's a solid option if you want a less costly alternative to the M4 Pro MacBook Pro with 24GB of RAM.

As with all Apple deals, I have a feeling this one won't last too long, so I recommend you act fast.

Today's best M3 Pro MacBook Pro deal

Apple is planning a big gaming announcement for WWDC 2025, but it's still missing the key to taking gaming on the MacBook to the next level.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that Apple will launch a "dedicated gaming app" at WWDC 2025. The app will "serve as a launcher for titles and centralize in-game achievements, leaderboards, communications, and other activity."

That might sound familiar to anyone who remembers Apple's little-used Game Center app. A new gaming app is all well and good, but it doesn't address the core issue holding Macs back from being true gaming devices.

Luckily, Valve has the secret ingredient Apple needs to make gaming on the Mac great.

See also: Best Apple deals in June 2025

Apple's new dedicated gaming app is a step in the right direction, but not enough

According to Bloomberg, Apple's new dedicated gaming app "will feature editorial content from Apple about new titles, offer access to the App Store’s game section and promote Arcade, the company’s $6.99-a-month subscription offering."

It sounds like this app will be a gaming-focused alternative to the App Store, incorporating the achievements and social features that used to be in Game Center. It won't just be for iOS, though.

Bloomberg notes perhaps the most important detail: "Apple is also planning a Mac version of the app that can tap into games downloaded outside of the App Store."

Apple seems to be putting special attention into the macOS version of this new app, potentially even folding in games from other game stores, which may hint that Apple is trying to make another push into gaming on the Mac.

Since the launch of the M-series chips, Macs have gotten significantly better at gaming. However, they still struggle to pose any serious threat to PC gaming on Windows or even handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck. This is largely because there aren't many games that are natively compatible with macOS.

That is why a new game launcher might not be what Apple needs to succeed in gaming. What it really needs is what Valve already has.

Apple needs to take a page from Valve's book

Valve's Steam Deck played a huge role in sparking the rising popularity of handheld gaming PCs over the past several years. But on paper, it shouldn't have been a success.

After all, it runs on Linux, and most PC games are designed for Windows. Most of the games on Steam, which the Steam Deck is explicitly built for, are not natively compatible with the Linux operating system on the handheld.

You'd hardly notice that while playing on a Steam Deck, though, and that's something Apple should be paying attention to.

Valve developed a compatibility layer called Proton to launch the Steam Deck with its own custom-built, Linux-based operating system without sacrificing game compatibility.

This compatibility layer effectively acts as a translator that allows Linux to understand and run Windows games. That means that even if a game isn't natively compatible with Linux, you can (usually) still play it on the Steam Deck.

MacBooks could become far better gaming devices if Apple developed an officially supported compatibility layer like Proton for macOS. If people knew they could play all the same games, more people might consider choosing a Mac over a Windows PC, significantly increasing the player base on macOS. That, in turn, would likely attract more developers to create natively compatible games for Macs.

Apple seems to want developers to come to its platform before gamers, but that's not fair considering the amount of time and resources it takes to create and launch a game, which relies on a good return on investment.

If Apple wants more developers to make games for macOS, it must bridge the gap and make Macs more appealing to gamers. A compatibility layer could achieve precisely this. Apple's new gaming app could even be a launcher for that compatibility layer!

Valve already has the answer here. All Apple needs to do is give Proton a spin and take notes.

More from Laptop Mag

• I ditched Windows 11 for Linux — and you should, too
• Gamers should be ditching Windows for SteamOS — here's why
• I revived my ancient HP laptop with Linux — and it was easier than you think

If you want to surprise dad or refresh your personal computer, the latest Apple M4 MacBook Air should be on your radar. If you act now, you can snag the best laptop of 2025 for dollars off retail in time for Father's Day, June 15.

Currently, Amazon offers the Apple MacBook Air M4 for just $837. It normally costs $999, so that's $162 in savings and one of the best MacBook deals happening this week.

It's not the lowest price I've seen for the M4 MacBook Air, but it's still a nice savings. At $837, it's $25 shy of its record-low price of $812, which it briefly sold for in a flash deal.

Browse: Amazon's entire sale

As far as mobile computers go, the Apple MacBook Air M4 is the best laptop to buy. You'll see in our M4 MacBook Air review how we praise its excellent performance, bright Liquid Retina display, and long battery life, which lasted 15 hours and 30 minutes in one test.

We loved the MacBook Air M4 so much that we gave it a perfect 5-star rating and our hard-to-get Editor's Choice Award.

Now $162 off, the M4 MacBook is a wise choice if you want to treat yourself or dad to the best laptop there is.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) takes place on Monday, June 9, and the company is set to spotlight its biggest software updates of the year — but will any of its new Apple Intelligence features win over frustrated Mac users?

Apple Intelligence may have been the star of last year's show, but the platform, pitched as "AI for the rest of us," has mostly failed to capture the awe of Mac, iPhone, or iPad users, with the one update everyone really wants to see is nowhere in sight.

There's no doubt that Apple will liberally flaunt the term AI during this year's WWDC, but a claimed lack of any killer AI features to show could highlight how far ahead Apple's competition is.

However, to some, that's a good thing. Take a look online and you'll see many Mac users souring on AI, and until Apple is ready to change their minds with something truly groundbreaking, it might be best to keep it out of the limelight a little longer.

See also: Best Apple deals in June 2025

WWDC will feature a rebranded macOS, but one key update will be missing

With WWDC 2025 now just a week away, we're getting our last, and arguably most exciting, wave of rumors about what to expect. The highlight, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, will be a major rebrand of Apple's operating systems along with the biggest visual overhaul since iOS 7.

For Mac users, that means the next OS update will be macOS 26, which will likely feature tweaked app icons and potentially changes to the overall UI, like more transparent elements. Rumors indicate that Apple is taking a lot of inspiration from visionOS for this sweeping visual overhaul across its platforms, giving a rough idea of what to expect.

What we're not expecting to see, however, is any major Apple Intelligence developments. Apple is expected to debut an AI battery optimization tool, which sounds useful, and potentially some other minor updates, but the big, large language model (LLM) Siri update we've all been waiting for is unlikely to make an appearance at WWDC.

That big Siri update is the AI feature its users really need. While it's disappointing we have to keep waiting for it, a lack of focus on AI in the meantime might actually be a good thing for Apple, judging by a cold response to AI from many Mac users.

One year later, Apple Intelligence still hasn't won over Mac users

Apple was undoubtedly late to the game in consumer AI, falling short of the innovations Google, Meta, and OpenAI have been announcing over recent years. OpenAI is even partnering with former Apple design chief Jony Ive to develop its own in-house AI device.

Considering all that, one might think Apple is in hot water, dropping the ball on AI like it has. However, that's assuming Apple users actually want a boatload of AI features on their devices, which might not be the case.

For instance, a user in one Reddit thread referred to Apple Intelligence as "5GB of pure bloatware," complaining that trying to disable or remove the feature can lead to bugs.

A user in another thread expressed frustration about not being able to completely remove Apple Intelligence, commenting, "Some of us don't like a service shoved down our throats we never asked for, and don't need. Sure, it can be turned off, but it should be optional to be installed to begin with. I’d like to use those few gigs of storage."

One user even described Apple's AI as "all hype, no value."

Comment from r/MacOS

Even users who don't outright dislike Apple Intelligence see little use in it, like one commenter who said: "I pretty much never use writing tools, even before they were integrated, so that’s been barely used. Sucks that what the majority of Apple AI is."

Another user pointed out the core of the issue: "Siri still seems dumb as a rock."

All of this effectively amounts to a lack of enthusiasm for AI in general, at least among Mac users. It makes me wonder, would Apple be better off differentiating itself by backing off on AI, at least until the new-and-improved Siri is ready?

So far, Apple Intelligence seems to be mimicking competitors' AI offerings, only with fewer features and years behind. That strategy clearly isn't winning over Mac users, though, who seem to be really looking for practical AI tools and a Siri update, not gimmicks like AI-generated emojis.

Instead of trying to convince us it's an AI brand now, maybe Apple could woo fans by showing it's focusing on launching AI tools that prioritize genuine usefulness and user privacy.

More from Laptop Mag

• WWDC 2025 preview: A gloomy prediction for Apple Intelligence, "Solarium," and macOS "Tahoe"
• iPhone 17 Air leak shows impossibly sturdy frame, but don't put your "bendgate" fears to bed just yet
• App Store rule change takes the headache out of buying books on iOS Kindle app

Look, I'm never against some good nostalgia bait. As a '90s kid, I love to see transparent tech like MSI's Cyborg lineup, and I'm in a constant state of decision paralysis on whether or not I want to go down the Oblivion: Remastered rabbit hole.

Which is to say, 1-Bit Rainbow's mini vintage Macintosh speaks to me on a visceral level. The Pico-mac-nano is a tiny, fully functional vintage Mac powered by a Pico Zero Raspberry Pi, running the MicroMac 128K emulator to mimic the Macintosh operating system.

1-Bit Rainbow is mostly known as an online storefront for parts to maintain and repair vintage Apple products, but there are a few hidden gems on the site, like the old Apple Pro wired USB mouse and the Apple External Microphone for the old-school PowerBook laptops.

Pico-mac-nano: Specs

In a blog post, 1-Bit Rainbow's Nick Gillard details the build process of the Pico-mac-nano, including the micro-mini PC's USB-C keyboard and mouse support using a special splitter cable also sold on the 1-Bit store.

1-Bit Rainbow also offers a Collector's Edition of the Pico-mac-nano that comes in a miniaturized, vintage Macintosh shipping box for the complete unboxing experience.

The Pico-mac-nano is an open-source project, so you can make your own from scratch if you'd prefer and have access to a 3D printer.

Feed your old school Mac nostalgia

The Pico-mac-nano and the Pico-mac that inspired it are more proof-of-concept than full consumer devices. The miniature Pico-mac-nano doesn't have full audio support and may not run all early Macintosh software.

Unfortunately, since the new Mac Mini and Magic Mouse still have key features in the worst places, the Pico-mac-nano is far more usable than the Mac Mini M4, though it is far less powerful than Apple's latest mini PC.

If you're an old-school Mac enthusiast, you can buy one, made to order. It's a fun, quirky addition to a vintage computing collection. But if you want the full vintage Mac experience, you're better off getting a pre-owned Macintosh from a classic tech dealer or taking your chances on eBay.

More from Laptop Mag

• WWDC 2025 preview: iOS 19, Apple Intelligence, Mac Pro M4 Ultra, and more to expect from Apple
• What separates a $1,000 iPhone from a $3,500 one? About 7,000 miles.
• Legendary Apple designer has been tasked with the impossible — what is OpenAI and Jony Ive's next move?

Extended Memorial Day Apple sales are going strong this week, and it's a great time to buy a MacBook. I checked today's Memorial Day deals at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H and found discounts of up to $500 on Apple's award-winning MacBooks.

Right now, you can get the latest M4 MacBook Air for just $889 ($110 off) at Amazon. This is one of the lowest prices I've seen for this laptop since it launched back in March.

B&H mirrors this deal.

See also: Best Extended Memorial Day tech deals

In our M4 MacBook Air review, we praise its excellent performance, bright Liquid Retina display, and long battery life of 15 hours and 30 minutes. If you're shopping around for a new computer for yourself or someone else, the M4 MacBook Air is the best overall laptop to buy.

Another post-Memorial Day Apple deal I found offers the M3 MacBook Air for $799($300 off) at B&H. We rated Apple's previous-gen flagship notebook 4 out of 5 stars for its outstanding 15-hour battery life and powerful performance.

It also earned out Editor's Choice Award and was named 2024's best overall laptop. Just as portable and reliable as its successor, the M3 MacBook Air is the best laptop to buy if you're looking for a cheaper M4 MacBook Air alternative.

The cheapest MacBook you can get is the 2020 M1 MacBook Air for $699 ($300 off) from B&H. While we typically don't recommend products more than 2 years old, the M1 MacBook Air is an exception.

The Editor's Choice Award-winning M1 MacBook Air still has a lot of life left and packs solid performance and nearly 15 hours of battery life into a slim, unibody design.

If your dream MacBook needs to have powerful performance, graphics-intensive task handling, crazy long battery life, and a large screen, this next deal is for you.

For Memorial Day only, Amazon is selling the M4 Pro-charged 16-inch MacBook Pro for $2,229 ($270 off). Check out our M4 Pro MacBook Pro 16 review, and you'll see it earned a 4.5 out of 5-star rating from us for its unmatched 20-core performance, breathtaking display, excellent webcam, and impressive 20-hour battery life.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the best laptop for video editing, touching up RAW images, graphics designing, 3D rendering, and the like.

Those are just some of the fantastic MacBook deals I found while browsing today's Memorial Day Apple sales. Scroll on to see more discounts on MacBooks and must-have accessories.

Memorial Day Apple sales — Quick links

• Apple Thunderbolt 4 USB-C Pro Cable: was $129 now $79 at Amazon
• Beats Pill Bluetooth Speaker: was $149 now $99 at Amazon
• Apple M1 MacBook Air 13: was $999 now $699 at B&H
• Apple M3 MacBook Air 13: was $1,079 now $799 at B&H
• Apple M4 MacBook Air 13: was $999 now $889 at Amazon, B&H
• Apple M4 MacBook Air 15: was $1,199 now $1,049 at Amazon
• Apple M4 MacBook Pro 14: was $1,599 now $1,399 at Amazon, B&H
• Apple M3 Pro MacBook Pro 14: was $1,999 now $1,499 at B&H (ends May 30)
• Apple M4 Pro MacBook Pro 16: was $2,499 now $2,215 at Amazon
• Amazon: Memorial Day MacBook deals from $889
• Best Buy: Memorial Day Book deals from $799
• B&H: Memorial Day MacBook deals from $699

MacBook Air

MacBook Pro

MacBook Accessories

The Memorial Day deals for tech are out in full force this weekend. It's a great time to save some big money, especially with Apple laptops.

Amazon has the MacBook Pro 16 with M4 Pro for $2,229, which is $270 below the normal price of $2,499. This is one of the best MacBook Pro discounts for the year so far.

Browse: Amazon's entire sale

The 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro received a 4.5 out of 5 in our review and was named an Editor’s Choice winner following extensive real-world and lab tests. Apple’s latest MacBook blew away our expectations. The performance is unmatched when compared to what laptops are available right now. Combine that with a stunning display, improved speakers, and a top-tier built-in webcam, and you find yourself with one of the best laptops around.

This MacBook has a lot of power. The Geekbench 6.3 test came in at a score of 22,822, which is double that of other high-end laptops on the market. Video rendering, photo editing, and other graphics-intensive tasks are easy to handle with this MacBook. The laptop also comes with Apple Intelligence, which has been improving more and more since it was revealed last year.

Also, don't get it twisted, all this power doesn't need to be permanently connected to a power outlet. The 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro has impressive battery life, coming in at just under 21 hours for web browsing on Wi-Fi at 150 nits.

Memorial Day sales last only for the weekend, so if you want all this power for a discount, now is a good time to buy one.

This deal won't stick around after Memorial Day. If you’ve been waiting to buy a powerful Apple laptop, now is the time.

Memorial Day weekend M4 Pro MacBook Pro 16 deal

Memorial Day is just days away and Amazon like just about every other retailer in the U.S. is having a preliminary celebratory sale. Beyond mattresses, patio furniture, and outdoor grills for this weekend's Memorial Day cookouts, Amazon is slashing prices on our Apple's premium MacBooks.

In an apparent Memorial Day deals preview, Amazon slashes one of the most coveted Apple M4 MacBook Air configurations to an all-time low price.

Browse: Amazon's entire sale

Right now, you can get the M4 MacBook Air with 24GB of RAM and 512GB SSD for $1,229 at Amazon. That's $170 off its normal price of $1,399 and the lowest ever price for this caliber MacBook. By comparison, it undercuts Best Buy's current price for this same MacBook by $70.

This is one of the best Memorial Day MacBook deals up for grabs today.

If we're talking personal computers, the M4 MacBook Air is the best overall laptop to buy in 2025, period.

In our M4 MacBook Air review, we liked its excellent performance, bright Liquid Retina display, and long battery life, which lasted 15 hours and 30 minutes in one test. We also praised its superior webcam and new lower price point, rating it a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.

It's the Editor's Choice laptop for students, remote workers, and traveling professionals.

As a cheaper alternative, you can get the base model M4 MacBook Air for $848 ($151 off) from PC Richard & Son.

If you find yourself having a lot of tabs open at once and have a tendency to max out your storage, the M4 MacBook Air with 24GB of RAM and 512GB might be right for you. Especially now at this tempting deal price.

Today's best M4 MacBook Air deal

The Laptop Mag Editor's Choice Award-winning M4 MacBook Air is the best value Apple laptop money can buy. Over the M3 MacBook Air it packs a new Apple M4 chip and 16GB of RAM for extra multitasking performance.

Even without a discount, it's $150 cheaper than the previous-gen M3 MacBook Air's debut price. If you're in the market for a new laptop, here's an M4 MacBook deal that doubles down on the savings.

Amazon continues to offer the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air for just $849. It normally costs $999, so that $150 off and one of the lowest prices ever for Apple's new flagship laptop.

Browse: Amazon's entire sale

For you number crunchers out there, that's $300 below the M3 MacBook Air's list price, making it an excellent value. As far as laptop deals go, this is one of the best for the money. Plus, it has 16GB of RAM, which is twice as much as last year's base M3 release, which had only 8GB of RAM.

In our M4 MacBook Air review, we liked its excellent performance, bright Liquid Retina display, and long battery life, which lasted 15 hours and 30 minutes in one test. We also praised its superior webcam and new lower price point, rating it a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.

Although the M4 MacBook Air is our number one pick for best overall laptop, if you're looking for a cheaper option, the M3 MacBook Air is now just $749 at B&H ($500 off).

At $150 off, the M4 MacBook Air is a no-brainer if you're looking for the best bang for your buck.

Today's best M4 MacBook Air deal

Apple's M5 chip isn't even here yet, but we're already hearing rumors about the next generation and beyond.

In his latest report for Bloomberg, Apple expert Mark Gurman indicates the company is already working on the next several generations of Apple silicon, including the M6 and M7 chipsets.

Apple is expected to launch the first products using the M5 in the fall, with the MacBook Pro models getting the chip first this time around. The iPad Pro and MacBook Air models with the M5 are expected to hit the market in early 2026.

This means that the soonest we could see the M6 is likely Fall 2026. But what do we know about the M6 and M7 so far?

M6 and M7 are reportedly in development

What are Apple's "Komodo" chips?

Gurman's latest Apple report includes the codenames for upcoming Apple Silicon chipsets. The "Komodo" chips are expected to be the M6 generation, while the "Borneo" chips are likely the M7. Gurman also includes information on a future Apple chip codenamed "Sotra."

The upcoming M6 and M7 chips are designed to power upcoming Mac devices, including the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models. And likely an iPad or two. The Apple M6 generation is expected to be the first Apple chips manufactured on TSMC's 2nm silicon wafer process node.

While we still expect the M6 and M7 to be powerful computing chips, Apple appears to focus more on AI for future chip generations. This makes perfect sense.

As more people use artificial intelligence, we start demanding more from it, leading to more complex AI models that require more powerful hardware. Since AI uses all three hardware accelerators (CPU, GPU, and NPU), it stands to reason that the M6 and M7 will be powerful all-around chips.

But that's not Apple's development team's only AI in the works.

Apple is also working on data center chips that will be used in the Apple Intelligence servers, replacing the current high-end Mac chips that run the Apple servers. These chips are part of the "Baltra" project and are expected to be finished by 2027.

What this means for the M5 generation

Ultimately, this just means the Apple M5 will eventually be outpaced by its successor. That's not really news.

Chips should get better with each generation as chipmakers refine the technology and adapt to smaller and smaller silicon processes. No one is happy if a chipmaker puts out a new chip that underperforms compared to the last generation or doesn't increase in performance. That was Intel's main issue with the Core Ultra 200S "Arrow Lake" launch on desktops last fall. Intel is still tweaking 200S performance even six months later.

If Apple's usual performance trend holds, the M5 generation will still improve over the M4. And the M6 will improve on the M5, while the M7 will improve on the M6.

If you just upgraded to an M3 or M4 Mac, you can wait until the M6 or later.

But if you're still using an old Intel-based Mac or the M1 generation, you may consider upgrading to the M5. After all, the average laptop upgrade cycle is around four years.

More from Laptop Mag

• Looks like Apple isn't giving up on smart glasses after all
• App Store rule change takes the headache out of buying books on iOS Kindle app
• Microsoft’s new 13-inch Surface Laptop beats Apple on affordability

Today's best M4 MacBook Pro deal

Launched November 8, 2024, Apple's M4 MacBook Pro just hit its 6-month anniversary. Our experts reviewed over 100 laptops last year, and the M4 MacBook Pro was one of the few to receive our 5-star Editor's Choice Award.

In a deal that aligns with its 180-day milestone, the M4 MacBook Pro dips significantly in price.

For a limited time, you can get the M4 MacBook Pro (Silver) for $1,373 from go-to Apple retailer, Amazon. That's $226 below the M4 MB Pro's $1,599 list price and just $1 shy of its all-time low.

Browse: Amazon's entire MacBook sale

See also: Best Apple deals in May 2025

As a deals expert, I have an eagle eye for MacBook deals and this is one of the best I've seen all year. I did quick price comparison and found that it undercuts B&H's price current price by $26.

If you're a power-user, content creator, or traveling professional in need of a new laptop, I highly recommend the M4 MacBook Pro. Built for Apple Intelligence, the M4 MacBook Pro is one of favorite laptops from Apple — and for good reason.

As our expert details in our M4 MacBook Pro review, it delivers outstanding performance, has a brilliant display, and 18+ hour battery life. We loved it so much that we gave it a rare 5 out of 5 star rating and our Editor's Choice Award.

Preformance-wise, the M4 MacBook Pro showed no signs of stuttering or slowing down no matter what we threw at it. Even when we launced dozens of Chrome tabs while running productivity apps like Asana, and Slack in the background, the M4 MacBook Pro kept up with it all.

Like Emeril Lagasse, we kicked it up a notch and fired up Adobe Photoshop alongside Premiere Pr,o M4 MacBookProP, and here's what happened. The M4 MacBook Pro scoffed and seamlessly handled numerous media file edits.

Simply put, the M4 MacBook Pro is a sensible choice for college students, creative pros, and power users. MacBook deals this good tend to sell out quickly, so I recommend you act fast.

Today's best M4 MacBook deal

More from Laptop Mag

• Apple M4 vs M3: The biggest differences and tradeoffs
• This MacBook Pro is the longest-lasting Apple laptop we've ever tested

Update April 28 at 10:35 a.m. ET: This article was updated to reflect the 15-inch MacBook Air M4's new deal price of $150 off.

Oftentimes, patience is key when it comes to getting a good bargain. If you were waiting for a price break on Apple's latest MacBook Air M4, your patience has paid off.

Currently, the 15-inch MacBook Air M4 is on sale for $1,049 at Amazon. Normally $1,199, this Apple laptop is now $150 below retail and at its lowest ever price on Amazon.

Browse: Amazon's entire sale

This is the same discount Apple gives to students, educators, and faculty via the Apple Education Store. By comparison, it undercuts B&H's current price for this same MacBook by $70.

Amazon also offers the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 for $849 ($150 off).

I track laptop deals every day, and I've been keeping a close eye on the MacBook Air M4 since it released last month. These are two of the best MacBook deals you can get ahead of Memorial Day.

The MacBook Air M4 is one of the best laptops to launch in 2025.

In our 15-inch MacBook Air M4 review, we gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising its strong performance, bright Liquid Retina display, and class-leading webcam. We also found its battery life impressive, it lasted 15 hours in our Laptop Mag Battery Test.

During real-world trials, the 15-inch MacBook Air M4 scoffed at the workload our expert threw at it.

In one test, it easily handled three windows with roughly six Google Chrome tabs each, three of which played YouTube videos at a resolution of 1080p. All the while, its powerful 10-core M4 processor remained cool under pressure.

It's worth noting the 15-inch MacBook Air M4 features the same 12MP Center Stage found in the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4. This impressive webcam produces sharp images in challenging lighting conditons so you'll always look your best in video calls.

If you're looking for a laptop with a screen over 13 to 14 inches but under 16 inches, the 15-inch MacBook Air is just right.

At $100 off, the 15-inch MacBook Air M4 is now $200 cheaper than the previous-gen 15-inch MacBook M3 Air's price at launch.

Now at its best price yet, the 15-inch MacBook Air is even more of a great value for the price.

Today's best 15-inch MacBook Air M4 deal

Launched in March 2024, the MacBook Air M3 is just over a year old and was named 2024's Laptop Mag's best overall laptop. Despite being replaced by the MacBook Air M4, the M3-charged portable powerhouse is still one of the best laptops to buy in 2025.

B&H continues to sell the 512GB model 13-inch MacBook Air M3 for just $899. It usually commands a price of $1,299, so that's a whopping $400 in savings and its lowest price ever. It beats its former all-time low price of $999 spotted on Amazon back in December.

By comparison, it's $100 cheaper the Best Buy's current deal price for the same laptop. It's also $50 cheaper than this M4 MacBook Air's limited-time deal.

Browse: B&H's entire MacBook sale

As a shopping guru who tracks sales for a living, this is one of the best MacBook deals I've seen outside of major end-of-year sales.

Our resident laptop experts reviewed the MacBook Air M3 when it first launched in early March last year. Although it's passed the baton to the M4 MacBook Air, it remains one of the best laptops for most people.

In our MacBook Air M3 review, we rated it 4.5 out of 5 stars and gave it our esteemed Editor's Choice Award. Our expert praised its outstanding battery life, strong performance, bright Liquid Retina display, and comfortable keyboard.

The M3 MacBook Air scored an impressive 12,087 in our lab's Geekbench 6 overall performance tests. This surpasses the mainstream laptop average of 9,595 by far.

As for battery life, the MacBook Air M3 lasted 15 hours and 13 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test. This endurance trial entails continuous web surfing over WiFi at a 150-nit display brightness.

"The fact that I can get this kind of performance from a laptop in a chassis this small is mind-bending.", said our reviewer.

If you prioritize powerful performance, long battery life, and a satisfying typing experience, the MacBook Air M3 might be right for you.

Especially now with this tempting $400 discount.

Today's best Apple MacBook Air M3 deal

Apple's next mixed reality headset could arrive soon, but with one major design change that could drag it down — literally.

It's been over a year since the Apple Vision Pro launched in February 2024, although it has struggled to find success since then, largely due to its sky-high price.

Now, Apple may be gearing up to launch a pair of new headsets with some changes that could resolve the common complaints users had with the original Vision Pro, according to a report from Bloomberg.

There's just one problem, however — one of those design changes could be a huge drawback, especially if you don't have a MacBook.

See also: Best Apple deals in April 2025

The next Apple Vision Pro could arrive soon — with one huge change

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported on Sunday that Apple is preparing to launch two new headsets as a follow-up to the original Vision Pro released last year.

These new headsets will offer the same core features as the Vision Pro but, ideally, resolve a couple of critical issues users had: price and comfort.

The original Vision Pro launched at $3,500, making it one of the most expensive headsets on the market (roughly ten times the price of a Meta Quest headset).

Since that price was a big reason many people skipped the Vision Pro, Apple will likely try to reduce the price of both of the new headsets. Unfortunately, the constantly-shifting situation with Trump administration tariffs may end up making the new headsets just as expensive as the original, which was manufactured mainly in China.

While the price is challenging to predict, Gurman shared some hints about the design, which could feature a huge change.

The original Vision Pro was criticized for being too heavy, so both of the new models will likely weigh significantly less. At least one of the new headsets will accomplish that by being tethered to a MacBook, which would allow Apple to put less computing hardware in the headset itself, reducing the weight.

This headset would work a bit like the Mac-tethered AR glasses Apple reportedly scrapped earlier this year. It would need to be connected to a Mac to function, acting as more of an extension to your Mac and less of a distinct device itself. For some, that design might be a huge turn-off, but there are some positives and negatives to it.

The pros and cons of an Apple Vision Pro tethered to your MacBook

At first glance, a Vision Pro that needs to constantly be wired to a MacBook sounds a bit clunky to me. However, there are admittedly some potential upsides to this design, which is effectively a return to older VR headsets that needed to be tethered to gaming PCs.

One positive is reduced latency. Since the headset would be connected directly to your Mac, it would be able to load and display content from your Mac more quickly than through a wireless connection like on the Vision Pro.

Another obvious positive is reduced weight. It's absolutely critical for Apple to cut down the weight of its next-gen headsets, and if that means requiring a wired connection a Mac, that could be a worthy trade-off, especially if the price goes down, too.

It's also possible a tethered connection could lead to better battery life, but that's still up in the air. The wired connection could mean the headset will draw power from your MacBook, but it might also need its own dedicated battery pack like the original Vision Pro.

Ideally, that won't be the case, though. A MacBook would likely be able to offer better battery life than the pocket-sized battery packs Apple's original headset uses.

Of course, the downside to all this is less mobility and flexibility. Since the headset needs a wired connection to a MacBook, it will be harder to walk around with it on and could effectively make the headset more of an accessory since it won't really be functional without a Mac.

Either way, it looks like Apple hasn't given up on the Vision Pro quite yet, though it still has a lot of progress to make when it comes to making a headset that people can actually afford.

More from Laptop Mag

• Inside Apple’s AI struggles: Budget cuts, delays, and a stalled Siri upgrade
• One crucial feature could give Samsung an early victory over Apple in the headset wars
• Samsung's Vision Pro alternative may bury its best feature under a ridiculous price tag

The spring sales continue to flow this weekend: Take B&H for example, which has a healthy discount on the Apple MacBook Air M3.

Currently, B&H offers the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air M3 is now $899 , a savings of $400 from the regular price. This price is valid on the Space Gray colorway (Silver is $100 more).

While this is not the lowest price ever (we saw it drop to $799 briefly at Amazon), it's the best price available right now, and the lowest price you can find for this early 2024 MacBook Air model (all four colorways for the MacBook Air M3 are $999 at Best Buy).

Note that this model has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, which is enough to do most daily tasks. If you do more memory intensive tasks like keep hundreds of open browser tabs, edit complex spreadhseets, or do a lot of creative work with large video and image files, you may prefer stepping up to the M3 model with 16GB of RAM at $999(now $200 off at B&H Photo).

In our review of the MacBook Air M3, we appreciated its lightweight design, gorgeous display, excellent performance, and long 15+ hour battery life. (We reviewed the configuration with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD). We gave the system 4.5 stars, and at this lower price, it remains a good choice, even with the M4 version already on the market (albeit at a higher price).

At 3.3 pounds, the 15-inch MacBook Air remains one of the most highly portable systems you can buy. Snag this instant savings at B&H while you can.

Today's best 15-inch MacBook Air M3 deal

Amazon's Big Spring Sale ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific on Monday, March 31, 2025 — so act fast to take advantage of these deals.

Apple makes some of the best laptops, tablets, and smartwatches around, but they can be pretty pricey if you get them at full price. Luckily, you can save hundreds on a few top devices right now, from the Editor's Choice MacBook Air M3 for $300 off to the Apple Watch SE for just $199!

We hand-picked the best Apple deals in Amazon's Spring Sale, but there are plenty more still available if you're looking for a Windows laptop or an Android tablet.

There are also plenty of deals on headphones and Apple accessories. For instance, the Apple Pencil USB-C is on sale for just $69.

Desktop users are in luck, too. The Mac Mini M4 is $743 right now, which is $56 off the list price for the configuration with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. This is a great fit for anyone looking for a more compact, affordable alternative to the iMac.

Fab 4: Apple deals in Amazon's Spring Sale

More from Laptop Mag

• Live: Amazon Big Spring Sale's best laptop and MacBook deals
• We love the M3 MacBook Pro design and performance — and it just got a deep discount
• Apple iPad Mini 7 (2024) review: The ultimate mobile entertainment device

Spring is in the air, and Amazon isn't the only retailer with massive sales to welcome the season. B&H Photo joins in with a terrific deal on the Apple MacBook Pro with M3 Pro processor that slashes $600 from its usual $1,999 price.

You can now buy the Apple MacBook Pro with M3 Pro processor for just $1,399 at B&H Photo (black colorway only). Best Buy has this model at the same price in both the silver and black colorways (although there, it's only a $500 discount over the usual cost). Both retailers have the MacBook Pro with a 14-inch display, 18GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD.

In our review of the MacBook Pro with M3 Max, we gave this model a near-perfect 4.5 star rating. We lauded its excellent overall performance, good gaming performance, and terrific battery life. This model's processor is a slight step down but still delivers plenty of performance power.

This model remains an outstanding deal even if you consider that it is one generation behind the latest version with the M4 Pro chip (and 24GB of RAM) inside.

The new version costs almost $400 more if you consider its current $1,779 sale price — and $600 more if you consider that model's $1,999 selling price.

B&H Photo notes it has limited quantities at this price, and it's only available through March 29, while Best Buy doesn't specify when its deal ends. Either way, if a 14-inch MacBook Pro sounds appealing, you won't find a better deal around.

Today's best MacBook Pro with M3 Pro deal

Despite our name, Laptop Mag are unabashed supporters of the growing mini PC market. The little boxes are powerful machines that are potent portables.

The arrival of the M4 processor-powered Mac mini in October 2024 ushered in Apple’s most current entrant into a burgeoning market. The Mac Mini goes back more than 20 years now, and it continues to live rent-free in my mind.

During Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, the M4 Pro-powered Mini, with a three-year Apple Care+ warranty, is $105 off. This is Apple’s top-of-the-line Mac Mini desktop computer if you're looking to invest in something powerful that will last for years, the deal below is for you.

But hurry — Amazon's Big Spring Sale ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific on Monday, March 31.

You may not immediately think of a Mac Mini desktop computer as your next computer, but it should be. This underrated little productivity powerhouse is could be derided as the “hipster’s choice” of computers, but let that pejorative flow right by you.

Apple's even made an interesting choice for the location of the power button. (Though if you don't like it, there's a DIY alternative.)

Here’s why it might be the right choice for your sensibilities, needs, and, most importantly, your budget.

Design: The design-focused side of my brain — and maybe yours — can also see how the sleek Mac Mini desktop is a space-saver in your home or office, too.

Practicality and affordability: The more practical benefits of a mini PC are energy efficiency, a low amount of noise, reduced heat output, and affordability.

See also:

➟ All external monitors on sale for Amazon's Big Spring Sale

➟ All Logitech keyboards and mice on sale for Amazon's Big Spring Sale

If stunning visuals aren’t important to you but top-tier performance is, a Mac Mini desktop PC is also a great value. Let’s compare prices for a moment:

The Mac Mini with an M4 Pro processor and 24GB of unified memory, and 512 GB of storage is $1,199. And you can buy a much larger monitor (like this 27” Samsung full HD screen which is 39% off right now).

Meanwhile, if you wanted those specs (24GB of unified memory and 512GB of storage) in a Mac laptop, the best you could do is $1,364.

The Mac Mini is small and mighty. If you’d like the ability to quickly connect it to any display — including your TV — and keep a smaller footprint for your device, it’s the smart choice.

Reviews of the new Apple MacBook Air — powered by the new Apple M4 processor —are so crammed with superlatives and praise that it's nearly comical. "I have no notes," reads a particularly good headline on one review.

The Laptop Mag review of the 13-inch model makes it plain: "cheaper and better." We gave it five stars, something we've only done 44 times on reviews in our more than thirty-year history.

This is a laptop worth buying. It starts at $999. And right now, it's on sale for $949 at a variety of retailers, many trying to keep up with Amazon during its Big Spring Sale happening through Monday, March 31.

Let's talk about color, though.

Right now, you can get the M4 MacBook Air with 16GB of unified memory and 256GB of local storage for $949 on Amazon in the colors starlight (a warm golden-bronze color), midnight (black), or sky blue (an icy-grayish blue).

Meanwhile, you can get the same laptop — 16GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage — at Best Buy for $949, but only in the midnight black color.

Finally, you can buy the same spec'd model in starlight, sky blue, or midnight for $949 at B&H. Midnight isn't on sale.

We'd be remiss if we didn't remark on battery life for the M4 MacBook Air, which, during the famously rigourous Laptop Mag battery test, survived 15 hours and 30 minutes of visiting websites with video and images at 150 nits of brightness before it finally ran out of power.

In a world where everything is going up in price, the Apple M4 MacBook Air is actually going down in cost — which is definitely worth noting as you make your buying decision.

Apple did away with the version of the old MacBook Air that only had 8GB of unified memory and brought the price down, too. Experts speculate Apple decided to ditch 8GB of memory because that's not enough to run Apple Intelligence features. While there's no proof of that, it certainly seems plausible, given the demands of generative AI.

In 2022, the 13-inch MacBook (with an M2 processor) came with 8GB of memory and cost $1,199.00.

Here in 2025, the 13-inch MacBook Air with an M4 processor at 16GB of memory costs $999. Except for right now. If you're in the market for a new laptop, what are you waiting for?

Succeeded by the newly launched M4 MacBook Air, last year's M3 MacBook Air configurations are seeing huge price cuts. We're still hours away from Amazon's Big Spring sale kickoff, yet MacBook deals are available elsewhere.

For example, you can snap up the M3 MacBook Air with 24GB of RAM for just $1,099 at B&H. This deal normally costs $1,499, so you save $350. By comparison, it's $50 cheaper than Amazon's current price. As The Camelizer shows, this is the lowest price ever for this MacBook configuration.

Browse: B&H's entire MacBook sale

Despite being overshadowed by the M4-powered MacBook Air, the M3 MacBook Air is no slouch. Launched in March 2024, the M3 MacBook Air earned its spot as the best overall laptop in 2024.

In our M3 MacBook Air review, we rated it 4.5 out of 5 stars and gave it our Editor's Choice Award praising its capable performance, bright, colorful display, and comfortable keyboard.

In our Laptop Mag Battery Test, which is continuous web surfing over WiFi with a display brightness of 150 nits, the M3 MacBook Air tapped out at 15 hours. That's pretty impressive for an everyday laptop, which means you can spend more time getting things done and charging less.

So if you're refreshing your laptop for the spring, the M3 MacBook Air is worth a look. Especially at this tempting deal price.

Today's best M3 MacBook Air deal

Apple’s transition from the M2 to the M3 was a huge leap forward in its silicon strategy. One that would push its performance and efficiency further than ever before as the first chip built on a cutting-edge 3-nanometer (nm) process, N3B, from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). This promised faster CPU and GPU performance and improved power efficiency, alongside a whole host of other features.

Johny Srouji, Apple’s SVP of Hardware Technologies, touted the M3 series in October 2023 as “the most advanced chips ever built for a personal computer” in an official Apple press release because of its new GPU architecture, faster neural engine, and more unified memory.

However, this transition — while a success in bringing all-new levels of performance to consumer devices — quickly became problematic for Apple, leading to what is widely recognized as the shortest lifespan of any microchip in Apple’s history.

Strangled by low yield rates

Apple’s move to 3nm fabrication seemed logical at first glance. The company had previously seen great success with TSMC’s 5nm process, which powered M1 and M2. In addition, shrinking transistor sizes theoretically bring greater power efficiency and performance gains, allowing Apple to maintain its competitive edge over Intel and AMD, which were still on 5nm processes then.

Apple worked with TSMC to develop the N3B variant of the 3nm process. N3B was essentially a trial node that, while offering high transistor density, suffers from lower yields and is incompatible with TSMC’s future 3nm refinements.

As it transpired, N3B came with serious production problems, primarily due to its aggressive design rules and the introduction of new components like self-aligned contacts to insulate against electrical shorts. These factors contributed to lower yields and challenges in metal stack performance. Compounding these issues was Apple’s desire to be the first to market with a 3nm chip, leading the company to secure TSMC's entire initial production of 3nm chips.

This was a calculated risk by Apple that ultimately backfired, exposing the company to the inherent risks of early adoption, including lower initial yields and higher production costs. TSMC’s yield rates for these chips were reportedly as low as 55% during early production, meaning that almost half of all M3 chips produced were defective. It wouldn’t be surprising if this low yield rate made the M3 one of Apple's more expensive chip productions, as each wafer was already drastically costlier than its 5nm predecessors.

Apple’s A17 Pro chip (in the iPhone 15 Pro) and the Mac M3 chips were the first mass-market 3nm chips, according to Apple, so the company encountered these process node challenges head-on. However, these extremely low production yields were unforeseen, forcing Apple and TSMC to negotiate, as one observer characterized it, a “sweetheart deal,” whereby Apple only paid for working chips instead of whole wafers.

This was an unusual concession for the semiconductor industry, where the standard practice is for chip designers to purchase entire wafers — the thin slice of semiconductor material that acts as a base for integrated circuits like the M3 — regardless of how many functioning chips (“dies”) are produced from each one.

This is a fundamental aspect of the business model that fairly distributes risk between foundries and their customers. In Apple’s case, however, they had reportedly booked some 90% of TSMC’s 3nm production and this pricing arrangement was critical for them to offset the financial impact of M3’s low yield rates.

In response to these problems, Apple quickly pivoted to TSMC’s N3E process (the second variant of TSMC’s 3nm node) for the A17 Pro in late 2025 for late-cycle iPhone 15 Pro production. This pivot protected its profit margins without requiring significant chip specification changes and enabled volume production of lower-tier chips like the A18, thereby expanding 3nm adoption across Apple’s iPhone 16 lineup. However, a $1 billion redesign of CPU clusters and memory controllers for the M3 family was needed.

Inconsistencies in the M3 lineup

This split between the N3B and N3E processes for M3 production created inconsistencies in the lineup. The M3 Pro, for example, which was built on the earlier N3B process, actually had 25% less memory bandwidth than its M1 and M2 Pro predecessors (150GB/s vs. 200 GB/s). Apple achieved this by using a narrow memory bus, which likely improved chip yields, reduced die size, and even cut down the CPU core count, with six performance cores in the M3 Pro vs. eight in the M2 Pro.

Likewise, the lower-bin M3 Max had its memory bandwidth capped at 300GB/s instead of the full 400GB/s that previous iterations of Max chips had. These atypical downgrades in spec were curious and drew notice since, as you would expect, new chip generations are only meant to go up in capability. Although there has been no official confirmation, it’s suspected by some that Apple made these design tweaks to accommodate the realities of the N3B process and prioritize manufacturability over brute-force specs.

The impact of these N3B process woes was evident in the performance and production of M3 chips. Performance-wise, the M3 series still delivered generational gains, especially in GPU capabilities, but these were uneven. The base M3 saw a healthy ~15% single-core uplift over M2 thanks to the new 3nm cores, but its reduced core count overshadowed the M3 Pro’s multi-core improvements—and in some tasks, the M2 Pro could almost match it.

On the manufacturing side, the low yields heavily constrained output, forcing Apple to make tough choices. The company seemingly held back its high-end Macs until the 3nm process could mature, with machines like the Mac Studio not appearing with M3 architecture until March 5, 2025. The Mac Pro is still shipping with the M2 Ultra at the time of publication of this report.

The MacBook product line also faced delays, with Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo commenting in September 2023: “It seems that Apple will not launch new MacBook models (equipped with M3 series processors) before the end of this year.”

Performance shortfalls all around

At the high end, the M3 Max was well received for its massive GPU performance boost, with a 40-core GPU outperforming previous MacBook Pro models in intensive creative workloads​. However, Apple’s decision to skip an M3 Ultra model on the N3B process variant — which would have powered high-end Mac Studio and Mac Pro desktops — was a notable omission at the time.

Beyond raw performance, efficiency and thermal management have become notable talking points among users. The iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro chip was widely criticized for overheating issues, leading to speculation that M3 chips suffered from similar inefficiencies​. “Users of the iPhone 15 have reported that after 30 minutes of use, the mobile processor reaches temperatures exceeding 48˚C... Many have pointed their finger at TSMC’s 3nm process,” observed Robin Mitchell on the engineering news website Electropages.

All this illustrates how the choice of N3B vs. N3E impacted the M3. Apple started M3 production on the bleeding-edge N3B to get 3nm Macs out sooner but faced yield and efficiency hurdles, resulting in a somewhat transitional product.

A stepping stone to the M4?

Apple has historically maintained a measured, iterative approach to updating its M-series chips with a roughly 18-month cycle between generations. However, the transition from M3 to M4 is happening at an unprecedented pace, suggesting that Apple is eager to move past the issues faced with M3.

TSMC’s transition from the N3B process to the N3E process is at the core of this generational shift. Unlike N3B, which only achieves ~55% yields, N3E offers ~70-80% yields and improved manufacturability, allowing for lower production costs and more consistent performance.

It’s also not too farfetched to consider that perhaps this was Apple’s game plan all along: To introduce an early 3nm chip (A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro and the M3 for Macs) as a transitional design — a necessary early step to develop the “first 3nm,” but not the design Apple considered fully optimized.

This sentiment is reflected in how quickly Apple pivoted its lineup beyond M3 and excluded many mainline products — Mac Mini, Mac Studio, Mac Pro — from the M3 generation so that their next update would launch with M4 chips instead.

While Apple hasn’t publicly criticized its own M3 chips (on the contrary, its press releases praise M3’s advancements), there are hints of internal acknowledgment of challenges. For instance, the A17 Pro chip, which is built on the same 3nm family as M3, had well-publicized thermal issues in the iPhone 15 Pro launch, which some insiders attributed to the rushed 3nm process​ and others to a bug in iOS 17.

Indeed, Apple’s chip engineers had to design two versions of the A17/M3 cores — one for the early N3B node and another for the more mature N3E node — essentially a do-over for better efficiency.

There’s also some interesting context if you read between the lines. When Apple (surprisingly) introduced an M4 chip in the iPad Pro just six months after the M3 launch, it raised eyebrows: “The M3 chip and its siblings were the first Apple silicon generation to use a 3-nanometer fabrication process. But that process was lacking, as the M4 arrives via an entirely new, reconfigured method,” observes Ryan Christoffel in 9to5Mac, adding, “It seems there were continuing inefficiencies and yield issues with that original process, and Apple wasn’t content dealing with those problems any longer.”

Notably, Apple emphasized that the M4 was built on “second-generation 3-nanometer technology, implying the first-gen 3nm in M3 had shortcomings. A report from EE Times had earlier highlighted that TSMC was “straining to meet demand” for 3nm chips and that yield struggles were impeding volume production​.

The result was an unusually fast generation leap, marking what one outlet characterized as an “aggressive update schedule” compared to the more typical 18-month cadence seen with the M1 and M2.

The chart above shows how M4 performance compares to other similar laptops, including a MacBook powered by the M3 chip.

Transitioning to the M4

Despite all the challenges faced with the M3, Apple’s control over its silicon roadmap remains a massive advantage. These challenges, however, exposed the risks of being too aggressive with new manufacturing nodes.

By going all-in on TSMC’s N3B process, Apple faced low yields, higher costs, and unexpected performance trade-offs — a stark contrast to the smooth transition seen between the M1 and M2. This aggressive push for early 3nm adoption was driven in part by competition, as other industry players like Intel, with the Xeon 6 and Core Ultra 200V Lunar Lake processors, and AMD, with the EPYC Turin, were also integrating 3nm technology.

Looking ahead, Apple has already invested $2.5 billion in TSMC’s Arizona fab, highlighting the company’s commitment to securing long-term supply chain stability.

While the Arizona facility is not expected to produce Apple’s leading-edge chips immediately, this suggests a more strategic, controlled approach to future chip development, potentially avoiding another rushed transition like M3. It’s worth noting that TSMC has experienced significant staffing issues at the Arizona facility due to alleged worker abuses and differences in workplace regulations.

At the same time, Apple will prepare for its next major process: the transition to 2nm chips. TSMC has confirmed that N2 production will begin in the second half of 2025, with Apple likely among the first customers​. However, the question remains: Will Apple once again take a risky early-adopter approach, or will it wait for a more refined version of the node, such as N2P, before fully committing?

That said, Apple has not abandoned the M3 entirely. While it skipped the chip in key product lines like the Mac Mini and Mac Pro, it did introduce an M3 Ultra Mac Studio and iPad Air in early March 2025. This naturally raises the question of why Apple would continue to release select M3 devices while transitioning to M4 elsewhere. The likely answer lies in production scalability, with the Mac Studio and iPad Air being lower-volume products compared to MacBooks and iPhones, making low-yield constraints less of an issue.

Ultimately, the M3 transition will likely be remembered as an ambitious and successful experiment, but not without its challenges — and ultimately, a necessary step in Apple’s silicon evolution. With the announcement of the M4 MacBook Air potentially putting Apple’s M3 lineup on the back burner, it’s not unreasonable to wonder whether Apple might secretly be glad to move on.

More from Laptop Mag

• Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4 vs. MacBook Air 13-inch M3: Which is the better value?
• Apple quietly discontinues these MacBooks following the M4 MacBook Air reveal
• Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4 review: Rarified Air

Amazon Big Spring Sale savings are here with the season's best MacBook deals in tow which means Apple's premium laptops are ripe for the picking.

With the new season upon us, chances are the new M4 MacBook Air is high on your spring tech refresh list. If so, it's not too early to save thanks to Amazon's Big Spring Sale deals preview.

Browse: Amazon Big Spring Sale deals

At this very instant, you can get the M4 MacBook Air with 3 years of Apple Care Plus for $1,148 ($50 off). This is the lowest price for the just-released MacBook Air bundle and one of the top deals on Amazon today.

Without Apple Care Plus the M4 MacBook Air costs $949 ($50 off). Given that last year's M3 MacBook Air fetched $1,099 at launch, this is an excellent value for the price.

In our M4 MacBook Air review, we liked its excellent performance, bright Liquid Retina display, and long battery life, which lasted 15 hours and 30 minutes in one test. We also praised its superior webcam and new lower price point, rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Simply put, the M4 MacBook Air is as close to perfect as a laptop can get.

As an alternative, you double up on storage with the 512GB model M3 MacBook Air for $999 ($300 off). Launched in 2024, the M3 MacBook Air is still a powerhouse laptop in its own right. It too earned our Editor's Choice Award for its capable performance, bright, colorful display, comfortable keyboard, and 15-hour life.

And that's just a small portion of the Amazon's discounts and spring clearance deals on MacBooks. See more of my favorite discounts below.

Amazon Big Spring Sale MacBook deals preview — Quick links

• Apple M4 MacBook Air 13: was $999 now $949 at Amazon
• Apple M3 MacBook Air 13: was $1299 now $999 at Amazon
• Apple M4 MacBook Air 13 w/ Apple Care+: was $1,198 now $1,148 at Amazon
• Apple M4 MacBook Air 15 w/ Apple Care+: was $1,428 now $1,379 at Amazon
• Apple M3 MacBook Air 13 w/ Apple Care+: was $1,298 now $1,036 at Amazon
• Apple M4 MacBook Pro 14 w/ Apple Care+: was $3,478 now $3,128 at Amazon
• Apple M4 MacBook Pro 16 w/ Apple Care+: was $3,898 now $3,698 at Amazon

Amazon Big Spring Sale MacBook deals

It's the middle of June and the best laptop deals right now offer solid discounts top-rated computers from Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and more.

If you want to buy a laptop for yourself or someone else, there are plenty of bargains available.

Currently, I'm seeing Chromebooks from as low as $139,Windows laptops from just $199, and MacBooks from $699 at Best Buy.

Buying a new laptop for school, work, or the family shouldn't be a daunting task or a huge strain on your wallet. That's where reviews from our resident laptop expert and my shopping savvy come to the rescue. I check retailer sales and share my hand-selected laptop deals right there in one place.

My recommendations are based on laptops we've tested and rated ourselves, as well as feedback from verified purchases.

Whether you're looking for a cheap laptop for basic use, a college laptop, or a business notebook, I have you covered.

From sub-$500 laptops to workstations, here are the laptop deals right now:

Best laptop deals — Quick links

• HP 14-inch Laptop: was $199 now $139 at Best Buy (ends June 17)
• Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9 Laptop: was $359 now $299 at Lenovo
• Acer Aspire 3 Laptop: was $349 now $299 at Amazon
• Dell Inspiron 14 Laptop: was $849 now $599 at Dell
• Samsung Galaxy Book 4: was $899 now $599 at Best Buy
• Apple M3 MacBook Air: was $899 now $699 at Best Buy
• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 Laptop: was $869 now $749 at Lenovo
• Dell 14 Plus: was $1,099 now $749 at Dell
• Apple M4 MacBook Air 13 Laptop: was $999 now $849 at Amazon
• Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen 8: was $1,009 now $804 at Lenovo via coupon, "SAVEONTHINKBOOK" and "BUYMORELENOVO
• Apple M4 MacBook Air 15 Laptop: was $1,199 now $1,049 at Amazon
• Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: was $1,999 now $1,549 at Best Buy
• Apple M4 MacBook Pro 14 Laptop: was $1,599 now $1,429 at Amazon
• Amazon: Laptop deals from $173
• Best Buy: Laptop deals from $139
• Dell: Laptop deals from $599
• Lenovo: Laptop deals from $259
• Newegg: Laptop deals from $313

Laptop Mag's Top picks

Best laptop deals under $500

Best laptop deals under $1000

Best laptop deals under $1500

Best laptop deals under $2000

Sometimes, I come across a piece of tech that's a fantastic deal… even though one flaw keeps it from perfection. The HP Victus 16 is a perfect example.

It looks great on paper with an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, along with a fair budget-friendly starting price. The Victus 16 lived up to and even exceeded my expectations in many ways, but it came up short in one critical area.

Are the Victus 16's strengths enough to make it one of the best gaming laptops or best HP laptops despite its Achilles heel? After using it as my main laptop for a couple of weeks, I can safely say there's a lot to love about it, but one big flaw is hard to overlook (literally).

HP Victus 16: Specs and benchmarks

HP Victus 16 (S100): Price and configurations

The HP Victus 16 is available in a few configurations starting at $1,099. The base model includes an AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The next configuration up includes the same processor but with an RTX 4050 GPU and 1TB of storage.

Our review configuration costs $1,499, which includes an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. However, if you are looking to get it for even less, check out our best gaming laptop deals, as it is regularly discounted.

It's also worth noting you can install an additional SSD to increase the storage in the HP Victus 16, so if you can find a great deal on the 512GB SSD model, don't worry; you can upgrade that SSD later.

HP Victus 16 (S100): Design

With a more streamlined, minimal design than other gaming laptops, the HP Victus 16 is a good option for anyone who isn't a fan of all-over RGB. The Victus' sleek, steel-gray plastic chassis won't stand out at school or the office.

The Victus 16 features a full-size keyboard with a number pad and white backlighting. The only thing I don't like about it is the power button placement between the F12 and Delete keys. It's shaped like a regular key as well! It's doubly likely you'll hit the power button by accident. Offsetting it from the main keys would have prevented that.

Like most budget gaming laptops, the Victus 16 is on the bulky side. It measures 14.53 x 10.21 x 0.94 inches and weighs a whopping 5.2 pounds. But again, that's to be expected in this category and matches up with its competitors:

• Dell G16 (7630) (16-inch): 14.05 x 11.37 x 1.01 inches, 6 pounds
• Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (16-inch): 14.3 x 10.3 x 1.1 inches, 5.4 pounds
• Asus TUF Gaming A14 (14-inch): 12.24 x 8.94 x 0.78 inches, 3.2 pounds

HP Victus 16 (S100): Ports

The HP Victus 16 offers all the ports most gamers need, including:

• 3x USB Type-A 3.0
• 1x USB Type-C 3.0
• 1x HDMI 2.1
• 1x Ethernet port
• 1x 3.5mm headphone jack

That’s plenty of ports for me, but if you find yourself needing more ports, you can always hook up the Victus 16 to one of the best USB Type-C hubs or laptop docking stations.

HP Victus 16 (S100): Battery life

Gaming laptops typically struggle with battery life, so it's rare to find one that can last a whole day without recharging. The HP Victus 16 won't make it through a full day, but its battery life is better than most. In our battery life testing, it lasted 6 hours and 27 minutes while web browsing and 1 hour and 30 minutes while gaming.

The only rival laptop that outscored the Victus in either category was the Asus TUF Gaming A14, which lasted 10 hours and 4 minutes while web browsing but fell behind the Victus while gaming, lasting just over one hour.

HP Victus 16 (S100): Display

Display quality is the HP Victus 16's Achilles' heel. It's a 16.1-inch 1080p panel with a 144Hz refresh rate. On paper, that sounds pretty standard for a gaming laptop. Unfortunately, this display struggles with color quality and brightness.

I immediately noticed the washed-out and low-saturated colors on the desktop when I opened the Victus 16. The contrast is good, but beyond that, it leaves a lot to be desired.

It's especially noticeable in games with rich, vibrant visuals like No Man's Sky, which appeared much less lively on the Victus 16, lacking its usual rainbow of neon hues. The poor color quality isn't as apparent in games with more toned-down visuals, like the moody graphics in Pacific Drive, but even then, little details like pops of color from anomalies aren't as vivid as they should be.

Considering my in-person impressions, I wasn't surprised that the Victus 16 vastly underperformed on our lab display tests. It came in far behind all its rivals on display brightness, sRGB color gamut, and DCI-P3 color gamut.

The Dell G16, Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, and Asus TUF Gaming A14 are all in the same price range as the Victus 16. None of these laptops sport ultra-premium OLED displays, either. So the fact that the Victus 16's display scored far below all of them reinforces its poor quality.

HP Victus 16 (S100): Keyboard and touchpad

The full-size keyboard on the HP Victus 16 is clicky and responsive with a clear, minimal font. The number pad is perfect for gamers who play MMOs or MOBAs, especially those who use macros and keyboard shortcuts.

I enjoyed gaming and typing on the Victus 16's keyboard and found it snappy and responsive. Some may not like the half-size arrow keys, but that didn't bother me. What did bother me was the placement of the power button, which is integrated into the keyboard between the F12 and Delete keys. It's very easy to accidentally press it in this position, and I wish HP had placed it elsewhere.

Power button aside, the keyboard on the Victus 16 looks and feels good overall. On the Monkeytype typing test, I scored 101 words per minute with 99% accuracy, which is just shy of my top score of 105 wpm with 100% accuracy, set on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7X.

The touchpad on the Victus 16 is smooth and responsive and is good enough for basic tasks like web browsing. There's a bit of travel when clicking, but not too much, so it still feels snappy. When it comes to gaming, though, you'll want to connect one of the best gaming mice or gaming controllers to get the best experience.

HP Victus 16 (S100): Audio

The speaker quality on the HP Victus 16 isn't bad. It features two speakers on the front corners of the keyboard deck that get plenty loud, but the bass is a bit lackluster.

I noticed this right away while listening to the Hades soundtrack. "Out of Tartarus," one of my favorite tracks, lacked its usual punchiness on the low-end, even though the highs and mids were fine overall. Similarly, "Hunger of the Pine" by Alt J had smooth, piercing highs and good mids, but the bass notes just didn't hit as hard as I'm used to hearing them.

The lackluster bass is less noticeable in games, where in-game ambiance and sound effects are the main focus. The eerie sounds of the Pacific Northwest in Pacific Drive were immersive and well-balanced with my car's engine noise and radio tunes. The radio music could have been a bit punchier on the low end, but it isn't a deal-breaker.

HP Victus 16 (S100): Gaming and graphics

The HP Victus 16 may have a few drawbacks, but it offers great overall gaming performance. Our review configuration is powered by an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 8GB GPU that blazed through every game we threw at it. I played a few of my favorite games on it, as well, and had a great time with all of them, often averaging over 100 frames per second (at 1080p on high settings).

For example, No Man's Sky ran perfectly with an average of 118 fps, quick load times, and zero lag. The Victus 16 had no problem generating and loading in worlds and didn't even get particularly hot until I turned up my FPS cap to 120.

Smaller indie games like Pacific Drive and Death's Door were no sweat for the Victus 16. It ran Death's Door at a speedy 144 fps with quick and snappy movement and no noticeable temperature increases. Pacific Drive averaged 66 fps, much lower than Death's Door or No Man's Sky, but still ran perfectly smooth with short load times between different zones.

The Victus 16 aced our gaming tests, surpassing its rivals on almost every benchmark. For instance, the Victus 16 averaged 98 fps in Assassin's Creed Mirage at Ultra, 1080p, just a couple of points shy of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (which fell behind the Victus 16 in other titles like Borderlands 3 and Total War: Warhammer III).

For context, the Legion Pro 5i is also powered by an RTX 4070. The Asus TUF Gaming A14 and Dell G16 (7630) had an RTX 4080 in our review configurations.

HP Victus 16 (S100): Performance and heat

The HP Victus 16 features an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor, which performed well overall in my hands-on testing. It handled CPU-heavy games like No Man's Sky without lag or crashing and had no trouble keeping up with everyday tasks like web browsing and word processing. Multi-tasking was a breeze. The Victus 16 could have scored a bit higher on our performance tests, but it was on par with similar laptops across the board. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (Intel Core i9-14900HX) was the only competitor that significantly outscored it, coming in at 1,440 higher on the Geekbench 6 benchmark. However, the Legion Pro 5i has a shorter gaming battery life and higher peak temperatures, so there are trade-offs compared to the Victus 16.

For context, the Asus TUF Gaming A14 features an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (the same chip as the Victus 16), while the Dell G16 (7630) runs on an older Intel Core i7-1365HX.

Speaking of heat, the Victus 16 stayed relatively cool during my hands-on testing. It never grew noticeably warm during basic tasks like web browsing. Of course, it armed up while gaming, especially when plugged in.

The Victus 16 peaked at 109 degrees Fahrenheit in our thermal tests, which is significantly higher than our 95-degree comfort threshold. However, gaming laptops run hot, so that's not unusual.

HP Victus 16 (S100): Webcam

Laptop webcams usually leave me disappointed, so I was surprised that the webcam and mic on the Victus 16 were pretty good. The 1080p camera offers good lighting, contrast, and sharpness, and lacks the graininess of most other laptop webcams. There's a built-in webcam shutter, as well, which is a favorite feature of mine.

The built-in mic sounds surprisingly good. It's not podcast-quality or anything, but it's clear enough for Discord calls and game voice chats. It picked up my voice well without interference from background noise or any distortion or popping.

HP Victus 16 (S100): Software and warranty

The HP Victus 16 includes Windows 11 Home along with the standard suite of Microsoft apps such as the Xbox app, Microsoft Edge, and the Microsoft Store. It also includes HP's OMEN Gaming Hub app, where you can view system performance and settings, set up custom game overlays, shop for games, and more.

The Victus 16 comes with HP's standard one-year warranty, which you can extend through HP Care Pack for an additional cost.

Bottom line

The HP Victus 16 balances an affordable entry-level price with great overall gaming performance, making it a good deal as long as you're willing to sacrifice display quality. The display on the Victus 16 is disappointing enough to be a major drawback to an otherwise solid gaming laptop.

The Victus 16 is a good pick for gamers looking to get one of the best gaming laptops under $1,500. Above-average battery life, a minimalist design, a full-size keyboard, and a surprisingly good webcam are added bonuses that help balance out the disappointing display.

However, if display quality is a top priority for you, the similarly-priced Dell G16 (7630) would be a better fit. Not sure if either one is the right fit? Our best cheap gaming laptops cover the most affordable option with each Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU.

The world is a better place when we can enjoy room-filling sound.

As a major movie and music fan, someone who has an encyclopedic knowledge of every alternative-rock band in existence and follows science-fiction movies with religious vigor, I can tell you that pristine high-res audio can impact your mood and help you find some peace and serenity in a chaotic world.

I know this from personal experience. A few years ago, I added tower speakers to my office using a standard AV receiver connected to my Apple MacBook. It was like finding an ancient treasure — my office now has rich, high-fidelity audio.

I used to pound away on a keyboard while wearing headphones or listening to cheap bookshelf speakers.

However, having tower speakers changed my attitude about work for a far more transformative experience. I now enjoy superb audio quality and have been known to sneak into my home office just to play a new album.

The setup is easier than you think, and the costs can vary widely depending on your budget and desired level of sound quality.

I’m not advocating for audiophile levels of fidelity here since most of us likely won’t know the difference between $800 speakers and $8,000 speakers. Tower speakers, in particular, will help you stay productive, tuning out the world and allowing you to focus on your work.

Here’s all the equipment you’ll need to make it work. I used a MacBook for this, but just about any recent laptop with a USB-C port will work fine with this setup.

Getting the right gear

One thing that can happen right away when you are trying to upgrade the gear in an office is analysis paralysis. There are so many speaker brands, cables, and wiring that it can lead to some serious confusion. Not only that, but the costs can vary wildly from a few hundred to a few thousand.

Here are a few essential considerations to make right away, though. I’d start by picking your overall budget right away.

I wanted to test a good setup without edging into audiophile territory. A friend of mine has a home setup that costs $40,000. I was thinking more like $2,000. You can easily make this all work for under $1,000. I’ll explain how.

I started with the SVS Prime Wireless Pro SoundBase. I wanted some flexibility in how I connected, and the SoundBase has connections for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a digital optical cable, HDMI, and 3.5mm.

That should cover just about anything. I knew I would use a USB-C to digital optical cable (this one) because it would give me excellent audio quality, and the connection is simple and uncluttered.

I paired the SoundBase with the SVS Prime Tower speakers, which cost $1,200. This was still under $2,000 for a primo but affordable kit. I won’t bore you with the technical specs of the Prime Tower speakers except to say they provide a rich, organic sound with distinct bass and vocals that are not muddy at all.

You can spend a lot more, or you can spend less. However, this was an impressive setup for me.

Making the connections

To make it all work, you’ll need to plug the USB-C to digital optical cable into a free port on your MacBook and run the other end into the digital optical port on the SoundBase.

The optical port looks like a bite-sized ethernet jack. On the SoundBase, it’s marked Optical In. SVS includes a remote with the receiver, so press the Optical button to choose that connection.

Your MacBook won’t automatically switch to the USB-C connection, so go to the Apple menu > System Settings > Sound and select USB for output. Turn up the volume a little on the MacBook and the SoundBase.

Connect the SoundBase to the speakers using standard speaker wire. You'll be ready to go once you have the MacBook connected and the speakers wired.

I use the Tidal app for high-res audio playback. Apple Music also offers lossless audio quality, and there are persistent rumors that Spotify will soon offer it.

I like Tidal because it is good at suggesting new albums. Just make sure you enable the highest audio quality settings. In Tidal, this is called Max. That means you are streaming at 24-bit 192-kHz sound quality to SoundBase.

Play one of your favorite songs as a test. You’ll probably notice sound quality is noticeably good, loud and rich — distinct enough for even discerning ears.

Why this setup works so well

My setup is simple. There’s one cable running from my MacBook to the SoundBase, and the overall price is reasonable.

Because my eyes tend to glaze over when people talk about meaningless technical specs, let me explain why this setup hits the sweet spot for me by relaying a few real-world examples.

I’ve been listening to a new album by the artist Cassandra Jenkins on repeat ever since it came out. “Aurora, IL” is great for testing because, later in the song, there’s a chaotic segment with multiple guitars that sounds like a mess on a car stereo or bookshelf speakers.

Tower speakers like the Prime models sound better because they are bigger -- they can replicate what the artist intended.

Another excellent test track by Adrianne Lenker is “Sadness is a Gift.” Listen for the creaking sounds from the recording studio and the supple, woody guitar — the SVS setup will make it seem like you’re listening to live music in the room.

You can choose any recent audio receiver if you want to spend less than $2,000. I like the SoundBase because it’s small enough to fit on my desk. To keep it simple, I recommend sticking with a digital optical connection.

You’ll feel more productive when you can enjoy audio that fills the room, played right from your laptop.

More from Laptop Mag

• Best MacBook in 2025: Which Apple laptop should you buy?
• I've worked from home for 4 years — this is the laptop I would buy
• The AirPods Pro 2's first-of-its-kind hearing aid feature is here to end your reliance on subtitles

Apple's M4 MacBook Air is one of the best laptops to launch in 2025. It improves the series with a new 10-core CPU, up to 32GB of RAM, and a starting price that's $100 less than the M3 MacBook Air was at launch.

Now available for purchase as of yesterday, the M4 MacBook Air is seeing a first-time discount.

For a limited time, you can get the M4 MacBook Air for just $949 at Amazon via an on-page coupon. It usually costs $999, so that's $50 in savings and the lowest price ever for Apple's latest laptop.

Browse: Amazon's entire sale

I track MacBook deals for a living, and this is the best available for this new release. Best Buy has it for the same price but the catch is, it's only for My Best Buy Total members.

In our M4 MacBook Air review, we liked its excellent performance, bright Liquid Retina display, and long battery life, which lasted 15 hours and 30 minutes in one test. We also praised its superior webcam and new lower price point, rating it a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.

It's the Editor's Choice best overall laptop for most people.

At $50 off, the just-released M4 MacBook Air is $150 cheaper than the previous-gen M3 MacBook Air's launch price. It's a solid choice if you're shopping around for a capable laptop.

Today's best M4 MacBook Air deal

Could the MacBook Air M4 be Apple's best laptop yet? The reviews are in, and the verdict is positive, but the latest MacBook isn't without a few flaws.

If you're in the market for a new laptop, the MacBook Air M4 is probably on your shortlist. Before you go hunting for deals on the new MacBook Air, though, you should probably know a few pros and cons, according to reviewers.

Here's a look at what the experts are saying about the MacBook Air M4 so far, from the good to the bad to the frustrating.

The MacBook Air M4 pairs stellar battery life with a lower price

There's a lot to love about the MacBook Air M4 and reviewers across the internet are in agreement about at least a few top features.

For starters, the MacBook Air M4 has a lower starting price than last year's model. It's back down to $999 for the base 13-inch model with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. That's an even better deal than the previous M-series MacBooks because the base RAM on the M4 model is 16GB rather than just 8GB, meaning you're effectively getting a free RAM upgrade.

Laptop Mag's Sean Riley praised the MacBook Air M4's excellent battery life, as well, explaining in his review, "While the competition is stronger than ever for the laptops with the best battery life, the Air is still holding up exceptionally well, particularly when considering performance."

In our tests, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M4 models both boasted over 15 hours of battery life. That's not enough to break our battery life record of 21 hours and 3 minutes, set by the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6. However, 15+ hours is still way more than enough for a full day of work or school.

The MacBook Air M4 also manages to pair its long battery life with excellent performance. In our tests, the M4 Air outperformed not only last year's MacBook Air M3 but also a few of its closest rivals, all by a margin of over 2,000 points. As Wired's Brenda Stolyar points out, the M4 chip also boasts much stronger graphics performance than previous MacBooks along with support for Apple Intelligence.

Where the MacBook Air M4 falls short

The MacBook Air M4 is a great laptop, but no laptop is perfect. There are still a few drawbacks that, while they may not be deal breakers, are frustrating or mildly inconvenient.

For instance, by far the most common drawback in reviews so far is the limited number of ports. The 15-inch and 13-inch models both include just two USB Type-C ports, a headphone jack, and the MagSafe charging port. That's it. It's easier to excuse that on the smaller 13-inch MacBook Air M4, but it would have been nice to get at least one extra port on the larger 15-inch model.

The pricing isn't all sunshine and rainbows, either. As Andrew E. Freedman at Tom's Hardware points out in his review, storage and RAM upgrades are still quite expensive. This is especially difficult to overlook since the "affordable" base MacBook Air M4 only includes 256GB of storage. As a general rule, Laptop Mag recommends at least 512GB of storage, especially if you plan to use your MacBook for things like video or photo editing.

There's also the matter of the new "Sky Blue" color. Marques Brownlee showed off the new colorway in his MacBook Air M4 review, but highlighted that this shade of blue isn't very... blue. As Brownlee said, "If I could rename it, I'd rename it 'Barely Blue'."

Of course, the color is up to personal preference, but it's hard to tell the "Sky Blue" isn't just silver and it would be nice to see some more colorful MacBooks like the iBooks of old again.

These issues may be a bit frustrating, but they don't outweigh the MacBook Air M4's strengths. It has been met with shining reviews so far, including a rare 5-star rating from Laptop Mag and an Editor's Choice award. Its few flaws aside, the MacBook Air M4 might just be the best laptop you can buy right now.

More from Laptop Mag

• Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4 review: Rarified Air
• Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4 review: Cheaper and better
• Apple quietly discontinues these MacBooks following the M4 MacBook Air reveal

Apple's MacBook Air 13-inch M4 is not a perfect laptop, but at its new starting price of $999, it is the perfect laptop for many people.

Outwardly, little has changed, but internally the new M4 chip has the Air once again outpacing most of its Windows on ARM rivals with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips, while still delivering over 15 hours of battery life. You also can't see the upgraded Center Stage webcam, but the difference will jump off the screen at you the first time you use it.

Some minor complaints remain, like its limited ports and wishing Apple would make the move to a 120Hz refresh rate or even new display tech, but the $100 price drop helps cover over issues that most Air buyers would likely never worry about.

Read on for a closer look at what makes the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 stand out from the crowd to earn a spot among our best laptops.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: Specs and benchmarks

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: Price and configurations

The price is arguably the biggest upgrade for the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 with all configurations dropping by $100 compared to their predecessors. This is notable not only because we are seeing prices climb on many other consumer electronics in 2025, but also because of the upgrade to 16GB of RAM on the base MacBook Air that Apple announced in October 2024, which remains in place for the new M4 models.

The base configuration of the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 returns to $999 after Apple moved to $1,099 for the base price of the Air with 2022's MacBook Air 13-inch M2. The base model includes 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and an Apple M4 with a 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU.

While the base price is outstanding, upgrades remain as expensive as ever. You’ll want to choose your additions carefully or risk spoiling the great value offered. My review unit is a configuration I would recommend for most people, for $1,199 your storage is doubled to 512GB, and you get the slightly enhanced M4 configuration with a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU.

Extra storage is almost always welcome, as a full hard drive will slow your laptop down in the future. However, there are more immediate reasons to make this choice that I’ll address in the performance and heat section. If you’re a power user on the edge of opting for a MacBook Pro, you may also want to consider paying the $200 to upgrade to 24GB of RAM.

It’s worth noting that if you are a student, the parent of a student, a faculty member, or staff at any school, or a homeschool teacher, you are eligible to shop through Apple’s Education Store, which will take another $100 off the price of any configuration.

The MacBook Air 13-inch M4 still falls into the premium laptop category, but it is one of the most affordable options. Apple is no longer keeping the old MacBook Air around as a cheaper option, so outside of sales on the older models (while there is still stock), if you need something cheaper, you may want to consider one of the best Chromebooks.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: Design

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the price drop we just covered, the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 design remains completely unchanged from last year, save for replacing the "Space Gray" colorway with "Sky Blue."

I recently reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge, which comes in what Samsung calls “Sapphire Blue,” and I feel similarly gaslit by Apple’s “Sky Blue.” Both laptops look silver unless you place them next to a silver laptop. “Hint of Blue” or “Is that Blue?” would be more accurate names. Please Apple, let the iMac team share the love with one of its actually fun pastel hues.

Prosaic Pantone protests aside, the overall design of the MacBook Air remains excellent. I love intriguing new laptop designs like Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 with its rollable display, but a traditional clamshell laptop design done well is still a perfect fit for many people.

The bezels around the display aren’t the smallest that I’ve ever seen, but they aren’t distractingly large either.

At 2.7 pounds and 12 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches, the MacBook Air remains one of the thinnest and lightest laptops around, even beating the best Ultrabooks. Here’s how it holds up to its closest rivals:

• Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x: 2.8 pounds, 12.8 x 8.8 x 0.51 inches
• MacBook Air 13-inch M3: 2.7 pounds, 12 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches
• Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425): 3 pounds, 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: Ports

The MacBook Air 13 M4’s port selection remains as light as the laptop itself. I remain pleased that Apple brought back MagSafe to keep its two Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 ports free, but competitors do manage to squeeze more into similarly sized laptops.

• 2 x Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 Type-C
• 1 x MagSafe 3
• 1 x headphone mic/jack

It would obviously compromise the current internal design of the laptop, but it’s also regrettable only the headphone jack is on the right side, the MagSafe 3 and Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 ports are all stacked up on the left side, which makes things a little crowded if you do need to make use of all the ports.

If you need more ports than the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 offers, we’ve tested and reviewed the best MacBook docking stations and best USB Type-C hubs to identify the perfect port partner for your Apple laptop.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: Battery life

Battery life stopped being a concern for the MacBook Air when Apple Silicon arrived in 2020. This remains true with the MacBook Air 13-inch M4, eclipsing the 15-hour mark like its predecessor. You will see less than that if you push the laptop at full brightness, but I'm still giving that the "all-day battery life" stamp of approval.

While the competition is stronger than ever for the laptops with the best battery life, the Air is still holding up exceptionally well, particularly when considering performance, which I’ll address later.

On the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves navigating a set group of websites with video and static images while the display is set at 150 nits of brightness, the MacBook Air 13 M4 lasted an average of 15 hours and 30 minutes. Here’s how that stacks up against the battery life of the Air M4’s rivals.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: Display

The MacBook Air 13-inch M4 features a 13.6-inch 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina LCD. It’s not the most feature-packed panel, but with the Air returning to a sub-$1,000 starting price I’m willing to accept it.

I watched the trailer for The Surfer on YouTube in enhanced 1080p for my real-world testing, and the wild and highly stylized look of the Nick Cage vehicle did not disappoint on the Air’s display. While the Air doesn’t have the most colorful panel I’ve seen on a laptop, it’s sharp and very color-accurate, which made it an effective canvas for the heavily filtered look of the tense thriller.

Brightness is stellar, with the Air M4 averaging 463 nits in our testing. In practical terms, you’ll be fine in anything other than direct sunlight, so you have nothing to fear from that table next to the window in your local coffee shop.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: Keyboard and touchpad

While Lenovo isn’t in danger of losing its crown as high ruler of the laptop keyboard kingdom, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines have established outstanding consistency since the dark days of the butterfly keyboard that Apple left behind in 2020.

While the key travel is still relatively shallow at 1mm, the keys spring back quickly, allowing me to type at a fast pace without sacrificing accuracy. In the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I hit 92 words per minute with 99% accuracy, beating my average of 88 words per minute with 99% accuracy.

I find the keyboard comfortable to type on all day, but if you are more sensitive to key travel, you may want to either check out our best laptops for writers or pair the MacBook Air M4 with one of the best keyboards.

The touchpad measures 5 x 3.1 inches, which is large without dominating the deck of the laptop. Apple certainly started the massive touchpad trend, but it’s far from the biggest around anymore.

I think Apple found the right place to stop, there’s plenty of room to navigate and use multi-finger gestures, but I’m not left wondering where to rest my hands when typing. Ultimately, I will typically opt for one of the best wireless mice over using a built-in touchpad, but Apple’s is certainly one of the best.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: Audio

Apple’s most portable laptop still features a quad-speaker system with support for Spatial Audio. While bass remains elusive, it’s an impressive feat of engineering that allows a laptop this thin-and-light to easily fill my office with clear sound and even create a surround sound effect.

Listening to one of my typical workday playlists, Relaxing Film Scores, “Chaos Is a Ladder” from season 3 of Game of Thrones proved a suitable test for the laptop's speakers as the song starts with a swirling resonance that moved around the room and then builds to a powerful crescendo that overtook my office entirely.

The built-in speakers in the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 are better than they have any right to be, but they still can’t beat the best wireless headphones or best computer speakers if you are looking for the best possible audio experience.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: Performance and heat

The MacBook Air 13-inch M4 is powered by a 10-core Apple M4 CPU, which represents a fairly significant performance boost over the M3, helping the Air once again challenge some of the strong Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite laptops that arrived in mid-2024.

The most notable jump among our benchmarks was the HandBrake video transcoding test, where the Air M4 shaved a full two minutes off the time it took to convert a 4k video to 1080p, dropping from 7:40 to 5:40. While the Air isn’t going to supplant the MacBook Pro on our best video editing laptops page, it’s certainly capable if the need arises.

I mentioned in the price and configuration section that there was another reason to upgrade from the 256GB to 512GB SSD, and that is the speed of those respective drives. In our testing, the 512GB SSD has an 80% faster write speed than the 256GB SSD. Now if you are doing basic productivity work that isn’t something you’ll likely notice, but if you are doing video or photo work where you are manipulating and moving large files, it will make a perceptible difference.

When it comes to general tasks, like loading up far more Chrome tabs and windows than is wise, the Air M4 is also game and was able to handle three windows with roughly six tabs each, including three running 1080p YouTube videos. The Apple M4 will be game for as much of this kind of workload as you can throw at it, but if you are like me and have questionable windows management habits, you may want to pay to upgrade the RAM to 24 or even 32GB.

Despite this powerful performance, the Air M4 manages to keep its cool, with the hottest point on the laptop only reaching 85.2 degrees Fahrenheit in our testing. That’s well below our 95-degree comfort threshold, making it a laptop-friendly laptop.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: Gaming and graphics

Is gaming improving on Apple laptops? Absolutely. Apple’s integrated graphics performance is getting better and the company is working to bring more titles natively to macOS. With that said, if gaming is a primary interest on your laptop, you will still want to choose one of the best gaming laptops or best cheap gaming laptops over any MacBook, let alone the MacBook Air 13 M4.

Of the four gaming benchmarks we ran on the MacBook Air M4, only two achieved our 30 frames per second playability standard. Those were the Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm benchmark and Shadow of the Tomb Raider; those games are over 6 years old, if your plans include modern AAA titles, look elsewhere.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: AI features

There are several Apple Intelligence features available on the MacBook Air 13-inch M4, but as with most of the best AI PCs, we are still in the early days of AI with the features always improving. The Air M4 is certainly well-equipped from a hardware standpoint to deliver on the promise of Apple Intelligence.

Writing Tools are one of the more universally applicable Apple Intelligence features available currently, offering editorial advice on your writing throughout macOS and summarizing long text passages and notifications.

Several image-based AI features allow you to generate images like Genmoji and Image Playground or craft memory movies from your photos and videos. Finally, Siri gains some expanded features with AI including integration with ChatGPT.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: Webcam

The MacBook Air 13-inch M4 benefits from an upgrade to a 12MP Center Stage camera, and it is equally as impressive as the one found in the MacBook Pro 14-inch M4. The camera produces a sharp image that tolerates shifting lighting conditions better than some of the best webcams.

Even deliberately tiling it to catch the glare from the overhead lighting in my office, the camera adjusted effectively to avoid blowing out the image, a common failing of built-in webcams. Apple also added Desk View, allowing you to show your desktop and your face on camera simultaneously. This is a niche feature, but it works well for those that need it.

I hope to see other laptop manufacturers rise to the challenge now that Apple has brought a high-quality webcam to its entire laptop lineup, we still see far too many weak webcams in 2025, considering the prevalence of video calling for work and personal use.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: Software and warranty

The MacBook Air 13 M4 comes with macOS Sequoia 15.3, which means the typical assortment of Apple apps installed by default. However, Apple is good about avoiding bloatware, so you shouldn’t have anything too pressing to remove. Particularly if you have other devices in the Apple ecosystem, there are benefits to using Apple’s native apps like Notes, so consider giving them a try if you haven’t previously.

The MacBook Air 13-inch M4 ships with a typical one-year limited warranty, but it can be extended with AppleCare+ for $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year on the MacBook Air 13-inch. AppleCare+ gives you access to technical support and reduced repair costs, including a $99 fee to repair screen or external enclosure damage or $299 for other accidental damage.

Bottom line

Apple hit the sweet spot with this laptop, delivering an affordable option that should check all the boxes for a swath of users.

The MacBook Air 13-inch M4 feels like the return of the original M1 Air. It's an undeniable value that will give you years of excellent performance, even if you pick up the base model. My limited complaints are also similar to those of the M1 Air, there are features that the vast majority of people will never miss.

If you need one of the best 2-in-1 laptops, best Windows laptops, or best gaming laptops, then this isn't the laptop for you, but the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 is one of the best laptops and best MacBooks for most people.

The Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4 lands an interesting position in Apple's lineup, one that could be overlooked in favor of the cheaper 13-inch MacBook Air M4 or the more powerful 14-inch MacBook Pro M4. But, like its siblings, it deserves to be in the conversation for the best laptops overall.

Its increasingly rare 15-inch size may be partly to blame, as most laptop manufacturers have settled around 14-inch and 16-inch sizes for mainstream laptops. However, that rarified size might make it the right fit for you.

Beyond a new M4 chipset, the 15-inch MacBook Air gets a Center Stage webcam, a fresh Sky Blue colorway, and perhaps most importantly a $100 price drop for 2025.

It's not a massive transformation, but those changes add up. Let's take a closer look at how the 15-inch MacBook Air M4 held up to our rigorous testing and review process.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4: Specs and benchmarks

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4: Price and configurations

Like its smaller sibling, the MacBook Air 15-inch M4 gets a $100 price drop across the board from last year’s M3 pricing. Considering we’re expecting the exact opposite from most consumer tech in 2025, this is certainly a welcome surprise from Apple, particularly considering the base model still starts with 16GB of RAM — double what the 15-inch M3 offered when it launched in March 2024.

The base configuration of the MacBook Air 15-inch M4 is now $1,199 and includes 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and an Apple M4 processor with a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU. If you're looking to get the best band for your buck, the key is trying to stay as close to this base configuration as possible.

Apple hasn’t lowered the prices on any of the MacBook Air's upgrades, so just a few tweaks to this configuration will have you waving goodbye to that startlingly affordable opening price.

My review unit is valued at $1,399 and doubles the base model storage to 512GB, but otherwise matches it exactly. This is a smart choice if you plan on keeping your laptop for at least five years, as it will help keep things running smoothly as your files pile up.

If you consider yourself a power user, you may also want to consider paying an additional $200 to upgrade to 24GB of RAM. You'll get a smoother computing experience under heavy load, but you’ll now face a $1,599 price tag, the same starting price for the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4. If you're unsure which of these devices suits you best, consider perusing our MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro buying guide for a helping hand.

If you are a student, the parent of a student, a faculty member, or staff at any school (including homeschool teachers), you are eligible to shop through Apple’s Education Store, which will take another $100 off the price of any configuration.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4: Design

The MacBook Air 15-inch M4 didn’t get any major design changes this year, but I’ll take it in exchange for that price drop. Apple is likely a generation or two away from another design shakeup for the Air. But, for now, this is a comfortable classic.

One potentially notable change is that “Sky Blue” replaces “Space Gray” as a color option. That said, I would challenge you to identify it as blue without a Silver or Starlight MacBook next to it to differentiate. I’d love to see at least one bold color option for the Air in the future, but, for the time being, a slight shift in hue is all we get.

Inside, things remain similarly unchanged. The MacBook Air's bezels are small enough on the display that they don’t call attention to themselves, and the build quality of the laptop remains impeccable.

As mentioned, the MacBook Air 15-inch M4 is in somewhat rarified air these days as a 15-inch laptop. Most laptop manufacturers have abandoned this size, so we’re comparing it to some of the best 14-inch laptops, but if you want something even larger, some of the best 16-inch laptops are still quite thin-and-light.

At 3.3 pounds and 12.4 x 8.7 x 0.44 inches, the MacBook Air 15-inch is slightly heavier than its 14-inch rivals here but manages to maintain a very similar footprint, so you should have no problem fitting it in any of the best laptop bags. Here’s how the competition measures up.

• Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406): 2.6 pounds, 12.22 x 8.45 x 0.51 inches
• MacBook Air 15-inch M3: 3.3 pounds, 12 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches
• Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 9): 2.9 pounds, 12.4 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4: Ports

The MacBook Air 15 M4’s port selection mirrors the minimal collection found on the 13-inch Air:

• 2 x Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 Type-C
• 1 x MagSafe 3
• 1 x headphone mic/jack

I’m more disappointed in the 15-inch model's port selection than its 13-inch sibling, as there is unquestionably space on the larger chassis to accommodate additional I/O. Even as little as a third Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 Type-C port on the right-hand side of the laptop would make for a welcome addition.

With that said, the MagSafe 3 connection alleviates some of the pain as the two Type-C Thunderbolt ports aren’t tied up with charging. If you opt for the dual charger, you’ll also have a second USB-C port available on the charger itself to charge another device rather than connecting to the laptop as an accessory.

For users with more robust port needs, we’ve tested and reviewed the best MacBook docking stations and best USB Type-C hubs to identify the perfect port partner for your Apple laptop.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4: Battery life

You haven’t had to worry about battery life on a MacBook Air since the transition to Apple Silicon in 2020, and that isn’t changing this year. However, as you’ll see in our benchmark testing at the bottom of this section, there's also no notable uptick in battery life to anticipate either. Fortunately, that’s not much of a complaint given that the MacBook Air's uptime was already clocking in at above 15 hours.

After almost four years of dominance, MacBooks finally face serious competition in power efficiency with Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite laptops all claiming spots among our laptops with the best battery life throughout 2024. In 2025, Apple still offers the most consistently solid blend of performance to battery life, but it’s no longer a runaway victory.

On the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves navigating a set group of websites with video and static images while the display is set at 150 nits of brightness, the MacBook Air 15 M4 lasted an average of 15 hours and 14 minutes. Here’s how that stacks up against the battery life of the Air M4’s rivals.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4: Display

The MacBook Air 15-inch M4 features a 15.3-inch 2880 x 1864 Liquid Retina LCD display. Many of the best Windows laptops in this price range offer either OLED or 120Hz refresh rate displays, but Apple has kept high-end display features as a MacBook Pro exclusive.

I watched the trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps on YouTube in 2160p for my real-world testing, and the '60s action looked sharp, although not as vibrant as I've seen on some of the OLED laptops I have tested previously. However, that's only really noticeable when viewing them side-by-side, which presumably isn't something you would be doing — in a vacuum, the colors are accurate and look good.

Brightness is stellar with the Air M4 averaging 463 nits in our testing. In practical terms, this means you’ll be fine in anything other than direct sunlight, so you have nothing to fear from that table next to the window in your local coffee shop.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4: Keyboard and touchpad

The notorious butterfly keyboard MacBooks were one of the key factors that had me switch to Windows in 2019, but, thankfully, Apple returned to a scissor switch in 2020 and has offered consistently excellent keyboards ever since.

Apple’s still guilty of not offering generous key travel, it's roughly 1mm on the 15-inch Air M4, but the responsiveness of the keys renders this a non-issue for me. In the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I hit 94 words per minute with 99% accuracy, outpacing my average of 88 words per minute with 99% accuracy.

I spent dozens of hours typing on this keyboard over the last few days and my fingers never felt fatigued. If key travel is a larger concern for you then our best laptops for writers guide includes some laptops with up to 1.5mm of key travel, or if you are regularly using your MacBook Air at home or the office, you could pair it with one of the best keyboards.

The touchpad measures 5.8 x 3.6 inches, which takes up a considerable amount of the laptop deck, but I didn’t find that it interfered with my hand placement while typing. Apple’s touchpads remain the gold standard, allowing for easy navigation and reliable multi-touch gestures.

I’m often working at my desk where I will always use one of the best wireless mice, but Apple’s touchpad doesn’t slow me down when I’m working away from home.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4: Audio

Both Air M4 models feature a quad-speaker system with support for Spatial Audio. Apple hasn’t unlocked the magic of delivering rumbling bass in this small chassis, but it's loud, clear, and does a remarkable job of creating a surround sound effect.

Relaxing Film Scores is one of my typical workday audio companions, “Time” by Hans Zimmer on the Inception soundtrack stuck out to me as I was running the 15-inch Air M4 through its paces. Subtly building from just a lone piano and strings to a thunderous collection of instruments echoing in my office, the Air did the song justice.

The MacBook Air 15-inch M4 speakers are certainly equal to the task if you need some ambient music or to watch a video with a friend, but if you’re in public and can’t blast your audio, the best wireless headphones will save you from silence.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4: Performance and heat

The MacBook Air 15-inch M4 is powered by a 10-core Apple M4 CPU, which represents a fairly significant performance boost over the M3, helping the Air once again challenge some of the strong Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite laptops that arrived in mid-2024.

The most notable jump among our benchmarks was the HandBrake video transcoding test, where the Air M4 shaved a full two minutes off the time it took to convert a 4k video to 1080p, dropping from 7:40 to 5:40. While the Air isn’t going to supplant the MacBook Pro on our best video editing laptops page, it’s certainly capable if the need arises.

For more general tasks, like loading up far more Chrome tabs and windows than is wise, the Air M4 is also game and easily handled three windows with roughly six tabs each, including three running 1080p YouTube videos. The Apple M4 is a match for as much of this kind of workload as you can throw at it, but if you are like me and have questionable window management habits, you may want to pay to upgrade the RAM to 24 or even 32GB.

Despite this powerful performance, the Air M4 keeps its cool, with the hottest point on the laptop only reaching 85.2 degrees Fahrenheit in our testing. That’s well below our 95-degree comfort threshold, making it a laptop-friendly laptop.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4: Gaming and graphics

The MacBook Air is not a gaming laptop, but that doesn't mean you can't game on it. In fact, there are plenty of games that play perfectly fine on the Air, but if gaming is a primary interest for you, one of the best gaming laptops or best cheap gaming laptops will likely serve you far better.

We ran four gaming benchmarks on the MacBook Air M4, and only two were above our 30 frames-per-second playability standard. Those were the Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm benchmark and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Keep in mind, those games are over 6 years old, if your plans include modern AAA titles, look elsewhere.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4: AI features

There are several Apple Intelligence features available on the MacBook Air 15-inch M4, but as with most of the best AI PCs, we are still in the early days of AI with the features always improving. The Air M4 is certainly well-equipped from a hardware standpoint to deliver on the promise of Apple Intelligence.

Writing Tools are one of the more universally applicable Apple Intelligence features available currently, offering editorial advice on your writing throughout macOS in addition to summarizing long text passages and notifications.

Several image-based AI features allow you to either generate images like Genmoji and Image Playground or craft memory movies from your own photos and videos. Finally, Siri has gained some expanded features with AI, including integration with ChatGPT.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4: Webcam

The MacBook Air 15-inch M4 benefits from an upgrade to a 12MP Center Stage camera, and it is equally as impressive as the one found in the MacBook Pro 14-inch M4. The camera produces a sharp image that tolerates shifting lighting conditions better than some of the best webcams.

Even deliberately tiling it to catch the glare from the overhead lighting in my office, the camera adjusted effectively to avoid blowing out the image, a common failing of built-in webcams. Apple also added Desk View, which allows you to show your desktop and your face on camera simultaneously. This is a niche feature, but it works well for those that need it.

I hope to see other laptop manufacturers rise to the challenge now that Apple has brought a high-quality webcam to its entire laptop lineup, we still see far too many weak webcams in 2025, considering the prevalence of video calling for work and personal use.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4: Software and warranty

The MacBook Air 15 M4 comes with macOS Sequoia 15.3, which means the typical assortment of Apple apps installed by default. However, Apple is good about avoiding bloatware, so you shouldn’t have anything pressing to remove. Particularly if you have other devices in the Apple ecosystem, there are benefits to using Apple’s native apps like Notes, so consider giving them a try if you haven’t previously.

The MacBook Air 15-inch M4 ships with a typical one-year limited warranty, but it can be extended with AppleCare+ for $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year on the MacBook Air 13-inch. AppleCare+ gives you access to technical support along with reduced costs for repairs, including a $99 fee to repair screen or external enclosure damage or $299 for other accidental damage.

Bottom line

The MacBook Air 15-inch M4 is a fairly unique laptop, delivering a larger screen in what is basically a 14-inch chassis, but it has far more than that to offer.

The M4 chip brings the Air back among the top-performing mainstream premium laptops while offering over 15 hours of battery life. The bright display makes it ideal for frequent travelers or anyone who is often working in less-than-ideal lighting conditions. That combination along with its reasonable pricing makes this one of the best student laptops.

While I would like to see Apple upgrade the display on the MacBook Air, that's more of a wish than a serious complaint as it is a good LCD panel. The limited ports are my biggest frustration with the 15-inch Air, and I'd concede it isn't a concern that will bother many users.

The MacBook Air 15-inch M4 is an excellent laptop that will find its way to several of our buying guides in the coming weeks, but if you're unsure if it's the right choice for you, consider checking our best laptops page for our current top recommendations across numerous categories.

Summer is upon us and the best MacBook deals right now in June offer solid discounts on various MacBook configurations of all sorts. Whether you're buying a new laptop for yourself or a recent grad, now is one of the best times of the year to buy a MacBook.

Right now, you can get the M4 MacBook Air for $849 ($150 off) at Amazon. We reviewed the M4 MacBook Air and praised its excellent performance, bright Liquid Retina display, and unmatched webcam. As for battery life, the M4 MacBook Air lasted 15 hours and 30 minutes on our Laptop Mag Battery Test, which is impressive.

After thorough real-world and benchmark tests, we gave the M4 MacBook Air 5 out of 5 stars and our coveted Editor's Choice Award.

While I recommend the M4 MacBook Air as the best-value Apple laptop, if you're short on cash, you can get the M1 MacBook Air for $649 at Walmart. This is the cheapest MacBook you can buy outside of a refurb.

See more of my recommended MacBook deals below and visit our best laptop deals hub for more savings.

Quick links

• Apple Thunderbolt 4 USB-C Pro Cable: was $129 now $76 at Amazon
• Apple M1 MacBook Air 13: was $999 now $649 at Walmart
• Apple M3 MacBook Air 13: was $1,099 now $799 at B&H (ends June 22)
• Apple M4 MacBook Air 13: was $999 now $849 at Amazon
• Apple M4 MacBook Air 15: was $1,199 now $1,035 at PC Richard
• Apple M3 Pro MacBook Pro 14: was $1,999 now $1,399 at Best Buy
• Apple M4 MacBook Pro 14: was $1,599 now $1,449 at B&H
• Apple M4 MacBook Pro 14: was $1,999 now $1,749 at Amazon
• Apple M4 Pro MacBook Pro 16: was $2,499 now $2,198 at Amazon
• Apple M4 Max Pro MacBook Pro 16: was $3,999 now $3,483 at PC Richard
• Amazon: MacBook deals from $849
• Best Buy: MacBook deals from $799
• PC Richard: Macbook deals from $848
• Walmart: MacBook deals from $649
• B&H: MacBook deals from $799

MacBook Air

MacBook Pro

MacBook deals for students

MacBook Accessories