Apple’s MacBook Air is one of the best laptops for most people. No, it’s not as feature-packed or powerful as a MacBook Pro, but unless you are editing 8K movies on the move or retouching pixel-packed images, you really can’t go wrong with an Air. As you can read in our MacBook Air M3 review, that 2024 device was already an unbeatable machine for the price, but now there is an even bigger reason to consider Apple’s super slimline PC. It’s just had another mighty update that makes it even more powerful and much better value for money.

We’ve been testing out the new M4-powered MacBook Air and can honestly say there’s almost nothing wrong with it. In fact, Apple has taken what was already a top-rated laptop and made it even better.

Firstly there’s that new M4 processor under the aluminium chassis which brings some serious performance gains to the Air.

With this faster chip inside, we’ve been able to perform all of our usual daily digital tasks without a hint of a stutter. Even more memory-hungry applications such as Photoshop aren’t phased, and we’ve struggled to find anything the M4 can’t cope with.

For transparency, we did all of our tests using the slightly more expensive 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU 13-inch MacBook Air (£1,199).

Everything from video and image editing to gaming and web browsing is improved and most people won’t get close to touching what this machine is truly capable of.

Apple has also beefed up the RAM this year which means even the entry-level model gets 16GB as standard rather than the measly 8GB found on the base M3 model.

More RAM means opening apps, multitasking and even browsing the web are improved and it’s nice to see Apple boosting what it includes as standard on all new MacBook Air models.

What makes this even more impressive is that, despite these upgrades, the starting price has actually dropped this year.

That means you can pop the M4 Air in your online shopping basket and pay £999 (or £899 if you are in higher education). When the M3 Air launched last year it started from £1,099 and had less RAM.

It’s all impressive stuff and makes this new laptop even more desirable than before.

Things don’t stop there as Apple has also added a truly stunning Sky Blue to its range of colours (which might just be our favourite shade to date) and also boosted the webcam to include Centre Stage technology.

This makes sure you always stay in shot during video calls. Even if you walk around, the camera will follow you – it will also switch to a more wide-angle view if someone else enters the room.

There’s also something called Desk View, which lets you share a live top-down view of your workspace while staying onscreen – it’s a smart function, especially if you’re tutoring online or want to show off a project.

These bonus updates join other features found on previous models including a fast Touch ID fingerprint scanner, market-leading Force Touch trackpad, a great keyboard with new mute button, decent stereo speakers and bright Liquid Retina display that comes in two sizes – 13.6-inch and a bigger 15.3-inch.

This new MacBook Air with M4 supports up to two external displays, which means you can have three screens glowing at the same time, unlike previous models, making it ideal for multitasking.

It can also run Apple Intelligence, Apple’s budding AI software, which can help you write emails, edit images automatically, create unique emojis and organise your inbox in a flash.

If battery is a major worry, don’t panic. Ever since Apple ditched Intel chips and moved to its own processors, battery life worries have been a thing of the past, and this latest model continues that tradition. Treat it kindly, and you’ll squeeze a full day of usage out of a single charge.

Talking of charging, those buying the slightly more expensive 10-core GPU models (which start from £1,199) can choose between a dual 35W charger that can refill two devices at once or a quicker single 70W power pack.

There’s no difference in price, but it’s worth considering what charger will fit into your life before you click the buy button.

The new MacBook Air is supremely good, but is there anything wrong with it?

Our biggest gripe is simply that all the ports are on the same side, which means the Air isn’t nearly as versatile as the Pro models. Unlike some new Windows 11 machines, there is no USB-A socket, so you’ll need a dongle if you still have many accessories that use that connection.

Like most Apple products it can also get expensive if you start adding extra RAM and more internal storage. Buy the 15-inch model with the maximum specs, and you’ll face a bill of well over £2,300.

Once purchased, the Air is also not upgradable, so make sure you add what you think you’ll need at the checkout.

Just when you thought the MacBook Air couldn’t get much better, another powerful update comes along. We were already huge fans of this highly portable PC and now there are even more reasons to invest thanks to the mighty M4 processor, improved external display compatibility, more RAM as standard and Center Stage web camera.

Battery life continues to impress, the screen is bright and colourful and there are all the usual features you’d expect on a MacBook such as a tactile keyboard, brilliant Force Touch trackpad and fast Touch ID fingerprint scanner.

The new Sky Blue colour is surely going to be a huge hit and joins the Midnight, Starlight, and Silver shades.

Yes, it’s a bit of a shame that you only get two USB-C ports on one side of the device and although it starts from a cheaper £999 it can get expensive if you start adding extras.

But otherwise this is a brilliant upgrade to a device that was already at the top of its game.

We probably wouldn’t even recommend buying the M3 Air (even if you can find a deal) as the entry-level option only gets that 8GB of RAM – that 50 percent less than the new £999 M4 machine.

We can honestly say there’s no reason, barring the cost, that you shouldn’t take the plunge and order the M4 Air today.

It really is that good.