This is just a little public service announcement before Black Friday. Walmart will once again offer the M1 MacBook Air as an unbeatable deal for laptop buyers. It’s certainly tempting at $599, especially if you haven’t seen the deal before. This may also be the right choice for some people.
but for most the verge For readers purchasing either for themselves or for someone who needs to get work done, this is not a great value. Not when the 2025 M4 model, with its specific enhancements, design changes and improvements in processing speeds, is only $150 more. You can currently get one of these from Amazon and Best Buy starting at $749.99.
Apple’s M-series processors are becoming more powerful every year, and the M4 represents the fourth generation. That’s not to say the M1 MacBook Air is a bad machine. You could do a lot worse with $600. Compared to some of Apple’s Intel-based laptops, the 2020 models have raised the bar on performance and battery life. But its compromises are becoming more apparent with each passing year. You should also buy that laptop which will get more software updates.
The $599 M1 MacBook Air includes just 8GB of RAM, which is less than most flagship smartphones out today. It’s surprisingly fast when handling light loads, but my spouse has one, and when you load it with too many browser tabs it has a very sluggish experience. The new MacBook Air comes with 16GB of RAM by default, and the M4 processor lets it complete tasks faster. It has the same range of ports (two USB-C ports, a headphone jack), though its USB-C ports are faster with Thunderbolt 4 support. It also has a dedicated MagSafe charging port, so you won’t have to sacrifice any precious USB-C ports for charging.
And these are just the biggest specific differences; Apple removed the wedge-shaped design of the M1 and older MacBook Air models, starting with the M2 models. They look more sophisticated, almost like a MacBook Pro. The screen is larger thanks to smaller bezels, and there’s a notch that houses the 12-megapixel center stage webcam – another big improvement over the M1 model.
Look, I can keep going. Our reviews do a great job of explaining every little difference, from testing processing-intensive applications to in-depth metrics. But, in short, the M4 runs around the M1, and for just $150 more, the M4 MacBook Air is the clear winner if you’re looking for a semi-affordable MacBook this holidays.