Apple’s product launch team is having a busy first quarter of 2025. Now that the iPhone 16e has been revealed, the community is looking to the Mac lineup, expecting Tim Cook and his team to finally release a MacBook Air with the latest Apple Silicon M4 chipset.
With two models now showing up in the online benchmarking tools, not only is the launch getting closer, but we also know a little more about the potential performance of the macOS consumer-focused laptops.
Benchmarking The MacBook Air M4
Data on the next MacBook Air, expected to be the first to be equipped with Apple’s M4 chipset, comes from the ever-popular Geekbench utility.
It shows the “Mac 16,2” model (which is widely recognised as the upcoming 13-inch MacBook Air) comfortably outpacing the current M3-equipped MacBook Air, even if you assume there is still some software optimisation to take place before a potential late-Q1 2025 release. The “Mac 16,3” model has also been benchmarked, and it is recognised as the upcoming 15-inch MacBook Air.
The benchmark data points to the hardware being tested, which comes with a 10-core version of the M4 chipset; 8-core and 9-core versions are also available. This could mean that every MacBook Air will come with the 10-core version, but it’s more likely that this is a higher-spec variant in the range, with an 8- or 9-core version available at a lower price point. Apple has, after all, sought to keep the MacBook entry-level price at $999, which could be easier to reach with a lower-specced chipset.
The MacBook Air M4 Thermal Limits
Unsurprisingly, these early benchmarks show an advantage over the previous M3-equipped MacBook Air models. They also show that the M4-powered MacBook Pro model will have an advantage over the M4 MacBook Air.
This has happened since the first Apple Silicon for macOS chipset was launched with the M1 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Pro. While both used the same chipset, the Pro model was equipped with a fan to cool down the chipset, allowing for faster performance over more extended periods due to the improved thermal efficiency.
That was true of the M2 and M3 models, and there’s no reason to think that the M4 decisions will differ.
The most significant gains on show are in the GPU. The benchmarking of Metal and OpenCL suggests a performance increase of over 30 percent. For consumers looking for a laptop that offers solid graphical performance, the M4 MacBook Air could be the laptop they are looking for. However, it remains to be seen if this GPU performance can be sustained or if it is a short-term spike before the thermal issues require a throttling of the silicon.
The Benefits Of Older MacBook Air Specs
Although Apple launched the first M1 chipset with the MacBook Air, it will be one of the last Apple product lines to launch an M4 version. The M4 was launched in May 2024, and the iPad Pro was the first to ship with it. The M4 Pro and M4 Max followed in Nov. 2024 inside the MacBook Pro and Mac Mini.
We’re now approaching ten months after the M4 debuted. Given the annual cycle that Apple appears to be settling into, the MacBook Air will only stay current for a few weeks before a potential M5 launch around Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in May or June.
This has to be balanced out with the power and performance that Apple Silicon has been able to consistently deliver since the first reveal in Nov. 2020. Those who need excess power on tap for coding, developing, editing, and creativity will pay the premium for the MacBook Pro models.
As a daily driver, the lower yet still substantial power available on the MacBook Air is sufficient for most consumers. Even if the Apple Silicon is nearly a year old, it meets consumer expectations and undoubtedly helps Apple maintain a healthy profit margin on its popular macOS laptop.
Now read the latest MacBook Air, iPhone and iOS headlines in Forbes’ weekly Apple digest…
