Apple continues its annual tradition of refreshing the MacBook Air lineup with incremental upgrades focused primarily on the SoC. The 2025 MacBook Air 15 maintains its position as the ultimate portable productivity machine, delivering exceptional battery life and a stunning display - though gaming enthusiasts should look elsewhere.
Purchasing Guide
The MacBook Air (M4, Early 2025) starts at $999 for the 13" model and $1,199 for the reviewed 15" variant. As expected from Apple, extensive customization options are available - upgrading to 32GB RAM and 2TB SSD raises the price to $2,399.
MacBook Air (M4, 2025) – Photos
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Design
The MacBook Air continues defining modern laptop aesthetics with its sleek aluminum unibody chassis measuring under 0.5 inches thick and weighing just 3.3 pounds. The minimalist design hides speakers cleverly within the hinge rather than using traditional grilles. This fanless implementation maintains clean lines throughout while delivering surprisingly robust audio.
The keyboard offers deeper travel than expected from such a slim device, complete with reliable TouchID authentication in the upper right corner. The oversized touchpad spanning between Command keys handles palm rejection flawlessly during extended typing sessions.
Port selection remains sparse: two USB-C ports plus MagSafe on the left, with only a headphone jack on the right. While understandable given the form factor, we'd welcome at least one additional USB-C port.
Display
The 15.3-inch 1880p display delivers exceptional color accuracy covering 99% of DCI-P3 and 100% sRGB gamuts. Peak brightness reaches 426 nits - slightly below Apple's 500-nit claim but more than sufficient for indoor use.
Performance
Equipped with the fanless M4 chip, the Air isn't built for gaming - struggling with demanding titles like Total War: Warhammer 3 (18fps Ultra) or Assassin's Creed Shadows (10fps Ultra). However, it excels as a productivity powerhouse.
The reviewed 32GB RAM configuration handles intensive multitasking effortlessly - maintaining smooth performance across dozens of Safari tabs with music streaming in the background. It completes most Photoshop tasks competently, though intensive operations like Lightroom noise reduction present challenges.
Battery
Apple's battery claims proved conservative in testing - the Air lasted 19+ hours playing local video, exceeding the advertised 18-hour streaming estimate. Real-world use confirms outstanding endurance, easily supporting multiple days of moderate workload between charges.
