Apple’s M4 MacBook Air and Mac Studio are here—but are they worth the hype?
Here's what's new in both devices.
Apple’s been busy this week. First, we got the M3 iPad Air, and now, just a day later, the M4 MacBook Air and Mac Studio refresh have arrived. But while the iPad Air got an obvious performance boost, Apple’s latest Macs are a little more complicated—one gets a big upgrade, while the other feels like Apple is holding back.
So, what’s actually new? And more importantly, is it worth upgrading? Let’s break it down.
The new MacBook Air has a faster chip and is more affordable
On the surface, the new M4 MacBook Air sounds like a great deal. For example, the 13-inch model now starts at $999 with the 15-inch starting at $1,199 (that’s $100 less than the M3 versions from 2024). Now, this price drop is a huge deal as it means the M4 MacBook Air is now the same price as the M2 models from 2022.
And since it comes with Apple's latest chips—the M4—it's supposed to be twice as fast as the M1 Air with a better Neural Engine for AI (Apple Intelligence) tasks. However, Apple fails to compare the M4 MacBook Air's performance against its M3 and M2 models (maybe because it has ceased sales of these MacBook Air variants following the M4 release).
But perhaps the biggest upgrade the M4 MacBook Air brings is its support for two external monitors. If you’ve ever been frustrated by the one-display limit on older MacBook Airs (including the M3 model from last year), that’s finally fixed. And yes, Apple also threw in a new 12MP Center Stage camera for better video calls—a much-needed upgrade from the aging 1080p FaceTime camera in previous models. There's also a new sky-blue color which is nice… but hardly a game-changer.
Finally, a new Mac Studio
This should have been a major moment for the Mac Studio—after all, it’s been almost 2 years since the last update. But Apple did something weird. Now, we get a base model with the M4 Max chip, which is a huge leap over the M2 Max version. But the high-end model still uses last year’s M3 Ultra, not an M4 Ultra. That means if you’re a power user looking for the absolute best, Apple’s making you wait even longer for a real Ultra upgrade.
That said, the M4 Max Mac Studio is still a beast. It starts at $1,999 and offers up to 128GB of RAM, a 40-core GPU, and faster Thunderbolt 5 ports for better external display and storage support. Meanwhile, the M3 Ultra version starts at $3,999 and can be spec-ed up to $14,000—which is absolutely wild for a desktop that doesn’t even have an M4 Ultra chip yet.
So, should you upgrade?
If you’re using an M1 or Intel-based Air, this upgrade is a no-brainer—it’s faster, more affordable, and has better multitasking support. But if you just bought the M3 Air last year, you’re probably not missing much. The design is the same, the display is the same, and unless you absolutely need M4’s performance boost, you won’t feel a huge difference.
Meanwhile, if you’re coming from an M1 Studio, the M4 Max model is a massive step up. But if you’re after the absolute best version of this desktop, you might want to hold off—because an M4 Ultra version might probably come later. Pre-order for the M4 MacBook Air and both versions of the Mac Studio is open with availability starting March 12.
