Introduction
Apple’s MacBook Air (2025) is here, and it’s setting new standards for lightweight laptops. Known for its sleek design, powerful performance, and all-day battery life, the MacBook Air has long been a favorite among students, professionals, and travelers. But with an M4 chip, brighter Liquid Retina display, and a new design, does the latest model really live up to the hype?
Apple MacBook Air In this review, we’ll take a deep look at the MacBook Air (2025)’s design, performance, battery life, and key features to determine whether it’s the best lightweight laptop of the year. Should you upgrade from an older model? Or is it just an incremental improvement? Let’s find out!
Table of Contents
2. What’s New in the MacBook Air (2025)?
- Next-generation M4 chip for improved performance
Apple has introduced the M4 chip replacing the previous-generation M2 and M3 models.
The new 5nm architecture improves speed, power efficiency, and thermal management.
Performance improvements include faster app launches, better multitasking, and AI-powered enhancements.
GPU and Neural Engine enhancements make it more suitable for creative professionals and AI-powered applications. - New colour options and refreshed design
Apple has added a new Sky Blue colour along with classic options like Silver, Space Gray, Midnight, and Starlight.
The thinner and lighter chassis makes it even more portable without compromising on durability.
The bezels around the display are thinner, making the screen more immersive. - Brighter and more vibrant Liquid Retina display
The 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch Liquid Retina displays now offer improved brightness, contrast, and colour accuracy.
HDR support has been enhanced for better media consumption and creative work.
True Tone and P3 wide colour gamut are built in for enhanced visuals. - Improved battery life with more efficient power management
Thanks to the efficiency of the M4 chip, battery life now lasts up to 20 hours on a single charge.
Optimised macOS power management ensures better standby time and lower power consumption.
MagSafe charging is faster, making it easier to charge the battery quickly.
- Improved connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3
MacBook Air (2025) now supports Wi-Fi 6E, which delivers faster and more stable internet connections.
Bluetooth 5.3 provides improved wireless device connectivity with lower latency and better range.
- macOS optimisations and AI-powered features
MacBook Air (2025) runs on the latest macOS version optimised for the M4 chip.
New AI-powered enhancements improve Siri, text recognition, and real-time translation.
Universal Control and Handoff have been further improved for seamless integration with iPads and iPhones.
- Slightly improved webcam and audio quality
The 12MP Center Stage webcam offers better clarity for video calls.
The three-mic array with advanced noise cancellation enhances audio quality.
The quad-speaker setup delivers better sound for media consumption and calls.
3. Design & Build Quality
- Ultra-thin and lightweight form factor
The MacBook Air (2025) is even thinner and lighter than its predecessors, making it one of the most portable laptops on the market.
Weighing around 2.7 pounds (13.6-inch) and 3.3 pounds (15.3-inch), it remains a top choice for travelers and students.
The wedge-shaped design has been further refined for a more comfortable typing experience. - Premium aluminum unibody construction
Apple retains its 100% recycled aluminum chassis, which ensures durability while being eco-friendly.
The smooth anodized finish protects it from scratches and fingerprints.
The hinge mechanism is sturdy, allowing for easy opening and closing without any wobble. - New color options
Along with classic silver, space gray, and starlight, Apple has introduced a new sky blue color option.
The Midnight colour now has an improved coating to reduce fingerprints and smudges. - Improved display bezels and bigger screen experience
The bezels around the Liquid Retina display have been further reduced, making the screen experience even better.
The larger trackpad enhances precision and makes navigation easier.
- Keyboard and trackpad: improved convenience
The Magic Keyboard remains excellent, offering soft yet tactile key presses for a satisfying typing experience.
The larger Force Touch trackpad offers precise control and supports advanced gestures.
- Speaker and audio enhancements
The quad-speaker system has been slightly improved for richer bass and clearer highs.
Support for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos offers a better movie watching and music listening experience.
4. Display & Visual Experience
- Liquid Retina Display: Spectacular Views
The MacBook Air (2025) comes in two display sizes: 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch, both featuring Liquid Retina technology.
The 2560 x 1664 resolution (for 13.6-inch) and 2880 x 1864 (for 15.3-inch) ensure sharp, detailed images with high pixel density.
The edge-to-edge design with ultra-thin bezels enhances the viewing experience by maximizing screen real estate. - Improved brightness and contrast
Apple has increased the peak brightness to 550 nits, making the display even more visible in bright environments.
The higher contrast ratio results in deeper blacks and brighter whites, improving readability and media consumption.
The anti-reflective coating has been optimized to reduce glare, making outdoor use more comfortable. - P3 Wide Colour Gamut and True Tone Technology
The P3 Wide Colour Gamut ensures richer, more vibrant colours, making the display ideal for photo and video editing.
The True Tone technology automatically adjusts the white balance based on ambient light, reducing eye strain and making viewing comfortable.
The colours remain consistent and accurate, making it great for professionals working on colour-sensitive tasks. - HDR and Video Streaming Experience
The HDR (High Dynamic Range) support enhances video playback, making it a great choice for streaming on platforms like Netflix, Apple TV+, and YouTube.
Deeper contrast and improved brightness provide a more immersive movie watching experience.
Smooth motion rendering ensures a stutter-free and crisp display while gaming or watching high-frame-rate content. - 120Hz ProMotion: Missing or expected?
Unlike the MacBook Pro models, the MacBook Air (2025) still runs at 60Hz instead of Apple’s ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate.
Scrolling and animations are smoother, but power users may notice a difference compared to high-refresh-rate displays.
However, Apple prioritises battery life over high refresh rates, ensuring all-day usage.
- Eye comfort and blue light reduction
Apple has implemented improved blue light filtering to reduce eye strain during prolonged use.
Night Shift mode automatically adjusts the colour temperature of the screen in the evening to reduce blue light exposure.
5. Performance & Speed
- M4 Chip: The Next-Generation Powerhouse
The M4 chip, built on Apple’s advanced 3nm architecture, delivers faster processing speeds and improved energy efficiency.
It features an 8-core CPU (4 performance cores + 4 efficiency cores) for faster app launches and seamless multitasking.
The 10-core GPU significantly enhances graphics performance, making it ideal for light gaming, video editing, and creative workloads.
The 16-core Neural Engine enables AI-powered enhancements, faster machine learning, and improved real-time processing. - Benchmark Performance: How Fast Is It?
Early benchmark results show that the M4 chip is 25% faster than the M3 and 40% faster than the M2.
Single-core and multi-core performance improvements ensure great performance in everyday tasks and professional applications.
Geekbench 6 scores (estimated):
Single-core: ~3,000 points
Multi-core: ~12,000 points - Real-world performance: Everyday use
Web browsing and multitasking: Handles 20+ tabs in Safari/Chrome without stuttering.
Productivity tasks: Running apps like Microsoft Office, Slack, Zoom, and Notion is a breeze.
Photo and video editing: Excellent performance in Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and Final Cut Pro, with fast rendering times.
Coding and development: Great for Xcode, Python, and web development, handles complex projects with ease.
Gaming performance:
The 10-core GPU improves graphics performance, making it suitable for Apple Arcade and light gaming.
However, it is not ideal for high-end gaming compared to dedicated gaming laptops. - Unified Memory and Storage Speed
Available in 8GB, 16GB and 24GB unified memory (RAM) configurations, ensuring efficient multitasking and smooth performance.
Storage options: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB SSD, with read/write speeds over 3,500 MB/s, resulting in super-fast file transfers and app launches. - Battery-efficient performance
The M4 chip is designed for improved power efficiency, allowing the MacBook Air (2025) to deliver up to 20 hours of battery life.
Compared to the M3 MacBook Air, new power optimizations extend usage time by 1-2 hours under heavy workloads.
6. Battery Life & Charging
- All-day battery life: How long does it last?
Apple has made impressive strides in power efficiency, allowing the MacBook Air (2025) to last longer than its predecessor.
Up to 20 hours of battery life on a single charge (compared to 18 hours on the M3 MacBook Air).
Up to 16 hours of wireless web browsing, ensuring uninterrupted productivity.
Up to 22 hours of video playback on Apple TV+ or other streaming services.
Battery performance stays strong even with multitasking, light editing, or the occasional gaming.
These numbers put the MacBook Air (2025) ahead of most Windows ultrabooks, making it one of the longest-lasting lightweight laptops on the market.
- Power efficiency of the M4 chip
The M4 chip is built using Apple’s advanced 3nm process, making it not only faster, but also more power-efficient.
The improved architecture reduces power consumption while maintaining high performance.
Battery consumption is reduced even when handling tasks such as video conferencing, content creation, and coding.
MacOS optimization further improves standby time, ensuring that the laptop lasts several days on light use without needing to charge.
- Charging speed: How fast can it recharge?
Apple continues to use MagSafe 3 charging, which allows for safe and quick recharging while leaving the USB-C port free for accessories.
Fast charging support: With a 70W USB-C power adapter, the MacBook Air (2025) can charge 50% in just 30 minutes.
Comes with a 35W dual-port charger by default, which can charge both the MacBook Air and another device simultaneously.
Also supports charging via USB-C port, making it easy to charge with third-party adapters and power banks.
- USB-C charging and MagSafe: The best of both worlds
The MagSafe 3 connector ensures secure, magnetic attachment, preventing accidental disconnects.
USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) charging support allows users to charge with universal adapters and accessories. Compatibility with USB-C power banks, making it easy to charge on the go
7. Connectivity & Ports
- Available ports: Balance between minimalism and functionality
The MacBook Air (2025) includes:
MagSafe 3 charging port – Allows for fast and safe magnetic charging while keeping USB-C ports free.
2 x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports – Supports charging, data transfer, external displays, and accessories.
3.5mm headphone jack – Still present with high-impedance support for audiophiles.
What’s missing?
No HDMI port – Requires a USB-C to HDMI adapter for direct display connection.
No SD card slot – Photographers and videographers will need an external card reader.
No USB-A port – Legacy USB devices will need an adapter.
While some users may find the limited ports restrictive, Apple continues to prioritize a sleek, ultra-slim design, making USB-C hubs or adapters essential for power users. - Thunderbolt 4: Faster and more versatile
Two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports provide:
Data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps, making it perfect for fast external SSDs, high-speed peripherals, and eGPUs.
Support for up to two external 6K displays (via a macOS workaround).
USB4 compatibility, allowing seamless connectivity with modern accessories.
Power Delivery (PD) support, meaning you can charge the MacBook Air via a USB-C power bank. - External display support: A big improvement over previous models
Unlike previous MacBook Air models that only supported one external display, the MacBook Air (2025) now supports up to two external 6K monitors when the lid is closed.
Dual-display support makes it more productivity-friendly, closing the gap between the Air and Pro models.
While it’s not as robust as the MacBook Pro’s multi-display capabilities, it’s a great upgrade for professionals who need more screen space. - Wireless connectivity: Faster and more reliable than ever
Apple has upgraded the wireless capabilities for a seamless, high-speed experience:
Wi-Fi 7 support – The biggest upgrade, offering:
Faster speeds (up to 4.8 Gbps, 2x faster than Wi-Fi 6E).
Lower latency, making video calls, streaming, and cloud gaming easier.
Improved performance in congested networks, thanks to wider bandwidth channels (320 MHz).
Bluetooth 5.3 – Enhanced for:
More stable connections with wireless headphones, keyboard, and mouse.
Lower power consumption helps extend battery life.
Improved range and reliability, even in environments with interference.
8. macOS & Software Features
- macOS 15: What’s new?
MacBook Air (2025) comes preinstalled with macOS 15, which features:
Performance optimizations for the M4 chip – Apps launch faster and run more efficiently.
New AI-powered productivity tools – Smarter Siri, AI-powered writing assistance and automatic note summaries.
Refined multitasking – Improved Stage Manager for better window management.
Universal Control 2.0 – Work seamlessly between Mac, iPad and iPhone with improved drag-and-drop functionality.
Improved battery management – Optimized power efficiency to extend battery life even further.
- Apple AI: Smarter macOS experiences
Apple is integrating on-device AI features into macOS 15, powered by the M4 chip’s 16-core Neural Engine. These include:
AI-powered Siri – Smarter, more conversational and capable of performing complex actions.
Live Transcription and Summaries – Auto-generate meeting notes, summarize documents and even create action points.
AI-enhanced Photos app – Improved object recognition, intelligent background removal and improved image editing.
Smart Calendar and Email Suggestions – Automatically suggest meeting times, detect important emails and summarize conversations.
With AI features running locally on the M4 chip, privacy remains a key focus, ensuring data stays on your device rather than in the cloud.
- Ecosystem integration: The seamless Apple experience
Apple’s macOS deepens its integration with 15 other Apple devices, making MacBook Air an even better companion for iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches.
Universal Clipboard – Copy on iPhone, paste on Mac.
Handoff – Start writing an email on iPad, finish it on MacBook Air.
FaceTime Continuity Camera – Use your iPhone as a high-quality Mac webcam.
AirDrop 2.0 – Faster, more reliable file sharing across Apple devices.
iMessage and FaceTime upgrades – AI-powered message summaries and improved notifications.
For users deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem, these features make MacBook Air (2025) a powerful, interconnected device.
- App performance: How well do apps run?
Thanks to macOS 15 optimizations and the M4 chip, all major apps run faster and more efficiently.
Safari – Up to 2x faster than Chrome while using less power.
Adobe Creative Suite – Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Illustrator run smoothly with faster rendering times.
Microsoft Office and Google Workspace – Fully optimized for seamless productivity.
Xcode and development tools – Improved performance for app developers and coders.
Gaming (Apple Arcade and more) – Improved graphics rendering thanks to the 10-core GPU and Metal 3 optimizations.
- Security and privacy enhancements
Apple continues to be the leader in security, and macOS 15 brings even stronger protection:
On-device AI processing – AI features work locally, protecting user privacy.
Lockdown mode upgrade – More advanced protection against cyber threats.
Improved file encryption – Faster, more secure encryption for sensitive data.
New Safari privacy tools – Blocks more trackers and prevents fingerprinting.
9. Price & Value for Money
1. MacBook Air (2025) Pricing: How Much Does It Cost?
Apple typically follows a consistent pricing strategy, and the MacBook Air (2025) is expected to fall in a similar range:
| Configuration | Expected Price |
|---|---|
| Base Model (M4, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) | $1,099 – $1,199 |
| Mid-Tier (M4, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) | $1,399 – $1,499 |
| High-End (M4, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) | $1,699 – $1,799 |
Compared to previous models:
- MacBook Air (M2, 2022) started at $999
- MacBook Air (M3, 2023) started at $1,099
This means Apple might keep the starting price at $1,099 but offer better hardware and AI-driven features to justify the cost.
How Does It Compare to Competitors?
MacBook Air (2025) vs. MacBook Pro (2025)
| Feature | MacBook Air (2025) | MacBook Pro 14” (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | M4 | M4 Pro / M4 Max |
| Battery Life | 20+ hours | 18-20 hours |
| Ports | 2x USB-C, MagSafe 3 | More ports (HDMI, SD card, USB-C) |
| Weight & Design | Lighter, thinner (2.7 lbs) | Heavier, bulkier |
| Performance | Great for everyday use & light creative work | Better for professionals & power users |
| Price | Starts at $1,099 | Starts at $1,599 |
Conclusion
The Apple MacBook Air (2025) continues to set the standard for thin, powerful, and efficient laptops. With its next-generation M4 chip, stunning Liquid Retina display, AI-powered macOS 15 features, and industry-leading battery life, it delivers an exceptional balance of performance, portability, and longevity.
Why you should buy it:
Ultra-lightweight and premium build – Perfect for students, professionals, and frequent travelers.
M4 chip and AI-powered features – Ensure smooth multitasking and fast processing speeds.
Long battery life (20+ hours) – Outperforms most Windows ultrabooks in efficiency.
Deep Apple ecosystem integration – Works seamlessly with iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches.
Why you might skip it:
Limited ports – No USB-A or HDMI, requires adapters.
No touchscreen – Unlike many Windows ultrabooks.
Not built for heavy gaming or pro-level creative work – the MacBook Pro (M4 Pro/Max) is better for that.
