The latest M4 MacBook Air from Apple is incredibly easy to recommend to a wide audience. But if you’re already using a recent version and contemplating whether to upgrade, let’s explore how the new M4 MacBook Air compares to the M2 MacBook Air.
Four Major Upgrades with the M4
There are plenty of similarities between Apple’s M4 and M2 MacBook Air models. However, here are four significant differences:
- Chip Type
- RAM Capacity
- Camera Quality
- External Display Support
M4 Chip: Although the M2 chip won’t seem slow anytime soon, the M4 offers notable advancements. It features a 10-core CPU compared to the 8-core M2, boasting up to 1.5x faster CPU performance. Enhancements in GPU and Neural Engine should also result in significant improvements in graphics and AI processing.
RAM: The M4 MacBook Air starts with 16GB of RAM, expandable up to 32GB. This increase in RAM is likely aimed at future-proofing for AI developments, but it will also enhance present-day computing performance.
Camera: While previous MacBook cameras have had their limitations, the M4 Air’s new 12MP Center Stage camera offers a noteworthy upgrade. It supports Desk View and records in 1080p HD video, enhancing the experience beyond what the M2 Air’s 1080p FaceTime HD camera provides.
External Displays: For users who rely on external displays, the M4 Air introduces a significant enhancement. You can now connect up to two monitors while keeping the MacBook Air’s lid open, allowing for a total of three displays. In contrast, the M2 Air can only support a single external monitor.
Additional Smaller M4 Improvements You Might Appreciate
The aforementioned four features are the main highlights, but there are some smaller enhancements and tweaks incorporated into the M4 MacBook Air, such as:
- Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes exclusive to the M4.
- Wi-Fi 6E on the M4 compared to Wi-Fi 6 on the M2.
- Thunderbolt 4 featured on the M4 instead of Thunderbolt 3 on the M2.
- The new Sky Blue color exclusive to the M4, while the Midnight color features fingerprint resistance first seen on the M3.
- The M4 supports AV1 decoding, if that is of importance to you.
- A small but meaningful change: the mute key is now more intuitive.
M4 MacBook Air vs M2 MacBook Air: Conclusion
The M4 MacBook Air presents an attractive price point at $999, but your decision to upgrade ultimately depends on whether the new features matter to you.
Enhanced external display functionality is a significant improvement, but if you never use more than one monitor, this won’t affect you. The same goes for the 12MP Center Stage camera—if video calls aren’t a regular part of your life, it may not be a crucial factor.
However, if these upgrades would positively influence your daily computing tasks, combined with the M4’s speed enhancements, upgrading to a new MacBook Air might be worthwhile.
Are you considering upgrading from an M2 MacBook Air to the M4? Share your thoughts in the comments!
