1. M4 Chip
Apple's M4 chip doesn't need saying as an 'M4 MacBook Air' option, but it's definitely deserving of mention.
The MacBook Air will ship with the base M4 chip, not the M4 Pro or M4 Max. But it still packs a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine.
The Neural Engine, specifically, is impressive with the ability to handle up to 38 trillion operations per second. This represents a huge improvement over the M3 model, and it will make the new M4 better positioned for Apple Intelligence features well into the future.
2. Better Display Support
One drawback of the Apple Silicon-era MacBook Air is that its external display support has always been somewhat constrained. Initially, the MacBook Air only supported a single external display, then mercifully with the M3 model that doubled—but with a crucial asterisk.
That M3 upgrade allowed two external displays to be driven simultaneously, but with a lid-closed requirement. So you were still only getting two displays altogether because the MacBook Air screen wasn't available.
At last though, with the M4 MacBook Air, there will be full support for using two external displays with the lid open. This feature rolled out to the base M4 MacBook Pro last November, and since the two machines share the same chip, it's no surprise to expect the Air too.
3. Improved Battery life
Power efficiency has been a big focus with Apple's latest chip efforts. The new C1 modem on the iPhone 16e added battery gains, and so does the M4 chip.
Last year, the M4 allowed Apple to get the iPad Pro super thin without compromising battery life. This fall, the M4 MacBook Pro retained its same shape but added battery due to the new chip.
The M4 MacBook Air ought to go down the path of the MacBook Pro, extending battery life but using the same overall design.
4. 16GB RAM is for starter
Like the earlier external display limits, RAM has had contentious limits at times during the Apple Silicon period.
Driven no doubt by Apple Intelligence requirements, Apple will begin the M4 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM—twice the amount that the M3 started with.
It's also going to be configurable up to 32GB max, more than the earlier 24GB.
5. New Display
Following years of confining nano-texture screens to some of its most premium offerings, Apple has recently begun dispersing the tech to a whole lot more devices.
You can currently obtain a nano-texture screen on the M4 MacBook Pro, M4 iMac, and M4 iPad Pro.
Look for the M4 MacBook Air to follow suit and be added to the nano-texture lineup when it debuts later this week. It won't be standard, but will presumably be offered as a about $150 up-charge.
6. 12MP Camera with new features
Center Stage is coming to increasingly more Apple devices. The feature allows your device's camera to keep track of you as you move about during a video call. It also allows the robust Desk View feature that can be particularly helpful for live streamers and content creators.
Following the introduction of a new 12MP Center Stage camera on both the M4 iMac and M4 MacBook Pro, Apple is rumored to include the upgrade on its M4 MacBook Air as well.
Source: 9tomac