Bottom line: MacBook Air M4 is the best laptop for most people in 2026. Faster, longer battery, more RAM — and at $1,089 on Soundmali, it's the best price available.
9.5/10Expert review score
18HBattery life — class-leading
35%Faster than MacBook Air M3
16GBBase RAM — double previous gen
$1,089Price at Soundmali — $210 off Apple
Expert Verdict
9.5/10"MacBook Air M4 is the best laptop for most people in 2026 — the perfect combination of performance, battery life, and portability."
Pros
- ✓ 35% faster than M3
- ✓ 16GB RAM standard
- ✓ 18-hour battery
- ✓ Completely silent (fanless)
- ✓ 4 beautiful colors including Sky Blue
- ✓ $210 below retail at Soundmali
Cons
- ✗ No user-upgradeable RAM/storage
- ✗ Only 2 Thunderbolt ports
- ✗ No Face ID
Best Price
Buy at Soundmali →
Apple MacBook Air M4 13" 16GB 256GB — Midnight
$1,089
Biggest Screen
Buy at Soundmali →
Apple MacBook Air M4 15" 16GB 256GB — Silver
$1,249
MacBook Air M4 Performance — Real-World Tests
According to Apple's benchmarks (March 2026), the M4 chip scores 3,864 in Geekbench 6 multi-core — 35% higher than M3 (2,862) and comparable to M3 Pro chips found in MacBook Pro. This means MacBook Air M4 handles:
- 4K video editing in Final Cut Pro without dropped frames
- Running 20+ browser tabs simultaneously without slowdown
- AI workloads 2x faster thanks to the 16-core Neural Engine
- Xcode compilation 30% faster than M3
MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Air M3 — Should You Upgrade?
| Feature | MacBook Air M4 | MacBook Air M3 |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Performance | 3,864 (GB6) | 2,862 (GB6) |
| Base RAM | 16GB | 8GB |
| Battery Life | 18H | 18H |
| Neural Engine | 16-core | 16-core |
| External Displays | 2 (with lid closed) | 1 |
| Starting Price | $1,089 | $1,099 |
Verdict: If you have M2 or earlier, upgrade immediately. If you have M3, the extra RAM and performance gains justify upgrading if you do creative work.