The MacBook Air M4 256GB offers great value at full price, but with a $250 discount? Well, it’s arguably the best laptop deal of the year (so far). The base model M4 chip is equipped with 10 CPU cores, 8 GPU cores, and a 16-core Neural Engine. The CPU and GPU cores share 16G of Unified Memory, which offers enough processing power and speed for creatives and developers. It’s also an ideal laptop for new college students, as it should be a trusty device through graduation and beyond. Plus, the ultra-slim profile makes it one of the best laptops for travel, and it’s extremely efficient in terms of power consumption. The M4 can run for up to 18 hours on a full charge.
The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Display makes all your videos, pictures, and games look fantastic, while a 12MP camera lets you dive into video chats or virtual lectures. Rounding out the entry-level M4 are two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a MagSafe charging port, a headphone jack, support for Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth, and suppor for up to two external displays.
Apple computers still aren’t the best choice for gaming, but not because they aren’t powerful enough; it’s simply due to the comparitively limited library. That said, Apple has made a concerted effort with gaming over the past few years by working with big publishers to bring hit games to the App Store, including Death Stranding, Resident Evil Village, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and more. The MacBook Air M4 has ray tracing and other advanced rendering tools. The base model runs a wide assortment of visually demanding games wonderfully, and games look incredibl on Apple’s Liquid Retina Display.
The base model’s main downside, especially when it comes to gaming, is the 256GB SSD. It’s a high-performing storage drive, but 256GB can disappear quickly if you download a bunch of games or work on big design projects.
If you want more storage space and a boost in performance in the video department, the two 512GB configurations are also on sale for $250 off. Both models have two additional GPU cores, and the pricier one offers 24GB Unified Memory.
