Air vs. Pro: Is the latest M4 MacBook Air at the $849 all-time low the best value for an Apple laptop?

Air vs. Pro/From $849

The M4 MacBook Air has quickly become the best deal on Apple portable computing. There’s nothing quite like a shiny new Space Black M4 MacBook Pro, but as a longtime MBP user the new lower prices Apple unleashed on top of the $150 price drops on the M4 MacBook Air has me second-guessing how much I really need on new MacBook Pro – the $849 all-time low entry price on the M4 MacBook Air is seriously enticing.

M4 MacBook Air vs. M4 MacBook Pro

While the M4 Mac mini (especially with the deals we are tracking right now) is clearly the most affordable current-generation Mac in the lineup, that’ clearly’s not going to cut it for folks looking to land a portable Apple notebook. That leaves us with the new M4 MacBook Air and the M4 MacBook Pro. 

Clearly the M4 MacBook Pro is, well, pro, and the Air clearly isn’t. But we are talking about a pair of machines that both carry Apple’s latest and greatest M4 chip and quite a notable price disparity here. The M4 MacBook Air is currently starting at $849 with 16GB of RAM and the M4 MacBook Pro is now starting at $1,386 shipped. 

Now as you might have seen some folks talking about online, if you start comparing the spec’d out M4 MacBook Air– a machine configured to carry the same top-line specs as the M4 MacBook Pro (RAM and storage) – the price difference becomes less glaring. 

But as of right now we are talking about $600 more for the most affordable MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD – an M4 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD can be had on Amazon right now for $1,049 shipped. Let’s take a look at these two models with the current sale prices:

• 13-inch M4 MacBook Air 16GB/512GB $1,049 (Reg. $1,199)
• 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro 16GB/512GB $1,386 (Reg. $1,599)

The difference isn’t quite as much when you factor in the current deal prices, but we are still looking at over $300 less on the M4 Air – both models for the record, are very close to the lowest prices we have ever tracked online. The M4 Pro is likely to get updated to M5 sooner as well, if that matters to you.

Here are some of the main factors to consider when it comes to spending more on the MacBook Pro:

• Much better and brighter screen
• It has power/data ports on both sides of the chassis
• More extensive I/O – HDMI, SD Card slot, and so on
• There’s slightly better battery life depending on the specific use case

And here are some of the real selling points of the M4 MacBook Air for me:

• Far lower price tag on the more affordable configurations
• Includes the same 16GB of RAM at the lowest price point
• Can natively support two display with access to the onboard keyboard

I love the MacBook Pro and have been a user for years. I am however considering the switch for the cash savings here. The M4 MacBook Air has gotten much less expensive than it used to be, it is powered by the same chip – there’s really no point in comparing the far more powerful and pricey M4 Pro here, and I just don’t value many of the main factors on the MBP above enough to warrant the extra spend. 

I certainly wouldn’t blame anyone for opting for a sweet Space Black MacBook Pro with the far better display, that’s for sure – it’s a gorgeous machine (oh, what I would do for a Space Black M4 MacBook Air). But these days, for my personal needs on a MacBook, the M4 MacBook Air is basically all I really require – I’m not video editing much or have a need for the highest-quality movie watching experience, I’m rarely ever in need if an SD slot on-the-go, and the native dual display action on the M4 Air with access to the keyboard is more than enough for me at home. 

Best deal prices online for the M4 MacBook Air:

• 13-inch M4 MacBook Air 16GB/256GB from $849 (Reg. $999)
• 13-inch M4 MacBook Air 16GB/512GB from $1,049 (Reg. $1,199)
• 13-inch M4 MacBook Air 24GB/512GB from $1,249 (Reg. $1,399)
• 15-inch M4 MacBook Air 16GB/256GB from $1,049 (Reg. $1,199)
• 15-inch M4 MacBook Air 16GB/512GB from $1,249 (Reg. $1,399)
• 15-inch M4 MacBook Air 24GB/512GB from $1,447 (Reg. $1,599)

Best deal prices online for the M4 MacBook Pro:

• 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro 16GB/512GB $1,386 (Reg. $1,599)
• 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro 16GB/1TB $1,586 (Reg. $1,799) 
• 14-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro 24GB/512GB $1,786 (Reg. $1,999)
• 14-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro 24GB/1TB $2,153 (Reg. $2,399) 
• 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro 24GB/1TB $2,235 (Reg. $2,499) 
• 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro 48GB/1TB $2,572 (Reg. $2,899)