The next MacBook Air models are apparently about to be released, and initial benchmark results show what to expect from the new generation with the M4 chip. According to a recent Geekbench analysis, the graphics performance of the upcoming MacBook Air reaches values that are on the same level as the M4 iPad Pro. This indicates a significant improvement over the previous M3 MacBook Air. The new MacBook Air is expected to appear again in 13- and 15-inch versions. The basic design should not change, but the M4 chip brings a new generation of 3-nanometer technology. The first tests suggest that GPU performance in particular will benefit from this.
With new Mac models, benchmark tests are often the first way to get an impression of the performance of the devices before Apple officially announces them. Especially when switching to a new chip, it is interesting to see how much faster the new model is compared to the previous generation. Geekbench is one of the best-known platforms for benchmark tests and offers an assessment of the graphics performance of a chip with its Metal Score. In this case, the values show that the MacBook Air with M4 processor achieves a similar GPU performance to the already released M4 iPad Pro. This speaks for the strong efficiency of the new chip architecture, but also for a limitation due to the passive cooling system of the MacBook Air.
Benchmark results of the M4 MacBook Air
On February 23 appeared a new Geekbench 6 result for a previously unannounced MacBook Air. The tested device had the model name “Mac16,12” and was equipped with a 10-core graphics chip and 24 GB RAM. It ran on a special macOS version Sequoia 15.2 (24C2101) that Apple accidentally published in December The device achieved a Metal Score of 55,516 points. For comparison:
- M4 iPad Pro: about 55,000 points
- M3 MacBook Air: average 48,000 to 49,000 points
- M4 MacBook Pro (with fans): about 57,000 points
The results show that the M4 MacBook Air is about 13 percent faster than the M3 MacBook Air in terms of graphics performance. At the same time, it is only slightly behind the M4 MacBook Pro, which can achieve even higher performance thanks to active fans.
Why is the GPU performance similar to that of the M4 iPad Pro?
The almost identical graphics performance of the MacBook Air and iPad Pro can be explained by a crucial hardware feature: Both devices do not require a fan. While the MacBook Pro achieves higher continuous performance through active cooling, the MacBook Air and iPad Pro have to rely on passive cooling. This means that Apple has optimized the M4 chip so that it delivers high performance even without a fan without overheating. This is why the values in the benchmark are almost identical. The iPad Pro also uses an M4 processor, but it also works without an active cooling system.
When will the M4 MacBook Air be released?
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the new MacBook Air with M4 chip is expected to be released as early as March. Apple is apparently preparing its marketing, sales and retail teams for the launch of the new 13- and 15-inch models. Since this is a regular spring update, Apple is likely to officially announce the device in the next few weeks. Aside from the new processor, no major changes to the design or other hardware components are expected. This means that the update will mainly focus on better performance thanks to the M4 chip.
M4 MacBook Air: Significantly more graphics performance than its predecessor
The M4 chip offers significantly better graphics performance compared to its predecessor and is approaching the values of the M4 MacBook Pro. The performance of the new M4 MacBook Air shows that Apple has further improved its 3-nanometer processor. If Mark Gurman's predictions come true, the new model should be officially presented in a few weeks. So if you want the best MacBook Air, you should be patient. (Image: Apple)
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