MacBook Air M4 Rumored to Showcase MacBook Pro Performance Caliber in Speculated Reports
In a recent development, leaked benchmarks have revealed the performance of Apple's upcoming MacBook Air M4. The new model, expected to be released in the next few months, is set to offer a significant upgrade from its predecessor, the MacBook Air M3.
The MacBook Air M4, despite being a fanless laptop design, has shown impressive results on the Geekbench Metal test. It scored 54,806 points, a substantial improvement over the M3 model. In comparison, the MacBook Air M4's Geekbench: Metal score is 33.5% higher than the MacBook Air 13 (M3, 2024).
However, when it comes to competing with the MacBook Pro models, the MacBook Air M4 falls short. The MacBook Air M4 uses the same number of GPU cores (10) as the M4 base chip on the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M4, 2024). Yet, the MacBook Pro 14 (M4, 2024) scored 41,045 points higher on the same test. This suggests that the MacBook Air M4, despite being a powerful device, is not expected to match the performance of the MacBook Pro 14.
If Apple follows the same pattern with the M4 MacBook Air as the MacBook Air M3 models, then this would be a benchmark for an upgraded chip. For higher-end M4 chips, the M4 Pro with a 20-core GPU scores about 40% faster than the M3 Pro, and the M4 Max with a 40-core GPU scores about 25% faster than the M3 Max. Given this proportional scaling, the base M4 chip's 8-core GPU would have a significantly lower Metal score than the M4 Pro or Max, likely in the range of a few tens of thousands, but no exact figure is provided.
The base MacBook Air M4's expected Geekbench Metal benchmark score, with an 8-core GPU, is not explicitly stated in the search results. However, it can be reasonably placed in context by comparison. The MacBook Pro 14 (M4, 2024, 16-core GPU) scores around 110,556 in Metal, while the MacBook Pro 16 (M4 Max, 40-core GPU) scores 190,329 in Metal. Thus, the M4 MacBook Air's base Metal score will be a good step up from M3 but far below the powerful M4 Pro and Max chips in the MacBook Pro models.
It's important to note that no comparison scores are available for the MacBook Air M4 against the MacBook Air 13 (M3, 2024) and the MacBook Pro 14 (M4, 2024) from the standard suite of lab tests.
In conclusion, the MacBook Air M4, while offering a substantial upgrade from the M3 model, is not expected to compete with the MacBook Pro models in terms of performance. The exact benchmark for the M4 Air base model is not found in the data, but it's clear that Apple's latest offering in the MacBook Air lineup is still a powerful device, offering a balance between performance and power constraints typical for Air models. The M4 MacBook Air refresh is expected to be released as early as March 2025.
- The upcoming MacBook Air M4, despite being a fanless laptop design, has shown impressive performance on the Geekbench Metal test, scoring 54,806 points, 33.5% higher than the MacBook Air 13 (M3, 2024).
- Compared to the MacBook Pro models, the MacBook Air M4 falls short in terms of performance, with the MacBook Pro 14 (M4, 2024) scoring 41,045 points higher on the same test.
- If Apple continues the same pattern, the MacBook Air M4's base chip with an 8-core GPU can be reasonably expected to have a benchmark score of a few tens of thousands, significantly lower than the M4 Pro and Max chips in the MacBook Pro models.
- With the MacBook Air M4's expected release as early as March 2025, it is predicted to be a powerful device offering a balance between performance and power constraints typical for Air models, despite not competing with the MacBook Pro models in terms of performance.
- The M4 MacBook Air refresh will join other gadgets like smartphones and other technology devices, solidifying Apple's position in the market for laptops and other gadgets.
