I love my 2020 M1 MacBook Air. For the work that I do – lots of writing, lots of streaming, photo editing, a smidge of video editing, and an ongoing attempt to set the world record for maximum number of browser tabs open at once – it's ideal.
The M1 handles all that I throw at it with ease, and looks good doing it. It was also the first 13-inch laptop that I've owned, and as I carry with it between home and work offices, its portability has always been a big plus for me. I remember it was $799 for the longest time (though retailed at $999), and honestly I think that was an amazing deal.
But it's not 2020 anymore, and Apple has been churning through iterations of its chips like a madman. In 2025, the MacBook Air comes with an M4 chip and has been updated in pretty much every category compared to the M1 – and right now it's having a record discount of $150 over at Best Buy, taking it from $999 to $849.
The thing is, if the MacBook Air M1 was still widely sold, and wasn't discontinued by Apple in 2024, I would wholeheartedly recommend anyone with similar processor power requirements as me to get it. The wedge design is iconic, and the whole thing is great quality.
But then Apple went and gave the Air waaaaay more power with the MacBook Air M4 (more than I'll ever need, to be honest), a better, brighter display, more RAM as standard (16GB not 8GB – at last!), while not fixing things that weren't broke, such as the excellent keyboard and trackpad.
Then there's the price. The M4, at retail, was cheaper than the M3 Air on release. And better. Let that sink in for a bit. Apple went all Robin Hood and started selling its most popular laptop at a reduced price than last year's model: the M3 was $1,099 for the 13-inch model, and the M4 was $999 (with better specs). And while you can still get an M1 Air for around $400, refurbished, when you stack what you're getting for the price, that option just make sense.
That's why, as you can see from the main photo, I'm moving over to the latest M4 MacBook Air – even though it offers more power than I'll ever need (unless I change jobs and get into video editing, of course).
I will miss the M1, but Apple have forced my hand. The M4 is just such great value.
Want a different model Air? Here are some other deals for you... And if you do get one, make sure to check out the best MacBook Air cases to protect your new piece of kit.
