Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Upgrading MacBook Air M2 to M4?

M

ManuCH

macrumors 68000
Original poster
May 7, 2009
1,726
1,350
Switzerland
So I currently own a MacBook Air M2 (8C / 24 GB / 1 TB) from July 2022. It's still working really well and I have only 104 battery cycles with 100% health.

Now the Air M4 came out and I've been looking at it. I've put together the differences I would be seeing:

  • new 12MP webcam (instead of just 1080p)
  • supports 2 external screens while the lid is open (instead of just 1)
  • Thunderbolt 4 (instead of 3)
  • CPU/GPU around 50% faster, Neural Engine around 2.4x faster (if I calculated that right)
  • I'd be able to get 32 GB of RAM
For the typical office work I do I wouldn't notice any difference. For the occasional Lightroom and iMovie, I would probably notice an increase in processing speed - not that it's slow now. The new webcam would be nice for Teams calls, and for the occasional AI I run locally (using LM Studio) I would likely also notice quite a difference.

I'm undecided on whether I should upgrade to the Air M4 - directly jump to the Pro M4 (although what kinda scares me of that one is its bulkiness/weight compared to the Air, considering that I carry it with me every day to work).

I know that in the end it's a decision only I can take - but I thought I'd open a threat to brainstorm this a bit. Anyone else in a similar upgrade dilemma?
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: reinem85, wur10 and G5isAlive
joeblow7777 said:
It doesn't actually sound like you need to upgrade. I think you're looking for reasons to.
Click to expand...

That is correct, I definitely don't need an upgrade - I mostly upgrade because I feel like it. And I try to reverse-engineer reasons for it. That's how all my upgrades work, no matter the device 😉

Maybe as a background: always having the latest and greatest and tinker with it is probably one of my main hobbies and passions. But sometimes I skip generations when the upgrade isn't "big enough".
 
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive
Unless you're disabled in some way, the weight is almost certainly going to be a non-issue. I wouldn't be concerned about that at all. It's less than a pound difference. People talk about it but only because it's a way to differentiate. They're both super light laptops.

But if you are doing LLMs locally, and if you think that you could benefit from additional processing power there, the Pro is the way to go. If everything is running great, then you're good.

Which models are you using and how do you find it on the M2?

I'm considering a similar thing - new M4 Air or refurb M4 Pro, as they're both basically the same price. Likely I'll go for the Air but not 100%. I'm going from an M1 though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rmadsen3
Howard2k said:
Unless you're disabled in some way, the weight is almost certainly going to be a non-issue. I wouldn't be concerned about that at all. It's less than a pound difference. People talk about it but only because it's a way to differentiate. They're both super light laptops.

But if you are doing LLMs locally, and if you think that you could benefit from additional processing power there, the Pro is the way to go. If everything is running great, then you're good.

Which models are you using and how do you find it on the M2?

I'm considering a similar thing - new M4 Air or refurb M4 Pro, as they're both basically the same price. Likely I'll go for the Air but no 100%. I'm going from an M1 though.
Click to expand...

You have a point, the weight difference isn't actually that bad, and the Pro gives a lot of other stuff on top of the Air (mainly thinking about screen and additional ports).

I have tried running LLMs locally on the M2 Air but the fun doesn't last long, they're all quite slow. I've played around with Qwen 7B and similar of the same size, it's barely usable. So I would count on the Pro giving it a bit more spice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Howard2k
ManuCH said:
You have a point, the weight difference isn't actually that bad, and the Pro gives a lot of other stuff on top of the Air (mainly thinking about screen and additional ports).

I have tried running LLMs locally on the M2 Air but the fun doesn't last long, they're all quite slow. I've played around with Qwen 7B and similar of the same size, it's barely usable. So I would count on the Pro giving it a bit more spice.
Click to expand...
I have 14 m1pro and m1 air. Got bought into the hype of more powwa.

1lbs more or not, that mbp14 is a chunky brick. It makes me appreciate its’ build quality but is a big no go for me even lugging around the house.

At some point I will consolidate 2 laptops to whatever Mx Air with 32/1tb.
 
  • Like
Reactions: snipr125, August West, TorontoSS and 2 others
Thanks.

I have run some LLMs on my PC GPU but not my M1.

I am leaning towards the Air because it's lighter (I know I just said it's a non-issue, but it's still a point of differentiation), it's sealed (I carry it in my backpack a few nights a week, and I have a cat, and my gf has dogs), and it's silent with no fan.

I did ask Grok about how the three would compare for LLM work, I'm not allowed to post it directly but I linked to the answer here:


x.com

X

x.com x.com


In a nutshell, it estimates that for LLM work the M4 should spank the M2 (3x performance).
 
  • Like
Reactions: ManuCH and G5isAlive
Howard2k said:
Thanks.

I have run some LLMs on my PC GPU but not my M1.

I am leaning towards the Air because it's lighter (I know I just said it's a non-issue, but it's still a point of differentiation), it's sealed (I carry it in my backpack a few nights a week, and I have a cat, and my gf has dogs), and it's silent with no fan.

I did ask Grok about how the three would compare for LLM work, I'm not allowed to post it directly but I linked to the answer here:


x.com

X

x.com x.com


In a nutshell, it estimates that for LLM work the M4 should spank the M2.
Click to expand...
Good point👍 i actually forgot about sealed part cause it is no brainer for my air.

But yeah, 14 heats up browsing while putting on soft surface when vents are blocked and lives 10-12hrs on charge.

Air did 16hr when new and doesn’t care working on beds/sofas.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ConvertedToMac, ManuCH and Howard2k
ManuCH said:
Anyone else in a similar upgrade dilemma?
Click to expand...
Similar but not the same. I just ordered a 15" MBA with 32GB memory and 1TB storage to replace my 2022 13" MBA with 24GB and 2TB of storage.

The battery cycle count on my current machine is 421 with 84% of original capacity, and the battery degradation is starting to approach a level that will affect the resale price when it comes time to sell the machine. The small size of the 13" screen has become an issue for me over time, so I am opting for the larger 15" screen this time around. I also haven't needed 2TB of storage so I'm going with 1TB with this new machine. I also have an expectation that the tariffs that have been announced will have an adverse impact on price, so it's probably lower risk to buy now rather than wait years for the political climate in the US to change.
 
  • Like
Reactions: reinem85, JD2015 and ManuCH
I'm still good with my base M2 15 inch.

Dont want to take a bath on trade in, and nothing functionally going to be different for my use case.
a 16gb RAM base will be a nice upgrade whenever I do upgrade machines down the road but I'm not feeling like I need to make any moves.

The price drop and M4 and such is cool, but...
 
  • Like
Reactions: ManuCH
ManuCH said:
That is correct, I definitely don't need an upgrade - I mostly upgrade because I feel like it. And I try to reverse-engineer reasons for it. That's how all my upgrades work, no matter the device 😉

Maybe as a background: always having the latest and greatest and tinker with it is probably one of my main hobbies and passions. But sometimes I skip generations when the upgrade isn't "big enough".
Click to expand...
Well, as long as you're being honest with yourself that you don't need this upgrade, if it will make you happy, and you can afford it, go for it! Life is short. Enjoy!
 
  • Like
Reactions: ConvertedToMac, agsystems and ManuCH
ManuCH said:
So I currently own a MacBook Air M2 (8C / 24 GB / 1 TB) from July 2022. It's still working really well and I have only 104 battery cycles with 100% health.

Now the Air M4 came out and I've been looking at it. I've put together the differences I would be seeing:

  • new 12MP webcam (instead of just 1080p)
  • supports 2 external screens while the lid is open (instead of just 1)
  • Thunderbolt 4 (instead of 3)
  • CPU/GPU around 50% faster, Neural Engine around 2.4x faster (if I calculated that right)
  • I'd be able to get 32 GB of RAM
For the typical office work I do I wouldn't notice any difference. For the occasional Lightroom and iMovie, I would probably notice an increase in processing speed - not that it's slow now. The new webcam would be nice for Teams calls, and for the occasional AI I run locally (using LM Studio) I would likely also notice quite a difference.

I'm undecided on whether I should upgrade to the Air M4 - directly jump to the Pro M4 (although what kinda scares me of that one is its bulkiness/weight compared to the Air, considering that I carry it with me every day to work).

I know that in the end it's a decision only I can take - but I thought I'd open a threat to brainstorm this a bit. Anyone else in a similar upgrade dilemma?
Click to expand...
It’s called F.O.M.O.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: ManuCH
Howard2k said:
Thanks.

I have run some LLMs on my PC GPU but not my M1.

I am leaning towards the Air because it's lighter (I know I just said it's a non-issue, but it's still a point of differentiation), it's sealed (I carry it in my backpack a few nights a week, and I have a cat, and my gf has dogs), and it's silent with no fan.

I did ask Grok about how the three would compare for LLM work, I'm not allowed to post it directly but I linked to the answer here:


x.com

X

x.com x.com


In a nutshell, it estimates that for LLM work the M4 should spank the M2 (3x performance).
Click to expand...

The most important factor is memory bandwidth which this comparison ignores for some reason. It's only 20% more in the M4 vs M2. You're looking at a marginal improvement at best. Even 30% improvement, esp. for an 8B param model, is wishful thinking.

If this is important then get the M4 Pro, it has almost 3x the bandwidth compared to an M2 chip.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ConvertedToMac, Howard2k and ManuCH
Unless you need 2x external displays, then the M4 doesn't really give you much over your M2 that will benefit you in daily use based on your description above.

That said, it's only money, and if you can afford it without hardship and if it will make you happy, then do it. Just know that once the 'shiny new' feeling wears off and you're back to daily computing, the only thing you will really notice is a lower bank balance.
 
  • Like
Reactions: reinem85, Benhama and ManuCH
ManuCH said:
So I currently own a MacBook Air M2 (8C / 24 GB / 1 TB) from July 2022. It's still working really well and I have only 104 battery cycles with 100% health.

Now the Air M4 came out and I've been looking at it. I've put together the differences I would be seeing:

  • new 12MP webcam (instead of just 1080p)
  • supports 2 external screens while the lid is open (instead of just 1)
  • Thunderbolt 4 (instead of 3)
  • CPU/GPU around 50% faster, Neural Engine around 2.4x faster (if I calculated that right)
  • I'd be able to get 32 GB of RAM
For the typical office work I do I wouldn't notice any difference. For the occasional Lightroom and iMovie, I would probably notice an increase in processing speed - not that it's slow now. The new webcam would be nice for Teams calls, and for the occasional AI I run locally (using LM Studio) I would likely also notice quite a difference.

I'm undecided on whether I should upgrade to the Air M4 - directly jump to the Pro M4 (although what kinda scares me of that one is its bulkiness/weight compared to the Air, considering that I carry it with me every day to work).

I know that in the end it's a decision only I can take - but I thought I'd open a threat to brainstorm this a bit. Anyone else in a similar upgrade dilemma?
Click to expand...
I’m moving from an M1 MBP 14” to an M4 MBA for the reason you mentioned with reduced size and weight. If you take your air everywhere with you’d definitely notice the difference.

If you do go for the M4 Air at least apple have made it slightly easier with it being cheaper!
 
  • Like
Reactions: ManuCH
There is two ways to looking at this:
It’s easier to sell a quite fresh model than an older one. So maybe an upgrade this year is easier than if you skip the m4 generation.
On the other hand, i think for a macbook air user, there is no reason to upgrade to a new macbook air till they upgrade the screen to a better one
 
  • Like
Reactions: ManuCH
I just noticed the new M4 Air. I don’t understand how everyone is somehow overlooking the biggest difference and improvement over the M2. It comes in Sky Blue!

As someone who owns a Silver M2 Air this is extremely tempting. For my uses, I would not see any improvement with M4, but that blue… 🤤
 
  • Love
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: ConvertedToMac, JtheLemur, geta and 2 others
ManuCH said:
So I currently own a MacBook Air M2 (8C / 24 GB / 1 TB) from July 2022. It's still working really well and I have only 104 battery cycles with 100% health.

Now the Air M4 came out and I've been looking at it. I've put together the differences I would be seeing:

  • new 12MP webcam (instead of just 1080p)
  • supports 2 external screens while the lid is open (instead of just 1)
  • Thunderbolt 4 (instead of 3)
  • CPU/GPU around 50% faster, Neural Engine around 2.4x faster (if I calculated that right)
  • I'd be able to get 32 GB of RAM
For the typical office work I do I wouldn't notice any difference. For the occasional Lightroom and iMovie, I would probably notice an increase in processing speed - not that it's slow now. The new webcam would be nice for Teams calls, and for the occasional AI I run locally (using LM Studio) I would likely also notice quite a difference.

I'm undecided on whether I should upgrade to the Air M4 - directly jump to the Pro M4 (although what kinda scares me of that one is its bulkiness/weight compared to the Air, considering that I carry it with me every day to work).

I know that in the end it's a decision only I can take - but I thought I'd open a threat to brainstorm this a bit. Anyone else in a similar upgrade dilemma?
Click to expand...
Think about how the features will actually help. How is a slightly better webcam gonna help you?
 
Keep in mind, although the new webcam is 12MP Apple still limits it to 1080p during video calls for bandwidth reasons:

1741216008008.png


No judgment here. If you feel the M4 MBA will make you happier, then go for it. I am sure you'll make someone else equally happy by selling your M2.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: ConvertedToMac, rocketbuc and ManuCH
I have the M2 air also. My biggest benefit would be the external display support, I’m suffering with 1 monitor when I have 2. But when the M3 came out that supported this feature, it wasn’t enough to get me to upgrade… now with the M4, well it’s still not enough… realistically, I could now buy a refurb or very discounted M3 air to get what I need if I can find one. But likely I’ll just buy a new m4 from apple and just return it if it’s not worth the value. Truth is that only you will know if it’s “worth” and upgrade. On paper this is not a reason to upgrade from m2 to m4 without much practical user difference.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ctjack
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back