Apple has launched a marketing campaign claiming its new MacBook Air with the M4 chip is up to 23 times faster than the last Intel-based model. However, it’s essential to look beyond the headlines and understand the specifics of Apple’s test.
The comparison was made between a 2025 MacBook Air with a 10-core M4 chip and 32GB of RAM and a 2020 MacBook Air with a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM, both configured with a 2TB SSD. This ensures the new model is compared to the fastest-ever Intel-based MacBook Air.
The testing was done using the Super Resolution feature in image editing app Pixelmator Pro. The result is likely skewed towards this specific task, as opposed to general tasks like video editing or web browsing.
For these more common use cases, Apple claims the new MacBook Air outperforms Intel-based models with faster speeds of up to 4.7x for spreadsheet calculations, 8x for video editing in iMovie, and 3.6x for photo editing in Adobe Photoshop.
A comparison with a PC laptop featuring an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor also shows web browsing speed increasing by 60 percent. While the 23x claim may seem exaggerated, it’s clear that any MacBook Air with an M1 chip or newer is significantly faster than its Intel-based counterparts.
The new MacBook Air will be available for pre-order on Apple’s online store, with deliveries set to begin on March 12.
Source: https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/06/m4-macbook-air-up-to-23x-faster-vs-intel