The upcoming M4 MacBook Air is generating excitement as Apple’s next lightweight, high-performance laptop. A recent Geekbench 6 benchmark hints that the new Air might offer performance surprisingly close to the current M4 MacBook Pro. Apple is expected to unveil both 13-inch and 15-inch models of the new Air sometime in March.
M4 MacBook Air Benchmark Results and Analysis
The benchmark, spotted on February 19th, seemingly reveals an M4 MacBook Air running macOS 15.2. The listing details a ten-core M4 chip (four performance cores and six efficiency cores) with 24GB of unified RAM. Experts at Wccftech point out that the CPU clock speeds appear unchanged from the M4 MacBook Pro. The device is identified as “Mac16,12,” a previously unseen designation leading many to believe it’s a codename for the new Air.
The device achieved a Metal score of 54,806, just about 5% lower than the M4 MacBook Pro’s typical score of around 57,596. This small difference is noteworthy, considering both machines utilize the same M4 chip. Analysts predict that most users won’t notice a significant performance gap between the two laptops in typical daily usage.
Comparing the M4 MacBook Air to Other Apple Devices
TechRadar suggests a more relevant comparison might be to the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro, which scores around 54,064 on Geekbench 6. This comparison is pertinent given the anticipated shared characteristics of a thin, fanless design between the iPad Pro and the upcoming MacBook Air.
Target Audience and Market Positioning
Apple strategically positions the MacBook Air and Pro for distinct user groups. The Air caters to casual users focused on browsing, email, and light productivity tasks. Conversely, the Pro targets power users who regularly utilize demanding applications and manage large files.
A Word of Caution
While the leaked benchmark results appear credible, it’s crucial to remember that performance scores for pre-release hardware can’t be definitively confirmed until official launch.
Conclusion
The leaked benchmark suggests the M4 MacBook Air might deliver performance closer to the M4 MacBook Pro than previously anticipated. This potential performance boost, coupled with the Air’s renowned portability, could make it a compelling option for a wide range of users. We eagerly anticipate Apple’s official announcement to confirm these findings.
