Thinking about waiting for the M5 MacBook Air? You might want to cash in on a smarter buy right now. With Apple already selling the M5 MacBook Pro, the Air’s next refresh is clearly on the horizon—but early discounts on brand-new models rarely happen. Meanwhile, the M4 MacBook Air is seeing serious price cuts that make it the better value for most people today.
Amazon has knocked $200 off both the 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air models. The base configuration starts at just $799, and you can spec either size with up to 24GB of unified memory and a 512GB SSD. Even better, the discount applies across all color options.
Why not just wait for the M5 MacBook Air? Performance won’t mean much without proper cooling, and the Air line is expected to stick with the same fanless design. The current M4 versions use a large heatsink with no fan, and that design tends to hit thermal limits under sustained, heavy workloads. Even the M5 MacBook Pro, which includes active cooling, can reach up to 99 degrees Celsius under pressure and occasionally throttle. If the M5 Air stays fanless, the real-world speed gains over the M4 Air could be minimal for many users—making a discounted M4 Air the smarter, cheaper pick.
Both sizes are rated for up to 18 hours of battery life, so your choice comes down to portability versus screen real estate. If you value a bigger canvas for multitasking, media, or creative work, go 15-inch. If you want the lightest, most compact option, the 13-inch model is the sweet spot. And if 256GB feels tight, step up to the 512GB SSD—especially if you work with large files, keep big photo libraries, or prefer installing lots of apps locally.
There’s also a standout deal for power users who want more than what the Air offers. The 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro in Space Black with 16GB unified memory and a 512GB SSD is going for $1,349 after a $250 discount. You get extras the Air doesn’t offer, including a 120Hz ProMotion display, a mini-LED panel, and longer battery life—ideal if you can stretch the budget and want a more premium screen and smoother performance under sustained loads.
Bottom line: If you’re shopping now, the M4 MacBook Air deals are hard to beat. You get excellent battery life, excellent everyday performance, and the option to upgrade memory and storage—all for significantly less than what an M5 Air is likely to cost at launch, with little real-world performance advantage expected from a fanless design.
