4 reasons why you don’t actually need an M4 MacBook

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With the annual release window for new MacBooks fast approaching, you might be tempted to upgrade. After all, the M4 iPad Pro is a beast, so it goes without saying that MacBooks (or any other Macs) with the M4 chip will be fantastic too. They're some of the most popular and best laptops on the market for a reason, especially after the switch to Apple Silicon. The thing is, if you already have a Mac or MacBook with Apple Silicon, you probably don't need to upgrade. Sure, newer M chips are faster, but you might not notice them in everyday use. Here are a few more reasons why you might want to satisfy your urge to upgrade.



4 All Apple Silicon are already fast

You may not notice the upgrade

A MacBook with Photoshop open and a picture of a woman playing the mandolin.

If you're already an Apple Silicon user, you'll know how powerful the efficient processors are in everyday use. It will be interesting to see how benchmarks for the M4 chips compare to previous iterations of the silicon, as any tests performed on the iPad Pro (M4) only show part of the picture. The operating system makes a difference, as does the enclosure the chip is built into, with Apple traditionally limiting the wattage of its processors when they're built into iPads. That means the M4 chips for use in the MacBook will likely perform better than those in the iPad Pro, even if it's the same silicon.


However, when Apple announced the M3 chips, it spent most of its time comparing them to Intel MacBooks and the M1 chip. Apple Silicon’s yearly improvements have been incremental, and this year is no exception. We’ve already had issues with “slow[ing] down the machine” with a MacBook Pro 16 with M3 Max chip. This will not change with the performance increase of the M4 chips, so every M chip is well suited for everyday use.

3 Battery life will not change significantly

All M-chips are efficient

A MacBook on a table with the Battery Health screen open on the right.


Apple Silicon is significantly more efficient than almost any other laptop chip, and that's true whether it's an M1, M2, or M3. The M4, currently only used in the iPad Pro, is also efficient, but as we've seen in our testing of that device, it's not significantly more efficient than the previous model. I can still get almost a workday out of my MacBook Pro M1's battery, even if the battery has degraded over the years it's been in use. If you're considering an upgrade for longer battery life, it might be worth getting a battery replacement from Apple or an authorized repair shop rather than getting an M4 MacBook. It'll be significantly cheaper, and you'll be able to get a few more years out of it.

2 There are no major design changes planned

Your MacBook upgrade will look the same

Side view of MacBook Air M3 on a table

The MacBooks released in 2023 featured numerous design changes, including improved webcams to 1080p, new colors, and a new 15-inch screen size for the MacBook Air. Both series feature M3 chips, with the more powerful M3 Pro and M3 Max processors found in the MacBook Pro line. The only other significant change was some brighter Liquid Retina XDR displays for the MacBook Pros, but that's about it.


This year, I don't expect any major changes to the MacBook lineup. The MacBook Air could get better displays, and both series could get an upgrade to Wi-Fi 7. Apple has kept the webcam at 720p for so many years that it will be a few years before the current 1080p cameras are replaced, and the same goes for the keyboard, touchpad, and other key parts. Maybe there will be more color options, but if they were coming, we would probably have seen leaks of them by now. The only major rumor is that the MacBook Pro will probably launch with 16GB of RAM as standard, something Apple should have done years ago. If you have an 8GB MacBook, it might be worth upgrading, but otherwise you may be waiting a while.

1 Improvements to macOS are coming to most Macs

Apple Silicon still has some life left

MacOS on the MacBook Air


When macOS Sequoia launches later this year, it will support any Mac with Apple Silicon back to the first M1 chips. That includes every MacBook from 2018 to today, and all of them get new improvements and features with the upgrade. That includes Apple Intelligence, the feature set of AI-powered enhancements to your workflow, and the usefulness of Siri. That includes Apple Mail summaries and Priority Messages, which I've been using and love on my iPhone running iOS 18.1 beta, as they give me features I used to have to pay for in a third-party mail app.

The AI ​​features aren't the only improvements coming in macOS Sequoia. A new window management system lets you arrange windows like window snapping in Windows 11. It's about time this became a first-party feature, although there are already third-party options that do the same thing. Sharing your screen in video meetings gets a new feature that shows you a preview before sharing to avoid any embarrassing moments. And Apple Passwords makes it easier to access the passwords you've stored in iCloud Password Keychain. Again, the only MacBooks exempt from the update are models with Intel chips, and those users are probably due an upgrade by now.


Upgrade to M4 MacBooks if you are still using an Intel model

If your MacBook runs on Apple Silicon and hasn't given you any issues, you probably don't need to upgrade to the upcoming M4 MacBooks. That's mainly because macOS Sequoia will support your device and give you at least another year of operating system updates. If you have an M1 MacBook, the battery life is likely shorter than when you bought it, but it's relatively easy to replace the battery or get a repair shop to do it for a small investment. Anyone with an M1 Pro, M1 Max, or newer model can probably wait a few more years before considering an upgrade. Given the good macOS experience on Apple Silicon, the new M4 chips aren't necessary for most users.

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