Should you wait for M4 MacBooks or buy M3?

With the new iPad lineup, Apple has dropped the latest M-series processor in the market. Now, people are eagerly waiting for M4 MacBooks. Surprisingly, this time, the iPad Pro got the new chipset before this brand's portable computers. Though we don’t have any official update from Apple, reports suggest new MacBooks with the M4 series could be released later in 2024.

In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman shared that we can expect the low-end MacBook Pro to come with the M4 and the higher-end models to have the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.

So, is it worth waiting for the upcoming M4 MacBooks, as it is anticipated that they will make their debut within the coming months? Or should one get the M3 Macs now? The answer is a bit complicated and depends on an individual's preferences.

NOTE: This article is based on speculation, reflects the writer's opinions, and is subjective.

Is waiting for the M4 MacBooks a good idea?

Rumors around upcoming MacBooks are swirling on the internet (Image via Apple)

Apple has two MacBook lineups — Air and Pro. The former is known for offering products that are thin, light, and portable, making them great for students and their everyday tasks. The other lineup targets users who need more raw power for things like gaming and content creation.

We might see the Pro laptops this year. However, the possibility of getting a MacBook Air with the M4 chip is very low, as the tech giant released the updated Air series in March 2024.

Specifications

Here are the specs I expect M4 MacBooks to have:

Specifications	M4 MacBook Pro	M4 MacBook Air
RAM	From 16GB to up to 128GB (configurable)	From 16GB to up to 36GB (configurable)
Storage	From 512GB to up to 8TB (configurable)	From 512GB to up to 4TB (configurable)
Display	14-inch and 16-inch, Liquid Retina XDR display	13-inch and 15-inch, LED-backlit display
Battery	Around 24 hours on normal use	Up to 20 hours on normal use
Camera	1080p FaceTime HD camera	1080p FaceTime HD camera
Processor	M4/M4 Pro/M4 Max/M4 Ultra	M4

Though the official details are scarce at the time of writing this article, we can safely assume some significant updates will be made to Pro and Air devices in terms of specs compared to previous-gen offerings. In my opinion, we are likely to see more RAM and storage options, better batteries, and a lot of AI features in these laptops.

We might get more updates on M4 MacBooks at WWDC 2024, which kicks off on June 10. According to a Bloomberg report, we might also see an "Ultra" chipset this time, which will be the most powerful processor in the M4 lineup.

Performance

The new MacBook will be more powerful and efficient (Image via Amazon/Apple)

The actual performance of a laptop depends on various factors. Most of them for the M4 MacBooks are not officially revealed yet. But we know about the latest M-series silicon, which will power the new generation of Macs.

The M4 SoC is built using second-generation 3-nanometer technology. It has 10 CPU and 10 GPU cores. It is said to be Apple’s fastest Neural Engine ever, with up to 38 trillion operations per second. Based on Nano Review testing, it is 27% faster than the M3 in a single-core Geekbench v6 test — 3,810 vs 3,009 points.

On paper, the M4 chip is more powerful compared to its predecessor. So we will definitely get improved performance on the next MacBook Air. However, the chip is way behind the M3 Pro and the M3 Max in terms of performance. We have to wait for the M4 Pro and M4 Max to offer a fair comparison involving all four of these chips.

I am also assuming both MacBook series will get RAM and storage capacity. This will definitely boost the products' performance.

Display, AI, and other feature

I believe AI will be one of the biggest aspects to get significant updates from Apple. The highlight of the M4 chip is its AI capabilities, so we can expect some mind-blowing AI-based features in the upcoming M4 MacBooks.

I think the design and displays of the devices will remain the same. This is because the tech giant commonly focuses on designs every few generations. The current one is fresh, and users might be accustomed to it. A complete redesign might be planned for a later MacBook refresh.

The Pro laptop versions might have 14-inch and 16-inch variants in terms of their screens, while the Air ones could have 13-inch and 15-inch variants. It's worth noting that we might see improvements in areas like refresh rate and peak brightness.

Based on Apple's pricing history, it is safe to assume that the rumored M4 MacBooks will cost similar to their previous-generation models with no more than a $100-$200 difference.

M3 MacBooks are a decent choice

M3 MacBooks are also good (Image via Apple)

The current lineup of Macs is pretty solid. The M3 processor (including Max and Pro) is currently one of the most powerful processors available right now. It offers significant performance and efficiency improvements over previous generations.

They have stunning displays, decent batteries, solidly built, and lots of configuration options to match users’ needs.

Specifications	M3 MacBook Pro	M3 MacBook Air
Display	14-inch and 16-inch, Liquid Retina XDR	13-inch and 15-inch, Liquid Retina display
Processor	M3/M3 Pro/M3 Max	M3
Memory	Up to 128GB	Up to 24GB
Battery	Up to 22 hours of Apple TV app movie playback	Up to 18 hours of Apple TV app movie playback
Storage	Up to 8TB	Up to 2TB
Camera	1080p FaceTime HD camera	1080p FaceTime HD camera
Price	Starts at $1599	Starts at $999

As seen in the table, the current MacBook lineup comes with compelling specifications. If you are looking for a thin and portable device to handle all your daily work, you can go for the “Air” series. For heavy users, the “Pro” one will be ideal.

Final verdict

Newer models generally come with better hardware and software optimizations. I am assuming the same will happen with the M4 MacBooks. We will likely see a performance boost in these devices. However, we don’t know when they will hit the market. If you want the fastest processor and advanced AI features and don't mind waiting, opting for the M4 MacBooks will be the right choice.

However, the current laptop series from Apple is also decent. For a normal user, I would suggest going with the current MacBook Air, as we won’t see any significant upgrade before 2025.

Ultimately, the decision to wait for M4 MacBooks or to buy one from the available M3 lineup depends on your needs and preferences.

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