When to Expect New M4 MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro Models

Apple's fall 2024 Mac announcements have included new iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro models, all of which debuted with variants of Apple's M4 chip. Apple intends to update the rest of its Mac lineup with M4 series processors over the next 12 months, which will make it the first time that Apple has used the same chip generation across all of its Macs.

M4 M4 Pro vs M4 Max Feature
This means we can expect new M4 versions of MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro models next year. Here's what the latest rumors tell us about when each machine will launch, and what kinds of upgrades we can expect for them.

M4 MacBook Air

m3 macbook air purple
Apple in March 2024 launched updated 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models equipped with Apple's M3 chip, and the company will soon start production of M4 versions ahead of an early 2025 launch, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. There are no new design changes planned for the ‌MacBook Air‌ models, and the focus will be on the M4 chip, but the base model will come with at least 16GB of RAM, after Apple updated the base M3 model to 16GB, up from 8GB. An M4 MacBook Air could also feature a new 12MP Centre Stage camera with Desk View support, an improvement over the current 1080p FaceTime HD camera, given that both the new M4 iMac and M4 MacBook Pro models also debuted with the upgraded camera. The ‌machines will arrive next year between January and March.

M4 Mac Studio

M4 Mac Studio Feature
Apple plans to refresh the Mac Studio after the M4 MacBook Air has been released in early 2025. It will be equipped with a variation of the M4 processor – likely an M4 Ultra or Max chip. The current model comes in both M2 Max and M2 Ultra variants. Mark Gurman claims that the ‌Mac Studio‌ was on track to be updated alongside the ‌MacBook Air‌, but it is now going to see a refresh between March and June. In previous reports, he said the ‌Mac Studio‌ would come out in mid-2025, so it is unclear what has changed.

M4 Mac Pro

M4 Mac Pro Feature Warm 2
Apple last updated the Mac Pro in June 2023, adding an M2 Ultra chip and officially completing the transition away from Intel chips. Apple will refresh the Mac Pro in the summer of 2025, according to Mark Gurman. Like the Mac Studio, the next Mac Pro will skip the M3 series. Instead it will be equipped with the highest-end version of the M4 chip, codenamed "Hidra." Based on the description of the chip, it could be positioned as an "Ultra" or "Extreme" chip. Gurman has said the M4 Ultra chip in the next Mac Pro will "probably" have up to a 32-core CPU and up to an 80-core GPU, which would be double the M4 Max's up to 16-core CPU and up to 40-core GPU. It could also support up to 512GB of memory, a notable increase over the current 192GB limit.

M4 Series Performance

Apple MacBook Pro M4 chip series 3up
Like the M3, the M4 is built on a 3nm process, but with enhancements from Apple supplier TSMC for improved performance and power efficiency. The M4 also includes an improved Neural Engine that fuels accelerated AI workloads. Apple says it is the company's most powerful Neural Engine ever, capable of 38 trillion operations per second.

Geekbench 6 benchmark results have surfaced for Apple's new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips in the new Mac mini and MacBook Pro models, so we have some indications of performance. In the new Mac mini and MacBook Pro models, the highest-end variants of the M4 Pro and M4 Max both outperform the highest-end M2 Ultra chip in the Mac Studio and Mac Pro: The M4 Max is up to 25% faster than the M2 Ultra in terms of peak multi-core CPU performance. Meanwhile, the M4 Max is up to 20% faster than the M4 Pro when it comes to peak multi-core CPU performance.

In terms of graphics performance, Geekbench 6 results indicate that the M4 Pro and M4 Max are up to around 40% and 25% faster for graphics than the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips, respectively. Notably, the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the highest-end M4 Max with a 40-core GPU has up to 85% as fast graphics as the Mac Studio with the highest-end M2 Ultra chip with a 76-core GPU, even though it has 36 fewer GPU cores.

Related Roundups: Mac Studio, MacBook Air, Mac Pro
Related Forums: Mac Studio, MacBook Air, Mac Pro

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Top Rated Comments

wanha Avatar
2 weeks ago
I'm still very happy with my 2 year old M2 MBA and that will probably be more than sufficient for my needs for many years still (the battery will probably need replacing at some point though)

Hit me up when the M7 MBA is on the horizon. Who knows, we might even see a refreshed form factor by then
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
2 weeks ago

I have some minor qualms but on the whole I think the M2/M3 MacBook Air is the best laptop ever built, by anybody. I prefer the 15“ model but the 13” is great too.
My brother and his wife share an M3 Air, and having used it a bit, I like the wedge shape of my M1 better. I know that design is gone forever, so I'll hold on to mine for a while.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brofkand Avatar
2 weeks ago

I'm still very happy with my 2 year old M2 MBA and that will probably be more than sufficient for my needs for many years still (the battery will probably need replacing at some point though)

Hit me up when the M7 MBA is on the horizon. Who knows, we might even see a refreshed form factor by then
I have some minor qualms but on the whole I think the M2/M3 MacBook Air is the best laptop ever built, by anybody. I prefer the 15“ model but the 13” is great too.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
saintmac Avatar
2 weeks ago

Will the MacBook Air have Thunderbolt 5?
Very likely it won’t have it considering neither the base M4 MacBook Pro nor the base M4 Mac mini have it
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hoorayforhollywood Avatar
2 weeks ago
For my needs which are: Final Cut Pro, a dive into Blender, and Adobe CC I'm considering M4 Pro Mini and then next year as replacement for a base 2018 MacBook Air - the M4 (512 or 1TB) Air.

Although I've got a sneaking suspicion that even the M4 Pro is overkill for my requirements. Maybe the only benefit would be Blender. Export times for video work are irrelevant because I'll just go and make a cup of tea.

I used to live abroad and had a iMac Pro with second monitor and bought the MacBook Air 2018 as basically a typewriter. 8GB and 256GB storage. The main workstation I had to leave abroad so donated it to a neighbour. I have to say the 2018 MacBook Air has handled EVERYTHING I've thrown at it - even Adobe Dimension and CAD. I stick it on a cooling pad and the fans go bananas but it did it all. When it's retired I'll display it on a shelf - what a loyal servant. Incredible machine that was pushed way beyond its remit.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Stenik Avatar
2 weeks ago
Will the MacBook Air have Thunderbolt 5?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)