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MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) vs iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports)

MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025)1iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Air M4 against iMac M4
FigureMacBook Air M41iMac M42
Price£9993launch price£1,4994launch price
ChipM4chipM4chip
CPU10-coreCPU10-coreCPU
GPU8-coreGPU10-coreGPU
Memory16GBunified memory, base16GBunified memory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to18 hrsvideo playback, claimed Not available5No battery
Released12 March 20253ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 5 March 2025.8 November 20246ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 28 October 2024.
Security updatesNot available7Security updatesNot available7Security updates
Price
The MacBook Air M4 is £999 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the iMac M4 is £1,499 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).
Kind of Mac
The MacBook Air M4 is a laptop; the iMac M4 is an all-in-one. The MacBook Air M4 has a battery, whereas the iMac M4 has none.

True to scale

MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) · 304.1 × 215 mm footprintiMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports) · 547 × 461 mm front

A laptop and an all-in-one are different shapes, so they stand side by side rather than superposed: the footprint of one and the front face of the other, from Apple’s published dimensions, at one scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air M41iMac M42
Dimensions11.3 x 304.1 x 215 mm461 x 547 x 147 mm
Weight1.24 kg4.44 kg
ColoursSky Blue, Silver, Starlight, MidnightBlue, Purple, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Silver
PortsTwo Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5mm headphone jackFour Thunderbolt 4 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack, Gigabit Ethernet
Thunderbolt ports24
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 4Thunderbolt 4
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.8No USB-A ports.9
HDMINo HDMI port.10No HDMI port.11
SD card slotNo SD card slot.10No SD card slot.11
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeYesNot available12
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch IDMagic Keyboard with Touch ID
Touch IDYesYes

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air M41iMac M42
Display size13.6 in24 in
Resolution2560 x 16644480 x 2520
Pixel density224 ppi218 ppi
Display typeLiquid Retina display4.5K Retina display
Brightness500 nits500 nits
Wide colour (P3)YesYes
Nano-texture optionNo nano-texture display option.10Yes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air M41iMac M42
ChipApple M4 chipApple M4 chip
Apple siliconYesYes
CPU cores1010
Performance cores44
Efficiency cores66
GPU cores810
Neural Engine cores1616
Chip optionsM4 with 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU or 10-core GPUM4 with 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU
Memory (base)16GB16GB
Memory (maximum)32GB32GB
Memory options16GB, 24GB or 32GB16GB, 24GB or 32GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents13No, as Apple documents14
Memory bandwidth120 GB/s120 GB/s
Storage (base)256GB256GB
Storage (maximum)2TB2TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decodeHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air M41iMac M42
Battery capacity53.8 WhNot available5
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles15Not available5
Video playback (claimed)18 hNot available5
Wireless web (claimed)15 hNot available5
Included power adapter30 W143 W16
Fast chargingYesNot available5

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air M41iMac M42
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth5.35.3
EthernetNo Ethernet port.10Gigabit Ethernet
External displays (base)22

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air M41iMac M42
Camera12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View
Camera resolution12 MP12 MP
SpeakersFour-speaker sound systemHigh-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers
MicrophonesThree-mic array with directional beamformingStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air M41iMac M42
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate17macOS 27 Golden Gate17
Model identifierMac16,1218Mac16,319
Model year20252024

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) against Apple iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air M41iMac M42
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)3,206203,24520
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)15,0762015,48720
Geekbench 7 (Metal)47,6572053,13420

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Air M4 · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2024, Four ports) - Tech specs · Default for iMac M4 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces the new MacBook Air with the M4 chip and a sky blue colour · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new iMac supercharged by M4 and Apple Intelligence · Apple’s figure · read 27 Oct 2026

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  5. Doesn’t apply: no battery

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  6. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new iMac supercharged by M4 and Apple Intelligence · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  7. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  8. MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) - Tech Specs. Read 14 Sep 2026

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  9. iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2024, Four ports) - Tech specs. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  10. MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  11. iMac (24-inch, M4, 2024, Four ports): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2024, Four ports) - Tech specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. Doesn’t apply: MagSafe is a notebook charging port

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  13. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  14. Apple Support (UK) — Install memory in an iMac · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  15. Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops · Apple’s figure · read 15 Oct 2026

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2024, Four ports) - Tech specs · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  18. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

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  19. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  20. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Air M4. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces the new MacBook Air with the M4 chip and a sky blue colour; Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers, read 9 Oct 2026.

iMac M4. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user, maximum continuous power, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — iMac (24-inch, 2024, Four ports) - Tech specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your iMac model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces new iMac supercharged by M4 and Apple Intelligence, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my MacBook Air M4 (13-inch, 2025)? · Should I upgrade my iMac M4 (24-inch, 2024, Four ports)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.