I was waiting on the M4 MacBook Air, and when it launched, my hype levels were at maximum. The Sky Blue finish is mesmerizing, and taking $100 off the price is awesome. But just like that, this mega saving on the outgoing M3 model made me seriously reconsider.

The M4 MacBook Air establishes itself as a benchmark in the ultraportable laptop category, combining impressive performance, energy efficiency, and

Apple rarely offers you more for less, especially in its most popular products with the broadest appeal. It has perfected the measured, iterative year-over-year product cycle. But for the 13- and 15-inch M4 MacBook Airs, Apple has put new chips in its established design while shoring up the device’s biggest flaws and dropping the price by $100.

I thought I had this figured out. I was making a hard-headed decision to buy a refurbed M1 MacBook Air with 16GB RAM for half the price of a new M4 one, for reasons I’ll explain in a moment. But, ironically,

The Acer Aspire 14 AI is the latest addition to the affordable laptop line, with impressive battery life and solid hardware.

It's important to know the differences between the new MacBook Air M4 and the older M3 and M2 models to help you make an informed purchase decision.