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The chip that mainstreamed a 38-TOPS Neural Engine across affordable Macs and iPads.
Pros
- Excellent value entry to Apple Intelligence and on-device AI
- Great battery life and silent operation in MacBook Air
- Mac mini M4 is a cheap always-on local-AI box
Cons
- 38 TOPS now trails newer NPUs (50-80 TOPS)
- Limited memory ceiling on base configs
- No CUDA / x86 software compatibility
✓ Where it shines / best for
- Budget-conscious buyers wanting Apple Intelligence
- MacBook Air and Mac mini users
- Light local AI, productivity and creative tasks
✕ Not the best fit for
- Large local LLM workloads
- Users needing Windows/x86 apps
- Cutting-edge NPU TOPS bragging rights
Features
- ✓ Up to 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU
- ✓ 16-core Neural Engine rated 38 TOPS (INT8)
- ✓ LPDDR5X unified memory, 120 GB/s bandwidth
- ✓ Hardware ray tracing and mesh shading
- ✓ 3nm (2nd-gen) TSMC process
- ✓ Powers MacBook Air, Mac mini, iMac, base iPad Pro
- ✓ Strong fanless efficiency in MacBook Air
- ✓ Apple Intelligence on-device support
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Billing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mac mini (M4, 16GB/512GB) | $799 | one-time | Apple discontinued the $599 256GB base in May 2026; entry config is now 512GB at $799 amid memory shortage |
| MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) | $999 | one-time | 15-inch from $1,199. Note: M5 MacBook Air launched in 2026 from $1,099; M4 Air still sold/discounted |
| Mac mini (M4 Pro) | $1,399 | one-time | 14-core CPU / 20-core GPU / 24GB / 512GB |
Pricing verified from the official source. Prices change often — confirm on the vendor's site before buying.
Specifications
| memory | LPDDR5X unified, up to 32GB (M4) |
| cpu_cores | Up to 10 |
| gpu_cores | Up to 10 |
| architecture | Apple M4, 2nd-gen 3nm TSMC |
| neural_engine | 16-core, 38 TOPS INT8 |
| memory_bandwidth | 120 GB/s |
Sponsored
A full review is being generated for this product and will appear here shortly.