The MacBook Air used to be one of my favorite Apple devices. And the latest M4 model is especially impressive. But after using an M4 iPad Pro, there’s one feature that has made it hard to use a MacBook Air again: the iPad’s tandem OLED display.
After using the iPad Pro’s tandem OLED display, it’s hard to go back to a MacBook Air
The M4 iPad Pro launched last year and introduced what Apple called “the world’s most advanced display.”
Apple’s Ultra Retina XDR display with tandem OLED technology is quite an achievement.
I can’t judge whether it truly is the most advanced display in the world—but it sure is beautiful.
Unfortunately though, the screen has made another Apple product I otherwise love nearly unusable.
The MacBook Air is, in many respects, better than it’s ever been.
Apple’s M4 MacBook Air checks so many boxes of features I care about, and all at an impressive price point (currently only $799 on sale).
Its very affordable base model includes:
- 16GB of RAM
- the latest-gen M4 chip
- a sleek, beautiful design
- much improved 12MP Center Stage camera
- drives two external displays
- more ports than the iPad, including MagSafe charging
Also, unlike the more pricey iPad Pro, it comes with an integrated keyboard and trackpad.
A similarly outfitted iPad Pro would cost about $1,650—that’s $1,299 for the cheapest 13-inch model, plus another $349 for the Magic Keyboard.
Here’s the thing though: I can’t get past the MacBook Air’s vastly inferior Liquid Retina display.
While in most respects the M4 MacBook Air is a much better value than the iPad Pro, I have a very hard time ignoring the huge display quality gap.
Similar to how a 60Hz iPhone display feels broken after experiencing ProMotion, the iPad Pro’s Ultra Retina XDR has ruined the MacBook Air for me.
Top comment by JJ
I have an M4 iPad Pro I've had since May 2024. I have an M4 MacBook Air. For what I use them for - even after iPad OS 26, the screen difference between the two isn't a bother. Even if iPad OS 26 had made larger strides in making the Pro a daily laptop replacement, I think the difference between 264ppi and 224ppi isn't that great; And while ProMotion is nice, in reality for the vast majority of day to day tasks, it's nice but inconsequential.
In fact, while the iPad Pro does indeed have a beautiful screen, is it enough difference to warrant making the M4 Air unusable? That seems like a position simply created to get posts, yet here I am. In the real world, I think it's simply hyperbole, unless you're truly doing something that needs the extra bit clarity, and if you do why are you on a 13 inch screen anyway?
I use both daily, and the screen quality differences isn't something I am worried about at all, and honestly, you probably shouldn't be bothered by it either.
The MacBook Pro’s display, despite not offering OLED yet, is still good enough for me. But the MacBook Air’s has been tough to go back to.
There’s so much else I love about the product. I’d recommend it to basically anyone.
But it’s hard to name a feature more important to a laptop than the display. And the MacBook Air’s screen—to my now-spoiled eyes—looks like it’s from the pre-Retina days.
Does the MacBook Air’s display quality bother you at all? What are your thoughts on the iPad Pro’s tandem OLED? Let us know in the comments.
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