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expiredmercedes03 posted May 12, 2026 6:54 PM

Costco Members: 13.6" Apple MacBook Air (2025): M4 Chip, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD

$1,000

$1,400

28% off
+ Free S&Hat Costco Wholesale
79 Comments
52.7K Views
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Deal Details
Costco Wholesale has for Members: 13.6" Apple MacBook Air Laptop w/ M4 Chip (2025, Various Colors) on sale for $999.97. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Community Member mercedes03 for sharing this deal.
  • Note: Availability may vary by location. Our links may go to a product variant that is out of stock or not included in this deal. Please use the sorting options on the product page to select the items on sale.
Available:
  • Midnight (‎MC6C4LL/A) $999.97
  • Silver (MC654LL/A) $999.97
  • Sky Blue (MC6V4LL/A) $999.97
Specs:
  • 13.6" 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina Display
  • Apple M4 10-Core Chip
  • 10-Core GPU | 16-Core Neural Engine
  • 24GB RAM
  • 512GB SSD
  • Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Bluetooth 5.3
  • FaceTime Full HD 1080p Camera
  • Backlit Magic Keyboard
  • Force Touch Trackpad | Touch ID Sensor
  • 35W Dual USB-C Compact Power Adapter
  • MacOS
  • 2.7 lb
  • Ports:
    • 2x Thunderbolt 4
    • 1x MagSafe 3
    • 1x 3.5mm Headphone

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
  • About this deal:
  • About this product:
    • Rating of 4.6/5 from Costco customer reviews.
  • About this store:
    • If you don't have a Costco Warehouse Membership, you can sign-up here
    • Details of Costco's return policy here.

Original Post

Written by mercedes03
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Costco Wholesale has for Members: 13.6" Apple MacBook Air Laptop w/ M4 Chip (2025, Various Colors) on sale for $999.97. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Community Member mercedes03 for sharing this deal.
  • Note: Availability may vary by location. Our links may go to a product variant that is out of stock or not included in this deal. Please use the sorting options on the product page to select the items on sale.
Available:
  • Midnight (‎MC6C4LL/A) $999.97
  • Silver (MC654LL/A) $999.97
  • Sky Blue (MC6V4LL/A) $999.97
Specs:
  • 13.6" 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina Display
  • Apple M4 10-Core Chip
  • 10-Core GPU | 16-Core Neural Engine
  • 24GB RAM
  • 512GB SSD
  • Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Bluetooth 5.3
  • FaceTime Full HD 1080p Camera
  • Backlit Magic Keyboard
  • Force Touch Trackpad | Touch ID Sensor
  • 35W Dual USB-C Compact Power Adapter
  • MacOS
  • 2.7 lb
  • Ports:
    • 2x Thunderbolt 4
    • 1x MagSafe 3
    • 1x 3.5mm Headphone

Editor's Notes

Written by SubZero5 | Staff
  • About this deal:
  • About this product:
    • Rating of 4.6/5 from Costco customer reviews.
  • About this store:
    • If you don't have a Costco Warehouse Membership, you can sign-up here
    • Details of Costco's return policy here.

Original Post

Written by mercedes03

Community Voting

Deal Score
+125
Good Deal
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Top Comments

Zen7777777
15Comments
15Reputation
RAM is about 30% faster on M5 and GPU is 30% faster. For local LLM fans AI models could be 3.5x to 4x faster. Base CPU is 20% faster. WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 - all that make M5 worth the extra money. (Both base chips are TB4 - only M5 pro and above is TB 5).
Go to Comment
cm1816
87Comments
18Reputation
I too can copy and paste AI slop into a comment form.
Go to Comment
shk1020
54Comments
10Reputation
Probably ram will have a more limiting factor in the coming years, depending on use case.
Go to Comment

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79 Comments

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May 12, 2026 9:39 PM
140 Comments
Joined Nov 2018
jakeliuMay 12, 2026 9:39 PM
140 Comments
I rather pay 300 more to get m5 version with 32gb ram
1
May 12, 2026 9:53 PM
75 Comments
Joined Jun 2019
TealHalibut761May 12, 2026 9:53 PM
75 Comments
Will this drop more before Costco sells out?
Pro
May 12, 2026 10:03 PM
1K Comments
Joined Feb 2017
deal-hunter420
Pro
May 12, 2026 10:03 PM
1K Comments
This seems to be a great deal. !!
May 12, 2026 10:12 PM
3 Comments
Joined Apr 2026

This comment has been rated as unhelpful by Slickdeals users.

May 12, 2026 10:16 PM
103 Comments
Joined Dec 2007
domainMay 12, 2026 10:16 PM
103 Comments
Tried it. Too much heat to run llm on Air. I suspects even pro will be throttled if running long time.
Quote from kdb777 :
Wouldn't local LLMs need way more than 16gb though? Plus the Air throttles heavily under load
Last edited by domain May 12, 2026 at 03:19 PM.
May 12, 2026 10:19 PM
56 Comments
Joined Nov 2011

This comment has been rated as unhelpful by Slickdeals users.

May 12, 2026 10:21 PM
56 Comments
Joined Nov 2011
Player001May 12, 2026 10:21 PM
56 Comments
Quote from ratbastard :
This or the M5 with only 16gb of RAM for $50 more? Processor vs RAM debate...
It's not as simple as processor vs RAM, especially because the M5 model offers 30% more bandwidth of memory, which realistically makes the 16GB of RAM on the M5 relative to somewhere around 20GB if you had to make an Apple to Apple comparison.

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May 12, 2026 10:34 PM
2.1K Comments
Joined Sep 2018
slimdunkin117May 12, 2026 10:34 PM
2.1K Comments
Quote from jakeliu :
I rather pay 300 more to get m5 version with 32gb ram
You're not getting an m5 air with 32gb for 300$ more..
May 12, 2026 10:37 PM
2.1K Comments
Joined Sep 2018
slimdunkin117May 12, 2026 10:37 PM
2.1K Comments
Quote from Player001 :
It's not as simple as processor vs RAM, especially because the M5 model offers 30% more bandwidth of memory, which realistically makes the 16GB of RAM on the M5 relative to somewhere around 20GB if you had to make an Apple to Apple comparison.
153 from 120 isn't a big difference..you won't notice anything. Ram is more important
May 12, 2026 10:44 PM
15 Comments
Joined Mar 2021
Zen7777777May 12, 2026 10:44 PM
15 Comments
Quote from Player001 :
Winner for longest-term build: MDHE4LL/A M5 — but only slightly, and the RAM tradeoff matters.ModelsModel Chip GPU RAM SSD YearMC6C4LL/A M4 10-core GPU 24GB 512GB 2025MDHE4LL/A M5 8-core GPU 16GB 512GB 2026Key architecture differenceThe M4 Air uses a 10-core CPU with 4 performance + 6 efficiency cores, 10-core GPU in this model, 16-core Neural Engine, and 120GB/s memory bandwidth. The M5 Air moves to 4 "super" cores + 6 efficiency cores, adds Neural Accelerators in the GPU architecture, keeps the 16-core Neural Engine, and raises memory bandwidth to 153GB/s. That bandwidth jump is meaningful: 153 vs 120GB/s = about 27.5% more memory bandwidth. For local AI, memory bandwidth often matters more than raw CPU speed.Local AI model useFor local AI, the order of importance is usually:RAM capacity > memory bandwidth > GPU/NPU acceleration > CPU speed.That makes this comparison tricky:M5 advantages* Newer architecture.* More memory bandwidth.* GPU Neural Accelerators.* Better long-term Apple optimization.* Better for AI acceleration when apps actually use the M5 GPU path well.M4 24GB advantages* More unified memory right now.* Can fit larger local models or larger context windows than 16GB.* Less swapping to SSD.* 10-core GPU vs the specific M5 model's 8-core GPU.Practical local model estimateFor small models like 3B–7B quantized models, both are fine.For larger 8B–14B models, the M4 with 24GB RAM may actually feel better despite being older, because 16GB can become the hard ceiling.For long-term AI readiness, though, the ideal answer is not this exact MDHE4LL/A. It would be an M5 Air with 24GB or 32GB RAM. Apple lists the M5 Air as configurable to 24GB or 32GB unified memory and up to 4TB SSD. My recommendationIf choosing only between these exact two:For longest-term general ownership: choose MDHE4LL/A M5.It is newer, has better memory bandwidth, newer AI-focused GPU architecture, Wi-Fi 7/Bluetooth 6 on retailer specs, and will likely age better for Apple Intelligence/local acceleration. For local AI models specifically: choose MC6C4LL/A M4 24GB unless you can get the M5 with at least 24GB RAM. The extra 8GB unified memory matters more than the M5's chip improvements for model size and avoiding memory pressure.Best overall answer: Do not buy the 16GB M5 if local AI longevity is a serious goal. Buy an M5 Air with 24GB/32GB, or step up to a MacBook Pro if sustained workloads matter.
Nice. I have a Mac Studio for heavy work and just ordered Air M5 / 32 GB for mobile use. My use case includes VMs and/or local LLMs for RAM is the prime bottleneck. I also want smallest footprint so Air fits the bill. (I have an 16 inch Pro - and I hate the weight).
May 12, 2026 10:46 PM
87 Comments
Joined May 2020
cm1816May 12, 2026 10:46 PM
87 Comments
Quote from Player001 :
Winner for longest-term build: MDHE4LL/A M5 — but only slightly, and the RAM tradeoff matters.ModelsModel Chip GPU RAM SSD YearMC6C4LL/A M4 10-core GPU 24GB 512GB 2025MDHE4LL/A M5 8-core GPU 16GB 512GB 2026Key architecture differenceThe M4 Air uses a 10-core CPU with 4 performance + 6 efficiency cores, 10-core GPU in this model, 16-core Neural Engine, and 120GB/s memory bandwidth. The M5 Air moves to 4 "super" cores + 6 efficiency cores, adds Neural Accelerators in the GPU architecture, keeps the 16-core Neural Engine, and raises memory bandwidth to 153GB/s. That bandwidth jump is meaningful: 153 vs 120GB/s = about 27.5% more memory bandwidth. For local AI, memory bandwidth often matters more than raw CPU speed.Local AI model useFor local AI, the order of importance is usually:RAM capacity > memory bandwidth > GPU/NPU acceleration > CPU speed.That makes this comparison tricky:M5 advantages* Newer architecture.* More memory bandwidth.* GPU Neural Accelerators.* Better long-term Apple optimization.* Better for AI acceleration when apps actually use the M5 GPU path well.M4 24GB advantages* More unified memory right now.* Can fit larger local models or larger context windows than 16GB.* Less swapping to SSD.* 10-core GPU vs the specific M5 model's 8-core GPU.Practical local model estimateFor small models like 3B–7B quantized models, both are fine.For larger 8B–14B models, the M4 with 24GB RAM may actually feel better despite being older, because 16GB can become the hard ceiling.For long-term AI readiness, though, the ideal answer is not this exact MDHE4LL/A. It would be an M5 Air with 24GB or 32GB RAM. Apple lists the M5 Air as configurable to 24GB or 32GB unified memory and up to 4TB SSD. My recommendationIf choosing only between these exact two:For longest-term general ownership: choose MDHE4LL/A M5.It is newer, has better memory bandwidth, newer AI-focused GPU architecture, Wi-Fi 7/Bluetooth 6 on retailer specs, and will likely age better for Apple Intelligence/local acceleration. For local AI models specifically: choose MC6C4LL/A M4 24GB unless you can get the M5 with at least 24GB RAM. The extra 8GB unified memory matters more than the M5's chip improvements for model size and avoiding memory pressure.Best overall answer: Do not buy the 16GB M5 if local AI longevity is a serious goal. Buy an M5 Air with 24GB/32GB, or step up to a MacBook Pro if sustained workloads matter.
I too can copy and paste AI slop into a comment form.
4
2
May 12, 2026 10:49 PM
15 Comments
Joined Mar 2021
Zen7777777May 12, 2026 10:49 PM
15 Comments
Quote from domain :
Tried it. Too much heat to run llm on Air. I suspects even pro will be throttled if running long time.
LLMs are not suited well for laptops. However if you want to demo say KV Cache compression / Turbo Quant or light LLM on your way to work Air is not totally unusable. In fact I feel no other laptop (x86) in that category can even do local LLMs.
May 12, 2026 10:50 PM
15 Comments
Joined Mar 2021
Zen7777777May 12, 2026 10:50 PM
15 Comments
Quote from slimdunkin117 :
153 from 120 isn't a big difference..you won't notice anything. Ram is more important
For similar RAM, better token rates. But I agree. 24GB will load models where 16GB might simply fail.
May 12, 2026 10:54 PM
436 Comments
Joined Jul 2018
hans007May 12, 2026 10:54 PM
436 Comments
16gb is probably plenty for most people.

that said, if you need to run xcode/android studio with an emulator.... 24GB at least for small hobby type projects is enough to run the IDE and the emulator without swapping, with 16GB you're probaly 6-7gb of swap

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May 12, 2026 10:54 PM
81 Comments
Joined Jul 2019
RebirthRavenMay 12, 2026 10:54 PM
81 Comments
wait for another month and you have apple back to school offer to buy m5

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