2024 Macbook Air M1. The macbook air with the m2 chip is now only $100 more than the one with the m1 chip, so i'm not sure cost is so much of a factor any more. There are certainly cheaper and more powerful laptops out there.

See the breakdown below for each new feature, change, and improvement that was added with each ‌macbook air‌ model since 2018 compared to its direct predecessor: Is it still worth it to buy the m1 considering the software support length?