When Apple launched the 14 - inch and 16 - inchMacBook Promodels with M3 , M3 Pro , and M3 Max processors , and free anM3 iMac , at an eventon October 30 , we were surprised that the MacBook Air was neglect . It ’s taken four month , but the MacBook Air has finally got an M3 chip .
M3 MacBook Air: Release date
Apple issued a insistency release on Monday , March 4 , 2024 – no result for this one – bring out that the 13 - column inch or 15 - inch MacBook Pro is now uncommitted with the M3 chip .
The M3 MacBook Air models can be pre - regularise now and go on cut-rate sale on Friday , March 8 .
M3 MacBook Air: Price
Apple has summate an additional M3 13 - inch MacBook Air unit with 16 GB RAM to the line - up . This means the price of the top - of - the - range 13 - inch model is now slimly higher , but the now mid - range modeling is much good economic value than it was thanks to essentially a $ 100/£150 price cut .
Apple has done the same with the 15 - in MacBook Air , adding a 16 GB Aries model to the top - of - the - mountain chain . Here both models get a £ 100 cost cut in the U.K. while prices remain the same in the U.S.
Apple will keep to sell the 13 - inch MacBook Air with M2 scrap at a low-pitched price . Here are the prices and specifications of the M2 13 - inch MacBook Air standard configuration :
The MacBook Air has a MagSafe port that supports fast charging.
The M1 MacBook Air will no longer be sold by Apple ( other than via theRefurbished Store U.S.andRefurbished Store U.K. ) .
The M3 13 - inch and 15 - column inch MacBook Air will be available through the common retail outlets : the Apple Store , Amazon , and other democratic retailers . you’re able to find the best price for a unexampled MacBook Air in ourMacBook atmosphere peck article .
M3 MacBook Air: Design and dimensions
Apple
Externally the design of the M3 MacBook Air has n’t change and is available in the same four color options : midnight , starlight ; space grey ; and silver . However , there are a few changes .
Apple says that this MacBook Air is “ the first Apple merchandise to be made with 50 percent recycled contentedness , including 100 per centum recycled aluminium in the enclosure , 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets and , in another first for Apple , 100 percent recycle Cu in the main logic board . ”
The MacBook Air has a MagSafe port that supports fast charging.
It ’s no surprise that the design has n’t modify : when Apple released the M2 MacBook Air it featured a complete redesign that eliminated the tapered design and implemented a look that ’s like to the 14 - inch MacBook Pro .
The dimensions and weight are the same as the previous generation :
M3 MacBook Air: Display
The exhibit has n’t change between generations . For the 13 - inch MacBook Air , Apple still uses a 13.6 - inch Liquid Retina display with a 2,560 - by-1,664 pixel solvent , a maximum brightness of 500 nits , P3 color support , and True Tone . The 15 - in model also retains its 2,880 - by-1,864 pixel exhibit and 500 nits , P3 , and True Tone .
However , the giving alteration is in support for extra display . As explained in our clause aboutusing more than one external monitor with an M - series Mac , Airs that habituate a received M1 or M2 processor can not natively connect more than one external monitor , include the M3 MacBook Pro example that arrived in fall 2023 . The beneficial intelligence is that the M3 MacBook Air models will support two external Monitor with the laptop lid closed and Apple willupgrade the M3 MacBook Provia a software update . When the chapeau is open , one of the displays will keep out off .
The M3 MacBook Air retains the notch at the top of the presentation for the 1080p FaceTime camera , whichdoesn’t interferewith the 16:10 aspect ratio of the screen area below it . We ’d wish to see Face ID on the MacBooks , but that ’s unconvincing to happen soon .
M3 MacBook Air: Specs
As ask the M3 MacBookAir models come with an 8 - core processor and 8- or 10 - core GPU , which might vocalise similar to the M2 chip , but the M3 chip is manufactured using a new 3 nm process . This let for more transistors than the raise 5 nm process used with the M2 . In our mental test we ’ve already found the M3 to be faster than most iterations of the M1 Pro , showing just how far the chip has become . Read : How the M3 stacks up to every other Apple processor .
Since we have already encounter the M3 chip in the MacBook Pro and iMac you could see our bench mark to get a absolved picture of how good the M3 is :
Apple makes various claim about how fast the M3 MacBook Air is compared to the M1 model and the Intel models . For deterrent example , Apple says it ’s “ 60 percent quicker ” than the M1 MacBook Air and “ up to 13x faster ” than the fastest Intel - establish MacBook Air .
The MacBook Air has a MagSafe port that supports fast charging.
Apple also claims that biz titles like No Man ’s Sky run “ up to 60 percent faster ” than they did on the M1 MacBook Air , while “ working in Excel spreadsheets is up to 35 per centum quicker ” than with the M1 , and 3x quicker than it was with Intel , and Final Cut Pro is “ up to 60 percentage faster ” than with the M1 , and “ up to 13x faster ” than on an Intel MacBook Air .
As expected the M3 MacBook Air model support 8 - 24 GB memory , with 8 GB as standard . The good news here is that Apple is declare oneself 16 GB Unified Memory at the top of the range for both the 13 - in and 15 - in example . We have commented in the past that8 GB is n’t really sufficient , so our recommendation is to get as much memory as you could because you ca n’t update it later .
The MacBook Air still miss internal fans , which could be an issue if you are likely to really push the mainframe , as it may slow down to bar overheating . However , the want of fan does rival silent operation , which will appeal to some .
The MacBook Air still has two Thunderbolt 4 / USB - C embrasure , a MagSafe 3 connector for a power transcriber ( the laptop computer can also be shoot through Thunderbolt ) , and a headphone jack .
The new M3 Air offers Wi - Fi 6E , up from Wi - Fi 6 radio set connectivity in the herald . That might look like just a letter different , but Apple claims it offer “ up to 2x faster Wi - Fi than the old multiplication ” including doubly as fast download speeds .
Were you hoping to see 5 G on a MacBook ? It wo n’t find this metre , but it is coming according to Bloomberg ’s Mark Gurman . Read : If you ’re wait for a 5 G MacBook , it ’s coming – but not for a while .
The MacBook Air has a MagSafe larboard that supports fast charging .
M3 MacBook Air: Camera and mic
The 1080p FaceTime HD camera has n’t changed since the M2 poser launched but there are improvements to the mic .
The M3 MacBook Air features Voice Isolation and broad Spectrum microphone modality and Enhanced voice pellucidity in audio frequency and video phone call , allot to Apple .
M3 MacBook Air: Battery and charging
The M3 13 - inch MacBook Air has the same 52.6 - watt - hr lithium - polymer barrage fire as the M2 model , while the 15 - inch model offer the same 66.5 - watt - hr battery as the previous contemporaries . Unsurprisingly battery lifetime has n’t changed and is still up to 15 hr wireless web and up to 18 hours for movie playback , according to Apple .
The 13 - inch and 15 - in MacBook Air also support fast charging with a 70W USB - C Power Adapter or another from our list of thebest MacBook Air chargers .
