In October, Apple unveiled the next-gen 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with new M3 chipsets. While it was inevitable the MacBook Air would receive the same treatment, it was mainly a question of when. The wait is finally over. Today, the company announced updated versions of its 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air with the latest M3 chip. Both models are available for purchase starting today and will begin to arrive on March 8.
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Apple didn’t make any external changes to either laptop. After all, it’s only been two years since it launched the fully redesigned 13-inch MacBook Air—ditching the signature wedge design for a boxier frame, adding a slightly larger 13.6-inch display, upgrading the webcam to 1080p, and including a MagSafe port for charging.
15-inch MacBook Air
Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
The 15-inch MacBook Air, on the other hand, was released less than a year ago. It was the first of its kind in the Air lineup and includes a majority of the same features as its smaller counterpart. So, it makes sense that Apple kept the same design on both.
The noteworthy upgrades can be found under the hood. Unlike the M1 and M2 chipsets, the M3 lineup is built on a 3-nanometer process, which means it packs more transistors into a smaller space and enhances both the speed and power efficiency of the chip. It packs new features, too, including ray tracing, mesh shading, and dynamic caching. You can read more about those features here.
The M3, specifically, is Apple’s latest entry-level chip. It packs an 8-core CPU and up to 10-core GPU, making it a great option for completing basic tasks like word processing, using spreadsheets, sending emails, and light gaming. Apple claims CPU performance is up to 35 percent faster and GPU performance is up to 65 percent faster when compared to the M1. Meanwhile, both the CPU and GPU are 20 percent faster than the M2.
Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
Apple also added support for up to two external displays. Both the M1 and M2 Macs natively support only one external monitor, so it’s nice to see Apple finally making this improvement. However, an important note here is that the Air must be closed to run both displays. Both versions of the MacBook Air also come equipped with Wi-Fi 6E, offering download speeds that are twice as fast than the M2-powered versions.
13-inch MacBook Air
Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
While both the 13-inch MacBook Air and 15-inch MacBook Air are only available with the base M3 chip, with the 13 you have the choice between an 8-core or 10-core GPU. The 15 only comes in a 10-core flavor. The base models on both sizes have 8 gigabytes of unified memory and 256 gigabytes of storage. But you can upgrade both with up to 24 gigabytes of unified memory and 2 terabytes of storage—for an additional cost, of course. You’ll also have the choice between Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, and Silver colorways.
We’ll have to reserve our judgments on either MacBook Air until we can get our hands on them, but if you’re looking to purchase one as soon as possible and are stuck between both sizes, it truly depends on your preferences.
We recommend the smaller version for most people—the display is nice and bright, performance is good for everyday tasks, and it’s super lightweight and portable.
But if you’re the type who spends all day working off your laptop and don’t like working off an external monitor, the 15-inch MacBook Air is the way to go. It packs the same features and performance as the smaller version but will save you from the headaches that come with staring at a cramped screen for long periods.
It’s worth noting that Apple still sells the M2-powered 13-inch MacBook Air. With a starting price of $999, it’s now $100 cheaper. If you’re looking to save some cash, and you don’t need the latest chip, this machine is more than capable. The same logic applies to the M2-powered 15-inch MacBook Air. Although Apple no longer sells this model directly through its store, we recommend snagging it from a third-party retailer once it goes on sale.
You can order the 13-inch MacBook Air and 15-inch MacBook Air directly through Apple’s site. The base models start at $1,099 and $1,299, respectively.
