The best laptop just got even better. Apple’s just unveiled the M3-equipped MacBook Air in both 13-inch and 15-inch versions. Available for preorder now, the M3 MacBook Airs run on the entry-level version of the same chip Apple introduced in last fall’s 14-inch MacBook Pro. They’re available for preorder now, with an estimated delivery date of this Friday, March 8. And Apple’s even cut the entry-level price by $100, down to $1,099.
Apple's latest MacBook Air features its latest processor, is rated for up to 18 hours of battery life on a single charge and supports faster Wi-Fi connections.
While the new MacBook Air doesn’t look different on the outside, that’s fine by us. An update to the 15-inch MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Air is exactly what we’ve been waiting for since the M3 chips were announced last year. The M3 Air is sold in four colors: Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray and silver. The Midnight colorway features the same “breakthrough anodization seal” tech that Apple used to reduce fingerprints in the Space Black MacBook Pro, which wasn’t completely fingerprint-resistant.
The news here is what’s inside, as Apple’s finally upgrading the Air to its M3 processor, the sibling to the M3 Pro and M3 Max we’ve seen previously. While Apple’s press release didn’t include any comparisons to the M2 MacBook Air, it did state that this year’s model is up to 60% faster than the M1 MacBook Air — a laptop I loved. If you’re holding onto an Intel-powered MacBook Air (these things really last long), know that Apple claims this year’s model is up to 13 times faster than the previous Intel MacBook Air.
As for what else the M3 can do for you, Apple notes its GPU will add hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading for gaming. When I tested the M3 MacBook Pro, though, I noted that gaming capabilities were far better on the M3 Max than on the basic M3. Oh, and because this is 2024, Apple’s press release boasted that the MacBook Air is “the world’s best consumer laptop for AI,” thanks to both CPU and GPU upgrades for machine learning and the M3’s 16-core Neural Engine.
Also, expect the same great 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch displays we’ve seen in previous versions, thanks to Apple’s sharp Liquid Retina LED screens. These panels will still get plenty bright, as Apple’s rating them for up to 500 nits of brightness.
As for other details, Apple’s claiming up to 18 hours of battery life on a single charge — the same rating it provided for the MacBook Air M2. This model’s also upgraded for more modern Wi-Fi networks, with Wi-Fi 6E support. Apple claims this should enable speeds that are twice as fast as previous models.
Power users may be excited to hear Apple note that the new MacBook Air can finally use two external displays at once. The sole caveat here is that the M3 MacBook Air’s lid will need to be closed for that to work.
We can’t wait to test the M3 MacBook Air for ourselves to get a firsthand look at its endurance and speed. Right now, though, it seems like Apple’s got more of an update than a massive upgrade on its hands, at least for most users. Stay tuned for our full review.