Finally, Apple has the MacBook Air M3, which comes in 13- and 15-inch versions. Starting March 8, both models of what Apple calls “the world’s best consumer laptop for AI” will be available with big improvements in performance and energy efficiency.
The MacBook Air M2 is our pick for best laptop, and we’re very pleased with the performance of the M3 MacBook Pros that were announced last year. Needless to say, we couldn’t be happier that the MacBook Air M3 is here.
These new models offer 13.6- and 15.3-inch Liquid Retina displays, which have up to 500 nits of brightness and one billion colors. Apple claims it offers twice the resolution of “comparable laptops.” If you like numbers, you’ll get 2560 x 1664 pixels on the 13-inch model and 2560 x 1894 on the 15-inch.
It also supports up to 2 external displays when your laptop lid is closed.
The 1080p FaceTime camera is also located at the top of the screen, and it looks like the notched display is getting closer. However, Apple’s images suggest that it is possible to hide the notch with a black bar.
According to Apple, this 3nm chip ensures that the MacBook Air M3 is 60% faster than models powered by the M1 chip and 13 times faster than Intel-based Airs. The chip also offers an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, while these new MacBook Airs offer up to 24GB of memory, 256GB to 2TB of SSD storage, and 18 hours of battery life.
Comparisons to the M2 model aren’t mentioned anywhere, so we recommend you wait and see how closely these two generations compare when we test the M3. But if you have an older model, this could be the perfect time to upgrade it.
MacBook Air M3: Apple goes big on AI
Apple is also emphasizing the AI capabilities of the MacBook Air M3, which isn’t a big surprise. Apple says the 16-core Neural Engine, combined with accelerators in the CPU and GPU, help drive machine learning on the device to deliver better AI performance.
Apple has gone so far as to make the lofty claim you see in the first paragraph that it is the best in the world at this kind of work for consumers. It is set to offer several AI-powered features, including “powerful” camera functions, AI math assistance, automatic photo enhancement, video noise reduction, and more.
Apple’s silicon memory architecture is said to be able to run optimized AI models, including LLM and broadcast models locally, although cloud-based support is also available. Apple directly names Microsoft CoPilot, Canva and Adobe Firefly.
Other features include support for Wi-Fi 6E, a 3-microphone array for greater voice clarity, and support for Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio. As expected, the Magic Keyboard and Touch ID are also arriving. As for ports, it has MagSafe 3 for charging, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and two USB-C ports that offer Thunderbolt and USB-4.
Prices for the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 start at $1,099 while the 15-inch MacBook Air M3 starts at $1,299. Both models are available in Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray and Silver. Pre-orders are now open on Apple’s websitewith release day scheduled for March 8, aka this Friday.
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