Despite being over two years old , Apple ’s MacBook Air M2 has continue one of thebest laptopsyou can buy , as well as one of thebest MacBooks . It ’s unbelievably well - built , exuding an elegance that few other laptops can match . It ’s also plenty fast for productivity users , and its GPU is optimise for Divine . Its keyboard , touchpad , and display are all top - notch .

move into theMacBook Air M3 , which come out in other 2024 . In theory , it took the space of theM2 MacBook Air , but Apple go along that senior manikin around in the lineup at a cheaper price . While the M3 MacBook Air has truehearted carrying out , specially in GPU - intensive apps , and the M3 modelling supports an additional external display ( with the showing shut ) . It ’s $ 100 more , but is that uptick in price justified ? Here ’s how to decide which MacBook Air is right for you .

Specs and configurations

Despite the fact that we ’re still waiting for the M4 MacBook Air , Apple did leave an update to its MacBook Air card in tardy 2024 . Alongside the M4 MacBook Pro , the M3 and M2 MacBook Air both now start with 16 GB ofRAM . The 8 GB RAM models have been removed from the lineup , without charging supererogatory for the additional memory . That ’s a howling alteration , specially since it used to cost $ 200 rise to 16 gibibyte .

So , yes , now the 13 - inch M3 MacBook Air starts at $ 1,099 , coming with 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage . The M2 MacBook Air is only sell in the 13 - column inch form factor , start up at $ 999 . That also gets you 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage . Other than that , the two models have all the same configuration available , including up to 24 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage .

With that considered , you need to be very careful when purchase either of these configurations . Both are being sell at third - party retailers for as much as $ 150 off these days , but do n’t unintentionally bribe an 8 GB model .

Display and ports

Both laptop computer offer the same display , a 13.6 - inch IPS display running at 2560 x 1664 and pumping out up to 500 nits of light . In our testing of the MacBook Air M2 , the show provided very proficient people of color width at 100 % of sRGB , 90 % of Adobe RGB , and 100 % of DCI - P3 , with very good truth at a Delta - E of 1.08 ( 1.0 or less is undistinguishable to the human eye ) . The MacBook Air M3 ’s video display is every bit as inviolable .

One very important modification to the MacBook Air M3 is its supporting for two external displays when the lid is closed . That ’s a significant betterment over the MacBook Air M2 , which only stick out one international show with the chapeau undetermined or closed . While the MacBook Air M3 is also limited to a single external show when the built - in display is in use , the power to use two high - settlement ( up to 5 atomic number 19 at 60Hz ) showing when the palpebra is close will please those who desire more screen real estate of the realm . For some people , that alone is a reason to spend extra money on the new model .

It should be noted that if you give the lid of the M3 MacBook Air , it will mechanically shut off one of your international monitors . That mean you wo n’t be able-bodied to use the MacBook Air keyboard and touchpad in this setup — you ’ll call for to use external peripherals . There are also account that public presentation is foreshorten while the lid is closed due to thermic restraints .

I ’ll also cite wireless connectivity here , as it ’s one of the only other change between these two laptops . The M3 MacBook Air puzzle the upgrade toWi - Fi 6E , whereas the M2 is still on Wi - Fi 6 . It ’s not a huge remainder , but rather some future tense - proofing to make trusted you get the highest net speeds if you plan to upgrade your router anytime shortly .

Performance

Of course , the most important alteration is the Apple Silicon M3 chipset ascent , which allow a significant uptick in performance thanks to a switching to a 3 nm process . In Geekbench 6 , the M3 was 19 % quicker in individual - core execution and 20 % quicker in multi - core . That is a significant increment and will ply importantly profligate productiveness performance .

In the Cinebench R24 GPU test , the advance was more stark . The M3 GPU was 76 % quicker than the M2 GPU , thanks to various improvements that admit built - in ironware mesh shading support and ray trace and the newDynamic Cachingmemory arrangement . We did n’t psychometric test either chipset using any live game , but Apple say the new chipset ’s graphics cater up to 60 % immobile anatomy rates inNo Man ’s Skyover the M1 and up to a 60 % improvement in Final Cut Pro . In our own examination , the M3 MacBook Air should becapable of playing many AAA games .

Finally , the M3 has a faster 16 - core Neural Engine that should aid speed up AI functionality . That ’s an increasingly important stipulation , and it makes the MacBook Air M3 more militant with laptops using the Intel and AMD Neural Processing Units ( NPUs ) .

Portability

Both laptop computer are very small and relatively light-headed machines that will fit into any knapsack and wo n’t wear you down . There ’s no difference between the two in their portability — but they ’re two of thethinnest laptop computer you could buy right now .

The MacBook Air M2 has first-class efficiency and some of the best battery life in a 13 - column inch laptop today . We saw 18 hours of internet browsing and 21 hours looping our test video , which is twice as long as the Windows laptop average . You ’ll get not just all - solar day length of service but stamp battery life that lasts well into a second day of typical purpose . The M3 MacBook Air is every bit as long - hold up at around 19.5 hr of World Wide Web browsing .

Design

The MacBook Air M3 retains the spectacularly thin CNC - car aluminum chassis at just 0.44 inches heavyset and weigh 2.7 pounds . The presentation bezels are small , thanks to a controversial notch in the display for the webcam , making for a enjoyably dense and very pocket-sized laptop computer . The chassis is solid and exudes quality , while the lid is just the tiniest bit bendable . take down that theMacBook Air M3 also has a 15 - inch modelthat ’s improbably slender at 0.45 in and Light Within at 3.3 pound .

The same colors are available as before , include Silver , Starlight , Space Gray , but now there ’s a newfangled option in Midnight . The more fingermark - resistant ( almost ) bootleg color first debut on the M3 MacBook Pro , and is now available on the MacBook Air as well . by from the new people of color , the MacBook Air M3 and M2 are very in appearing — and gorgeous . Few laptop computer extend the same elegance and fastidious design .

The Magic Keyboard persist in place with its large keycaps , plenty of key spatial arrangement , and the same snappy , accurate shift that are n’t the deep around but are still the most comfortable . The Apple Force Touch tactual touchpad is the same size and provides the best haptics on a laptop computer , thanks to the additional functionality provide by the Force Click lineament .

Wired connectivity is also the same , with dual USB - C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support and a 3.5 millimetre sound recording jack . Power is provided by a MagSafe 3 connector that protects against accidental fall and retain the USB - C interface available when charge up . The webcam is also unchanged , furnish the same 1080p firmness and software system tools .

Is the M3 MacBook Air really worth it?

There ’s much less of a difference of opinion between the M3 MacBook Air and the M2 MacBook Air than in the former generation jump . The two laptop computer look identical ( minus the Midnight colour option ) and offer a very similar overall bundle . In the past times , only $ 100 severalise the M2 MacBook Air from the M1 MacBook Air despite having a completely different design .

So yes , the MacBook Air M2 remain a great laptop for $ 999 if your budget is cockeyed — peculiarly since it ’s often sell for as low as $ 750 . That ’s a great price for an M2 MacBook Air , so long as you ’re get the 16 GB model . It ’s the one that most people should bribe if you ’re considering a purchase mighty now .

While the M3 model is also selling for a good Mary Leontyne Price these days , I would urge waiting until the M4 MacBook Air comes out . It ’s not bruit to found until early 2025 , but it should provide a more meaningful jumping in performance over the M2 . It should also force prices on the M3 MacBook Air to pretermit even further .

Still not sealed ? Here ’s how to decidewhich Mac to buyand which model is right for you .