Apple on Monday launched a new generation of MacBook Air laptops based on the company’s latest M3 system-on-chip (SoC). The new MacBook Air laptops come in the same sizes as previous models – 13.6 inches and 15.3 inches – and prices start at $1,099 and $1,299 respectively.
The key improvement in Apple’s 2024 MacBook Air laptops is of course the M3 processor. Apple’s latest mainstream SoC, manufactured using TSMC’s N3B process, was first launched late last year as part of the 2023 MacBook Pro series and is now included in the MacBook Air series. The vanilla M3 features four high-performance cores running at up to 4.05 GHz, four energy-efficient cores, a 10-core GPU based on the latest graphics architecture with dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing and hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and hardware acceleration New media engine with AV1 decoding capabilities.
| MacBook Air specifications | ||||||||
| Model | MBA15 2024 |
MBA13 2024 |
MBA15 2023 |
MBA13 2022 |
MBA13 2020 |
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| CPU | Apple M3 4C/4T high performance + 4C/4T high efficiency |
Apple M2 4C/4T high performance + 4C/4T high efficiency |
Apple M1 4C/4T High Performance+ 4C/4T efficient |
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| graphics processor | Apple M3 integration (8 or 10 cores) |
Apple M2 integration (8 or 10 cores) |
Apple M1 integrated (7 or 8 cores) |
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| memory | 8-24GB LPDDR5-6400 | 8-24GB LPDDR5-6400 | 8-16GB LPDDR4X-4266 | |||||
| SSD | 256GB-2TB | 256GB-2TB | 256GB-2TB | |||||
| input Output | 2 USB4 Type-C with thunderbolt 3 1x MagSafe 3 3.5mm audio Touch ID |
2 USB4 Type-C with thunderbolt 3 1x MagSafe 3 3.5mm audio Touch ID |
2 USB4 Type-C with thunderbolt 3 3.5mm audio |
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| exhibit | 15.3-inch 2880×1864 IPS LCD screen P3 original color display |
13.6-inch 2560×1664 IPS LCD screen P3 original color display |
15.3-inch 2880×1864 IPS LCD screen P3 original color display |
13.6-inch 2560×1664 IPS LCD screen P3 original color display |
13.3-inch 2560×1600 IPS LCD screen P3 original color display |
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| aspect | width | 34.0 cm | 30.4 cm | 34.0 cm | 30.4 cm | 30.4 cm | ||
| depth | 23.7 cm | 21.5cm | 23.7 cm | 21.5cm | 21.2 cm | |||
| high | 1.1 cm | 1.1 cm | 1.1 cm | 1.1 cm | 0.41 – 1.61 cm | |||
| weight | 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg) | 2.7 lbs (1.22 kg) | 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg) | 2.7 lbs (1.22 kg) | 2.8 lbs (1.29 kg) | |||
| battery capacity | 66.5 watt hours | 52.6 watt hours | 66.5 watt hours | 52.6 watt hours | 49.9 watt hours | |||
| Battery Life | 15 – 18 hours | 15 – 18 hours | 15 – 18 hours | |||||
| price | $1299 | $1099 | $1299 | $1199 | $999 | |||
Like previous regular M-series SoCs, the M3 offers two display engines, allowing it to drive up to two displays. Normally, this is one internal display and one external display, but with the M3/2024 MBA, the laptop can also drive two external 5K displays when the internal display is disabled (such as the lid closed).
In terms of performance, Apple chose to compare the new AIr with the 2020 model equipped with the Apple M1 SoC. The CPU is said to be 35% to 60% faster than the original M1 chip, depending on the workload, but that comparison should be taken with a grain of salt, as companies tend to exaggerate their biggest advantages. One thing to keep in mind is that since MacBook Airs don’t have active cooling, they generally perform less well than a MacBook Pro running the same processor.
The SoC supports up to 24 GB of LPDDR5-6400 memory (100 GB/s bandwidth), but the entry-level MacBook Air model still only comes with 8 GB RAM and a 256 GB SSD. More advanced (and available) configurations offer 16 GB or 24 GB of memory and up to 2 TB of solid-state storage.
Other improvements to Apple’s 2024 M3 processor-based MacBook Air laptops compared to their predecessors include Wi-Fi 6E support; an improved three-microphone array with enhanced voice clarity, voice isolation and wide spectrum mode.
As for input/output capabilities, the new MacBook Air laptop comes with two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports, a MagSafe port for charging, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 1080p FaceTime HD camera.
The 2024 Apple MacBook Air comes in Midnight, Starlight, Silver, and Space Gray. The machine is equipped with a 52.6 Wh battery that provides up to 18 hours of video playback. The 13.6-inch machine is 0.44 inches (1.13 cm) thick and weighs 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg), while the 15.3-inch laptop is 0.45 inches (1.15 cm) thick and weighs 3.3 pounds (1.51 kg).
With the launch of the M3-based MacBook Air, Apple will discontinue the M2-based MacBook Air 15 but will retain the M2-based MacBook Air 13 as the entry-level option, which currently starts at $999.