15-inch M3 MacBook Air review: How does it compare to the M2 MacBook Air?

The 15-inch M3 MacBook Air is like that partner who frowns at you because you didn’t notice their new haircut. But upon closer inspection, the new stimulus becomes clear, prompting you to say, “How did I miss that? What a change! You look great, baby!”

Likewise, the new M3 MacBook Air might not seem like a huge upgrade at first glance. “Well, now it has the new M3 chip – great!” you may be thinking.

However, once you dig deeper, you’ll understand the hype. As someone who has been using the 15-inch MacBook Air (the one with the M2 chip), long A leap in performance to meet the demands of increasingly demanding applications is long overdue.

The new MacBook Air comes in two styles – 13-inch and 15-inch versions – and comes with a faster M3 chip. “Okay, what does this mean for me?” you may be wondering. Long story short, your favorite creator-focused application, whether it’s Blender or Illustrator, should run faster, smoother, and more seamlessly.

15-inch M3 MacBook Air price and specs

The 15-inch M3 MacBook Air starts at $1,299 on Apple’s official website, with the following configurations:

• 8-core CPU

• 10 core GPU

• 8GB RAM

• 256GB SSD storage

• 15.3-inch, 2,880 x 1,864 pixel resolution LED display

My review unit costs $1,699 and has the same specs as above, but offers more RAM (16GB) and more storage (512GB). If I were you, I’d choose this configuration because 16GB of RAM means you can handle more applications simultaneously while taking less stress off the M3 MacBook Air.

Why I like the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air

As I hinted at the beginning, the upgrades to the M3 MacBook Air are mostly internal. The display, design, keyboard, ports, webcam, weight, and dimensions are the same as its predecessor.

Still, there’s a lot to like about the new 15-inch MacBook Air.

Faster generation-by-generation performance

Apple claims the M3 MacBook Air is 60% faster than the M1 model. But the question is, how does the M3 MacBook Air compare to the M2 MacBook Air?

I fired up the Blender benchmark, which tests the system’s ability to handle creator-focused tasks, including 3D modeling, animation, and more. According to our results, the M3 MacBook Air is 15% faster than the M2 MacBook Air.

According to our Geekbench 6 test (another benchmark that tests CPU performance), the M3 MacBook Air is nearly 20% faster than the M2 MacBook Air.

What does it mean? Diving into your favorite creator apps should result in a faster workflow on the M3 MacBook Air. Whether you use Photoshop, Illustrator, or any other application that appeals to your artistic soul, you can expect comprehensive and fast editing and rendering.

Dual display support

The M3 MacBook Air differs from the M2 MacBook Air in that it now supports two external monitors. (Its predecessor supported only one.)

In other words, you can now connect two monitors to your M3 MacBook Air to create a sweet multi-screen setup in your office. However, as you discovered in the “What I don’t like about the M3 MacBook Air” section, there’s a catch.

Wi-Fi 6E support

What’s another benefit you won’t find on the M2 MacBook Air? The M3 MacBook Air now supports WiFi 6E, a step up from its predecessor (which had WiFi 6 support).

“What does WiFi 6E mean to me?” you may be wondering. WiFi 6E increases speeds, reduces latency, and enhances network security without getting into tedious technology. As a result, connections to the WiFi 6E-enabled M3 MacBook Air should reduce interference when transferring data wirelessly and improve overall performance.

New “Midnight Black” color

Midnight Black is inspired by the Space Black color of the current generation MacBook Pro models. Like Space Black, it’s anodized and sealed, designed to reduce fingerprints.

I love the onyx shade, so I’m digging Midnight Black (although it could be darker).However, as you will discover in subsequent sections, the chassis does not completely No fingerprints.

The M3 MacBook Air is also available in Starlight, Space Gray, and Silver. I’m still crossing my fingers for a rich, dark purple colorway for future-gen models, but I know Apple will say, “Don’t hold your breath!”

angelic audio

One of my favorite things about Apple is its special focus on features that are often overlooked by laptop manufacturers, like audio. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve loved every aspect of a laptop, only to be severely disappointed by quiet speakers and/or weak audio.

Matching the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air, the new 15-inch M3 MacBook Air has a six-speaker sound system that sounds absolutely fantastic. On Spotify, I turned on Tate McRae’s “Greedy,” a pop song that sounded bombastic, loud, punchy, and rich—better than whatever system you’re using (if you don’t have a MacBook).

What’s “ugh” about the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air?

The fact that the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air is an incremental upgrade is largely a positive. Sometimes it’s better to err on the side of caution rather than risk innovation that could turn off consumers. However, some aspects of the Air could still use a tweak or two with this new update.

The notch is still, uh, Grooving

Ah, the controversial notch that goes into the display. Some people love it; Some people hate it. Others don’t like it at first but eventually get used to it. I fall into this camp. I wasn’t a fan of the notch on the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air at first, but eventually I stopped noticing it.

That being said, I’m not stressed about the notch, but it would be a surprise — and a pleasant surprise — if Apple shaved off some of it for better visual enjoyment.

It’s also worth noting that the M3 MacBook Air’s 15.3-inch, 2880 x 1864-pixel display remains just as eye-catching as the M2 MacBook Air.i lit deadpool and wolverine The on-screen trailer offers the same bright, clear visuals as its predecessor. It’s not an OLED panel with deep blacks and high contrast, but it’s still impressive.

Keyboard tapping sound

I actually said “Oh, yes!” — the first time I typed this on the new 15-inch M3 MacBook Air, like I was a wall-breaking cool drug guy. Generation after generation, keyboards remain the same, but that’s a good thing.

The keyboard clicks just as I remember them, allowing me to jump from key to key like a deft pianist.

Be stingy about ports

In fact, I’m happy with the fact that the M3 MacBook Air only comes with two Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports and MagSafe 3 (a proprietary connector that frees up the aforementioned USB-C port to power the MacBook Air). Additionally, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack – I’m surprised Apple hasn’t done away with this port yet, as it’s such a “delight”, especially in terms of I/O options.

However, if I could, I would add an extra USB-C port to the right side of the M3 MacBook Air (all USB-C ports are currently on the left).

Adjust your expectations with ‘Midnight Black’

My review unit was the Midnight Black variant, and yes, it’s less prone to smudges and smudges – just like Apple claims.

But don’t fool yourself into thinking this is completely Anti-fingerprint. However, I can confirm that this colorway is better than the “Midnight” shade (not to be confused with Midnight) Black) It covers my 15-inch M2 MacBook Air.

What I don’t like about the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air

There’s also a “flip side” to the new features I appreciate about the new 15-inch M3 MacBook Air.

Dual monitor support only works with the lid closed

The 15-inch M3 MacBook Air now supports dual displays, but only when the lid is closed. In other words, yes, you can connect two monitors to your laptop. But you can only interact with the external screen, not the display on the laptop itself.

This means you have to rely on peripherals like Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse to enjoy the multi-screen experience.

If you want to keep the lid open, your next best option (if you want an M3-based chip) is the 14-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,999.

15-inch M3 MacBook Air Geekbench score

On Geekbench 6, the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air has a multi-core score of 12,057.

For reference, this almost Meet the new Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, a gaming laptop powered by AMD Ryzen 9 CPU. Its multi-core score is 12,170.

15-inch M3 MacBook Air battery life

To test battery life, we looped a 1080p video – tears of steel Literally until the laptop dies.it lasted 10 hours and 52 minutes One charge.

In the same test, the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air lasted slightly longer: 10 hours and 58 minutes.

15-inch M3 MacBook Air Webcam

As someone who has recently tested several Windows laptops, including the dual-display Asus Zenbook Duo and the HP Specter x360 14, I’ve been disappointed with webcams lately. There’s too much noise, the colors are too muted, and I always look like a silly watercolor painting.

However, when I fired up the M3 MacBook Air’s 1080p shooter, I breathed a sigh of relief. Colors are relatively accurate and I actually look like myself in the viewfinder.

Is the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air worth it?

The 15-inch M3 MacBook Air may seem like a simple update, but as an M2 MacBook Air owner, I would definitely trade it in for the newer generation model.

Our testing shows that the M3 MacBook Air is about 20% faster than the M2 MacBook Air, especially in creator-focused workflows. In other words, whether you’re a novice video editor or a photo editing enthusiast, you can expect faster performance.

The 15-inch M3 MacBook Air continues to blur the lines between Air and Pro models, providing plenty of “oomph” for creatives, professionals, and students who need powerful performance to handle multi-faceted workflows.