Apple MacBook Air (M3) review: Is it still worth buying?

Apple MacBook Air (M3)

MSRP $1,499.00

Score Details

“The MacBook Air M3 remains an absolute go-to laptop, especially at its new starting configuration.”

Pros

• Excellent GPU performance
• Compact and beautiful design
• Impeccable build quality
• Battery life is fantastic
• Better multimonitor support

Cons

• Limited ports
• M2 might be better value

The MacBook Air is the world’s bestselling laptop, according to Apple. That was true before the M3, and it’ll likely be true a year from now.

On one hand, that means the inclusion of the M3 chip is easy to overlook or write off. And with the M2 MacBook Air selling for just $100 less (it’s discounted even more at some retailers), the M3 needs to prove itself. Some people will probably still be better off saving their money and buying the M2 MacBook Air, but the way the M3 supercharges this laptop’s GPU performance is downright impressive — ensuring that it remains one of the best laptops you can buy.

Review update: December 10, 2024

My review of the M3 MacBook Air originally published on March 19, 2024, just as the laptop was originally being launched and a couple of weeks after it was announced on March 4, 2024. Since then, Apple announced a pretty major change to how the device was being sold, specifically around configurations. Both the M3 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Air would now start at 16GB of RAM, in both the 13-inch and 15-inch sizes.

This change was announced on October 30, 2024, alongside the release of the M4 MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini. Interestingly, Apple made this change without increasing the price of the MacBook Air. It still starts at $1,099, despite Apple having given it a $200 upgrade in unified memory. The change came after receiving feedback around the 8GB starting configuration of 2023’s M3 MacBook Pro, as well as the rollout of Apple Intelligence. 2024 also saw Windows laptops embrace 16GB of RAM as a starting configuration in a big way, with Microsoft requiring it to qualify as a Copilot+ PC.

Regardless of the reason, it’s great news for MacBook Air buyers. It only sweetens the deal on what is already a fantastic laptop and ensures the relevancy of the device for many months. While third-party retailers have made the change broadly, be careful that you don’t accidentally buy an 8GB version unless it’s severely discounted. They’re still floating around, so tread carefully.

The other thing to be aware of is timing on when to buy a Mac and the rumors around the M4 MacBook Air. With the M4 chip Mac rollout having begun, you can expect the faster chip to come to the MacBook Air relatively soon, with some rumors suggesting it could be fairly early in 2025. At the very least, you should expect it to launch by March of 2025, marking a full year since the launch of the M3 MacBook Air.

That being said, the device is on sale everywhere you look, so I still strongly recommend picking one up if it suits your needs.

Specs and pricing

The 13-inch M3 MacBook Air starts at $1,099, replacing the place of its predecessor in the lineup, the M2 MacBook Air. Apple is still selling the M2, however, for $100 less at $999.

This starting configuration now comes with 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and an 8-core GPU. Apple charges $100 to go from 8 GPU cores to 10 GPU cores, which is only available on the 13-inch model. The 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,299, and comes with the 10-core GPU, a well as the same 16GB of RAM.

Both sizes can be maxed out at 24GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, with the cost rising well over $2,000.

That being said, the starting configurations are currently being sold for well under the retail price, discounted by as much as $200.

Design

The MacBook Air is a stunning laptop. It remains the most extreme example of the Apple Silicon era, thanks to a design that is thin in a way that just wasn’t possible in the past. At 0.44 inches thick, it remains the thinnest clamshell laptop of this kind that’s ever been made. It’s also the most powerful laptop without a single fan.

So yes, the MacBook Air’s title as thinnest laptop is impressive, but let’s be honest: the difference between 0.44 inches and 0.5 inches is hardly noticeable unless you have two machines side by side. Windows laptops like the Asus Zenbook S 13 and Samsung Galaxy Book3 360 come fairly close to matching the MacBook Air’s compact nature.

Fortunately, the MacBook Air has a lot more than just thinness on its side. It’s also extremely well-built, which can sometimes be a concern when devices get this thin. We all remember #flexgate from 2019, right? Well, let’s just say many laptops this thin (including older MacBooks) have struggled to remain perfectly rigid under pressure. Not so with the current MacBook Air. It’s as robust as laptops get.

Now, none of that is new with the M3 MacBook Air. This design has been in use since the M2 MacBook Air came out in 2022.

The one new exterior element on the M3 MacBook Air is a new color option, Midnight. Something very similar launched on the M3 MacBook Pros last year, and I’m happy to see it also available on the two MacBook Air sizes. It’s a great color, even if I still prefer Space Gray personally. Apple says its supposed to reject fingerprints better than other color options, but in my extended time with the Space Black MacBook Pro, I can’t say it looks much cleaner in the long run.

Nothing is new here in regard to the keyboard and trackpad. They’re both excellent, as always, offering exceptional typing and incredibly precise tracking. Apple’s oversized haptic feedback trackpads were the first in the business, and though they’re becoming more common, Apple’s still might be the best.

Ports

One of the most concerning limitations of the MacBook Air is the number and variety of ports it offers. It’s not that restricting you to only Thunderbolt 3 via USB-C is uncommon these days. All sorts of laptops have followed Apple down that path. But with the MacBook Air, it comes with some significant restrictions on external displays.

In the past, the M2 MacBook Air could only support one external display, regardless of the resolution and refresh rate. There are ways to get around this, but it requires a dock and some extra software to jump the hurdle. Apple’s never actually explained this limitation, but we assume it has to do with limited bandwidth of the base M3, as it also applies to the M3 MacBook Pro.

With the M3 MacBook Air, though, this gets marginally better. The M3 model (whether 13-inch or 15-inch) can now officially support two external 5K monitors (at 60Hz), but there’s a catch. The lid of the MacBook Air needs to be closed. So, the system can still really only support two displays, as the moment you open the laptop, one of the external monitors will turn off.

It’s a nice improvement over the M2, and for some people, it may actually solve the problem. If you’ve always wanted to power a dual-monitor workstation setup with just a MacBook Air, this will do the trick. If you actually want to use your MacBook Air with those two displays, though, you’ll still have to opt for an M3 Pro or Max MacBook Pro. It’s one area where Windows laptops have a serious advantage over the MacBook Air.

Beyond the two Thunderbolt 3 displays, you also have a MagSafe 3 charging port on the left side and a headphone jack on the right. It’s a little frustrating to have all your power access only the left. Adding one more USB-C would have gone a long way.

Beyond ports, the MacBook Air M3 gets updated to Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, the latest wireless connection standards.

Display

The 13.6-inch screen on the M3 MacBook Air I reviewed is exactly what you’d expect it to be. For an entry-level MacBook, it’s fantastic. Extremely sharp, with a resolution of 2560 x 1664 and pixel density of 224 ppi (pixels per inch).

No, it doesn’t have the array of local dimming zones and faster refresh rate of the MacBook Pro. Of course not. But for a laptop of this price, the MacBook Air’s display is plenty colorful, with lots of contrast and good enough color accuracy. More than that, Apple is always good about pushing the brightness of these LED screens to the max. My testing with my colorimeter on this one maxed out at 495 nits at full brightness. Color coverage is quite good too, hitting 87% of AdobeRGB and 99% of DCI-P3.

I should say, however, that OLED displays are becoming increasingly common in this price range. It’s not the default, but companies like Asus are really moving things forward, throwing OLEDs even on laptops under $1,000, like the Zenbook 14. These OLED screens have much better contrast, obviously, but also better color coverage and much better accuracy.

I still think the MacBook Air screen is competitive, but it’s no longer the obvious leader in the category. For example, a Delta-E of 1.24 is still good enough for what you’d need this laptop for, it’s just not as accurate as some of the OLED options out there. None of this has changed from the previous model, of course.

Performance

Like each step up in Apple Silicon so far, the M3 doesn’t provide a huge leap ahead in CPU performance. The M3 is 13% faster in single-core performance and 10% in multi-core, as tested in Cinebench R24. This is, as you would guess, probably not worth upgrading for nearly anyone. That’s especially true since this is a MacBook Air we’re talking about, not a MacBook Pro. Those that actually intend to push the MacBook Air beyond some office apps, multitasking, and web browsing, however, may not find a noticeable difference in CPU performance.

I should say, however, a 13% jump in single-core performance is pretty impressive compared to standard gen-over-gen Intel chips. When you’re already in the lead, another 13% jump doesn’t hurt. These are already at the top of their class in single-core performance, and with the M3, they get slightly faster, and are still well ahead of the competition from Intel or AMD. As seen in both Geekbench 6 and Cinebench R24, the MacBook Air M3 is more in line with its competitors in terms of multi-core performance rather than out in the lead.

Simpler tasks like video encoding in Handbrake allow for laptops with active cooling to zoom past the M3 MacBook Air. But just check out that score in the Pugetbench Premiere Pro benchmark, which tests the laptop in all sorts of video editing tasks. The fact that the M3 MacBook Air beats the XPS 14 — even with its discrete RTX 4050 — is seriously impressive.

A large reason is due to the improved GPU, which is really the star of the show. With the 10-core unit I reviewed, the M3 is a whopping 43% faster than the M2 in graphics, as tested in the Cinebench R24 GPU test. Much of this is thanks to Dynamic Caching, a memory efficiency technology first introduced by Apple with the M3. The result is dramatically enhanced GPU performance that make the M3 stronger in all sorts of tasks, including video editing, 3D modeling, and gaming.

Many of this laptop’s direct competitors rely on Intel’s integrated Arc graphics, and regardless of how much those have improved this year, the M3 remains in the lead.

I did a deeper dive into whether or not the M3 makes the MacBook Air a somewhat capable gaming laptop. On the whole, I wouldn’t say that it does. However, do not buy this laptop for the purpose of playing games. However, if you do want to dabble here and there, the M3 MacBook Air can squeeze out some decent frame rates in even the latest crop of flagship games on the Mac.

I tried playing Baldur’s Gate 3, Resident Evil 4, and Death Stranding Director’s Cut. All three required some time spent in the settings — tweaking resolution, toggling graphics settings, and trying all the upscaling modes to strike a suitable balance between performance and visuals. I’m happy to report that it’s possible to get 40 frames per second (fps) to 50 fps in these games without resorting to making the game look like a complete mess.

And that’s a first for the MacBook Air. Never before has a passively cooled system this thin been able to play games at this level. Remember: gaming (or doing anything) on the MacBook Air is completely silent. Not a peep from the fans. And while surface temperatures can certainly elevate during heavier tasks, they never get uncomfortably hot, even around the keyboard and palm rests.

Battery life

It’s no secret that MacBooks have a killer upper hand over Windows laptops in the battery life department. It’s just not close, and I have to say that in nearly every laptop review I do these days, but it’d be detrimental to not consider that fact when choosing your next laptop. The M3 MacBook Air doesn’t change that in any way, still lasting for over 19 and half hours in our light web browsing test. Now, obviously, using the laptop for actual work will drop that by a few hours at least, but remember — this laptop’s competitors only last for around 7 or 8 hours on average in this same test.

Beyond just the advantage of being able to work away from an outlet for longer, the MacBook Air doesn’t lose performance when it’s not plugged in. Running heavy applications might drain your battery faster, but it’s not going to slow down tasks like it would on a Windows laptop.

Webcam and speakers

The MacBook Air comes with a capable 1080p webcam built into the notch at the top of the screen and fantastic set of speakers. It’s one of the better videoconferencing laptops you can get at this price, and it’s not bad for watching content on either. However, you should know that this is one of the few areas where there’s a notable difference in quality between the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 15-inch MacBook Air. The 13-inch model only has a four-speaker setup, while the 15-inch has two extra speakers, matching the MacBook Pro.

That doesn’t mean the smaller Air has poor speakers — not at all. These are still class-leading compared to many of this laptop’s direct competitors. They just don’t have the full-bodied sound and robust bass that the 15-inch model is able to produce.

MacBook Air 13-inch vs. MacBook Air 15-inch

If you’re set on a MacBook Air, there’s one big decision you’ll have to make: size. When you compare the 13-inch MacBook Air and 15-inch MacBook Air, you’ll notice the difference immediately. In fact, they feel like very different laptops due to how big of a size difference there is between the two. The 15-inch MacBook Air is a very large laptop, despite being just as thin as the 13-inch model. The size of the screen is significantly bigger, which will be a huge benefit to some and burden to carry around for others.

I wouldn’t expect much more performance or battery life with the larger model, but it does have improved speakers. These things sound awesome — every bit as impressive as the 14-inch MacBooks Pro’s.

That being said, I think the smaller MacBook Air is not only more affordable but a better fit for what the MacBook Air is trying to be — the ultimate laptop to travel with.

MacBook Air 15-inch vs. MacBook Pro 14-inch

With the launch of the M4 MacBook Pro, you might be tempted by the improvements that just an extra $100 buys you. The gap in price between the MacBook Pro 14-inch and MacBook Air 15-inch makes for a very difficult purchasing decision. Not only does the MacBook Pro get you better performance thanks to the M4 chip, it also gets you a much better screen, lots more ports, and even a higher-resolution webcam. The mini-LED screen on the MacBook Pro is unbeatable and pairs great with the speakers. It’s the ultimate laptop for watching movies and shows on.

But the vast array of ports also make it a far better work laptop. You’re not restricted to just two screens like the MacBook Air, even with the ability to connect a second external display with the MacBook lid closed. The MacBook Pro gives you far more versatility with external monitor support. It even has a higher-resolution 12-megapixel webcam to sweeten the deal.

That’s why I’d recommend most people pick up the M4 MacBook Pro over the M3 MacBook Air if you can afford the extra $100 or so. You won’t regret it. That calculus may change slightly once the M4 MacBook Air comes out, but right now, it’s the better purchase.

Is the MacBook Air M3 worth it?

If you’re upgrading from the M2, absolutely not. There’s not nearly enough new here to make it worth an upgrade from the M2 MacBook Air. But if you’re coming from the M1 MacBook Air (or an older MacBook), you’ll be delighted by the M3 MacBook Air. The GPU performance is excellent, and the ability to support two monitors will be a game changer for some, even if it requires keeping the lid closed (and therefore not using the keyboard or trackpad).

If you’re considering this against many of the comparable Windows laptops in this price range, you’ll again find that the M3 MacBook Air still outclasses those laptops in most ways.

Put simply, the M3 MacBook Air is still one of the very best laptops you can buy, and it’s a solid value for the price. But if you’re not someone who will really need the extra GPU performance, you’re better off saving some money and getting the M2 MacBook Air.