Apple Launches M3-Based MacBook Air 13 and 15: 3nm CPU for the Masses
by Anton Shilov on March 4, 2024 7:00 PM EST![](https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21285/Apple-MacBook-Air-2-up-front-240304_big.jpg.large_2x_678x452.jpg)
Apple on Monday introduced its new generation MacBook Air laptops based on the company's most-recent M3 system-on-chip (SoC). The new MacBook Air notebooks come in the same sizes as the previous models – 13.6 inches and 15.3 inches – with prices starting from $1,099 and $1,299 respectively.
The key improvement in Apple's 2024 MacBook Air laptops is of course the M3 processor. Fabbed on TSMC's N3B process, Apple's latest mainstream SoC was first launched late last year as part of the 2023 MacBook Pro lineup, and is now being brought down to the MacBook Air family. The vanilla M3 features four high-performance cores operating 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 a new media engine with hardware-accelerated AV1 decoding.
MacBook Air Specifications | ||||||||
Model | MBA 15 2024 |
MBA 13 2024 |
MBA 15 2023 |
MBA 13 2022 |
MBA 13 2020 |
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CPU | Apple M3 4C/4T High-Perf + 4C/4T High-Eff |
Apple M2 4C/4T High-Perf + 4C/4T High-Eff |
Apple M1 4C/4T High-Perf + 4C/4T High-Eff |
|||||
GPU | Apple M3 Integrated (8 or 10 Cores) |
Apple M2 Integrated (8 or 10 Cores) |
Apple M1 Integrated (7 or 8 Cores) |
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Memory | 8 - 24 GB LPDDR5-6400 | 8 - 24 GB LPDDR5-6400 | 8 - 16 GB LPDDR4X-4266 | |||||
SSD | 256 GB - 2 TB | 256 GB - 2 TB | 256 GB - 2 TB | |||||
I/O | 2x USB4 Type-C w/Thunderbolt 3 1x MagSafe 3 3.5mm Audio Touch ID |
2x USB4 Type-C w/Thunderbolt 3 1x MagSafe 3 3.5mm Audio Touch ID |
2x USB4 Type-C w/Thunderbolt 3 3.5mm Audio Touch ID |
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Display | 15.3-inch 2880x1864 IPS LCD P3 with True Tone |
13.6-inch 2560x1664 IPS LCD P3 with True Tone |
15.3-inch 2880x1864 IPS LCD P3 with True Tone |
13.6-inch 2560x1664 IPS LCD P3 with True Tone |
13.3-inch 2560x1600 IPS LCD P3 with True Tone |
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Dimensions | Width | 34.0 cm | 30.4 cm | 34.0 cm | 30.4 cm | 30.4 cm | ||
Depth | 23.7 cm | 21.5 cm | 23.7 cm | 21.5 cm | 21.2 cm | |||
Height | 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 Wh | 52.6 Wh | 66.5 Wh | 52.6 Wh | 49.9 Wh | |||
Battery Life | 15 - 18 Hours | 15 - 18 Hours | 15 - 18 Hours | |||||
Price | $1299 | $1099 | $1299 | $1199 | $999 |
Like prior vanilla M-series SoC, the M3 offers two display engines, allowing it to drive up to two displays. Normally this has been one internal and one external display, but new to the M3/2024 MBAs, the laptop can also drive two external 5K displays when the internal display is disabled (e.g. the lid's closed).
With regards to performance, Apple is opting to compare the new AIrs to the 2020 models with Apple's M1 SoC. The CPU is said to be up to 35% – 60% faster compared to the original M1 chip depending on the workload, but such comparisons should be taken with a grain of salt as companies tend to overhype their biggest advantages. One thing to keep in mind is that since MacBook Airs come without active cooling, their performance is typically lower than MacBook Pros running the same processor.
The SoC supports up to 24 GB of LPDDR5-6400 memory (featuring bandwidth of 100 GB/s), though entry-level MacBook Air models still feature only a diminutive 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD. More advanced (and usable) configurations offer 16 GB or 24 GB of memory and up to 2 TB of solid-state storage.
Other improvements of Apple's 2024 MacBook Air laptops based on the M3 processor compared to predecessors include Wi-Fi 6E support; improved three-microphones array with enhanced voice clarity, voice isolation, and wide spectrum modes.
As for input/output capabilities, the new MacBook Air notebooks feature two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports, a MagSafe port for charging, a 3.5-mm jack for headsets, and a 1080p FaceTime HD camera.
The 2024 Apple MacBook Air come in midnight, starlight, silver, and space gray colors. The machines are equipped with a 52.6 Wh battery that provides up to 18 hours of video playback. The 13.6-inch machine is 0.44 inch (1.13 cm) thick and weighs 2.7 pounds (1.24 kilograms), whereas the 15.3-inch laptop is 0.45 inch (1.15 cm) thick and weighs 3.3 pounds (1.51 kilograms).
With the launch of its M3-based MacBook Airs, Apple will discontinue its M2-based MacBook Air 15, but will retain the M2-based MacBook Air 13 as their entry-level option, with prices now starting at $999.
Source: Apple
48 Comments
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kirsch - Monday, March 4, 2024 - link
I hear that 8 GB is quite usable on these machines. I don’t know to be honest. But 256 GB of SSD is truly a joke. I don’t understand why Apple would even sell such a machine that is sure to annoy it’s owner and give a subpar experience. ReplyScabies - Monday, March 4, 2024 - link
To monetize cloud services Replyatomek - Tuesday, March 5, 2024 - link
Just to make a few dollars more they sacrifice user experience and a great hardware platform. Apple's engineers are being held hostage by the idiots in the marketing department. This pricing policy only blocks the growth of macOS market share. Replypeevee - Tuesday, March 5, 2024 - link
Hear, hear!Totally agree. MBAs are pure evil. Reply
bji - Tuesday, March 5, 2024 - link
I have a feeling that Apple knows its target audience and their needs better than you or the O.P. do.I personally haven't had a problem with 256 GB of storage on my Macs. But I work in my own way that doesn't include storing tons of data. So I guess do a lot of Mac owners. Reply
Oxford Guy - Thursday, March 14, 2024 - link
'I have a feeling that Apple knows its target audience and their needs better than you or the O.P. do.'The same fools with their easily-parted money who complained to 80s computer mags, via letters to editors, wanting to know why Apple wouldn't allow the 128K Mac to have upgradable RAM rather than an entire motherboard replacement. Reply
Klapper.cz - Monday, March 4, 2024 - link
It's not great, but there are people like students or strictly web/office/Netflix users, that will be more than happy even with 8GB/256GB s long as the price is as low as possible. ReplyyankeeDDL - Tuesday, March 5, 2024 - link
If you need to use a laptop for web/office/Netflix and you are strapped with cash, you can buy any Windows laptop that will offer a much more versatile configuration for half the price.There are capable Lenovo laptops with Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 at less than half the cost of these laptops. Like this one: https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/ideapad/ide...
$489, 16GB, Ryzen 5 with Zen3, 512GB SSD. These MB AIR laptops are priced for who is locked into Apple's ecosystem and is willing to spend an arm and leg to stay in it. Reply
heffeque - Tuesday, March 5, 2024 - link
Apple users don't care that there are Lenovo laptops that are cheaper and more versatile.Also... compare weight and battery live on that Lenovo versus the MB Air. Reply
Dug - Tuesday, March 5, 2024 - link
Yeah, ok. Now see which one lasts longer and has a higher resale or trade in value.Which one has less bloatware, a better touchpad, screen, keyboard, speakers, battery life, and stronger case. There's a reason $500 laptops are $500. Reply