Review On The MacBook Air M3 Models

Tom's Guide

Tom's Guide reviews the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops with the latest Apple M3 processor.

Transcript

00:00Should you buy or skip the MacBook Air M3?

00:03I've been testing a brand new MacBook Air 13-inch

00:06and 15-inch powered by the M3 chip.

00:08Let's talk about whether you should spend your money

00:10on these machines.

00:11So the M3 chips were introduced with the MacBook Pros,

00:14but now we're seeing it trickle down to the MacBook Air,

00:16which is Apple's most popular line of laptops.

00:19The MacBook Air is the overall best laptop for most people.

00:22It has a perfect balance of performance,

00:24portability, and awesome battery life.

00:26That said, for 1099,

00:27do you really need the MacBook Air M3,

00:30especially with the M2 versions,

00:31which feature the same design,

00:33comparable performance, same display, and a lower price?

00:36So you have some choices

00:38if you're looking for a brand new MacBook.

00:40The first reason I think you should get the MacBook Air M3

00:42is because this is now the most affordable MacBook

00:46with an M3 chip.

00:47You get faster Wi-Fi 6E, great tracing for gaming,

00:51and dual screen support for external monitors.

00:54Even though you have to keep the laptop closed,

00:56it makes for a better work machine.

00:58It's worth pointing out that in our benchmark test,

01:00we find that the M3 chip inside the MacBook Air

01:03is comparable to the same M3 chip

01:05found in the MacBook Pro 14-inch.

01:08We also found that while the M3 chip

01:10isn't that much more powerful than the M2 chip,

01:12it is a lot faster than the M1 chip

01:14in the original MacBook Air that came out in 2020.

01:17The full M3 benchmark breakdown

01:19is now live on TomSka.com.

01:21With that, you should also get the MacBook Air M3

01:23if you value battery life.

01:25In our proprietary battery test,

01:27we found that the MacBook Air M3

01:29lasts an astonishing 15 hours and three minutes,

01:31which is amazing.

01:33Of course, that has a lot to do

01:34with the fact that the M3 chip is more efficient.

01:37The last reason to get a MacBook Air,

01:39and this is crazy,

01:41it's actually good enough for gaming.

01:43Now, that means a lot coming from me

01:45as a long-time Windows PC gamer.

01:47I'm not gonna say MacBooks are on that level yet,

01:49but we're getting there.

01:50We're getting some awesome titles,

01:51Death Stranding, Life of P, Baldur's Gate, Resident Evil.

01:54They all look and run absolutely phenomenally

01:57on this laptop.

01:59That being said,

02:00the first reason to skip the MacBook Air M3

02:02is also gaming.

02:04Even though Apple has made a pretty noble attempt

02:06at making gaming better for Macs,

02:08it's still not where I would want it to be.

02:11Unfortunately, developer support just isn't there yet.

02:14There are better gaming laptops available.

02:16I also think you should skip the MacBook Air M3

02:19if you're someone that needs a lot of ports.

02:21That's one of the trade-offs you have to make

02:23with such a thin laptop.

02:25The limited port selection is one of the reasons

02:26why people may wanna get a MacBook Pro,

02:28which has a lot of ports instead.

02:30Speaking of other laptops you should buy,

02:32the final reason you shouldn't get the MacBook Air M3

02:35is because the MacBook Air M2 is still around.

02:38The MacBook Air M2 used to be $1099,

02:41like the MacBook Air M3,

02:42but now it's been discounted to $999,

02:44making it the cheapest MacBook available.

02:47That price point is excellent for students,

02:49casual users, and people who may be new to MacBooks

02:53or Macs in general.

02:55And as I was saying before,

02:55the performance difference between M2 and M3

02:58isn't that big of a deal for most people.

03:01As someone who does some gaming, some work,

03:03and if I need a new machine,

03:04I would absolutely consider the MacBook Air M3.

03:07While the M2 Air is excellent at its price,

03:10you should still consider getting the M3 Air

03:12if you want the latest Apple hardware

03:15and a laptop that's more future-proof.

03:17More than ever, when it comes to performance,

03:19the line is blurred between the MacBook Air

03:21and the MacBook Pro.

03:22What do you think?

03:23Is this your next laptop?

03:25Let me know in the comments below.

03:26Check out my full review over at TomsGuide.com.

03:29Find us on socials at TomsGuide.

03:31Once again, I was Tony Polanco,

03:32and I'll see you next time.

03:33Later.

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