Apple Unveils M3 MacBook Air With Faster Wi-Fi And A Dual Display Twist
It was only a matter of time before Apple ported its custom M3 silicon over to its MacBook Air lineup and that time has arrived. As for the anticipated iPad refresh with OLED displays, that announcement might be coming soon as well, with rumors swirling that Apple is opting for a series of online launches in place of a dedicated Spring event for several new hardware products.
That indeed appears to the be the case, with the introduction of M3-powered MacBook Air models kicking off the online launch party. Both the 13-inch and 15-inch models have been upgraded to Apple's latest silicon, giving Apple cause to claim 60% faster performance compared to the M1-powered MacBook Air from a couple of generations ago, and 13x more performant than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air.
Note that there's also a M2 MacBook Air, though comparing to older systems allows Apple's marketing team to flex bigger numbers. That's to say, you're not going to get a 60% uplift on the M3 MacBook Air versus the M2 model. It should be faster, though, and also more capable—built on a 3-nanometer manufacturing process, the M3 features an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, support for up to 24GB of unified memory, an upgraded 16-core Neural Engine to "run optimized AI models," and support for hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing.
Beyond the core specs of the M3 chip, both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models boast a Liquid Retina display with up to 500 nits of screen brightness. What really stands out, however, is support for connecting up to two external monitors with the lid closed shut. Whereas the M2 MacBook Air supports a single external display at up to 6K and 60Hz with the lid open, the M3 MacBook Air models add the ability to alternatively run two external monitors at up to 5K and 60Hz with the lid closed.
"MacBook Air is our most popular and loved Mac, with more customers choosing it over any other laptop. And today it gets even better with the M3 chip and new capabilities," said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "From college students pursuing their degrees, to business users who need powerful productivity, or anyone who simply wants the unmatched combination of performance, portability, and industry-leading battery life, all in a fanless design, the new MacBook Air continues to be the world’s best thin and light laptop."
The latest generation MacBook Air models also feature Wi-Fi 6E support, along with MagSafe charging, two Thunderbolt ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, a 'Magic Keyboard' with a full-height function row, and Touch ID support.
Pricing for the new M3 MacBook Air laptops starts at $1,099 for the 13-inch variant and $1,299 for the 15-inch model, both with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. Both can also be upgraded to 16GB and 24GB of RAM, and 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB of SSD storage. Fully loaded with the max amount of RAM and storage, you're looking at $2,299 for the 13-inch model and $2,499 for the 15-inch model.
