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
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 |
|||
| 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) |
|||||
| 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 |
|||||
| 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 |
|||
| 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
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48 Comments
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Oxford Guy - Thursday, March 14, 2024 - link
I keep remembering more fiascos.So... the Lisa shipped with a power supply that was inadequate. Apple learned its lesson and...
shipped the Mac Plus with a power supply that was inadequate. Reply
GeoffreyA - Thursday, March 7, 2024 - link
"THESE MACHINES ARE NOT FOR YOU!!!"Of course. We lesser beings will stick with our Stone Age x86 junk. Reply
Flunk - Tuesday, March 5, 2024 - link
It depends on what you're doing with the computer. If you're a developer 16GB is a minimum because you'll hit that 8GB mark just running your programming tools and have no space to debug your code. ReplyGC2:CS - Tuesday, March 5, 2024 - link
I have the 2015 Mac Book which is the first device that came in 256/8 config as a base. It felt quite high end then, and is still relativelly OK to use for regular task so I can imagine there are still many people OK with this config.Make it positive. The more numerous is the installed base of 8 GB computers, the higher is the value of a 16 GB one as the software will be forced to be more memory efficient.... Right ? Reply
peevee - Tuesday, March 5, 2024 - link
Let me guess,1) Memory is not user-upgradeable
2) SSD is not user-upgradeable
3) Battery is not user replaceable?
I have Late 2008 MacBook Pro from Jobs' days.
User-replaceable memory (upgraded), user-replaceable HDD (I replaced with SSD long time ago of course), user-replaceable battery - no need to even use a screwdriver, replaced dead ones many times over the years. MagSafe BTW. Intel Core2 2.4GHz, can run Windows in Fusion...
Things are only going worse for customers. Reply
mukiex - Tuesday, March 5, 2024 - link
It's 100% to make their obscene margins on the upgrades. I have a 16GB/512GB Macbook Pro. I'm kind of appalled that 4 years later, an extra 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD is $400.A frickin' 2230 SSD is like $100 today. The closest thing in RAM pricing is Dell's CAMM at $250, which is made by 1 company (CAMM2 en route) and even THAT is the full 16GB, not an additional 8GB. A single bloody 32GB stick of SO-DIMM RAM is in the $90-110 range. Reply
lmcd - Wednesday, March 6, 2024 - link
The reason they do it is because consumer education understands 8GB RAM and 256 GB disk. That means it's a valid place to differentiate.By contrast, learning different USB standards is not a valid place of differentiation for most end users. No one wants to find out their battery is 800mAH less but their CPU is binned for better voltage and set to max turbo 100Mhz lower for an hour better battery life and so forth. Reply
FakThisShttyGame - Thursday, March 7, 2024 - link
8gbs on mac is like 16gbs on win 11 as long as you are not gaming. (Who game on mac anyway?)256gb is lame but who cares besides haters to be honest. Reply
Oxford Guy - Thursday, March 14, 2024 - link
'8gbs on mac is like 16gbs on win 11'No, it isn't. Reply
solipsism - Thursday, March 7, 2024 - link
I have a relative that just switched from WinPC to an MacBook Air. He mostly uses his iPhone and iPad, which is why he wanted to get a Mac now that he doesn't need Windows for work. He asked me what options he should get. I told him to get more than the default RAM because it will help with the longevity of device with annual macOS updates, but after looking at how much personal data he current uses on his devices and did a projection for the next 5 years I told him that 256 GB was more than enough for his needs. Not everyone uses their computers as data servers. I have 2 TB on my MacBook Pro, but I'm a very different user than he is. Reply