The new MacBook Air powered by the latest M3 chip is finally official. Here’s where to buy one and how much it costs.
Apple has quietly announced the new M3 MacBook Air. It comes in two sizes, 13-inch and 15-inch, with performance being the major upgrade. The M3 chip delivers a significant boost, making the new MacBook Air up to 60% faster than the M1 model and a whopping 13 times faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air.
The efficient neural engine makes the M3 MacBook Air “the best consumer laptop for AI,” per Apple. The laptops use the same display as the M2 MacBook Air but feature support for up to two external displays when the laptop lid is closed. You also get faster Wi-Fi connectivity and voice clarity in audio and video calls.
The MacBook Air is arguably one of the most popular laptops out there. And if you wish to get the latest M3 generation, we’ve got everything you need to know, including the price, features, and where to grab one.
M3 MacBook Air: Price
The 13-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip starts at $1,099, with a discounted price of $999 for education users. The 15-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip starts at $1,299, with a discounted price of $1,199 for education. Both are available in midnight, starlight, silver, and space gray. These prices are the same as the M2 MacBook Air models.
Where to buy M3 MacBook Air
The new MacBook Air with the M3 chip is available for order now on Apple’s website (starting today, March 4). If you order today, you can expect to receive it by March 8. You’ll also be able to find it at Apple stores and authorized resellers like Amazon and Best Buy starting March 8 as well.
M3 MacBook Air: Specs
The new M3 MacBook Airs don’t bring too many upgrades, but they certainly introduce some much-needed features. For instance, you can now connect up to 2 external displays when the laptop lid is closed. M2 MacBook Air only allows a single external display.
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The MacBook Air with M3 also features Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, which “delivers download speeds that are up to twice as fast as the previous generation,” according to Apple. The laptop comes with the same I/O as the M2 MacBook Air, including MagSafe charging and two Thunderbolt ports, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Apple says the M3 MacBook Airs have improved microphones. “Users will sound their best with a three-mic array and enhanced voice clarity on audio and video calls,” says the company.
The biggest upgrade is the new M3 chip which is built using a 3-nanometer technology. It brings an 8-core CPU, up to a 10-core GPU, and support for up to 24GB of unified memory. The new MacBook Air is claimed to be up to 60 percent faster than the model with M1.
While Apple hasn’t officially compared the M3 to the M2, reports from MacRumors suggests the M3 offers some significant performance gains. Benchmarks show it outperforming the M2 by about 17% in single-core tasks and a whopping 21% in multi-core tasks. Even for graphics performance, the M3 comes out on top, with benchmarks indicating a solid 15% improvement over the M2.
Thanks to the M3 chip, the new MacBook Air supports hardware-accelerated mesh shading, ray tracing as well as the latest media engine with AV1 decode. The laptop can last up to 18 hours on a single charge.
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