We’ll be honest, at first glance, you can’t tell the difference between the new MacBook Air and its predecessor. It looks the same, weighs the same, and is available in the same colours. Put them side by side, and you won’t know which one is which.
While an update to the processor inside the laptop — from an M2 chip to an M3 chip — may not seem that newsworthy to all but the most committed tech enthusiasts, we’re happy to report that this keeps the MacBook Air as our firm favourite when looking for a lightweight, portable laptop for allday use.
Even better, Apple has dropped the price slightly with this iteration, shaving £50 off the starting price of the base 13inch MacBook Air (£1,099) and reducing the price of the 15inch M3 Air by £100 to £1,299. This means you can get one of the most impressive laptops around for less, especially as 2022’s stillexcellent M2 hasn’t gone anywhere.
What’s special about the MacBook Air?
We know that Apple’s laptop lineup can feel intimidating. Even when you know you want a proper laptop over an iPad, whether that’s for the builtin keyboard or the extra versatility you can get from the MacOS software, how do you know if you need the M2 or M3 chipset, or whether you need an Air or a Pro; and how much memory or storage will you need when there are so many configurations?
Well, we’d use the base 13inch MacBook Air as the starting point. The more affordable M2 model still offers a serious computing upgrade over its rivals for a lower price. But, if you plan to hold onto the laptop for years, we’d recommend the most futureproof model, the new M3 MacBook Air. It’s sleek, portable, easy to use and has an extensive battery life. Need a bigger screen? Turn to the 15inch MacBook Air.
We’d only start looking at the MacBook Pro lineup if you need a laptop for intense workloads where you’ll need its fan to keep it cool or benefit from the extra builtin ports.
The majority of people will find that the MacBook Air is the best choice. Its lightweight, fanless design is quiet and convenient, and it delivers more computing power than most of us will ever require.
Why do Apple’s M1, M2 and M3 processors matter?
Once you know whether you need an Air or the Pro, you’ll notice there are different generations of the Mseries processor. If you haven’t looked into buying a laptop for some time, below is a quick recap of what this means.
In 2020, Apple began the process of switching over the brains of its laptops to chips that it makes itself, rather than ones made by Intel.
As a result, all MacBooks have since become far more optimised and more capable, especially with power efficiency and when handling multiple tasks. In simple terms, that means you can now keep more apps and browser tabs open at once, and the battery lasts longer.
The quick answer to why these processors matter is that any one of the M1, M2 or M3 chips is going to feel like an enormous upgrade for any Windows or longtime Mac user coming from a machine running an Intel processor. They’re all terrific, and while there are differences between them, these minor variations are most relevant to professionals with heavier workloads.
2024 Apple M3 MacBook Air 13.6inch
2024 Apple M3 MacBook Air 13.6inch
Key specifications
| Processor | Apple M3 chip |
|---|---|
| Ports | USBC x2, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe charging |
| Webcam | Full HD (1080p) |
| Screen size | 13.6inch (or 15.3inch) |
| Screen resolution | 2560 x 1664 (or 2880 x 1864 for 15.3in) |
| RAM | 8GB, 16GB or 24GB |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB |
| Dimensions | 30.41cm x 21.5cm x 1.13cm (or 34.04 x 23.76 x 1.15cm for 15.3in) |
| Weight | 1.24kg (or 1.51kg for 15.3in) |
| Colours | Midnight, starlight, silver, or space grey |
M3 MacBook Air Design
For those coming from older MacBooks, one of the most noticeable changes is that the new design doesn’t have the tapered wedge shape that’s most associated with the “Air” name. That look was retired with the M2 Air, and we’d now say that the Air and Pro models look quite similar.
It’s a slim and slight laptop that weighs a mere 1.24kg, making it ideal for slipping in your bag when going on a trip or to work for the day. It comes in midnight, starlight, silver and space grey and while the midnight finish is meant to be better than it was for fingerprint marks, we’d still go with one of the other colours if you’re worried about having smudges all over the outside.
While sleek and light, it feels robust and solid to use and we find the keyboard satisfying to type on, with fullsize keys in the top row and a useful Touch ID button for authenticating passwords and payments, and unlocking the computer. One small downside is that the keyboard is quick to pick up fingerprint smears, too.
When it comes to ports, it offers two USBC ports in addition to the MagSafe charger that comes in the box. Like other laptops, tablets and phones, you can also recharge it via a USBC cable. The connectivity is one point of difference between the Air and Pro models, so if you think you might need an HDMI port or SD memory card slot, you may want to have a look at the Pros, or just pick up an affordable adapter for the Air.
M3 MacBook Air Performance and Battery Life
It’s remarkable how quick it is to set up a new MacBook Air in 2024. We completed the bulk of the setup process in 10 minutes, with about an additional 10 minutes needed for it to sync the massive photo library we hold onto in iCloud photos.
During the setup, it’ll prompt you to update certain security and privacy settings but it also automatically sets these as you’ve got them configured on your iPhone. For those already in the Apple world, this makes the whole thing effortless and we appreciate not having to worry too much about going through and changing all the default options.
On performance, it won’t surprise anyone to hear that this is a fantastic and fast laptop for a wide range of tasks. The entrylevel M3 MacBook Air won’t have any trouble multitasking with more than 50 tabs in Safari or Chrome at once, as well as running graphicsheavy games, powering through photo editing and managing any productivity tasks you could need.
The capability of these Mseries processors is extensive, so anybody is going to experience a substantial boost in speed when upgrading to any M1, M2 or M3 MacBook Air from the older Intel models or a similar PC. These models deliver with a balance of power and efficiency, so while certain competing Windows laptops may be able to beat an M2 or M3 MacBook in speed on some tasks, they won’t be able to do so while running on battery power and they won’t have the same competitive battery life.
When compared to the M2, though, this new M3 model offers support for much faster wifi speeds and support for two external displays (while the lid is closed), and it should be supported the longest with fresh software updates. Many of us might not use all the features, so while futureproofing earns it a top recommendation and makes it a companion to hold onto for a long time, any MacBook Air from 2020 onwards will be a terrific performer.
M3 MacBook Air Display and Speakers
The 13.6inch display on the MacBook is slightly larger than what you might be used to from an older MacBook model, but it isn’t a redesign from the M2 model and has the same slight “notch” at the top to house the Full HD webcam, which is an upgrade on the lowresolution webcam in the 2020 MacBook Air. This is a change that your family will notice when they see you in higher quality on FaceTime calls.
The display itself is crisp, vibrant and bright, and we can see more richness in the colour when we compare it to the M1 MacBook Air that we use for work. For most uses, including watching movies, browsing photos, and reading text, this is an incredibly clear display to use for long periods.
We used the laptop to catch up on the latest episode of WWII drama Masters of the Air on Apple TV+, and the quality was evident. The same is true of the speakers, they’re great for clarity and loudness without distortion and they perform well for such a thin and light laptop.
Nobody’s going to be able to notice a big difference between the speakers on the older M1 MacBook Air and the newer M3 MacBook Air, though. This is an area where Apple continues to deliver, and you could always connect headphones or a portable speaker if you need bigger or more immersive sound.
M3 MacBook Air Verdict
The latest M3 MacBook Air is a tremendous laptop for most people needing a powerful and versatile personal computer. It has a userfriendly design and interface, as well as an enormous battery life and excellent performance for a wide range of tasks including entertainment, productivity, video and photo editing, web browsing and much more.
It’s ideal for anyone in need of a top laptop to manage all their everyday tasks, whether that’s for work, school or just for watching Netflix. It’s especially useful if you’re on the go a lot, as it offers all this on battery power for the day.
One thing we’d note, though, is that the older M1 and M2 MacBook Airs are also still great, and anyone upgrading from an older laptop should consider those computers instead of the latest one, as they’re better value.
The M1 is now discontinued, so it won’t be available for much longer, but the M2 Air is still available and starts from £999 – an amazing price for what it offers. If you’d prefer the newest option, though, pick the M3 Air for its better external display support and potential for faster wifi, which makes it the better futureproof pick at a lower starting price than its predecessor.
It’s also worth having a real think about whether you even need a laptop anymore in 2024. The sheer power of MacBooks can be overkill for light use nowadays. If your main computing needs are for checking emails, browsing, entertainment and some productivity and work, we think an iPad with Apple’s companion keyboard might be a better fit.
2024 Apple M3 MacBook Air 13.6inch
2024 Apple M3 MacBook Air 13.6inch
Key specifications
| Processor | Apple M3 chip |
|---|---|
| Ports | USBC x2, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe charging |
| Webcam | Full HD (1080p) |
| Screen size | 13.6inch (or 15.3inch) |
| Screen resolution | 2560 x 1664 (or 2880 x 1864 for 15.3in) |
| RAM | 8GB, 16GB or 24GB |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB |
| Dimensions | 30.41cm x 21.5cm x 1.13cm (or 34.04 x 23.76 x 1.15cm for 15.3in) |
| Weight | 1.24kg (or 1.51kg for 15.3in) |
| Colours | Midnight, starlight, silver, or space grey |
Simon Cocks is our Technology Ecommerce Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy across a range of titles including Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Digital Spy and more.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, charging kit and smartphones.
Previously, Simon was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team, conducting price comparison research, writing detailed advice guides and editing thousands of indepth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.
You can follow Simon on Instagram at @simonrcocks and on Twitter at @simoncocks.
