Photo: Apple
Apple’s new M3 MacBook Airs, announced earlier this week, are now on sale. The 13-inch and 15-inch models feature upgraded internals and faster Wi-Fi.
Pre-orders for the new Airs went live right after Apple’s announcement on March 4.
2024 MacBook Air is all about the M3 chip
From the outside, the M3 MacBook Air(s) look the same as their predecessors. But internally, they pack two key changes. The first is the switch to a faster and more efficient M3 chip. Apple claims a performance boost of up to 60 percent than the M1 chip and “up to 13x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air.”
The M3 SoC debuted on the M3 MacBook Pro last fall. It also features a revamped GPU with mesh shading and ray tracing for better performance and higher-quality graphics. While there are no new AI features on the M3 MacBook Airs, Apple claims they are “the world’s best consumer laptop for AI,” thanks to the faster 16-core Neural Engine.
Besides the faster performance, the new M3 Airs support dual external displays — a first in the lineup. But there’s a catch: you can only use the second monitor with the laptop’s lid closed.
Lastly, Apple’s 2024 MacBook Air lineup has Wi-Fi 6E support, allowing for faster wireless transfer speeds. You can read our M2 vs. M3 MacBook Air comparison to learn more about their differences.
Despite the big performance boost, Apple claims the new M3 Air can last up to 18 hours on a charge.
Same starting price as their M2 predecessors
The new 13-inch MacBook Air and 15-inch Air with M3 chip have the same starting price as their predecessors: $1,099 and $1,299, respectively. Education customers can get an additional $100 off this price.
If you pre-ordered the laptop, you should receive it today. If not, you can buy one from the Apple store nearest to you.
Buy from: Apple