How to decide between the M2 and M3 MacBook Air

Apple quietly announced the new M3-powered MacBook Air this week, bringing the M3 chip to the company’s most affordable and lightweight computers. But less than a year after its release, the M2 MacBook Air is still a really solid laptop computer. Here’s a rundown of the differences between these two great laptops, as well as some tips on choosing between them.

performance

Obviously, Apple has added a new and faster performing chipset to the M3 MacBook Air. It’s based on the A17 Pro chip featured in the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and it’s built on a 3nm node, making it more efficient. It also has 25 billion transistors compared to the 20 billion transistors found in the M2 MacBook Air, and is registered at a 4.05 Ghz CPU clock speed compared to the 3.49 Ghz CPU clock speed on the M2 MacBook Air.

The M3 chip in the new MacBook Air also introduces a 15% faster Neural Engine, which Apple says it will use to power more AI-related things in the future. There’s also an improved and new GPU architecture, which makes the M3 chip more efficient and faster than the GPU found in the M2, and has faster hardware ray tracing and mesh shading.

All of this adds up to a chipset that runs smoother and faster than the one found in the M2 MacBook Air. If you want to see some numbers, the M3 MacBook Air scored 3,157 in the single-core test and 12,020 in the multi-core tests on GeekBench (via Check notebook). gave M2 MacBook AirOn the other hand, 2,610 on single core, with a score of 10,120 on multi-core. So, while it doesn’t jump as quickly, there is a measurable difference.

Of course, benchmarks are only a small factor, and a lot of performance comes down to what you’re doing with your MacBook. The new GPU architecture I mentioned earlier will also be useful to some, as it further improves the memory allocation and utilization that the MacBook Air can rely on. This will be especially helpful in graphics-heavy tasks, such as 3D rendering and advanced video editing. However, users who intend to do more than this may find it more worthwhile to upgrade to the higher-powered MacBook Pro anyway.

Those who feel they’ll need the highest-performing MacBook Air should go with the M3, though its new chipset comes with some better features, including the aforementioned ray tracing.

Features

One of the biggest new features added to the M3 MacBook Air is native support for dual monitors, which the new M3 MacBook Air will now support. The previously released M2 MacBook Air only allowed native support for up to one display, though you’ve been able to jump through hoops and use adapters in the past.

The M3 MacBook Air also comes with support for Wi-Fi 6E, which slightly improves its Wi-Fi options, though not in a way that will matter to most people. The amount of ports on the M3 MacBook Air is unchanged from the M2 model, and you’ll still have access to the same MagSafe charging features, Touch ID, and built-in headphone jack. The new M3 MacBook Air will also have support for AV1 decoding, which some users may find appealing.

Aesthetically, the new M3 MacBook Air features an anodization seal to help reduce the amount of fingerprints left on the Midnight Color, which Big complaint On the M2 model. (For what it’s worth, the edge (He said the M3 model he tested still has a pretty good fingerprint.)

Ultimately, there aren’t many new features to impress you from the M2 to the M3 just yet. Once Apple starts releasing new AI features, however, the faster neural engine in the M3 MacBook Air could come in handy, so keep that in mind if you’re interested in Apple’s upcoming AI applications.

Price

The new M3 MacBook Air starts at $1,099 for the base 13-inch model. Prices start at $1,299 if you want the larger 15-inch model. Keep in mind that these prices will also vary based on how much RAM and storage you choose, so going with 16GB of RAM or a larger internal storage drive will cost you more.

The M2 MacBook Air, on the other hand, has dropped in price, bringing it down to just $999 for the 13-inch base model. Apple doesn’t appear to be selling the 15-inch MacBook Air with the M2 on its website anymore, but you can still get it from third-party retailers.

Should you upgrade?

Ultimately, the M3 MacBook Air is impressive, but if you’re already running an M2 MacBook Air, there’s not much reason to upgrade. In fact, I’d argue that the M1 MacBook Air is still a really great value, and a great option for most people out there.

If you haven’t yet upgraded to a MacBook with an Apple Silicon chip, though, and you’re still running an older Intel-based MacBook, the new M3 MacBook Air could be a really great upgrade. Especially since Apple now sells MacBook Air in 15-inch model.