How to order Apple MacBook Air M3

Apple claims that MacBook Air M3 will deliver up to 60 percent faster performance than the M1-powered model

Hannah Hopkins - Mar 06, 2024

The image shows a person using MacBook Air M3. — Apple

Following weeks of speculation, Apple has officially unveiled its latest additions to the MacBook lineup today: the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M3 models (both featuring the M3 chipset).

The introduction of the M3 chipset marks the most significant update for these notebooks, aligning them with the latest MacBook Pros and 24-inch iMac, all of which transitioned to Apple's latest silicon at the end of 2023.

Both new MacBook Air models are now available for order on Apple's website and other retailers, starting at $1,099, with in-store availability set for March 8. With the debut of these new machines, Apple has discontinued the M1-powered Air from its online store, while the starting price of the MacBook Air M2 has been reduced to $999.

MacBook Air M3: What's new?

Apple claims that the M3 MacBook Airs will deliver up to 60 percent faster performance than the M1-powered model and up to 13 times faster than older Airs equipped with Intel chips. Speed and efficiency are the primary highlights here, as the MacBook Air specifications remain largely unchanged.

The new 13-inch and 15-inch notebooks feature octa-core CPUs, support up to a 10-core GPU, and offer up to 24GB of RAM and up to 2TB of internal storage. Notably, the base 13-inch MacBook Air M3 shares the same starting specifications as its M2 predecessor: 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Display specifications remain consistent across both models, featuring a Liquid Retina panel with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,664 and up to 500 nits of brightness.

Additional enhancements on the M3-powered MacBook Airs include support for Wi-Fi 6E (compared to standard Wi-Fi 6 on the M2 Air) and the ability to connect up to two external displays with the lid closed. This latter feature is particularly beneficial for multitaskers and individuals using the new Air as their primary workstation, requiring multiple external displays in their setup.

Read more: Yes, M1 MacBook Air is no more

Colour options have been retained from the M2 version, with the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs with M3 available in midnight, space grey, starlight, and silver. While the M2 Air is now positioned as the "budget" option in the lineup, the M1 machine remains available (at least for now) through other retailers like Amazon, where it can be found for as low as $750.