Tom's Guide reviews the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops with the latest Apple M3 processor.
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00:00Should you buy or skip the MacBook Air M3?
00:03I've been testing a brand new MacBook Air 13-inch
00:06and 15-inch powered by the M3 chip.
00:08Let's talk about whether you should spend your money
00:10on these machines.
00:11So the M3 chips were introduced with the MacBook Pros,
00:14but now we're seeing it trickle down to the MacBook Air,
00:16which is Apple's most popular line of laptops.
00:19The MacBook Air is the overall best laptop for most people.
00:22It has a perfect balance of performance,
00:24portability, and awesome battery life.
00:26That said, for 1099,
00:27do you really need the MacBook Air M3,
00:30especially with the M2 versions,
00:31which feature the same design,
00:33comparable performance, same display, and a lower price?
00:36So you have some choices
00:38if you're looking for a brand new MacBook.
00:40The first reason I think you should get the MacBook Air M3
00:42is because this is now the most affordable MacBook
00:46with an M3 chip.
00:47You get faster Wi-Fi 6E, great tracing for gaming,
00:51and dual screen support for external monitors.
00:54Even though you have to keep the laptop closed,
00:56it makes for a better work machine.
00:58It's worth pointing out that in our benchmark test,
01:00we find that the M3 chip inside the MacBook Air
01:03is comparable to the same M3 chip
01:05found in the MacBook Pro 14-inch.
01:08We also found that while the M3 chip
01:10isn't that much more powerful than the M2 chip,
01:12it is a lot faster than the M1 chip
01:14in the original MacBook Air that came out in 2020.
01:17The full M3 benchmark breakdown
01:19is now live on TomSka.com.
01:21With that, you should also get the MacBook Air M3
01:23if you value battery life.
01:25In our proprietary battery test,
01:27we found that the MacBook Air M3
01:29lasts an astonishing 15 hours and three minutes,
01:31which is amazing.
01:33Of course, that has a lot to do
01:34with the fact that the M3 chip is more efficient.
01:37The last reason to get a MacBook Air,
01:39and this is crazy,
01:41it's actually good enough for gaming.
01:43Now, that means a lot coming from me
01:45as a long-time Windows PC gamer.
01:47I'm not gonna say MacBooks are on that level yet,
01:49but we're getting there.
01:50We're getting some awesome titles,
01:51Death Stranding, Life of P, Baldur's Gate, Resident Evil.
01:54They all look and run absolutely phenomenally
01:57on this laptop.
01:59That being said,
02:00the first reason to skip the MacBook Air M3
02:02is also gaming.
02:04Even though Apple has made a pretty noble attempt
02:06at making gaming better for Macs,
02:08it's still not where I would want it to be.
02:11Unfortunately, developer support just isn't there yet.
02:14There are better gaming laptops available.
02:16I also think you should skip the MacBook Air M3
02:19if you're someone that needs a lot of ports.
02:21That's one of the trade-offs you have to make
02:23with such a thin laptop.
02:25The limited port selection is one of the reasons
02:26why people may wanna get a MacBook Pro
02:28which has a lot of ports instead.
02:30Speaking of other laptops you should buy,
02:32the final reason you shouldn't get the MacBook Air M3
02:35is because the MacBook Air M2 is still around.
02:38The MacBook Air M2 used to be $1099
02:41like the MacBook Air M3,
02:42but now it's been discounted to $999,
02:44making it the cheapest MacBook available.
02:47That price point is excellent for students,
02:49casual users, and people who may be new to MacBooks
02:53or Macs in general.
02:55And as I was saying before,
02:55the performance difference between M2 and M3
02:58isn't that big of a deal for most people.
03:01As someone who does some gaming, some work,
03:03and if I need a new machine,
03:04I would absolutely consider the MacBook Air M3.
03:07While the M2 Air is excellent at its price,
03:10you should still consider getting the M3 Air
03:12if you want the latest Apple hardware
03:15and a laptop that's more future-proof.
03:17More than ever, when it comes to performance,
03:19the line is blurred between the MacBook Air
03:21and the MacBook Pro.
03:22What do you think?
03:23Is this your next laptop?
03:25Let me know in the comments below.
03:26Check out my full review over at TomsGuide.com.
03:29Find us on socials at TomsGuide.
03:31Once again, I was Tony Polanco,
03:32and I'll see you next time.
03:33Later.