Through a simple press release shared on March 4, Apple formalized the transition of its 13 and 15-inch MacBook Air to the M3 chip. The latter was, as a reminder, introduced for the first time on the latest MacBook Proand on the iMacat the end of last year.
Slightly faster Wi-Fi, slightly longer battery life, increased performance… but unchanged design: Apple has finally formalized a new version of its 13 and 15-inch MacBook Air, equipped with the new M3 chip. The latter therefore replaces the M2 processor which has equipped these two models since their respective launches.
No major changes, but something new all the same…
Like the 2023 MacBook Pros before them, the new MacBook Airs take advantage of the 3nm engraving of the M3 chip to gain energy efficiency compared to old configurations, but also performance. In its press release, Apple nevertheless compares the performance of these two new products to that of the MacBook Air M1… launched in 2020. Suffice to say that the firm is not taking any risks here in terms of communication.
We learn in this way that in the game, on No Man’s Sky, the M3 chip in the new MacBook Air 13 and 15 is 60% faster than the M1 processor in the old MacBook Air, while offering 35% more speed on Excel. Same thing in video editing on Final Cut Pro, announced as being 60% faster than with an M1 processor. No surprises here, but we will have the opportunity to compare the performance of the MacBook Air M3 to that of the MacBook Air M2 during a test, imminent on Clubic.
In any case, Apple mentions autonomy of up to 18 hours for its new Macs, as well as Wi-Fi twice as fast as on previous models thanks to the (late) adoption of the Wi-Fi standard. Fi 6E.
Deliveries from March 8
For the rest, almost nothing changes. We find the same chassis and the same design, the same Liquid Retina screens of 13.6 and 15.3 inches respectively, the same connectors (two Thunderbolt ports, a MagSafe power jack and a headphone jack) and the same 1080p webcam with notch. Facial identification remains absent on these new MacBook Airs, which once again make do with a simple Touch ID fingerprint reader.
Regardless, the MacBook Air 13 M3 and MacBook Air 15 M3 are available for pre-orders starting today. Deliveries will take place from March 8. Here are their prices:
- From 1599 euros for the 15-inch MacBook Air M3 (1449 euros in education price
- From 1299 euros for the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 (1199 euros in education price
Note that the MacBook Air M1 is officially leaving the Apple catalog, replaced by the entry-level MacBook Air M2. The latter thus sees its price drop to 1199 euros in starting price.
Source : Apple press release
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