The latest version of the MacBook Air takes what was already the best consumer laptop on the market and makes it a little better.
For its price bracket, the power this delivers with the M3 chip, the fantastic battery life and the premium feel make it a no-brainer for the majority of people.
It's still not perfect and there are ways Apple could fix a few small issues to improve the MacBook Air further yet but, really, unless you're chained to the PC ecosystem or want a machine for gaming only, it would be hard to recommend something instead of this.
I've been using an M3 MacBook Air for the past few weeks and here are my thoughts.
The good
This is the wonderful modern MacBook Air body debuted in 2022 with a slightly less powerful chip than the extremely powerful most recent top-end MacBook Pros got in 2023.
The 13-inch model starts at NZ$2049, which is cheap for what you're getting. It's worth noting that price means just 8GB of RAM, however - more on that later. Still, the price range is very reasonable.
The design is identical to the sleek and light M2 Air and it's still awesome. It's just so thin and light that carrying it anywhere and using it in confined spaces is a breeze.
Speaking of, as it has about double the battery life of most rivals and can easily power through a full day of work without needing to be plugged in, you generally don't need to carry a charger around with you.
As for the main thing that's been upgraded with this Air release, the M3 chip is fantastic even in this version, not just the more expensive MacBook Pro. Independent benchmark tests done since its release back-up Apple's claims of a significant jump in power from the M2 Air, which was a big jump from the M1, which was an enormous jump from the old Intel-powered MacBook Airs.
This just means whatever you're doing on your laptop, it's faster. For most everyday users this may be hard to tell if they're upgrading from an already mighty M2 - but not many people will be. Coming from an older MacBook, especially one several years old that struggles with multi-tasking, this will be a massive and massively appreciated leap.
If you're doing extremely intense tasks for long periods of time, you're still best to get a MacBook Pro, but this M3 Air also handles the very few top-end games Apple now supports well too - think Lies of P and Death Stranding.
There is also Wi-Fi 6E support for the few households or workplaces that have that. If you do, this upgrade is most noticeable with downloads, which will be considerably quicker.
Another upgrade is dual external displays when the lid is closed, but still just one if you have it open.
The bad
Connections-wise, there are two USB-C ports and a MagSafe port on the left side, along with a 3.55mm headphone port on the right. That's it.
As the name suggests, the Air is all about wireless connection, but this lack of ports can be a bit annoying. It's also sometimes annoying having the charging port on one side only.
That starting level of 8GB RAM in the year 2024 is also a bit silly. The efficiency of this computer and the power of its M3 chip mean this isn't as insane as it may sound, but depending on how you use your laptop, a lot of folks will want to pay to get more.
Currently on Apple's NZ online store, the cheapest you'll get a 13-inch M3 Air with 16GB RAM is $2749, which also has 512GB of storage rather than the entry-level's 256, as well as two extra cores in the GPU.
Keep in mind you can't upgrade to more RAM or storage after purchasing one of these, so you have to really think ahead when you're deciding on options. In five years from now, will 8GB RAM and 256GB storage still be enough?
The limitations on external displays will also be a problem for some users.
I guess one other negative is just how unsurprising this update is. It's just a power bump with a few other little upgrades, but then, that's all it needs to further its lead against competitors.
The verdict
This is a nice fine-tuning of what was already a truly brilliant everyday laptop.
For students, casual users, many workers - pretty much anyone using a laptop for anything other than the most demanding tasks or serious gaming - this is the laptop to get.
It's keyboard, trackpad and tiny yet sturdy and elegant design make it more of a pleasure to use than most modern laptops, then it has the extra power of the M3 chip and battery life of at least 15 hours non-stop use before it needs a charge.
That all adds up to making this the consumer laptop to beat.
Newshub was supplied a 13-inch M3 MacBook Air for this review.
