Apple MacBook Air 13 M3 Faster and with Wi-Fi 6E

 

Apple MacBook Air 13 M3 Review - Much faster and with Wi-Fi 6E

Best subnotebook. Apple has updated its MacBook Air and thanks to its M3 SoC, the performance of the laptop is now higher than ever. Further improvements include its Wi-Fi 6E support and the ability to connect up to two external displays. Moreover, the blue midnight color variant has been given a new coating to eliminate fingerprint smudges.

MacBook Air M2 The MacBook Air M2 was introduced 1.5 years ago and at that time, Apple unveiled a completely new design. Meanwhile, the series has been expanded by a larger 15-inch model. After Apple already introduced its new M3-SoC generation in the MacBook Pro models at the end of last year, now follows the M3 update of the MacBook Air 13. Surprisingly, not much has changed about its design - but it now supports Wi-Fi 6E.

The older MacBook Air 13 M2 is still available for purchase (MRSP from US$999), replacing the older MacBook Air M1 as the manufacturer's cheapest MacBook. The new MacBook Air M3 starts at US$1,099, which is US$200 less than the M2 model at launch. Instead, it still only features a mere 8 GB of RAM and a 256-GB SSD. Our test device is the variant with the faster 10-core GPU, 16 GB of RAM and a 512-GB SSD for US$1,499. Since the device remains unchanged in many respects, we'd additionally recommend looking at our previous reviews of the MacBook Air M2 as well as our analysis of the M3 SoC:

Apple MacBook Air M2 entry review

Apple MacBook Air M2 10-Core GPU Review

Apple M3 SoC Analysis

Apple MacBook Air 13 M3 10C GPU Processor Apple M3 8 x 2.7 - 4.1 GHz, 21 W PL2 / Short Burst, 10.5 W PL1 / Sustained Graphics adapterApple M3 10-core GPU, 15 W TDP

Memory 16 GB, LPDDR5-6400, dual-channel, onboard Display 13.60 inches 16:10, 2560 x 1664 pixels 225 PPI, IPS, glossy: Yes, 60 Hz StorageApple SSD AP0512Z, 512 GB

, 465 GB free Weight 1.237 kg (= 43.63 oz / 2.73 lb), power supply: 184 g (= 6.49 oz / 0.41 lb) The price is 1759 euros Link Apple homepage Note: Manufacturers may use components from different suppliers, including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications. See all specifications

Case - Midnight MacBook now with a new cover

In general, nothing has changed about the design and case quality of the MacBook Air 13. Compared to the older MacBook Air M1, the current design does not use a wedge-shaped base unit. In practical use, this isn't a problem despite its stiff front edge, as the base unit is too flat to be annoying for your wrists. Its build remains excellent and the same can be said for its durability. Its maximum opening angle is 135 degrees. With the release of energy M2,

 

Apple has expanded its well-known color scheme of silver and space gray to include two new options: Starlight and Midnight. The dark blue variant Midnight looked particularly good in product photos, but it quickly became a fingerprint magnet and its surfaces were nearly impossible to keep clean. Subsequently, the new M3 model (Midnight) comes with an anodized coating—similar to the black version of the MacBook Pro 14/16—to help mitigate this. As a result, fingerprint marks are much less of a problem. As was the case with the black MBP14, marks are visible after a long time, but the surfaces can be cleaned more easily using a cloth.

Measuring 11.3mm thick, the MacBook Air 13 is going to be very thin, resulting in a footprint considerably larger than the Dell XPS 13 or ThinkPad Z13, for example—almost as large as a 14-inch device like the Zenbook 14 OLED. It weighs 1.237 kg and the 35-W power supply (with 2x USB-C) weighs 184 g with MagSafe cable.

size comparison

Asus ZenBook 14 UX3405MA Huawei MateBook X Pro 2023 Apple MacBook Air 13 M3 10C GPU Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry HP Dragonfly G4 Dell XPS 13 Plus 9320 Core i7-1360P Lenovo D2IN13k