MacBook Air (15″, 2024, M3 chip): our opinion on the technical sheet and its price

Prices of the fifteen-inch MacBook Air

Apple offers three basic configurations for the fifteen-inch MacBook Air from 2024. But it is possible to customize each version even more, for example by reaching 1 TB of internal storage. Here is the trio of offers automatically available in the Apple Store:

• 1 599 eurosfor the most affordable version, with ten-core GPU, eight gigabytes of RAM and a 256 gigabyte SSD
• 1,829 euros for the version with ten-core GPU, eight gigabytes of RAM and a 512 gigabyte SSD
• 2,059 euros for the version with ten-core GPU, sixteen gigabytes of RAM and a 512 gigabyte SSD

Different colors to choose from

Four colorsare offered:

• midnight (very dark blue)
• starlight (pale yellow)
• space gray
• silver

A relatively compact format despite the large screen

Dimensions

The fifteen-inch MacBook Air M3 is only 1.15 centimeters thick, 34.04 centimeters long and 23.76 centimeters wide.

Weight of the fifteen-inch MacBook Air M3 (2024)

The fifteen-inch MacBook Air from 2024 weighs around one and a half kilograms. A mass which goes relatively unnoticed in most backpacks, and ultimately not so far from that of theprevious model.

MacBook Air fifteen-inch M3 screen data sheet

• diagonal size:15.3 inches
• resolution: 2K (2880 x 1864 pixels)
• maximum brightness: five hundred nits
• wide range of Apple colors (P3)
• True Tone technology adapts the screen colors according to your environment, to reduce eye fatigue
• night mode, with the same objective

Performances

RAM

The fifteen-inch MacBook Air (M3) comes with your choice of:

• eight gigabytes of RAM
• sixteen gigabytes of RAM
• twenty-four gigabytes of RAM

There is no option with thirty-two gigabytes of RAM, unlike theMacBook Pro with M3 chip.

M3 processor

The M3 processor is available with several configurations, choosing the fifteen-inch MacBook Air from 2024. It is not possible to opt for the M3 Pro and M3 Max versions.

There are only two choices for the M3 here:

• Eight-core CPU + ten-core graphics card
• Eight-core CPU + eight-core graphics card

Each edition of the M3 is equipped with an engine boosting calculation speed with artificial intelligence. The Neural Engine (that's its name) is made up of sixteen cores.

Battery life of the fifteen-inch MacBook Air (2024)

The autonomy of the fifteen-inch MacBook Air depends above all on your daily use. Apple has notably imagined two scenarios here. On the one hand, you should be able to easily reach fifteen hours of autonomy in wireless web browsing. On the other hand, if you play videos with the Apple TV app (streaming), then the autonomy reaches up tosix o'clockaccording to the manufacturer.

It is assumed that to achieve these figures, Bluetooth was, for example, disabled, with the speakers muted.

MacBook Air fifteen-inch (M3): storage options offered

• SSD de 256 Go (configuration de base)
• SSD de 512 Go
• SSD de 1 To
• SSD de 2 To

Image and sound

Camera Definition

The camera of the fifteen-inch MacBook Air with M3 chip has a 1080p definition, in other words Full HD.

Audio

• three microphones with directional beamforming
• Audio spatial
• Voice isolation mode
• mode Large spectre
• six speakers with force-cancelling woofers
• Dolby Atmos
• support for high impedance headphones

External monitor support

The fifteen-inch MacBook Air of 2024 supportstwo external monitors. Or 100% more than the first model, released in 2023.

Connectivity and wireless

Ports

• 3.5 millimeter jack
• two USB ports (fourth generation) with Thunderbolt technology
• MagSafe socket for wired charging

No wireless charging with the fifteen-inch MacBook Air M4. No HDMI port or SD card slot, either.

Wireless networks of the fifteen-inch MacBook Air (2024)

• Bluetooth 5.3 and previous generation support
• Wi-Fi 6E and support for previous generations
• AirDrop (works over Wi-Fi) for sending documents very quickly
• AirPlay to play music with compatible devices (HomePod, Apple TV, etc.)

The advantages of the keyboard

The keyboard of the fifteen-inch MacBook Air takes up almost the entire width of the case. We recognize the presence of a fingerprint sensor dedicated to Touch ID, which you only need to press once to lock the macOS screen.

No key to access emojis, unfortunately. But just press control + space + command (apple key) to access these shortcuts.

The fifteen-inch MacBook Air's keyboard doesn't include a Touch Bar, but a large touchpad is included just below. It is particularly impressive, and is therefore sufficient for editing images on the fly – even if a dedicated device will necessarily be better for long-term use.

What apps are installed on the MacBook Air M3 (fifteen inches)?

• App Store (to download third-party apps)
• Books (to read books to download)
• Calendar (compatible with Google Calendar)
• Contacts (synced with your iPhone)
• FaceTime (appels visio)
• Locate (to find your fifteen-inch MacBook Air in the event of theft)
• Freeform (note taking and mind maps)
• GarageBand (music production made easy)
• Home (management of your home automation devices)
• iMovie (easy video editing)
• Keynote (creating PowerPoint-style presentations)
• Mail (Gmail compatible inbox)
• Plans (concurrent de Google Maps)
• Messages (synced with iPhone and iPad)
• Music (streaming from 10.99 euros per month)
• Notes (simple note taking)
• Numbers (spreadsheet similar to Microsoft Excel or Framacalc but offline)
• Photo Booth (to capture selfies with the camera)
• Pages (word processing)
• Photos (media library with 5 GB of online storage offered on iCloud)
• Podcasts (free and paid audio broadcasts)
• Preview (image viewer and quick edit of photos)
• QuickTime Player (alternative to VLC)
• Reminders (synced with iOS)
• Safari browser (optional, as you can also use it to install third-party browsers such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome)
• Shortcuts (to automate tasks)
• Siri voice assistant (often considered less effective than Alexa or Mountain View's Google Assistant)
• Stock market (to follow the prices of your favorite stocks)
• Time Machine (to regularly make registry backups, useful to restore in the event of a technical problem or following an update)
• Apple TV (count 9.99 euros per month for the paid subscription to Apple TV+)
• Dictaphone (for recording voice memos or recording meetings)

The opinion ofiPhon.fr

The fifteen-inch MacBook Air revisited in 2024 is acopied/pasted from its predecessor, although the arrival of Wi-Fi 6E or support for a second external monitor are notable. It's quite a shame that the number of USB-C ports is limited to two, especially when you know that the chassis offers plenty of room for more.

Thevalue for moneyof this device is perhaps the best that Apple offers with its laptops, at the moment. In fact, it was previously necessary to pay more than two thousand euros to afford a large slab from the Apple firm. But that’s ancient history now.