MacBook Air M2 vs MacBook Air M3: comparison and differences (which one to choose?)

What changes

A new processor

To begin with, you should know that the new MacBook Air has, as its name suggests, a brand new processor with the M3 version. The eponymous chip is thus equipped with several new features, such as hardware-accelerated ray tracing and the AV1 decoding engine dedicated to media. Conversely, the proprietary M2 processor does not benefit from any of these advantages: it is the previous generation of motherboard, necessarily a little less efficient.

Power tests between the MacBook Air M2 and the MacBook Air M3 have already been carried out with the Geekbench app. We discover the following scores:

• 3,157 points for the single core MacBook Air M3 benchmark (+20 %compared to MacBook Air M2)
• 12,020 points for the single core MacBook Air M3 benchmark (+18% compared to the MacBook Air M2)

Support for a second external monitor

The MacBook Air M3s are also capable of supporting the extension or duplication of the display on no less than two external monitors, compared to only one with the MacBook Air M2s.

Vitesse de connexion : MacBook Air M2 vs MacBook Air M3

Regarding the wireless network, note that where the MacBook Air M2 is compatible with the Wi-Fi 6 standard, the MacBook Air M3 is compatible with the standardWi-Fi 6E. According to the manufacturer, this would allow it to achieve a theoretical connection speed up to twice as fast as that of the MacBook Air M2.

MacBook Air M3s give you better call quality

We find four sound advantages on the technical sheet of the MacBook Air M3, which are not offered on that of the MacBook Air M2. First of all, it is the “voice isolation” dedicated to the microphone, allowing the volume of surrounding noise experienced by the owner to be reduced during an audio or video call. Conversely, a mode called “large spectre” allows you to capture the voices of those around you as best as possible. Thus, the MacBook Air M3 will be better than the MacBook Air M2 at capturing the discussion of a meeting in order to transmit it to others.

It's less clear, but Apple explains that it has improved the “vocal clarity” audio and video calls. However, we don't really know what criteria are taken into account here, to compare with the MacBook Air M2. FaceTime is the first app to take advantage of this new feature natively.

Which MacBook Air is the most durable?

To answer this question, we chose to take several criteria into account. The first is that of the repairability rating, now mandatory in mainland France. Here, the index is 6.6/10 for the MacBook Air M3, compared to 6.5/10 for the MacBook Air M3. This means that it will be more difficult to repair the MacBook Air M3 than the MacBook Air M2. Considering the prices of spare parts and the repair service in the Apple Store, it's a shame.

The second criterion to take into account is that of recycling materials. The higher the number here, the more “ecological” the MacBook Air is. We thus see that the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 is composed of50% recycled materials, compared to only 40% for the 13-inch MacBook Air M2. Other news: cobalt is 100% recycled in the battery and in the magnets of the MagSafe connector of the MacBook Air M3, but this is not the case with the MacBook Air M2 (for the 13-inch versions).

Price comparison

There is no price difference between the MacBook Air M2 and the MacBook Air M3 for the fifteen-inch models available new in the Apple Store.

On the other hand, this is not the case with the thirteen-inch MacBook Air. So,the thirteen-inch MacBook Air M3 is a little more expensive than the thirteen-inch MacBook Air M2 in base configuration: count 100 euros more (1,299 euros) for the most recent version.

What doesn't change

Écrans : MacBook Air M2 vs MacBook Air M3

The MacBook Air M2 et lesMacBook Air M3are available in two sizes: 13.6 inches or 15.3 inches. No difference whether for the resolution, the presence of True Tone technology or the refresh rate. In short, you will normally enjoy the same image quality, regardless of the model you choose.

Here are the definitions displayed in store:

Design

The MacBook Air M2 chassis isidenticalto that of the MacBook Air M3: same mass, same dimensions, same colors and same materials.

MacBook Air M2 vs MacBook Air M3: RAM

Here are the RAM options offered with the MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Air M3:

• 8 Go
• 16 Go
• 24 Go

With MacBook Air M2s as with MacBook Air M3s, the RAM is soldered to the rest of the motherboard.

The battery lasts just as long with both models

Count tosix o'clockbattery life for MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Air M3, according to official technical data sheets.

Same storage capacity

Here are the internal storage options offered with the MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Air M3:

• 512 Go
• 256 Go
• 1 To
• 2 To

All storage is SSD.

Camera and sound

The FaceTime HD camera on the MacBook Air M2 is the same as the MacBook Air M3, with a resolution limited to 1080p. The sound is also identical in all respects in terms of pure technical characteristics, without of course counting the improvements in vocal clarity and “voice isolation” or “broad spectrum” modes mentioned above.

Connections: we take the same ones and start again

Every MacBook Air comes with:

• third-generation MagSafe connectivity for wired charging
• two Thunderbolt 4 compatible USB 4 ports, also supporting Thunderbolt 3 and DisplayPort, with speeds up to 40 Gbps
• a 3.5 millimeter jack

No HDMI jack or SD card slotwith MacBook Air M2s, nor with MacBook Air M3s.

Our opinion: which one to choose?

Choosing the MacBook Air M3 represents, in short, the most reasonable option – for a new model.

Indeed, the MacBook Air M3:

• is capable of supporting two external monitors,
• is up to twice as fast over Wi-Fi,
• and provides better audio quality during calls.

On the other hand, the MacBook Air M3 is more expensive, but not by much: the basic version only has a hundred euros difference with its predecessor. Bottom line, if you're not using a third-party display and you're happy with the performance of the MacBook Air M2, then the upgrade may not be worth it. And given the already very fast results and very positive opinions on the M2 model, this will perhaps be the choice made by most consumers. What do you think?

Below, find the compared prices of the most affordable MacBook Airs. Offers are updated every two hours.