MacBook Air M2 vs MacBook Air M3 (we found 7 small differences)

1 – Changes for the processor

To begin with, Apple has obviously changed the processor of the MacBook Air, as indicated by the nickname of the new model. The latter is thus powered by the M3 processor. Only, here it is: at first glance, its technical sheet seems identical to that of the M2 chip already present on previous laptops in the same range. But a closer look reveals two major improvements. Here they are:

• M3 chip supportsray tracing
• the decoding engineAV1is only available with the M3 chip

Regarding theray tracing, the founder Nvidia, specialist in graphics cards, explains on its site that this technology “simulates the physical behavior of light” in order to generate images. As for the AV1 format, know, to keep it short, that it is a video codec that does not require royalties from developers. The standard is mainly used for content to be distributed on the web, and succeeds the open standard VP9.

2 – Your calls will improve

Second major difference: during calls made with FaceTime, conversations are now more qualitative, according to Apple. Now, MacBook Airs allow you to take advantage of two features that are also found on the most recent iPhones and iPads. It is on the one hand the modeVoice isolation, Who "prioritizes your voice and blocks ambient noise” according to the publisher.

On the other hand, conversely, “if you want to bring out your voice and all the sounds around you“, then this is the modeLarge spectre who is waiting for you. This offers you the possibility of “not filtering out ambient noise“, again according to the explanations provided by Apple. For those who wish to know more, know that the Apple firm has detailed these new features in adedicated article.

Apple also explains that it has improved voice clarity, whether during video calls or with only the microphone activated, but not the camera.

3 – Faster downloads?

At the same time, the technical sheet of the new thirteen- and fifteen-inch MacBook Air with M3 chip specifies that the Wi-Fi 6 technology present on previous models has been abandoned in favor of the standardWi-Fi 6E. The latter is faster in certain cases, but Apple claims to be able to offer speeds up to twice as fast as Wi-Fi 6. Obviously, these figures should be considered with caution: this will depend in turn on your internet connection, the type of files to transfer or the configuration of your machine. We also know that sending and receiving data does not always go at the same speed.

4 – The battery

The battery life of the MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Air M3, on paper, is the same: up to eighteen hours, regardless of the size of the screen (thirteen or fifteen inches, therefore).

However, we note that the battery power goes from 56.2 Wh to 52.6 Wh, for small models. But since no difference regarding autonomy is specified, it is perhaps not necessary to take into account this theoretical numerical gap. Unless, perhaps, it's feed rate you're interested in, but the improvement shouldn't be more than about 10%.

5 – Repairability index: less good!

The new MacBook Air seemsmore difficult to repairthan his predecessor:

• MacBook Air M2: 6,6/10
• MacBook Air M3 : 6,5/10

6 – Finally support for two external monitors

MacBook Air M2s support a single external monitor, which allows for example to extend or duplicate the macOS interface.

For comparison, the MacBook Air M3s support two.The M3 MacBook Pros are also updated to qualify for this new advantage, but not the MacBook Air M2s.

7 – Just one small price drop

Finally, note that the prices of the MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Air M3 are generally identical – except for the version with 512 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM.

Here is the price difference to note:

• MacBook Air M2 (512 GB internal storage + 8 GB RAM):1 649 euros
• MacBook Air M3 (same configuration):1 529 euros

These prices correspond to the 13-inch edition.

• MacBook Air M3s support a new video codec and 2 external displays
• MacBook Air M3s are less easily repaired than MacBook Air M2s
• MacBook Air M3s have better audio during FaceTime calls compared to MacBook Air M2s