MacBook Air M3 (13 inches): technical sheet, price and reviews

MacBook Air M3: its screen

The MacBook Air M3 has a small 13.6-inch screen; it's todaythe smallestamong all Apple laptops. We recognize a 2K definition which displays vibrant colors, and unfailing responsiveness although the absence of ProMotion refresh rate at one hundred and twenty frames per second is notable here. The brightness also only reaches five hundred nits: it's really very little, especially if we compare this figure to that reached by the MacBook Pro with M3, M3 Pro or M3 Max chip,who do three times better!

For purists, you should also know that the MacBook Air M3 screen offers a wide range of colors (P3) and is equipped with True Tone technology which is also found on most models in the premium range. This is a solution that adapts the tones of the display according to your environment, with the stated objective of making your eyes less tired, particularly in the event of intensive use of the machine.

MacBook Air M3 performance

The MacBook Air M3, as its name suggests, is powered by the M3 chip from Apple. Designed by the American manufacturer but assembled by TSMC in Asia, it is, with our laptop of the day, offered in several different configurations. First of all, know that the CPU is limited to eight cores, regardless of the model you choose (it is most often considered that the higher the number of cores, the higher the computing power). The graphics card, however, comes either with eight or ten cores. As for RAM, you have the choice between eight gigabytes, sixteen gigabytes or even twenty-four gigabytes. These three components are assembled on a single motherboard, hence the name “SoC” (system on chip).

Please note, moreover, that the MacBook Air M3 is supplied with the storage capacity of your choice, among four options:

• SSD de 256 Go
• SSD de 512 Go
• SSD de 1 To
• SSD de 2 To

The higher the storage capacity, the more data you will be able to save on the device memory. Otherwise, 5 GB of online storage is offered on iCloud, regardless of the MacBook Air M3 model you choose to purchase.

Connections, audio, camera and external monitor support

The main novelty of the thirteen-inch MacBook Air M3 if we compare it to its predecessor in terms of external monitor support is that we can now associatetwoto the device. Against only one previously. With this, know that the thirteen-inch MacBook Air M3 is equipped with USB-C connectivity to connect wired headphones, an external hard drive or even an iPhone charger.

The sound from the speakers is quite good, although pairing viaBluetoothmay be more suitable for some users. The jack socket is also included, for example to install stereo speakers on a fixed workstation. With this, know that for wireless connectivity you benefit from Wi-Fi 6E, with speeds up to twice as fast aspreviouslyaccording to the manufacturer. The camera is however limited to HD, but the quality of video calls remains there with little slowdown, if you have a good connection and you use the native FaceTime app to do this.

The MacBook Air M3s do not have 4G connectivity, and do not haveno Ethernet port either. We also regret the absence of an HDMI socket or SD card reader, but the MacBook Pro M3s are there to meet this challenge.

Our opinion on the design of the MacBook Air M3

The MacBook Air M3 more or less takes up the design of its predecessor. We particularly appreciate it because it is a verycompact. The bezels around the screen are notably quite thin, which offers an excellent size/screen ratio to users. On the other hand, we regret that the camera was cut out like this, especially when we know that Apple now knows how to integrate the front sensor under the screen of its devices. But that's a detail.

Moreover, the device is very light. Really very light. You just need to hold it for a few minutes and compare it to the mass of a MacBook Pro to realize: we are here on a real featherweight. As a bonus, Apple offers several colors on the menu: you can associate your device with the color of your iPhone or your Apple Watch, for example.

Battery life of the MacBook Air M3

The official technical sheet specifies that Apple's MacBook Air M3 can last up tosix o'clockin a row, while on. This is verified in real conditions. Of course, let us point out, however, that this is only an estimate obtained in the laboratory and according to test criteria which may differ from your daily use. So check that the mAh suits you before purchasing.

Price comparison

The price of the thirteen-inch MacBook Air M3 is the most affordable for this generation of chips, at Apple. It is therefore necessary to countonly 1,299 eurosto afford the device. Be careful, however, because this is the price you will be asked for only to obtain the basic configuration. However, this one is clearly not the most efficient, it must be admitted.

You can quickly drive up the price of the MacBook Air M3, if you choose to add more storage or RAM. Note that the basic version comes with only eight graphics card cores for eight gigabytes of RAM and only 256 gigabytes of internal storage.

What is macOS worth today?

The thirteen-inch MacBook Air M3 is powered by the proprietary macOS Sonoma operating system. In any case, this is the native version available when the device is launched. But the computer is also compatible with the following versions, within a certain time limit. Make sure that the version of the operating system you need is compatible before checking out.

Many applications are already preinstalled on macOS, such as Mail or Keynote. One of the main assets of the operating system remains its integration with the rest of the Apple ecosystem. You can thus capture photos with your iPhone, and they will be synchronized and available within the Photos app also available on Mac. Likewise, it will be easy to check your inbox with Mail on iPad and be able to find the same emails on the client for Mac.

Overall opinion on the MacBook Air M3 (13 inches)

The MacBook Air M3 is a relativelycomplete. Our opinion remains that its technical sheet is very similar to that of its predecessor, but this does not mean that this should discourage the purchase.

With the thirteen-inch MacBook Air M3, Apple offers us its most affordable laptop of its generation. The device remains of coursemore expensive than averageof the sector among the competition, but the operating system is very complete and the compact format very appreciable.