Apple reveals new 13 and 15 inch MacBook Air M3 models

Apple has revealed new M3 models of the MacBook Air in both 13 and 15 inch displays, saying they are lighter and have better battery than ever.

The new models will cost £1099 for the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 (£999 for education) and £1299 for the 15-inch (£1199 for education), and can be grabbed from the official site from today (March 4th), while it’ll also be in retail Apple Stores as well.

Here’s some of the official details:

With M3, MacBook Air is up to 60 percent faster than the model with the M1 chip and up to 13x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air.1 And with a faster and more efficient Neural Engine in M3, MacBook Air continues to be the world’s best consumer laptop for AI. The 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air both feature a strikingly thin and light design, up to 18 hours of battery life,1 a stunning Liquid Retina display, and new capabilities, including support for up to two external displays and up to 2x faster Wi-Fi than the previous generation.

With its durable aluminium unibody enclosure that’s built to last, the new MacBook Air is available in four gorgeous colours: midnight, which features a breakthrough anodisation seal to reduce fingerprints; starlight; space grey; and silver. Combined with its world-class camera, mics, and speakers; MagSafe charging; its silent, fanless design; and macOS, MacBook Air delivers an unrivalled experience — making the 13-inch model the world’s bestselling laptop and the 15-inch model the world’s bestselling 15-inch laptop.

Apple says that, for example, games like No Man’s Sky can run “up to 60 percent faster than the 13-inch MacBook Air with the M1 chip”, and image enhancing is 40% faster. Here’s a few more stats from the latest press release, that were done via Apple tests in January 2024:

• Working in Excel spreadsheets is up to 35 percent faster than the 13-inch model with the M1 chip, and up to 3x faster for customers who haven’t upgraded to a Mac with Apple silicon.
• Video editing in Final Cut Pro is up to 60 percent faster than the 13-inch model with the M1 chip, and up to 13x faster for customers who haven’t upgraded to a Mac with Apple silicon.
• Compared to a PC laptop with an Intel Core i7 processor, MacBook Air delivers up to 2x faster performance, up to 50 percent faster web browsing, and up to 40 percent longer battery life.

“MacBook Air is our most popular and loved Mac, with more customers choosing it over any other laptop. And today it gets even better with the M3 chip and new capabilities,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, adding: “From college students pursuing their degrees, to business users who need powerful productivity, or anyone who simply wants the unmatched combination of performance, portability, and industry-leading battery life, all in a fanless design, the new MacBook Air continues to be the world’s best thin and light laptop”.

The new MacBook Air M3 models are available now.