M2 vs. M3 MacBook Air Buyer's Guide: All Differences Compared

[MayaUser]

And availability of Max chip, 128 GB RAM, more memory bandwidth. In addition to the better display, better speakers, better cooling, better battery life,512SSD, HDMI, SDXC card slot that you reference.

He is talking for sure just about the M3 14" Mbp ( the base model, with one fan)

 

[nothingtoseehere]

The 2 monitor native support is a GAME CHANGER! Ordered!

Very important for office environments! Comparable Windows-laptops have no problems in supporting multiple displays, so this was really necessary.

 

[Robin Bonathan]

So is it worth updating a M1 MBP to a 15" M3 MBair ?

 

[lewchenko]

So is it worth updating a M1 MBP to a 15" M3 MBair ?

Not really considering what you would lose. A bit faster cpu isn’t worth the loss of a much better display alone!

 

[j_in_tx]

The 2 monitor native support is a GAME CHANGER! Ordered!

this is the biggest deal in my opinion; I previously wouldn’t choose an Air for real work as I needed 2 external monitor at the minimum. Otherwise, I had to go with Pro/Max.

 

[ghanwani]

Which would the advanced tech be? Dithering? Because the M2 MacBook Air is one of the few to not have PWM. Do you also have eye strain with the M1 Macbook air (which does have PWM)?

Yes all M's cause eye strain. The last MBs I was able to use were Intel.

 

[match14]

If it’s two monitors with the lid closed, is it only one monitor with the lid open?

 

[tonyisit]

I agree 100% , ...for just $100 not to take the M3 with wifi6E, better ext support and hd ray tracing for those who use it....But everybody is entitle to his opinion but i expected more from tech guys

and what are doing with ray tracing? It is still a joke on the PC and most of us gamers turn it off

 

[Fuzzball84]

The M2 macbook air is a steal now…. For most “regular” consumers.

If you know your needs are more, you buy appropriately. And you know whoare are and what you need 🧐

 

[Total Respray]

One thing not mentioned is the possible downgrade as the speakers no longer list ‘wide stereo sound’ like the M2 versions (and M3 Pro) have.

 

[k1121j]

The 2 monitor native support is a GAME CHANGER! Ordered!

Kinda.. it’s still two total screens but I get what your saying.

 

[Stokervic]

I have a 13” MBP late 2011, can only afford a MBA M3 with 512Gb storage. I know it will be an upgrade but is there anything else I should consider at the same price?

Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[Chuckeee]

I guess that is the final M1 Mac, I’ll bet M1 iPads are not far behind

 

[Chuckeee]

I have a 13” MBP late 2011, can only afford a MBA M3 with 512Gb storage. I know it will be an upgrade but is there anything else I should consider at the same price?

You might consider going with the M2 MBA, but with a RAM upgrade also and with an education discount

 

[Robin Bonathan]

Not really considering what you would lose. A bit faster cpu isn’t worth the loss of a much better display alone!

M1 pro has a fairly standard display tough, the M2 it was upgraded.

 

[Wowereit]

I'd really like to see an M3 MacBook Air vs an M3 MacBook Pro comparison to see the $500 price justification.

Pros:
- miniLED 120 Hz display on the Pro is significantly better
- speakers on the Pro are better
- 512 GB base
- more ports

Cons:
- significantly bulkier and heavier
- can make noise due to having a fan
- pricing

The M3 MacBook Pro is weird due to having 8 GB of RAM and pricing being so close to the M3 Pro MacBook Pro with 18 GB and significantly higher performance.

The Air is basically the default option, if the Pro has something you need, you should probably consider the "real" MacBook Pro with M3 Pro, not the M3 version.

 

[leftyMac]

In Canada, the base M3 is $1,449.00, and the base M2 in refurb, which is pretty much brand new in a plain box, is $1,099.00.

I'm on the fence to pull the trigger on either one, but I still can't decide which one to get...

 

[Greggers135]

Anyone know how to get DisplayLink to use nightshift? If that is solved I have no reason to upgrade from M2..

if you are using the latest drivers/software of DisplayLink it has support for f.lux, just download the Mac App and setup it up. Yes I know it is not the same as native nightshift but it is an option.

 

[TigerNike23]

if you are using the latest drivers/software of DisplayLink it has support for f.lux, just download the Mac App and setup it up. Yes I know it is not the same as native nightshift but it is an option.

Good suggestion, I would also recommend f.lux.

 

[frisnit]

So is it worth updating a M1 MBP to a 15" M3 MBair ?

That's what I'm doing, the M1 MBP was only a stop gap for me as I wanted a bigger screen (but still something light and quiet), and neither the later M-chip 14" or 16" MBPs were suitable. I suspect there's a strong argument for getting a 15" M2 if it becomes discounted heavily enough though (if value is more important), as there's not a huge spec bump.

 

[David1964]

I've had my M2 MacBook Air going on for two years... I'll probably keep it for 2 to 3 more and upgrade whenever we finally get an OLED MacBook Air.

Thanks for telling us.

 

[arcite]

M2 Air - Eye strain
M3 Air - Eye strain

In other words, no change. And Apple won't even provide a software switch to disable their "advanced" tech that is causing trouble for many of us.

Turn off font-smoothing. You can do this in Terminal (or download an app utility called “Font Smoothing Adjuster”. Problem solved. Now you have sharp fonts, no more blurry mess. Your welcome.

 

[AdamSeen]

Article written mostly with ChatGPT.

People notice, and brains switch off reading the superfluous adjectives.

 

[zach-coleman]

15” of this might be my next laptop, depending on how the real world speed comparisons shake out. I might need to step up to an M3 pro though. Currently the base M1 is just starting to become sluggish on occasion in my workflow.

Article written mostly with ChatGPT.

People notice, and brains switch off reading the superfluous adjectives.

Probably not the case. If you look on their comparison articles prior to ChatGPT they have a similar tone.

 

[watchthisspace]

I bought my base model M1 Macbook for $1500NZD and the new M3 is... $2050NZD, not for me.