NEW M3 MacBook Air - Hands On, First Impressions

In this video I give my first impressions of Apple's new M3 MacBook Air. Specifically, I'm looking at the 13-inch model with 16GB of Unified Memory - perhaps the most important product SKU since the Apple Silicon machines first launched...

I also run a few benchmarks and compare it with an M1 MacBook Air (also configured with 16GB) - should you consider upgrading if you have one of the early Apple Silicon MacBook Air models?

Does the revised Midnight finish resist fingerprint marks better?

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Apple MacBook Air M3 (2024)

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[aerobrain]

THANK YOU for focusing on the M1 comparison! Always irks me when the focus is on the model from a year ago, I can’t imagine many people upgrade laptops that frequently. And those that do are likely the sort of people who’ll buy the latest model regardless

[lucasmoka]

I like your vibe, how calm and real you are. It’s became rare these days in this niche

[kimsam]

Please give more time for tech and let us enjoy your amazing reviews. thank you so much

[halfalligator]

always a pleasure watching your clear analysis. The 15" M3 Air is tempting the hell out of me (24GB RAM to help with my photography & web dev).

[MajesticJoshua]

I upgraded from the M1 Air to the 15" M3 Air. I just use my MacBook for internet and Pages so the base model is more than enough for me, and I love it. I got it in Midnight so it goes nicely with my other Apple products.

[archerman]

The M1 with 8GB of RAM was my first Apple computer after 32 years of using Windows devices, and I was initially concerned about the limited RAM. However, three years later, I have zero regrets. If I had to buy a new MacBook today, I would still choose the 8GB RAM option without hesitation. Macs and PCs have very different memory requirements. I still can't believe how my fan-less M1 with 8GB of RAM trashes my memory-hungry a year older XPS15 which came at double the price of the mac

[vernearase]

You should still test the Wifi speed - Max Tech found it to be faster _even if you don't have a Wifi 6e router_ - probably due to MIMO 4x4 antennas or a faster Wifi chip.

[JoeDezibel]

Great video like allways. Good to see that your health is getting better. 🎉

[Screaming-Trees]

Great overview and comparison. I have the M1 air 16gb/1TB configuration as a light task laptop which I end up using almost every day all day funnily enough. The other laptop is a M1 Max with 64gb/1TB config. That's used in a music studio for production work. I love the M1 air. It's a masterpiece. Super fast and no fan. Same thing with the Pro 16". But I am kind of excited about the 28% single core bump I have to admit. That's a big deal in music where single core is king for running synths and stuff. I have some patches in Diva that actually crap out on the M1. Not enough headroom. Having more single core headroom might just solve that so I'd be interested in maybe upgrading one of the machines to the M3 architecture and seeing whats what. Again great comparison and almost custom made for me and my situation. Thanks.

[Archivist]

Great impression video! I really love that you can get a standard config 16GB RAM model now - personally if I'm buying something north of £1K I prefer picking it up in person & this makes it a lot easier.

[bryans]

Thanks for the review. I generally buy last gen and/or refurbished but you make a compelling argument to opt for an M3 MBA.

[SundayRacers]

I'd like to see how it stacks up against my 14 inch M1 Pro (base model)

[GoWithAndy-cptz]

I'm amazed by the work you're doing. I really appreciate the way you walk through the specs and tests. Keep up the excellent work. Cheers!

[RadekPogoda]

16/512 is the "go-to" config for Mac. I think the question many people ask is what you get if instead of 1, 5K for the Air you decide to pay 1, 8K for the base M3 Pro. Could you do a comparison?

[marksaxon]

I wouldn't get any laptop with less than 16GB of memory in 2024. I know ppl have tight budgets but with these laptops lasting 5+ years, why not future proof yourself?

[goobfilmcast]

Your comparison with the MBA M1 is correct. M3 "Upgraders" will likely come from Intel or OG M1s owners.

[pfriedel]

It's interesting to see the UK 35w adaptor - the US one is much more like a phone-sized / styled charger than a laptop-sized / styled charger. It's just a brick that's 50x50x28 with flip out US prongs, so it's really compact and portable.

[JonathanJK]

I have an M1 Pro MBP. I’m not upgrading until at least M5. The Star Trek nerd inside me demands it.

[billymania]

The only thing that runs natively on Silicon Macs is MacOS. So those amazing performance numbers are in isolation. My Intel Mac can run MacOS, Linux and Windows X86 natively and since I don't game or do video encoding stuff, it's a very satisfactory machine for me. I think its important to keep things in perspective.

[clarknova]

"Subscription improves geekery" 😂 If I hadn't already... Excellent balanced and considered review, great production values. A much needed contrast to some of the other US-based 'hype' reviews. Keep up the good work.