Apple M3 MacBook Air vs M2 MacBook Air: What’s the difference?

The MacBook Air M2 and the MacBook Air M3 may be similar when it comes to display, build quality, weight, and other physical attributes, but the main difference lies with the new M3 chipset, which Apple claims is way faster than its predecessor. Here are some differences between the MacBook Air M2 and the MacBook Air M3 that will help you decide if it’s worth spending the extra bucks.

MacBook Air M3 comes in 13- and 15-inch screen size. (Image Source: Apple)

Faster Wi-Fi Support:

The newly launched MacBook Air M3 supports the Wi-Fi 6E standard, noticeably faster than the MacBook Air M2’s Wi-Fi 6. While the newer standard offers increased speed, the range is pretty much limited to a small to medium-sized room. It also requires compatible routers, so if your work involves downloading or uploading a lot of big files, the MacBook Air M3 should be a considerable upgrade over its predecessor.

Increased CPU and GPU Performance:

Apple says the MacBook Air M3 brings a 15 per cent improvement in each performance core over its predecessor, meaning CPU-intensive tasks on the newer laptops should be comparatively faster. The new MacBook Air M3 also comes with a new GPU architecture that supports ray tracing, mesh shading to more realistic shadows in games and a new Dynamic Caching memory system, increasing overall performance for gaming and GPU-reliant apps. If your work involves CPU and GPU-intensive tasks like video editing and animation, the MacBook Air M3 is definitely worth the extra cost.

While Apple doesn’t clearly say how the MacBook Air M3 compares to the MacBook Air M2 in terms of performance, it does claim that the MacBook Air M3 is up to 13x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air. In a press note last year, Apple stated that the 15-inch MacBook Air M2 is up to 12x faster than the fastest Intel-based Air. In both of these instances, the MacBook Air M2 and M3 have been measured against a 1.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-based MacBook Air with Intel Iris Plus Graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD.

Improved Audio and External Display Support:

The 2024 MacBook Air M3 also features some audio improvements over the M2 version. The new MacBook Air supports voice isolation and wide spectrum microphone modes, which should improve the overall audio quality during audio or video meetings. While the MacBook Air M2 can only power one external display, the MacBook Air M3 lets users connect up to two external monitors when the lid is closed.

While this may not be a good enough reason for most people to upgrade, if you often find yourself projecting your MacBook Air on a big display, this is a pretty useful upgrade.

Should you buy the new MacBook Air M3?

While the newly launched MacBook Air M3 offers increased GPU and CPU performance, faster Wi-Fi, and better microphones, if your work doesn’t involve downloading and working with large files, video editing, and animation as well as AI-intensive tasks, the MacBook Air M2 should handle day-to-day tasks without a hiccup.

However, if you are looking for a lightweight laptop that offers top-of-the-line performance and packs the latest and fastest hardware, the MacBook Air M3 is an easy recommendation. The MacBook Air M2 starts from Rs 99,999 for the 13-inch model with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, while the base version of the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 is priced at Rs 1,14,900.