Review: Two Weeks With the M3 MacBook Air

[Fuzzball84]

I know this is Apple focused site…but those simpler tasks can be done on a low/high end Chromebook or PC at the fraction of the cost of an M1 or M2 Mac. Even if youre doing video editing etc… the average consumer can do that on M1 Mac easily… M1 didnt slow down since 2020… its just M3 is faster. And for most people that time saving is meaningless… if its just regular video editing.

Only if you're doing professional work, and on tight schedules where processing speed would be critical for delivery of projects would the latest Macs or PC make sense.

 

[Macshroomer]

Jeebus ... just about ANYTHING is an upgrade from a 2016 Air! 😂

My wife was using a 2013 MBP with a dying battery and exfoliated screen coating. I brought her home a Starlight M3 16/512 for her birthday....;-)

 

[delsoul]

For 99.9% of people, I’m not sure what an M3 Air can do that an M1 can’t. Is the tech industry turning into Hollywood…out of new ideas and nothing new to produce aside from updates/remakes?

 

[citysnaps]

For 99.9% of people, I’m not sure what an M3 Air can do that an M1 can’t. Is the tech industry turning into Hollywood…out of new ideas and nothing new to produce aside from updates/remakes?

It can be ordered with a 15.3" screen for those who don't want a 13" screen (me, for example).

 

[bb9]

I am waiting for a M3 Mac mini as my iPad Pro with mini LED is perfectly mobile. 🤞

 

[G5isAlive]

Then why "downvote" my post mentioning that MKBHD (who DOES have experience with all the M Air models) said most Air buyers should really just buy the older ones and save money?

Edit:
What do you find so funny?

(God I hate the "laugh emoji" -- so consistently misused)

View attachment 2361793

I found it funny because I saw the same video earlier and shrugged. Let's start with it's just 1 person's thoughts. And not original, it was said about the M2 as well. And it was about a particular group of users, those with minimal requirements. Which when DOESN'T that group fit last year's model at a discounted price? I remember when the M1 came out and people said, oh, get an intel now they are cheap. And 'I see your MKBHD and raise you one Luke Miani' who starts with saying the same thing as MKBHD but concludes the best feature of the MBA M3 is that it meant the M1 and M2 would get deep price cuts. But if you need the power of the M3, get the M3. No one, but no one is saying if you have to pay the original price of the M2, or M1, get it instead of the M3. They are saying, take advantage of price cuts if you want. Like is said every single time a new model is introduced.

So I laughed that this apple to oranges flag was waved as an argument the M3 means Tim Cook failed.

I am not going to get all negative about the M3 because it's only incrementally better than the M2. I am not a person that feels the need to constantly put things down. That's what I find to be funny.

And finally I chuckles because I bring to the table actual user experience, not just always referencing some YouTuber. You can find anything you want to make your point by referencing a YouTuber.

There is a noticeable and appreciated snappier feel to my MBA M3 versus my M1. I like that I can have two external monitors. The built in ray tracing is something I am looking forward to exploring.

That's my hands on use. I dont need a YouTube to point out the obvious price cuts on older models. The question people could be asking if that $200 saved is worth that year lost of updates. For many it will be. For some it won't be.

I used the laugh emoji because while I don't agree MKBHD is the end of the conversation, it wasn't worth wasting a thumbs down on.

 

[citysnaps]

I am not going to get all negative about the M3 because it's only incrementally better than the M2. I am not a person that feels the need to constantly put things down.

How do you survive here? You could instead be accumulating a ton of forum cred taking a swing at Apple/Cook/[and every device Apple has made] every day.

 

[Macshroomer]

For 99.9% of people, I’m not sure what an M3 Air can do that an M1 can’t. Is the tech industry turning into Hollywood…out of new ideas and nothing new to produce aside from updates/remakes?

It can be supported longer in terms of OS updates and upload / download files and documents faster over wifi in-between connecting flights when traveling for business. I don't think you personably know 99.9% of people so why even comment like this?

 

[Polinsky]

As MKBHD said..

Most everyone who would buy an Air is better off buying an M2 or M1 at a discount

The gouging and incrementalism has reached the point that a mainstream Youtuber is flat out saying ..."just buy the previous one.."

Nice work Tim

I find MKBHD to be a joke. He has NO credibility.

 

[jwsf28]

I bought the 16" M1 Max MBP when it was released, and I *love* it... but hauling it around everywhere can be a pain in the butt (and, admittedly, a little stressful since it was so damn expensive... heh), so I have it attached to my Studio Display for when I'm at home, and now I lug around a 13" M2 MBA EVERYWHERE and it's such a better experience. If I'm doing video editing, I do it on my Pro, but for literally everything else, the Air is MORE than enough <3

 

[G5isAlive]

For 99.9% of people, I’m not sure what an M3 Air can do that an M1 can’t. Is the tech industry turning into Hollywood…out of new ideas and nothing new to produce aside from updates/remakes?

Oh rubbish. how has the computer fundamentally changed since the first Mac? It's been mostly updates since then. lighter, faster, cheaper, better connectivity, all updates. Touch screen, okay thats different. But I would say most industries are like that. What industry reinvents itself year after year?

The M3 has well known advantages over the M1. It's not a matter of what one can do or not do over the other. Sometimes better is enough.

 

[Tagbert]

Once you go 120Hz, you can‘t go back.

I don't know. I have my personal M1 Air sitting next to my work M2 Pro 14" MBP and there just isn't that much difference between the screens to worry about. I don't use max brightness on either one and the refresh rate just isn't much of a factor either. If the 120Hz coming to the Air made it more expensive or have less battery life then I wouldn't want it.

 

[G5isAlive]

How do you survive here? You could instead be accumulating a ton of forum cred taking a swing at Apple/Cook/[and every device Apple has made] every day.

I know you are joking, but you also know I don't care about forum cred if it means I have to be negative. I will offer my opinion based on my direct use in case it is of interest with people are sincerely interested in learning something, because that's the kind of posts I come here to read. Actual hands on knowledge. Amongst those people I have enough cred.

 

[yabeweb]

I find MKBHD to be a joke. He has NO credibility.

Like most YouTubers, they are mostly glorified commercials.

Some start in honest and independent reviewers, once they get a tiny bit of popularity, money talk…

 

[emmab2006]

Sorry to say I don't watch your reviews because they are incredibly Bias, the best reviewers for the Apple products are LTT Because it's a none bias opinion from people who don't use Macs. Emily and Linus as well as Jonathan know there stuff.

 

[bzgnyc2]

I am curious what people's choices would be if hard constrained by price:
-M3 w/10-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 256 GB SSD
-M2 w/8-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 256 GB SSD
-M1 w/8-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD (which may only be available refurbished and so you get $100 back)

While I am guessing most people on Macrumors are not quite hard constrained on money and would just spend a few extra bucks to get what they want, I think recommendations are more interesting when trading-off specifications rather than money (especially when it's your company's money...).

 

[citysnaps]

I know you are joking, but you also know I don't care about forum cred if it means I have to be negative. I will offer my opinion based on my direct use in case it is of interest with people are sincerely interested in learning something, because that's the kind of posts I come here to read. Actual hands on knowledge. Amongst those people I have enough cred.

Spot on, same here. The good news is there are still people like you and a few others here that don't feel the need to engage in that and truly want to help. Tip of my cap!

There are other Apple-centric technical forums where that doesn't occur at all.

 

[HighDesert50]

A significant upgrade would be a retrograde to user replaceable RAM and SSD. That indeed would be a reason to buy.

 

[August West]

It can be ordered with a 15.3" screen for those who don't want a 13" screen (me, for example).

This. I was getting ready to order an 15" MBA to replace my 13" M1 but with the news yesterday of the Apple Silicon encryption key leak disaster it seems like just throwing money away at this point. Might as well just hang onto the 13" since neither offers a secure computing environment.

 

[citysnaps]

This. I was getting ready to order an 15" MBA to replace my 13" M1 but with the news yesterday of the Apple Silicon encryption key leak disaster it seems like just throwing money away at this point. Might as well just hang onto the 13" since neither offers a secure computing environment.

I'm closely following that news. Have a feeling it may not be as bad as many think. But will still wait it out for more news from credible sources.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Any issues with heat or overheating? Lots of discussion on the forums about this model overheating. Surprised no mention of it here.

All the MBAs overheat and then throttle when pushing the processor, like if you're rendering or doing anything intense in a "pro" app.

As with every other Apple product line, Apple will never budge on giving you "pro" performance on what it perceives as a mid or low-end product even if the latest SoC is decently capable of doing so without stepping up to the "Pro", "Max" or "Ultra" variants.

No fans in a laptop is either minimalist and cool, or a sly way to skew your perception and get you to agree that Apple's 8/512 $1599+ MacBooks Pro with built in fans for cooling have good reason to cost several thousands of dollars (other than pleasing the shareholders).

MacBooks Air overheating isn't news or a bug, it's how Apple intentionally designed them.

 

[jwsf28]

This. I was getting ready to order an 15" MBA to replace my 13" M1 but with the news yesterday of the Apple Silicon encryption key leak disaster it seems like just throwing money away at this point. Might as well just hang onto the 13" since neither offers a secure computing environment.

Yeah, because Apple has never released a security update in the history of their company. Nope, not once.

 

[tomtad]

Take away the notch and we talk

 

[Thisismattwade]

No regrets on getting a 13" M3 MBA. Coming from a (base) M1, I find the speedier processor, brighter screen, camera/mics (WFH days), speakers, full-sized function keys, and larger Touch ID sensor are good quality of life improvements for me. And I love the M1 MBA, such a great device. I'm glad I skipped the M2, after being tempted for almost two years. It makes the upgrade feel even more significant.

Oh, and my wife likes not having to share her M1 anymore.

 

[klasma]

And can we leave the words "super" and "great" out of writing for a while?

That would be great.