Apple MacBook Air M3 rumors: specs, price outlook, design speculation, and more

Madeline Ricchiuto
·3 min read
MacBook Air (M1, 2020).
MacBook Air (M1, 2020).

The release of Apple’s MacBook Air M3 is nigh, but with how close-mouthed Apple tends to be about its forthcoming releases, finding all the details can be difficult. Luckily for you, we’ve put all the details we have so far together so you can get caught up quickly and decide if the MacBook Air M3 is worth your attention and future money.

 

Acer Swift Go 14 review: Watch out, MacBook Air M2, there’s a new sheriff in town.
Acer Swift Go 14 review: Watch out, MacBook Air M2, there’s a new sheriff in town.

 

According to a report from December, Apple plans to deliver the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M3 this spring. Supposedly, the new Air laptops will launch by the end of March, which could line up with the rumored March 2024 Apple event. Alternatively, the M3 Airs could launch at WWDC in June of this year.

Apple tends to keep prices relatively similar across generations, so we can expect the MacBook Air M3 pricing scheme to mirror the M2 prices. The baseline M3 13-inch chip with an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD storage will likely be released at the current $1,099 price point. Inflation could see that number jump to $1,199 but we’ll need to wait for official confirmation.

Macbook Air M3: Design

MacBook Air M2 review
MacBook Air M2 review

 

The MacBook Air 13-inch and 15-inch designs are only one generation old, so it’s unlikely we will see any major differences in those chassis. Both M2 laptop designs feature twoThunderbolt 4 ports with a mic jack and MagSafe power connection, all of which are likely to return for the M3 versions.

The 15-inch Air M3 will likely stick with the Macbook Air 15 M2’s 13.4 x 9.53 x 0.45-inch form factor at 3.3 pounds. The 13-inch M3 is also likely to reuse the Macbook Air M2’s 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44-inch 2.7-pound chassis.

The current 13-inch and 15-inch Macbook Air M2 models are available in Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, and Silver. The M3 MacBook Pro line did add an exclusive Space Black color option for the 16-inch chassis, which likely won’t make it to the Air lineup. However, Apple could add another fun color to the Air M3 to match the iMac enclosures. Sadly, it’s likely we’ll just see the same Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, and Silver colorways repeated from the M2.

Macbook AIr M3: Specifications

We already know the specs of Apple’s M3 chipset courtesy of the MacBook Pro’s launch in October last year. We gave the MacBook Pro 14 M3 a 4.5-star review for “better overall and gaming performance” and better battery life over its predecessor.

The M3 chip comes as an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU or 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU models. The M3 supports up to 24GB of RAM. In terms of storage, the Macbook Pro 14/16 M3 starts at 512GB of SSD storage. However, the Macbook Air M3 could very well start at 256GB storage like the M2 iteration.

Outlook

MacBook Air 15 M2 open at an angle on table in front of a window
MacBook Air 15 M2 open at an angle on table in front of a window

 

If you don’t need the additional ports of the MacBook Pro and don’t want the upgraded Max or Pro chips, the Air has always been the better option. It’s a cheaper price point with nearly identical designs and plenty of computing power to handle most day-to-day workflows. The base M chips also tackle video and photo editing with surprising ease, so even if you have to engage in some heavier computing the MacBook Air can no doubt keep up.

The M3-backed MacBook Air 15 and 13 will likely launch at the same time. The M2 will likely see a price drop down to $999 if the M3 starts at $1,099. Making it a pretty nice deal if you don’t need the increased performance.