MacBook Air M3 vs MacBook Pro M3: Which Mac is best for you?

It’s time for some good old MacBook Air M3 vs. MacBook Pro M3 to duke it out in our ring.

Since the new 15-inch MacBook Air is equipped with the M3 chip, the question is how does it differ from the 14-inch MacBook? Pro?

Don’t worry, dear reader. We’ll clear up your confusion and help you figure out which MacBook M3 – Air or Pro – is best for you.

MacBook Air M3 vs MacBook Pro M3: price

The MacBook Air M3 is the least expensive and is available in two versions: 13-inch and 15-inch models.

The 13-inch variant has a starting price of $1,099 and comes with the following specifications:

• 8-core processor

• 8-core GPU

• 8 GB of RAM

• 256 GB SSD storage

I warn you, however, that 8 GB of RAM is not a lot, especially if you like to juggle many applications and tabs in Google Chrome simultaneously. To be on the safe side, I recommend upgrading your memory to 16GB of RAM, which is an additional $200 for a total of $1,299.

The MacBook Pro M3 is only available in a 14-inch model. It has a starting price of $1,599 and features the following specifications:

• 8-core processor

• 10-core GPU

• 8 GB of RAM

• 512 GB SSD storage

Again, the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 only comes with 8GB of RAM, which isn’t ideal if you don’t want to put up with slowdowns jumping between lots of apps and tabs . I suggest adding another $200 for 16GB of memory.

Winner: MacBook Air M3

MacBook Air M3 vs. MacBook Pro M3: Display

As mentioned, the MacBook Air M3 comes in two screen sizes: 13.6 inches and 15.3 inches.

13-inch MacBook Air M3
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

The 15-inch screen is the sweet spot: not too small (like the 13-inch model), but not too big. The 13.6-inch model may be too cramped for you.

The M3-based MacBook Pro only comes in a 14-inch version, but if you don’t mind spending the extra money, you can get the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which also comes with upgrades. processor level (for example, the most powerful). M3 Pro or M3 Max instead of the entry-level M3 chip).

Check out the resolution and brightness of each laptop on the M3 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Pro models:

• MacBook Air M3 13-inch: 2560 x 1664 pixel resolution, 500 nits brightness

• MacBook Air M3 15-inch: 2800 x 1864 pixel resolution, 500 nits brightness

• 14-inch MacBook Pro M3: 3024 x 1964 pixel resolution, up to 1600 nits brightness

To put it succinctly, if you want a bright display (essential if you use your laptop outdoors often) and a sharp, high-resolution display (ideal for graphics and video editing), the 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 is your best choice. .

Winner: MacBook Pro M3

MacBook Air M3 vs MacBook Pro M3: design

Design-wise, let’s start with what’s the same. If you’re not a fan of the notch (for example, the webcam housing, a rectangular thing that dips into the screen), too bad! This is a feature on the Air and Pro models.

MacBook Air M3 15 inch
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Diving into the differences, the MacBook Air M3 offers the following colors, including Midnight Black, which is designed to repel fingerprints better than others:

The MacBook Pro range Also features a colorway with a fingerprint-resistant seal; It’s called Space Black. However, there is a catch. You can only get Space Black for MacBook Pro models equipped with the M3 Pro or M3 Max chip. In other words, you will have to spend at least $2,000 (e.g. M3 Pro-based 14-inch MacBook Pro variant) to get it.

That being said, the only colors you can get for the M3-based 14-inch MacBook Pro are:

A bit boring, I know. I’d go for Silver, if I were you; fingerprints and scratches are less visible.

MacBook Pro M3 14-inch
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

I would also add that, unsurprisingly, the 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 is the heaviest:

• 14-inch MacBook Pro M3: 3.4 pounds, 0.6 inches thick

• MacBook Air M3 15-inch: 3.3 pounds, 0.45 inches thick

• MacBook Air M3 13-inch: 2.7 pounds, 0.44 inches thick

If you need a travel companion that won’t put too much strain on your back and shoulders, the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 is ideal.

Finally, another striking difference between Air and Pro is the presence of speaker grilles that frame the keyboard of the latter. As you’ll see in the next section, the Pro is unmatched when it comes to delivering ear-soothing sounds.

Winner: MacBook Air M3

MacBook Air M3 vs. MacBook Pro M3: Audio

There is no competition. Not only does the MacBook Pro sound better than the MacBook Air, but it arguably has the best speaker system on the market.

• 14-inch MacBook Pro M3: 6-speaker audio system

• MacBook Air M3 13-inch and 15-inch: 4-speaker audio system

Do not mistake yourself ; the audio on the MacBook Air M3 is still divine.

MacBook Air M3 15 inch
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Whether you choose the 13-inch or 15-inch variant, it comes with a clear, loud and smooth four-speaker audio system. However, when you listen to music on the MacBook Pro’s six-speaker audio system, equipped with force-cancelling woofers, the sound is absolutely angelic.

It’s worth noting that the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro both feature a three-mic array, but Apple boasts that the latter has a “studio-quality” setup.

MacBook Air M3 vs. MacBook Pro M3: ports

If you are a content creator, I recommend getting the Pro model. The problem with the Air is that it only offers the following I/O options:

The MacBook Pro M3, on the other hand, adds two additional ports: HDMI, SDXC card slot.

Winner: MacBook Pro M3

MacBook Air M3 vs. MacBook Pro M3: External display support

The MacBook Air M3, unlike its predecessor, supports two external displays. However, the problem is that you can only use these screens when the lid is closed. In other words, no, you can’t use the laptop panel, only the two external monitors.

14-inch MacBook Air M3
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

This means you will have to rely on peripherals like the Magic Keyboard, Magic padAnd Magic mouse to enjoy the multi-screen experience.

Apple recently announced that the 14-inch MacBook Pro M3, like the new MacBook Air M3, will support the same external display function (including excluding the laptop panel when using multiple displays). ) in the near future.

Winner: Draw

MacBook Air M3 vs MacBook Pro M3: performance

Yes, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro have the same chip – the M3 – but there are some differences that affect the performance of the two models.

MacBook Pro M3 14-inch
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Before we get into it, allow us to share our scores from Geekbench 6, which tested the 8-core processors in our M3 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Pro review units.

• 14-inch MacBook Pro M3: 11,998

• MacBook Air M3 15-inch: 12,057

Again, both models we tested on Geekbench 6 have the same 8-core processor, so the processing prowess is quite similar. Thus, the delta between the two scores is too negligible to be significant.

However, the 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 packs more graphics punch with its base model, thanks to its 10-core GPU (as opposed to the 8-core GPU configuration that the Air line starts with). If you want to upgrade your Air to a 10-core GPU, you’ll need to shell out an extra $100.

In other words, configurations with the 10-core GPU should offer a slight advantage to anyone interested in video and photo editing – or macOS gaming.

MacBook Pro M3 14-inch
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

It’s also worth noting that the MacBook Pro M3, thanks to its many fans (the MacBook Air M3 has a fanless design), can better support workloads that tax the CPU and GPU more than the Air model.

If you do serious, intensive graphics work, go for the Pro.

Winner: MacBook Pro M3

MacBook Air M3 vs. MacBook Pro M3: Battery Life

According to Apple, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M3 models offer up to 18 hours of battery life. The 14-inch MacBook Pro M3, on the other hand, lasts up to 22 hours on a charge.

Winner: MacBook Air M3

If you absolutely need an ultra-bright, high-resolution display, an SDXC card slot, and cutting-edge laptop audio, get the MacBook Pro M3.

However, consider that the MacBook Air M3 is not Also this is largely a downgrade from the M3 MacBook Pro. Plus, with the M3 MacBook Air, you can get the Midnight Black colorway, which is designed to reduce fingerprint smudges – a benefit the M3 MacBook Pro doesn’t offer.