Apple has lifted the lid on two brand new MacBook laptops today, updating the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air to include the tech firm’s latest and greatest M3 chipsets. The upgrade means the thinest and lightest Apple laptops now have the same processor as the more expensive MacBook Pro.
The new laptops also have support for faster Wi-Fi than ever before and finally add support for up to two external monitors – something Apple had not added to previous MacBook Airs. It means the new MacBook Air could prove to be the ultimate working from home laptop if you want to plug in a couple of big screens when you’re not going into the office.
Best of all for UK buyers is the new M3 MacBook Air costs less than 2023’s M2 version. Apple is selling the base 13-inch MacBook Air for £1,099, £50 less than the old model originally sold for (Apple is still selling the older version for £999).
The 15-inch M3 MacBook Air has had an even bigger price drop, now starting at £1,299 compared to £1,399 for the older M2. That’s great if you want the portability and thinness of the Air but find the 13-inch screen just that bit too poky.
Both the 13-inch and 15-inch laptops have a 16-core Neural Engine that “along with accelerators in the CPU and GPU to boost on-device machine learning, making MacBook Air the world’s best consumer laptop for AI,” according to Apple.
“ Leveraging this incredible AI performance, macOS delivers intelligent features that enhance productivity and creativity, so users can enable powerful camera features, real-time speech to text, translation, text predictions, visual understanding, accessibility features, and much more.”
Apple said the new MacBook Air can last for up to 18 hours on a single charge, which if accurate would be incredible. The base model Air also gets 8GB RAM, the same you get even if you plump for the entry-level M3 14-inch MacBook Pro, which costs £1,699.
For the £1,099 asking price, the 13-inch Air also has 256GB storage, an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, two Thunderbolt USB-C ports and a 30W charger included. Pricing up beefs up the GPU to 10-core, doubles storage and/or RAM, and gives you a faster 35W charger.
All models have Liquid Retina displays with True Tone tech to keep colours looking natural depending on the ambient light, 1080p FaceTime camera, a Touch ID button built into the power button, and a Force Touch (non-moving) trackpad.
The upgrades are all the same for the 15-inch version, the only difference being the size of the screen.
