Apple M3 MacBook Air - 1 Week Later: The Perfect Everyday Laptop?
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- Опубліковано 30 тра 2024
- Did the best everyday laptop get even better with Apple's new M3 MacBook Air? After a week of use, here's my honest review of the MacBook M3 Air - both the good and the bad. Let me know if you're planning on getting one and hope this review helps you!
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🥏 VIDEO CHAPTERS
0:00 - M3 Air: An Honest Review
0:50 - Performance: M3 vs M2 Air
2:36 - The RAM Problem
4:04 - AI Neural Engine
4:58 - Battery Life
6:16 - New Anodization
7:32 - Downgraded Speaker + Microphone
8:32 - Two External Displays
9:42 - Is It Worth Buying?
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#macbook #apple #macbookair
Apple M3 MacBook Air - 1 Week Later: The Perfect Everyday Laptop? - Навчання та стиль
![MacBook Air M3 REVIEW - Watch Before You Buy... [M1 vs M2 vs M3]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pL0_yXX5Gck/mqdefault.jpg)
![MacBook Air M3 REVIEW - Watch Before You Buy... [M1 vs M2 vs M3]](/img/tr.png)
A refurbished M2 Air or a new M3 Air - which would you pick?
Both are awesome, but with 16 GB or even better, 24 GB RAM. M3 gives 20% processor improvement, but having not enough RAM for a task can slow down your Mac by a factor of 2 or more.
My M2 Air has 24gb of Ram. Depending on the cost difference, a refurbished m2 with 24gb of ram would be better for me than a new M3 with 16gb of ram.
Neither. I would go with ThinkPad X13 gen 5. Or, maybe an M1 Air to see what this macos feels like if I can find one for a low enough price.
M3
I went with M3 for the additional monitor support.
You're right. No modern computer should come with less than 16GB of RAM. Pushing out machines with 8GB in 2024 is like dropping a 5400RPM rotating rust drive in a desktop machine for the boot drive.
True, but while I'm not necessarily defending apple, I will say that the apple silicon is incredibly powerful and efficient, which can create an almost 16GB ram experience with only 8GB of ram
@indigo7301 Compared to DDR4 RAM speed, yes. Compared to DDR5 RAM speed, it is at best 10GB of RAM speed. Compared to the 2024 DDR5, it is like 6GB of RAM speed.
This doesn't factor in RAM space. 8GB is still 8GB of RAM space. Think of a house. Just because you can move more efficiently & fast through the house, doesn't change the size of the house.
i dont mind if it only comes with 8gb But give me the option to add more.... They are charging $200 for $20 in tech
@@indigo7301 No, that makes no sense. Even if the macOS environment simply needs less RAM for its own base system, compared to Windows (or Intel-based Mac), then the amount of memory that an application needs, is still that same amount. Firefox built from the same base source code, but compiled for macOS doesn't magically use half the RAM, to display n tabs, than it would if compiled for Windows.
Instead the real reason that you still see 8GB is money. Pure greed. Apple wants to say "MBA price starts at $x" while knowing that most customers realize when they're making a buying decision, will instead realize that 8GB is a horrible idea, and will instead pay the hundreds of dollars for the 16GB ram upsell (already invested in the plan to buy a Mac at that point.)
It's like the decision to keep Lightning (until EU forced them to change): there was no technical reason to, but using that connector got them piles of cash in licensing from cable and accessory makers. So they stuck with it, as long they could.
No machine should come with 8gb totally correct! And I don’t agree with Apple, that said you put an average user, that doesn’t need a fan in their machine, in front of 2 MacBooks with 8gb vs 16gb and I promise you they won’t be able to tell which has 8gb vs 16gb and unfortunately Apple know that. People that watch these videos don’t or shouldn’t have the base model be a consideration. The base model is for people that don’t know the difference between 8 and 16gb and don’t know what Apple silicon is. They just “want a new laptop”
Can't wait to see your Ipad Pro M3 review Andrew, thankyou for your honest review!
Thank you very much for this very interesting review !!
Neural - thanks for this great review!
@0:39 Thank you! Everyone keeps comparing the M3 to the M1. I have the M2 from best buy but Im still in my return window and you are one of the few people comparing the M2 to the M3.
Amazing review. Thankfully you pointed out VRAM because what I think many people miss when saying 8 GB of ram is fine for most is that is SHARED memory meaning that it is not only the ram but also the VRAM and that makes a huge difference as both your GPU and CPU are using the same pool of memory so you only really have less than 8 GB actual RAM to work with at a given time as the rest is the VRAM used by the GPU cores. So 8GB ram is so incredibly little, it's stupid even for a non "pro" laptop like the air. Apple needs to change this...
Neural. Thanks for another informative review!
NEURAL. Nice detailed review, thanks!
I got a m2 air after watching your review a year ago! Time flies
The M2 is still a good laptop. Hard to beat that single core performance of 2600 for most light laptops, according to Geekbench 6.
Same here and I won't upgrade until M5 M6. Still amazing for every task: photo editing, digital art and writing the perfect machine for creators.
Good review. The 8 v 16GB comparison was helpful. Agree that refurbished M2 might be the best value.
Neural, love your reviews.
I used my 2012 MacBook Pro for 10 years. I believe it shipped with 2gb of ram at the time. About 4-5 years ago I finally overhauled it to a solid state HD and 4gbs of ram, but it is still going alll these years later. I still use it to this day for music stuff as I'm still rocking iTunes on it. It's still kind of strange looking at that computer in 2024 seeing the cd slot on the right side...HA! Then two years ago I finally decided to go with something new and purchased the 13" MacBook Air M1 8gb 512gb and have loved it. My 15 year old son has reached a point where he needs a nice laptop, so after these were released I decided kind of spur of the moment, a record for me, to upgrade again and pass the M1 to him. The timing just was perfect to do that for him. The 13" is perfect for me and my needs and usage, it's literally the only size I have known/used for the last 12 years. So I went with the 13" Midnight 512gb 16gb. Figuring the upgraded ram on the 13" was the same price as the 15" with 8gb, it was just the right choice for me.
This is why when you buy Apple you pay the extra for the things you don't really need like now, like the extra RAM, and by doing so you could use your laptop for another few years.
Thank you so much😊
Bought Macbook Air M3 15 inch with 24 GB RAM. A long awaited upgrade from late 2013 Macbook Pro.
How much was it...with 512?
@@latinreuben Too much.
2800+@@latinreuben
Same configuration (24 GB of UM and 15" display) with 1TB SSD is the one I'm going for to replace my 2012 Intel Mac Mini with 16 GB of RAM.
If it wasn't for the Intel chip becoming obsolete and unsupported by the new MacOS versions, I would have replaced the old HDD of the Mini with a new SSD and would have gotten away alot cheaper for a few more years, but... 😏
@@latinreuben It was approx 2800 CAD
Andrew, thanks for the video. Very informative and helpful in deciding which my first MacBook will be. Would you be able to tell me if that is Counter Strike playing at 9:13 ? Does it require a program such as Parallels to run ? Thank you
Hi, what kind of monitor do you use for a MacBook? It looks amazing 😍...
Great review! I'm currently running on a 2019 Intel MacBook Pro and considering either upgrading to the M3 Air 16GB 512 model or the M1 MacBook Pro for lots of photo and video editing along with music production. Along with wanting an SD card slot, I'm only wondering about the screen resolution, seeing as the MBP has a much higher resolution - curious if the Air's screen resolution left you wanting more? Any thoughts or recommendations are appreciated!
I'm loving this review!!!! Thanks you for this!
Question 🙋🏻 I'm currently shopping for a new macbook and am torn between getting a 13" or the 15" MBAir. I notice you use similar software as I, and was wondering if you have regretted or ever wished that you should have gotten the 15"? I love the portability of a 13", since I do carry it around often, but am afraid that I might miss the screen real estate.... HELP !
Thanks for the nice video. What is that nifty looking adapter you plugged into it at 9:30 in the video? I looked at your kit list but couldn't seem to find it (could be I just missed it). Cheers and *wave* from New Zealand :)
watching this video from my M2 Air while writing our next creative project and doing selection of photos for my next artistic project and this is jus the base model. No need to upgrade until the M5. M7.
Heh, to be honest not going to buy even the first mac computer since these specs and pricing is just idiotic. You can get so much more buying some other brand. I wouldnt even consider buying anything under 16gb.. Even my desktop has 32..
got my mba m2 15" like a week before the m3 release lmfaooooo but good thing i got the 16gb cos I see little difference...great review btw very clear and straightforward
Thank you
You don’t find the MacBook Air heats up too much when you are video editing ?
Hi Andrew! This is a superb review.
Would be so kind to tell me is MB Air M3 enougn for lighter photo&video editing?
I have and older MB pro 2019, 8 gb, 256 ssd and would like to buy MB Air M3, 16 gb ram, 512 ssd.
I'm not sure should I consider pro version, because I'm using my mac's for at least 4-5 years.
Many thanks in advance!
I have an M3 Pro but we recently got my wife an M3 Air (16/215). After spending some time with it when she wasn't using it doing my normal activities of a little music production, video and photo editing plus content... I could have just picked up one of those instead. I think 16GB is the real key as you note. Definitely impressed with the M3 Air, it's truly a portable powerhouse. Neural :)
Is it worth upgrade from 16” macbook pro i7 16gb? To macbook air m3 16gb? Or go with 14” macbook pro m3 pro 18gb? My work in laptop is lightroom/photoshop and medium video editing?
Hi Andrew, as you have the M3 pro as well as the M3 air… i wanted to get your input. I am considering buying either the air m3 with 16gb or the pro with m3 pro 18gb. My scope of work is mostly usual work but i might starting editing pictures as well as videos (bot commercially) every now and then. Would you rather consider the m3 pro or the m3 air
Neural! Great video!
I have the m3 air 24/512 and absolutely love it. Its the best laptop I have ever owned
excellent.. neural! Bought my first macbook air on Ebay .. my first Apple computer ever.. it's an M1 8gb/256gb..it had some chassis damage but got it for under $300. In just a day I feel like I've been missing out. This sucker is fantastic.. silent/fast and some crazy battery life.. I even installed parallels and windows 11 and it's like having 2 laptops in 1. I'll probably use it for a few weeks and if I'm still feeling the same way resell it and go all in on the M3 and just call it good for several years at least. It's like I've been chasing this sort of performance/slience/battery life forever on Windows and have never found it.
Apple is great and MacOS is the best OS for daily driving and also great for professional work like developing
Adobe’s generative fill happens in the CLOUD, not in the neural engine. Unplug from the network and try hitting that button.
Your numbers off for the M2 Air Geekbench scores. For single core performance, most people are getting scores between 2500 to 2650.
Nice Tudor.
You should see the browserbench speedometer test scores on the M3! It's nuts
i currently using a macbook air 2019 intel i5, do u think if it worth it if i were to upgrade to m3 8gb ram with 512gb ssd for full time job with part time studies ?
I can still feel like M2 Air 13 can be a bit warm while simple tasks like browsing, not much but it’s still there. Is M3 pretty much the same or a bit less warm than M2?
In October 2023, I bought a 15" Air (M2 of course). Literally the best laptop I've ever had. Also have a 13" M2 Air and a 2015 Intel 2.2Ghz Air. I still occasionally use the 2015 Air when on trips, when I have more security concerns and don't want to risk getting my 13" M2 getting stolen.
How is this compared to the latest mac book pro model ?
Thank you for the advice. I a hopeless when it comes to tech and appreciate clarity. HM
Nice review! And yes 16gb ram sounds like the best starting point for this machine to work best…long term?
I’ve just ordered the MBA M3 24gb ram with 1Tb storage as a daily computer for graphic design.
Affinity software (adobe alternative) and some light video editing.
I know I know, should’ve could’ve bought the MBP for that money and all that.
And yes 24gb is probably too much but it’s for peace of mind, can’t upgrade afterwards.
All for traveling, lightweight and big screen, no fan for me is a big plus (although it seems computers nowadays don’t make lots of noise as before?)
Specs aren’t everything, what about just following what you want?
Do u think if still great if I get a 16 ram with 256GM memories?
I've been using the base m1 macbook air almost since launch. I'm a teacher so it's mostly browser and some pdf use so it's always worked flawlessly. However, I've been noticing that with zoom sharing my screen + a good deal of tabs opened and the blur filter for the webcam it's started to feel almost laggy... and yep, it's the ram. I consider that light use still, I'm not doing any editing or design work so yea. It's still an amazing machine but I'm probably upgrading soon to the m3 16gb model
I have been using the M2 Air 8GB for over a year and I am constantly using 14-15GB Swap due to 8 gigs of RAM not being enough. So I am gonna sell this one and order a 24GB M3. 8GB is simply not enough if you use Lightroom and other creative apps occasionally
why does it matter if you are using swap? It's not like it makes it that much slower, especially if you have proper Application settings
@@burtdanams4426 it actually makes the whole system a lot slower and lags.
@@burtdanams4426swap memory uses the ssd and using the ssd for swap memory increases how many writes are performed on the ssd which accelerates the wear and tear on your ssd.
Hey Andrew, is M3 Air 16gb 256gb is worth buying or is should stretch and should go for 512gb because in India the prices are unbelievable as compared to USA or Canada, please help.
Which colour is very interesting in m3 air series ??
3 weeks ago I bought my first Mac after moving away from Windows. I bought the Mac air M3 8gb 256 storage. I did buy open box which I got a nice discount, same warranty etc. Thinking maybe I should have bought 16gb ram, but price goes up$200 for everything you do. don't mind the storage so much with External hard drives & the cloud, but very much on the fence about the ram. Hopefully I will be smarter on the next round. overall I am loving the 13" screen, and how fast it is. Hope I didn't make too bad of choice.
Hey :) Great video ! A small question thou -
How do you run Counter Strike on the MacOS?
csgo 2 nope, its not compatible for it yet
Neural, Great review, Apple have made it really hard to make a choice this year, harder than any year I can remember.
What about no fans in this model?
Overheating issue?
What is a better choice, macbook air m2 16gb or macbook air m3 8gb??
Does CS2 work on the macbook air M3? I just got mine last week
Any issues with overheating?
Great video. Just a thought, I don't have M2 with me and M3 is still under shipment, geekbench score for M2 felt wrong to me. Is that correct score because it is then it will be a huge upgrade in performance even more than what apple mentioned.
Keep in mind the leap in score isn't simply the chipset but the new M3 chipset alongside the increase in RAM from 8GB to 16GB. The 8GB in my M2 Air really held it back
@@AndrewEthanZeng No, your M2 scores are wrong. Something may be wrong with the machine you are working with. These scores are way below even M1 air.
Yea, M2 AIR Single core should be 2500+ and Multi Core Score should be 9500+@@AndrewEthanZeng
Does it catch fingerprint. Which colour should i go? Plz help.
This is why I purchased a M1 iMac two years ago before upgrading my laptop. You can get more value for your money buying the desktop. Annoyed about the standard 8 gigs of ram and having to pay $200 extra for the additional 8 gigs. The base SSD is comical. However, I will still be ordering a 13 inch with an 8-core cpu, 10 core GPU, and 1TB of ssd storage. The fact that these computers are not available to purchase without a custom order is a bit frustrating but it is what it is with Apple at this point. My 2017 12 inch MacBook with the butterfly key switches is well overdue for an upgrade, though it has lasted me all these years. 🤷🏾♂️
Bro subtly flexed his watch collection throughout the video
I have macbook pro m1 16GB RAM/512 GB. i am looking for one more Mac book. can i go with m1 Air + 16GB Ram as its available with huge discount.
The reason they come 8GB is for people like me a lite user. I can have four tab of safari open, mail open and watching UA-cam video’s and still not see any memory swapping in activity monitor. It keeps the price down for people. You can always upgrade if you need more memory.
Love this thumbnail
I have a m2 13 inch in midnight but cannot bare the color anymore, I’m going to trade it in and get 860$ would it be better to spend a 250$ extra to get the m3 in space black or get the m2 for only 100$ more. Although sounds dumb it’s a personal opinion.
I have a m2 air 16gb 1tb ssd 15inch should I upgrade?...
Which laptop should I get if I need to get a new one? The MacBook Air M3 (15 inch, 16 GB) or the MacBook Pro M2 chip (14.2 inch, 16 GB)? The difference between the two is only $100 for the M2 pro.
NEURAL...Do i keep M2 air 15 (16/1tb) priced at 1500 ot return to get M3 air 15 (16/512) for 1600?
I can see a lot saying ram is important. I have both 13 M3 with 16gig and 512 ssd and 15 M3 with 8gig and 512 ssd and I used FCP and blender and some insta360 studio and for me. Again for me both are so close to speed. I don’t do benchmarks but do real life usage and I’m wondering if the 8g with 512ssd on the 13 M3 would take a hit. Cause being the 15 M3 is larger so better heat intake then the 13. Maybe for me that’s why it’s close. I really have push those 2 and seem close to speed. The 13 will drain quicker when doing things on battery for me. So for me I see not that much different in speed it’s really really close between the 2. If anything. When I did my export on FCP the 15 was a little quicker. So it’s either the 15 M3 has much better airflow for heat then the 13 even if the 13 have 16gig and the 15 have 8gig. Again that’s my experience with the M3 Airs. Great video and thanks.
Would 8GB M3 sufficient for coding??
still training vision models in the background while doing 'normal' everyday things on my base model 8GB M1 without any issues. Please stop saying that it's not enough.
Should I upgrade to 24 GB? I mostly use web browsers and Photoshop.
Does it have backlit keyboard?
They could do 12GB base model and 18GB or 24GB for upgraded models
As a beginner UX/UI designer, I typically work with 4-5 files in Figma and have up to 100 tabs open in Chrome. I'm considering purchasing the MBA M2 8/256 within my budget. Can I expect it to handle my workload smoothly? Your input is highly appreciated.
Same, I prefer getting 16gb ram and 512ssd
@@kimarodri thanks
People will look back at the release of Apple silicon as a hugely successful launch that truly disrupted the CPU market
I have been using an M3 MacBook Pro in low power mode and comfortably getting 2 full workdays on a single charge. The new M3 air looks to be an improvement even on that!
why not just keep it plugged in then instead of cycling the battery for no reason?
@@burtdanams4426 travel convenience.
How you comparing m2 8gb vs m3 16 go…. Shouldn’t you do both 16gb ones..?
*Most people from what I've seen when it comes to them buying our Macbook Air usually are coming up from an intel Macbook and still do the same web browsing and some Word Processing and 8GB or RAM is perfect for that. BUT if you're doing a lot more then that then yeah 16GB is needed but it always comes back to what the user needs it for, which doesn't mean they need a Pro like 90% of more people think they need*
Do you think that the AI will work only on the macbook air ? What about the m3 macbook pro ?
Great review. My only problem with this laptop is the 60hz display. I just don't get it, why they didn't do a 120 or 144hz display. It's otherwise great, a proper lcd screen with good colours, I certainly don't expect oled, mini led or anything else on this one. It's just surprises me, why don't they use a higher frequency panel.
to be fair...my m1max display doesn't even feel like a 120hz
Wondering, he didn’t talk about heating which is on of major issue with M3 Air.
Can the M3 Air (512gb/16gb ram) handle 8hrs of work which consists of constant 8hrs of sending emails, having 10-15 tabs open in Chrome (no video editing, just different websites, Google sheets), and occasional audio and video calls? 🤔 without slowing itself down too much (throttling)?
Neural. I’m considering buying M3 MBA with 24Gb RAM for my personal projects. Think it’s gonna be enough for Xcode, Figma, simulator etc.
the geekbench scores are way off for m2, single core should be around 2500, and multi core should be 9800+
I was looking in the comments to find a comment mentioning this. I literally have the laptop and it’s infinitely better than what is being said. I consistently get 2850+ and 8500 ish
Can it 240hz 1080p on two monintors?
It would be perfect for me if it had an HDR screen and maybe one more thunderbolt port.
They reduced the price of the M2 base model so I got one its great.
Should I buy the new M3 Air in the base model 8/256, or the old M2 but with 16GB RAM/256 ?
M2 with 16gb RAM, there should be no disagreement unless you know you have zero tendency to run multiple Chrome tabs. The 8gb to 16gb jump is HUGE value for money, refer to 10:25 in this video
Heyy I am a software Engineer is the M3 MBA with 16gb 512 ssd worth buying? Please do share your thoughts!!😊
If ur not going to run ML/AI a lot then it’s good.
Give us more information. What are you doing?
Can you elaborate a bit more on Blender as we are considering it?
can iyt handle two monitors
Great review. I ordered MBA M3 24GB 1TB Midnight 🤩
Why not pro?
@@jmocampo117311 I need a super slim compact and powerful machine. PRO is lovely, but a bit heavier for my needs and my spec would be another £400 in PRO configuration. M3 outperforms my Alienware i9 9900k, so It`s perfect for what I need. My first Apple Machine.
Surely better to get the pro instead?
Think you won’t get a MB Pro with those specs at that price……it may just be an unnecessary price bump for the same power that you get from a “maxed” out MB air my thinking not technically or Apple certified 😂
when ipad pro is coming?
I was thinking of asus zephyrus g16 but the prices here in india are insanely high so i was thinking to go for m3 air with 16gb 256gb with 1tb external ssd and a pc for some shady tasks 😅
I have an m2 air 8gb 512 and an m3 pro 18gb. Crazy difference lol. But I feel the air is fine how it is but should be shipping with at least 512gb. Anything higher than 8gb. Might as well spend your extra and buy the pro.
I recommend getting 256 gb and 16gb ram.
I don't think you got the right Geekbench scores for the M2 MacBooks. Those are way lower than they are supposed to be bro
Ohh common guys please, if this is just an “everyday laptop” im afraid to see what a “work laptop is”…The problem is that Apple labels everything for you instead of looking at the performance and judging by yourself…No matter how they label it the M3 Air is completely overkill for most people that buy it! But im spite of what Apple advertises the AIR models even with base specs are more than capable of doing a lot of work even semi to fully professional l…And if your just interested in scrolling the web and making documents in Word then i suggest im getting the M1 refirbished its probably more powerful than any Windows notebook laptop even now
I want whatever it is you're smoking
Don’t think browsing is considered everyday use for a laptop lol get a tablet stop crying
Apple should solve the issue where you get permanent keyboard marks on the screen.
When you’re gaming, are there loud fans? For example: Roblox
My M1 max with 32 gb ram is the best upgrade ever. The M machines are only limited by the RAM, don't cheap out on the RAM.
Been using the M3 air 512/8, not that surprising except for the battery.
Neural ❤
9:05 "The core m3 macbook" instant neural war flashbacks to the 2017 intel core m3 macbook. Hmm... I wonder if this is a trademark issue?