At 3:25 it is meant to be 39% not 70%. I did the percentage the wrong way around... But with this 39% , it makes the point even more clearer! So do you think it is worth getting an M3 MacBook Air or is an older M2 or M1 MacBook Air Model more worth it?
I waited for the MacBook Air M2 to come out. When first reviews came out I immediately purchased the base model MacBook Air M1. It’s faster but I have no use for it. Matt nails it. The jump from Intel MacBooks to M1 was a quantum leap. And M2 and M3 improvements are evolutionary not revolutionary. I am so happy that my M1 continues to give a speedy user experience for my non-Pro uses. Listen to Matt, buy a M1 if you’re not a Pro user and not pretending to be one.
I think I'm gonna go with M1, much cheaper and I only watch Netflix, browsing, light 4K videos from vacation and so on! But must admit the M2 and M3 designs are nicer
I have had zero problems working with my M1 iMac and M1 MacBook Air using Final Cut Pro and Photoshop with no latency and acceptable heat readings. Been a pro for over 4 decades.
I have a MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro chip. I bought it when they first came out, and to this day, it still feels like a brand new computer. It is ridiculously fast and I plan on using it for many many many more years. I don’t feel the need to upgrade anytime soon, and don’t plan on it for many more years. The M1 chip is exceptionally fast. Anyone who purchases a machine with Apple Silicon in it for any price, will thoroughly enjoy it.
I have an M1 Pro as well and cannot see why to upgrade, the m2 was an unimpressive difference and so is the m3. I'll wait a couple more generations and all the while be happy with my M1 Pro which is fast!
I only buy a computer when 1 it is starting to die or i need to do something it wasn't designed for. The reason I got my MacBook pro in 2009 the 1st 13 by the way. Was because I bought a HD camcorder and Windows computers were not ready out the box.
You can get a Macbook Air M1 and a Mac Mini M1/M2 for about the same price as the Macbook Air M3. That's what I have and it works great...90% of the time I'm using my Mac Mini M1 16GB and the other 10% I have my Macbook Air M1 8GB for when I'm on the go. I don't need to worry about dongles as the M1 mini can easily connect to two 4K monitors without any special adapters...and I got the one with 10G ethernet so I have future proofing there.
I switched to air m3 a week ago after rocking m1 air for about 2 yrs!! I can confirm m3 feels a lot more snappy now ... It has power and i can feel it because of my hard multi tasking work i do daily. Worth switching to this from m1 or older...
@@stw2186 Ofcourse 15" is the better option. You will get a lot better sound & GPU power compared to 13". Plus bigger screen has many other advantages. Go for 15" if budget is not the issue.
At last something sensible on these Macs. Just bought the MacBook Air M3 to replace my 'old' M1 and after 24h of practical tests I am returning the new one. No gain in performance at all including FCPX or Lightroom if not marginally, the anodized process or whatever they call it is a joke, fingerprints all over the body, not worth the upgrade at all, the MacBook Air M1 is a fantastic machine, thanks for your honest review !
Thanks. Great video. Only one thing, I would have liked to hear in this video: How long will the 2020 M1 be updated, and does that consideration warrant the higher buying price for the M3?
I have the M1 and still very happy with it. It's nearly 2 years old but it's still very efficient. So the M3 is probably slightly better regarding your video but not worth replacing. So I'll be keeping mine. Thanks for the video. I appreciate your honest opinion.
I've been happily using my 2012 MacBook air for the past 12 years and it just died last week. It cost me $2,200 at the time but divided into 12 years actually worked out to be the cheapest laptop I've ever owned. I just ordered an M1 off eBay with higher specs than my old MacBook for the bargain price of $475.
I just found the M1 Air 8gb/256g on Facebook Marketplace and paid $500. It is in pristine condition! No scratches, scuffs, or chips anywhere. Got it home and checked battery health and it is 100% with only 16 cycles. Also found out it has Apple warranty until November 2024. I’m very happy with my purchase!
Great summary. I agree as picked up loads of M1 products from Costco on sale over M2 or M3. The dual display would probably work with a Thunderbolt dock as it needs thunderbolt for 5K but they are a lot more expensive.
Tab key on my M1 air died recently, and the repair shop quoted me insane money for replacing the entire top cover, probably hoping I'll just throw it away and buy a new one. That was an option, but since nothing else was wrong with it, I went with option B) and installed a free piece of software for keyboard remapping and remapped the CapsLock to Tab.
I have mba m1 base, 2 years of usage "as an imac mini" pd/display connected via usb-c and charging capped with aldente to 80%. Battery charging cycle count 31 and 100% condition, using it daily for many hours.
The big change was between Intel Mac and the M chips. If you have a M1 then differences between M2 and M3 are really tight. I have bought a M2 MBA two weeks ago and it is really powerful. I really don't need to upgrade for the moment. And it is just a base model.
Same here. Got the 15 inch air with M2 with 16GB ram and 1TB ssd, for less than a basic new M3 MacBook Air. Overall the M1, M2, M3 in a MacBook Air doesn't make a noticeable daily driver difference
@@renaudg No because I use what I need and don´t expect my needs and don't follow the consumerism. I don´t Carew if a machine do a task in 2 mins instead of 4. and for the rest I am not Pharell or Spielberg. Some people seem to buy the latest gadget not because they need it but because it is new. and the bank account don't follow withe the money I spare I can buy some other stuff more important to me: In the meantime do you know that Apple plan plan the next M4? So if you follow the trend every time will be the worst as technology evolve everyday. Technology don´t make you better in your art but well your creativity. So I will keep this M2 for 3 years or more if I want more power I willl buy a M· MBP when the M4 or M5 will be out.
@@renaudg Not really coping when you can get double the ram and 4 times the ssd for less than the initial cost of a m3 air - the difference in performance between m2 and m3 is way less than the improvement in ssd and ram increases
@@nicolasb.henry294 More coping... even if you don't care about the latest and greatest, you could have had that very same M2 you bought for much cheaper if you had checked the rumours and waited for a couple of weeks. Everybody knew it was coming this month. Sorry !
Even though I’m not needing one currently this is great information, without really looking into this I wouldn’t have thought the 4yr old air would be that good in comparison to the newest one. Very informative and useful Thank-you. Take care
I was not aware of Apple’s claim about 2 monitors .. I use macbook pro at work and our setup in the office has 2 4k monitors in daisy chain which connects with only one thunderbolt cable to our macs .. my old mac was a 2019 intel macbook pro and was working just fine with 2 monitors and it’s own display open (3 displays) and my current macbook is an M2 macboook pro which does the same so apple was supporting 2 displays and the lid open (if daisychained) since forever
thank you, my current MacBook Air is from 2011 and has been bullet proof, but have needed to buy and replace --- so I've been shopping since the chip/software isn't supported anymore.... the M1 or M2 sure looks good to me in the next few months when price adjust.... !!!
I think the M3 Macbook Air is the best Macbook Air so far. Specially if you modify the heatsink inside the Macbook Air with some thermal pads and then use a laptop fan under the Macbook air, you get sustained performance rivaling the Macbook Pro. To protect the internal battery from the heat dissipated to the back cover, tape some heat resistant tape on the back of the back cover to prevent heat transfer from the cover into the battery.
3 days ago, I purchased the MBA M1 13 base model to upgrade from my current MB Pro 2015. I mainly use my Mac for daily tasks. I'm pleased to discover that, through research before the purchase, the MBA M1 offers the best value for money. Appreciation for stating the obvious.
A usb c hub is bound to only carry usb not a full Thunderbolt and displayport signal. There’s plenty of Thunderbolt hubs with 60 watt charging and full Thunderbolt and displayport support. It’s obvious that’s the issue.
Plugable makes a dual 4k HDMI @ 60hz dock that works GREAT with the M1 Air. The only catch is you have to install DisplayLink software to get around the M1 external display limitation. That said, we have several M1 Airs running off of these docks with dual 27" 4k displays. Very cost efficient setup with plenty of power to drive our business needs.
@@sovanait8229 DisplayLink stuff misses the point. Installing the DisplayLink driver is far from the only limitation. It doesn’t use the video acceleration of the internal GPU and it’s a half-baked work around. They’ve been around for years and only good for low bandwidth display usage like business software. Worthless for anything that needs a dedicated GPU for acceleration like rendering, gaming etc…
I’d say if you are a student or normal home/office user, buy the best condition M1 or M2 MBA (2nd hand, refurnished, or old-stock) you can find at your price point. They are, most likely, will be base spec 8GB RAM/256GB SSD anyway. If you are a more serious user and do more calculations, graphics, video editing, etc., then find similar M1/M2/M3 Pro MBP that you can afford. Just make sure they come with at least 16GB RAM (18GB RAM in case of M3 Pro) and 512GB SSD minimum. If you are a pro, then you know who you are and what you want. Simple as that.
One item to also include... M1 Macbook Air can run a second monitor at a small cost! There are cheap Display Links adapters and even its cheaper Silicon Motion sibling. I picked up a used Plugable UGA-HDMI-S which is fine for 1080p@60FPS, and its a USB A / USB C port for less than $40. Need 4k? Than for $80 you can get a single USB-C port to output to 2, 4k monitors@60FPS, again from Plugable USBC-6950M. Now, it does take up CPU to run these additional monitors and you cannot rotate them in display settings, but I'll take that hit over the extra $500 for the M3.
@@bhawanigurung9913 The battery can still last a good while!! im going on 3 years with my M1. Right now I'm using it right now and I charged it yesterday and im on 40 percent.
Coming from an M1 Mac Mini using two external monitors... the M1 Macbook Air was something I was considering but it doesn't allow for me to use both monitors without buying a bunch of extra equipment so I am getting the M3 Macbook Air and trading in my M1 Mac Mini.
But as I have shown here... You wil need to buy extra equipment like a bluetooth mouse and keyboard for your MacBook Air M3. You will also make your MacBook air essentially into a Mac Mini but with no ports left... Watch this part again... 10:02
@@MattTalkTech Well... I have a mac mini, so I would assume that you know I already have those peripherals! LOL. I also have a CalDigit TS3 Dock. The reason I'm moving away from the mac mini is that I'm doing more travel these days (purchased mac mini during covid) and I miss having my main computer with me when I travel and I'm more than okay with using the keyboard on the laptop and the trackpad as well so no need for me to purchase extra equipment.
@@MattTalkTechYou're aware that all USB-C hubs are not created equal, right ? And that most modern displays have a built-in USB-C hub anyway, where you could plug your wired keyboard/mouse in (if you're still into wired stuff) ?
Thanks Matt for this non biased review. MacBook Air are for common consumers and still M1 MacBook air is enough for most of the task, and with Apple policy of not giving enough Ram for the base models it is more logical to go with Pro models...
Got to say at last a good UA-cam video actually stating facts and being realistic. This is the kind of thing we want so we can make an informed decision. Stay away from regurgitated crap that most others do. I’m now looking forward to your iPad review when they drop as I do need to change my 2012 version that no longer gets updates.😎👍
My partner has the M1 and I recently bought an M3 but immediately returned it. Just my opinion of course but I felt that the redesign that came with the M2/M3 is arguably worse than the M1. Yes it’s marginally faster, yes it has a marginally better screen and having MagSafe is nice but it’s the first time I bought a Mac and wasn’t really that impressed with it overall. In hand, the build quality feels less solid (thanks to thinner aluminum being used), the keyboard has less travel, the superior looking speaker grills were removed and then they changed the rubber feat which are useless, letting the machine slide about all over the place. I expected so much more from a premium machine and so much more from a brand that used to be the industry leader in design.
i bought the M3, upgraded from an intel 2017. I'm sure an M1 would have done great as well but i want to keep using this laptop for the next 5 years at least so i want a laptop that is still going to get the updates in 5 years time
It took me about a minute to work out the M1 was 95% the computer for 40% the money and all it lacks is enough ports to not need a dongle and a replaceable ssd which is a short coming the new models have to so if Apple want my money they need to add more than faster internals and a new shape that doesn't feel as nice in the hand as the old one. Nice to see a review offering some sanity for us with mere mortal wallets rather than only new is good because Its new.
Superb review! i have the m1 pro from 2020 and been looking for a more updated mac book, this definitely helped me make my mind up on what to look for!
For a base model the bottleneck are 8gb Ram which will use swap and slow things down. Thermal throttling. M1 is perfectly fine for light tasks. If you edit videos or do something heavy best to get a macbook pro. I own M1 MBA. M1 mbp. M3 m3max.
Yup,,,,me too! Have an M1 Pro 16" which is AMAZING.....But could not pass up at the current price offering of the M1 Air. This little thing is amazing. Built like a tank, fast as hell, slim, light and, portable. All with an M1 chip. Best bang for your buck$$. Absolutely Priceless:)
Hi Matt! Im a windows user all the while, but since im already in the apple ecosystem (iphone, watch & ipad), i am considering getting a macbook air for myself as the ipados has restrictions frm being a total laptop replacement. I was torn about getting M1, M2 or M3. Your video has been very insightful and no one has ever explained in tht manner for such comparisons. Thanks alot! Cheer!🍻
I take several of your points regarding the M1 vs the M3, but dude, plenty of monitors are USB hubs. I have two USB-A ports on my monitor for peripherals.
I've bought the base m3 and today was the last day to return it. So bummed beacuse it's an expensive machine and im.onmy using oöot for casual browsing, emails and doing some mi to work stuff on it. Could habe saved around 6-700$ beacuse it's like 1500$ a base modell in Sweden. It sucks so bad but can't do anything just have to use it and enjoy it.
The reason why we are upgrading my daughter's M1 Air to an M3 Air is the RAM. Moving from 8 to 16 GB along with a significant jump in GPU / CPU plus 6 + years support means we don't have to think about it until she has finished university. The M1 is great but it is coming up to 4 years old and the 8GB RAM does create issues and will be even more of an issue as the years go by..
Precisely why we had all of our M1s (small business) built with 16 GB. They are a couple years old now, but have plenty of "oomf" to last several more.
I am with base M1 MacBook Air and not considering replacement. And will not soon with this pricing. Prices need to fall below $1000 again definitely. Maybe, just maybe if I am going to have to spend more than $1000 for laptop I will put a bit extra and get Macbook Pro again (the last time I had a Pro was still in the Intel Era).
So I start college next fall, and I really need the laptop to support software upgrades for all 4 years. That means until 2029. Should I still get the M1 if Walmart is selling them new or should I get an M3 then?
I thought about an m2 but the mic improvements with the m3, better gaming and other improvements (ray tracing, mesh shading, double WiFi speed, dynamic caching, AV1 decode etc makes the m3 more future proofed. 256gb is more than enough for me. On a phone I want more but a laptop I’m always using in a WiFi area - and using cloud storage and cloud media 256gb is great. 8gb ram is fine for my uses but I can see some people would want 16gb (and have that option). Thing I would really like to know is what benefits the m3 over the m2 for Apple’s upcoming AI infused MacOS (and iOS) changes. Like a lot of people my AI use has snowballed over the past several months and that’s accelerating.
I just bought a used m1 macbook air in almost new condition for 500 euros. Battery health is pristine as well. Can't say enough about this little machine. Snappy and quick with everyday tasks. Excellent battery life. I charge this fucking almost the same as my phone. Build quality is outstanding. Speakers and screen are more than capable. I even do some light gaming on it, playing no man's sky and it runs pretty great. If you're in need of a laptop on a tight budget, I can't recommend it enough. Find a used one in good condition and at a decent price, and you'll never regret it.
I appreciate the honest review Matt . I guess you could say that the M3 Air is indeed full of hot air. You reckon the IPhone 16 will be an incremental update disappointment looking at how the M3 air turned out to be?
you are right, either buy m1 air and save all your money or buy m3pro macbook pro and blow all your money and get the most value. anything else is a waste of money. m1 air is basically 80% of the pro laptops, little ram , cpu , gpu upgrades are not worth the money, just go straight to pro, base variants have always best value for money
Apple M series price depend on the Ram 8G,16G, 24G and the Storage Disk 256G, 512G, 1TG, 2TG. The speed depend on the read and write speed. No matter how fast it is, it cannot happen all in a second display. It all depend on it process. When it happen, it take 20 years later.
was looking at the M3 and M2 and M1 and wanted to know which one would be worth buying. thanks for this information! 2024 I'm looking forward to buying an iPhone 15 hopefully as the version I have is much older
Hello, Many thanks for this detailled comparaison. But, what's about the camera and microphone quality while using for videoconference. Did you observe any significant differnces between these two models. Have a great day! Cyrus Prince
This video is valid if money is the greatest factor we are considering. But people probably have other preferences. For me I like the bigger 15” display and I find the Midnight color so sexy Also with AI getting bigger in the next macOS release. These older chips might get outdated pretty fast I feel
Thanks, I might get a refurbished M1 or M2 Air (all 13 inches) as a replacement to my 6 year old Surface Go (1st Gen) which I had used it as my secondary computer. Going for 16GB RAM and 512GB/1TB Storage
Apple is going to need to put a fan in the M4 Airs. I was thinking about upgrading my base M1 Air. No way in heaven am I doing that after seeing the results, the M3 throttles like crazy under long sustained loads, is barely faster than the M1.
I have had my M1 MacBook Air for 2.5 years now and seriously.. I’ve never even seen a buffer bar or had an app not open instantly. With that said, I basically use safari, Apple Music and Apple TV+ If I was using high end video and audio editing software I’m sure I’d see some slower speeds but like most people buying a MacBook Air.. I keep it simple. Also, the build quality is miles above my previous laptop. I had a Dell Latitude E6420 that cost $2,250 in 2012. It’s got a dogshit build compared to my $899 M1 MacBook Air.
I got mine for 500$ 8/256gb from a Friend . great deal , made mistake to sell mine 16gb ram m1 back 2 years ago for m2 iPad but I don't care , I will survive with 8gb its amazing device , just amazing in everyday
Here in Latvia we can not get these nice M1 deals. The cheapest option for brand new M1 air is 1029€ ($1112). I got very lucky to get brand new M2 air [512 Gb version] for 1049€ ($1133). So far I am very happy with my choice.
There is no M1 based Air 15, only M2. For the 13”, buying an M1 Air in 2024 is terrible advice. It won’t have support for much longer (typically 7 years from product launch with Apple) and resale will be terrible in 3 or so years time compared to an M3. Marques B had the same bad take on this. Let’s also not forget that the m3 is 60% more powerful than the m1.
What a great video! I love the M1 air, it's a the best laptop you can buy under 1400 dollars. For the money saved you can buy a Mac mini desktop as well for your desk instead of buying a m3 air. Don't buy an m3 air - get a m1 8/512GB and a Mac mini if you really need 2 monitors.
I have an mba m1 and a mbp m3pro. They do different jobs most of the time but for every day use, social media, UA-cam, emails etc you can’t tell the difference except that the mba is lighter and easier to use on the “lap”. Won’t be selling mba any time soon…
At 3:25 it is meant to be 39% not 70%. I did the percentage the wrong way around... But with this 39% , it makes the point even more clearer!
So do you think it is worth getting an M3 MacBook Air or is an older M2 or M1 MacBook Air Model more worth it?
I think the older model would be worth it. Thank you! I enjoy watching these comparison videos.
I am glad it helped@@bryansantos1472
both are extremely great but the slowing down for m1 because of no fan and overheating yeah does give second thoughts , but Thanks Matt
I am glad it helped@@JasOlympicMatt
For working adults, the M3 Air.
For teenagers, the M1 or M2 Air.
I waited for the MacBook Air M2 to come out. When first reviews came out I immediately purchased the base model MacBook Air M1. It’s faster but I have no use for it. Matt nails it. The jump from Intel MacBooks to M1 was a quantum leap. And M2 and M3 improvements are evolutionary not revolutionary. I am so happy that my M1 continues to give a speedy user experience for my non-Pro uses. Listen to Matt, buy a M1 if you’re not a Pro user and not pretending to be one.
I think I'm gonna go with M1, much cheaper and I only watch Netflix, browsing, light 4K videos from vacation and so on! But must admit the M2 and M3 designs are nicer
I have had zero problems working with my M1 iMac and M1 MacBook Air using Final Cut Pro and Photoshop with no latency and acceptable heat readings. Been a pro for over 4 decades.
I have a MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro chip. I bought it when they first came out, and to this day, it still feels like a brand new computer. It is ridiculously fast and I plan on using it for many many many more years. I don’t feel the need to upgrade anytime soon, and don’t plan on it for many more years. The M1 chip is exceptionally fast. Anyone who purchases a machine with Apple Silicon in it for any price, will thoroughly enjoy it.
Exactly in how I feel with my M1 Max MacBook Pro, still feels as fast as it did at the end of 2021
Here with air m1 8/256. I can even edit without using Swap. Paid 600€.
I have an M1 Pro as well and cannot see why to upgrade, the m2 was an unimpressive difference and so is the m3. I'll wait a couple more generations and all the while be happy with my M1 Pro which is fast!
I only buy a computer when 1 it is starting to die or i need to do something it wasn't designed for. The reason I got my MacBook pro in 2009 the 1st 13 by the way. Was because I bought a HD camcorder and Windows computers were not ready out the box.
Same deal here. M1 Pro 14 inch. It’s handling like a brand new laptop. Beast mode on everything I throw at it.
You can get a Macbook Air M1 and a Mac Mini M1/M2 for about the same price as the Macbook Air M3. That's what I have and it works great...90% of the time I'm using my Mac Mini M1 16GB and the other 10% I have my Macbook Air M1 8GB for when I'm on the go. I don't need to worry about dongles as the M1 mini can easily connect to two 4K monitors without any special adapters...and I got the one with 10G ethernet so I have future proofing there.
I switched to air m3 a week ago after rocking m1 air for about 2 yrs!!
I can confirm m3 feels a lot more snappy now ...
It has power and i can feel it because of my hard multi tasking work i do daily.
Worth switching to this from m1 or older...
Do you prefer the 13” or 15”?
@@stw2186
Ofcourse 15" is the better option.
You will get a lot better sound & GPU power compared to 13".
Plus bigger screen has many other advantages.
Go for 15" if budget is not the issue.
At last something sensible on these Macs. Just bought the MacBook Air M3 to replace my 'old' M1 and after 24h of practical tests I am returning the new one. No gain in performance at all including FCPX or Lightroom if not marginally, the anodized process or whatever they call it is a joke, fingerprints all over the body, not worth the upgrade at all, the MacBook Air M1 is a fantastic machine, thanks for your honest review !
Thank you for your feedback
How about how fast the apps open in M3, have u noticed any difference? I sometimes notice that app opening slows down a bit on M1.
That is true, M3 a tad faster to be honest but usually a couple of seconds difference max
Yeah, I heard many people say the M1 is still rapid today and working just fine. I think way too many people upgrade just for the sake of it.
Thank you. Of all the reviews, you are the only one who told me something in addition to reading the specs and saying the obvious.
Thanks. Great video. Only one thing, I would have liked to hear in this video: How long will the 2020 M1 be updated, and does that consideration warrant the higher buying price for the M3?
I have the M1 and still very happy with it. It's nearly 2 years old but it's still very efficient. So the M3 is probably slightly better regarding your video but not worth replacing. So I'll be keeping mine. Thanks for the video. I appreciate your honest opinion.
I've been happily using my 2012 MacBook air for the past 12 years and it just died last week. It cost me $2,200 at the time but divided into 12 years actually worked out to be the cheapest laptop I've ever owned. I just ordered an M1 off eBay with higher specs than my old MacBook for the bargain price of $475.
I just found the M1 Air 8gb/256g on Facebook Marketplace and paid $500. It is in pristine condition! No scratches, scuffs, or chips anywhere. Got it home and checked battery health and it is 100% with only 16 cycles. Also found out it has Apple warranty until November 2024. I’m very happy with my purchase!
Great summary. I agree as picked up loads of M1 products from Costco on sale over M2 or M3. The dual display would probably work with a Thunderbolt dock as it needs thunderbolt for 5K but they are a lot more expensive.
Tab key on my M1 air died recently, and the repair shop quoted me insane money for replacing the entire top cover, probably hoping I'll just throw it away and buy a new one. That was an option, but since nothing else was wrong with it, I went with option B) and installed a free piece of software for keyboard remapping and remapped the CapsLock to Tab.
For me, the ergonomics count as well. The wedge shape of the M1 makes it a lot more pleasant to type on.
Thanks for the comparison, loved the throttle and heat aspect u brought up
I just Bought a Brand New Macbook air m1 at walmart $650 - I agreee with your analysis
Bought a used M1 yesterday, with twice the ram and 1tb storage
good choice!
Where from/ how?
Amazon $899
I have mba m1 base, 2 years of usage "as an imac mini" pd/display connected via usb-c and charging capped with aldente to 80%.
Battery charging cycle count 31 and 100% condition, using it daily for many hours.
really love the honesty brother
I have purchased a Mac mini m1 with 16 GB of ram. It is running smoothly
Thanks Matt always enjoy the videos.
The big change was between Intel Mac and the M chips. If you have a M1 then differences between M2 and M3 are really tight. I have bought a M2 MBA two weeks ago and it is really powerful. I really don't need to upgrade for the moment. And it is just a base model.
Same here. Got the 15 inch air with M2 with 16GB ram and 1TB ssd, for less than a basic new M3 MacBook Air. Overall the M1, M2, M3 in a MacBook Air doesn't make a noticeable daily driver difference
Coping because you bought the M2 at the worst possible time ? 😅
@@renaudg No because I use what I need and don´t expect my needs and don't follow the consumerism. I don´t Carew if a machine do a task in 2 mins instead of 4. and for the rest I am not Pharell or Spielberg. Some people seem to buy the latest gadget not because they need it but because it is new. and the bank account don't follow withe the money I spare I can buy some other stuff more important to me: In the meantime do you know that Apple plan plan the next M4? So if you follow the trend every time will be the worst as technology evolve everyday. Technology don´t make you better in your art but well your creativity. So I will keep this M2 for 3 years or more if I want more power I willl buy a M· MBP when the M4 or M5 will be out.
@@renaudg Not really coping when you can get double the ram and 4 times the ssd for less than the initial cost of a m3 air - the difference in performance between m2 and m3 is way less than the improvement in ssd and ram increases
@@nicolasb.henry294 More coping... even if you don't care about the latest and greatest, you could have had that very same M2 you bought for much cheaper if you had checked the rumours and waited for a couple of weeks. Everybody knew it was coming this month. Sorry !
M2 Air with 16gb/512 would make more sense than M3 8GB/256GB, right? If the price is about the same.
Yup, that would be better
I just bought my MacBook Air M1, and so far, so good! No regrets at all :) could be biased tho as it's my first mac lol
Even though I’m not needing one currently this is great information, without really looking into this I wouldn’t have thought the 4yr old air would be that good in comparison to the newest one. Very informative and useful Thank-you.
Take care
I was not aware of Apple’s claim about 2 monitors .. I use macbook pro at work and our setup in the office has 2 4k monitors in daisy chain which connects with only one thunderbolt cable to our macs .. my old mac was a 2019 intel macbook pro and was working just fine with 2 monitors and it’s own display open (3 displays) and my current macbook is an M2 macboook pro which does the same
so apple was supporting 2 displays and the lid open (if daisychained) since forever
thank you, my current MacBook Air is from 2011 and has been bullet proof, but have needed to buy and replace --- so I've been shopping since the chip/software isn't supported anymore.... the M1 or M2 sure looks good to me in the next few months when price adjust.... !!!
I think the M3 Macbook Air is the best Macbook Air so far. Specially if you modify the heatsink inside the Macbook Air with some thermal pads and then use a laptop fan under the Macbook air, you get sustained performance rivaling the Macbook Pro. To protect the internal battery from the heat dissipated to the back cover, tape some heat resistant tape on the back of the back cover to prevent heat transfer from the cover into the battery.
great comparison - really helpful to those of us looking to upgrade our 2014 air book
3 days ago, I purchased the MBA M1 13 base model to upgrade from my current MB Pro 2015. I mainly use my Mac for daily tasks. I'm pleased to discover that, through research before the purchase, the MBA M1 offers the best value for money. Appreciation for stating the obvious.
A usb c hub is bound to only carry usb not a full Thunderbolt and displayport signal. There’s plenty of Thunderbolt hubs with 60 watt charging and full Thunderbolt and displayport support. It’s obvious that’s the issue.
Plugable makes a dual 4k HDMI @ 60hz dock that works GREAT with the M1 Air. The only catch is you have to install DisplayLink software to get around the M1 external display limitation. That said, we have several M1 Airs running off of these docks with dual 27" 4k displays. Very cost efficient setup with plenty of power to drive our business needs.
@@sovanait8229 DisplayLink stuff misses the point. Installing the DisplayLink driver is far from the only limitation. It doesn’t use the video acceleration of the internal GPU and it’s a half-baked work around. They’ve been around for years and only good for low bandwidth display usage like business software. Worthless for anything that needs a dedicated GPU for acceleration like rendering, gaming etc…
Just bought a MacBook Air m1 on eBay 16 GB ram for $625
Which seller?
I’d say if you are a student or normal home/office user, buy the best condition M1 or M2 MBA (2nd hand, refurnished, or old-stock) you can find at your price point. They are, most likely, will be base spec 8GB RAM/256GB SSD anyway.
If you are a more serious user and do more calculations, graphics, video editing, etc., then find similar M1/M2/M3 Pro MBP that you can afford. Just make sure they come with at least 16GB RAM (18GB RAM in case of M3 Pro) and 512GB SSD minimum.
If you are a pro, then you know who you are and what you want. Simple as that.
Listen to the man/women! You are 100% correct! You made my day that this video means something to someone
@@MattTalkTech No, THANK YOU, for keep making insightful tech content for us.
Apple scummy. Offers stock 8/512 and 16/512 but 16/256 must be custom. Apple knows ram is the bigger constraint
From one Matt to another, nice comparison 🙂
One item to also include... M1 Macbook Air can run a second monitor at a small cost! There are cheap Display Links adapters and even its cheaper Silicon Motion sibling. I picked up a used Plugable UGA-HDMI-S which is fine for 1080p@60FPS, and its a USB A / USB C port for less than $40. Need 4k? Than for $80 you can get a single USB-C port to output to 2, 4k monitors@60FPS, again from Plugable USBC-6950M. Now, it does take up CPU to run these additional monitors and you cannot rotate them in display settings, but I'll take that hit over the extra $500 for the M3.
Good to know that about a dock
This Pricing for cheapest 2 x 4K + Internal?
I have the MacBook Air M1 with 512gb and it still feels brand new and up to date. It looks great and I take it every where I go
How is the battery standing so strong until now?
@@bhawanigurung9913 The battery can still last a good while!! im going on 3 years with my M1. Right now I'm using it right now and I charged it yesterday and im on 40 percent.
Coming from an M1 Mac Mini using two external monitors... the M1 Macbook Air was something I was considering but it doesn't allow for me to use both monitors without buying a bunch of extra equipment so I am getting the M3 Macbook Air and trading in my M1 Mac Mini.
But as I have shown here... You wil need to buy extra equipment like a bluetooth mouse and keyboard for your MacBook Air M3. You will also make your MacBook air essentially into a Mac Mini but with no ports left... Watch this part again... 10:02
@@MattTalkTech Well... I have a mac mini, so I would assume that you know I already have those peripherals! LOL. I also have a CalDigit TS3 Dock. The reason I'm moving away from the mac mini is that I'm doing more travel these days (purchased mac mini during covid) and I miss having my main computer with me when I travel and I'm more than okay with using the keyboard on the laptop and the trackpad as well so no need for me to purchase extra equipment.
@@MattTalkTechYou're aware that all USB-C hubs are not created equal, right ? And that most modern displays have a built-in USB-C hub anyway, where you could plug your wired keyboard/mouse in (if you're still into wired stuff) ?
Thanks Matt for this non biased review.
MacBook Air are for common consumers and still M1 MacBook air is enough for most of the task, and with Apple policy of not giving enough Ram for the base models it is more logical to go with Pro models...
You got it one! Exactly! Thank you for watching
Watching this on my MacBook Air M1, guess there’s no reason to upgrade
Got to say at last a good UA-cam video actually stating facts and being realistic. This is the kind of thing we want so we can make an informed decision. Stay away from regurgitated crap that most others do. I’m now looking forward to your iPad review when they drop as I do need to change my 2012 version that no longer gets updates.😎👍
I am glad you enjoyed this video. Thank you for the feedback and you bet, I will be making a video for the NEW iPad Pro
My partner has the M1 and I recently bought an M3 but immediately returned it.
Just my opinion of course but I felt that the redesign that came with the M2/M3 is arguably worse than the M1.
Yes it’s marginally faster, yes it has a marginally better screen and having MagSafe is nice but it’s the first time I bought a Mac and wasn’t really that impressed with it overall.
In hand, the build quality feels less solid (thanks to thinner aluminum being used), the keyboard has less travel, the superior looking speaker grills were removed and then they changed the rubber feat which are useless, letting the machine slide about all over the place.
I expected so much more from a premium machine and so much more from a brand that used to be the industry leader in design.
i bought the M3, upgraded from an intel 2017. I'm sure an M1 would have done great as well but i want to keep using this laptop for the next 5 years at least so i want a laptop that is still going to get the updates in 5 years time
It took me about a minute to work out the M1 was 95% the computer for 40% the money and all it lacks is enough ports to not need a dongle and a replaceable ssd which is a short coming the new models have to so if Apple want my money they need to add more than faster internals and a new shape that doesn't feel as nice in the hand as the old one. Nice to see a review offering some sanity for us with mere mortal wallets rather than only new is good because Its new.
Superb review! i have the m1 pro from 2020 and been looking for a more updated mac book, this definitely helped me make my mind up on what to look for!
For a base model the bottleneck are 8gb Ram which will use swap and slow things down. Thermal throttling. M1 is perfectly fine for light tasks. If you edit videos or do something heavy best to get a macbook pro. I own M1 MBA. M1 mbp. M3 m3max.
for anything heavy I use a Studio M2ultra...these laptops are toys for college kids
M3pro or normal m3 mbp?
Yup,,,,me too! Have an M1 Pro 16" which is AMAZING.....But could not pass up at the current price offering of the M1 Air. This little thing is amazing. Built like a tank, fast as hell, slim, light and, portable. All with an M1 chip. Best bang for your buck$$. Absolutely Priceless:)
Hi Matt! Im a windows user all the while, but since im already in the apple ecosystem (iphone, watch & ipad), i am considering getting a macbook air for myself as the ipados has restrictions frm being a total laptop replacement. I was torn about getting M1, M2 or M3. Your video has been very insightful and no one has ever explained in tht manner for such comparisons. Thanks alot! Cheer!🍻
M1 can't handle the programming stuff to it's peak, M3 is good for programmers, but for ordinary people anything is fine for normal browsing and stuff
I take several of your points regarding the M1 vs the M3, but dude, plenty of monitors are USB hubs. I have two USB-A ports on my monitor for peripherals.
Thanks Matt for giving us the valid information ❤
No problem
I've bought the base m3 and today was the last day to return it. So bummed beacuse it's an expensive machine and im.onmy using oöot for casual browsing, emails and doing some mi to work stuff on it.
Could habe saved around 6-700$ beacuse it's like 1500$ a base modell in Sweden. It sucks so bad but can't do anything just have to use it and enjoy it.
M1 is a masterpiece. Especially the Air. All that grunt and silent operation. Tough to beat.
It is a FANTASTIC DEVICE!
The reason why we are upgrading my daughter's M1 Air to an M3 Air is the RAM. Moving from 8 to 16 GB along with a significant jump in GPU / CPU plus 6 + years support means we don't have to think about it until she has finished university. The M1 is great but it is coming up to 4 years old and the 8GB RAM does create issues and will be even more of an issue as the years go by..
Precisely why we had all of our M1s (small business) built with 16 GB. They are a couple years old now, but have plenty of "oomf" to last several more.
how do you calculate 6+ years of support?
13” or 15”? Why not pro?
Thank you for educating
Another great video, and perfect timing. I will start shopping for an M1, this week!
I am with base M1 MacBook Air and not considering replacement. And will not soon with this pricing. Prices need to fall below $1000 again definitely. Maybe, just maybe if I am going to have to spend more than $1000 for laptop I will put a bit extra and get Macbook Pro again (the last time I had a Pro was still in the Intel Era).
Lookout for deals on the 14 inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro. You will see some good gains compared to your M1 MacBook Air
Maybe the next base macbook that worth buying is the one with 16+512 at less than $1200
Yes, I would buy such machine with delight if there are no problems like failing keyboards or something else.
The MacBook Air is all about compromises. For me the M1 has plenty of power and the différences with M3 are negligible.
Exactly! I am glad some one else gets it
So I start college next fall, and I really need the laptop to support software upgrades for all 4 years. That means until 2029. Should I still get the M1 if Walmart is selling them new or should I get an M3 then?
Get the m1 for 649…
MTT -
Wow! Keep up the hero stuff.
👏🏾
I thought about an m2 but the mic improvements with the m3, better gaming and other improvements (ray tracing, mesh shading, double WiFi speed, dynamic caching, AV1 decode etc makes the m3 more future proofed.
256gb is more than enough for me. On a phone I want more but a laptop I’m always using in a WiFi area - and using cloud storage and cloud media 256gb is great. 8gb ram is fine for my uses but I can see some people would want 16gb (and have that option).
Thing I would really like to know is what benefits the m3 over the m2 for Apple’s upcoming AI infused MacOS (and iOS) changes. Like a lot of people my AI use has snowballed over the past several months and that’s accelerating.
Totally agree with what you said in this video 🙌🏻👍🏻
Thank you for the support
I just bought a used m1 macbook air in almost new condition for 500 euros. Battery health is pristine as well. Can't say enough about this little machine. Snappy and quick with everyday tasks. Excellent battery life. I charge this fucking almost the same as my phone. Build quality is outstanding. Speakers and screen are more than capable. I even do some light gaming on it, playing no man's sky and it runs pretty great. If you're in need of a laptop on a tight budget, I can't recommend it enough. Find a used one in good condition and at a decent price, and you'll never regret it.
I appreciate the honest review Matt . I guess you could say that the M3 Air is indeed full of hot air. You reckon the IPhone 16 will be an incremental update disappointment looking at how the M3 air turned out to be?
I agree with you. Exactly what I will do.
you are right, either buy m1 air and save all your money or buy m3pro macbook pro and blow all your money and get the most value. anything else is a waste of money. m1 air is basically 80% of the pro laptops, little ram , cpu , gpu upgrades are not worth the money, just go straight to pro, base variants have always best value for money
Nice vidéo Matt, i need this macbook
this is a great review. no bs!
Apple MacBook M3. I can't wait to upgrade my 2015 MacBook Pro
You made some very good points. I am still interested in the M3 Pro Mac-Mini.
Good choice!
Apple M series price depend on the Ram 8G,16G, 24G and the Storage Disk 256G, 512G, 1TG, 2TG. The speed depend on the read and write speed. No matter how fast it is, it cannot happen all in a second display. It all depend on it process. When it happen, it take 20 years later.
Cheers Matt
interesting comparison and points made
The M1 Air was just wiped off thr Apple Website sadly. I was thinking of 16 GB Ram with 2 TB
It is sad it is gone
Love the M1 MacBook Air, had it for a year, best hardware I've ever owned. +1
these new macbooks cant wait to pick one😍
was looking at the M3 and M2 and M1 and wanted to know which one would be worth buying. thanks for this information! 2024 I'm looking forward to buying an iPhone 15 hopefully as the version I have is much older
The multi-core speed increase of the M3 over the M1 is actually a 39% increase
I don't think a non-powered hub/dock will work for dual displays. Can you try with at least a powered Thunderbolt 3 hub?
Hello, Many thanks for this detailled comparaison. But, what's about the camera and microphone quality while using for videoconference. Did you observe any significant differnces between these two models. Have a great day! Cyrus Prince
I just love your perspicacity when showcasing Apple products! Thank you for your valuable content.
This video is valid if money is the greatest factor we are considering. But people probably have other preferences. For me I like the bigger 15” display and I find the Midnight color so sexy
Also with AI getting bigger in the next macOS release. These older chips might get outdated pretty fast I feel
wrong, m3 air 256gb model does have two 128gb ssd's
Thanks, I might get a refurbished M1 or M2 Air (all 13 inches) as a replacement to my 6 year old Surface Go (1st Gen) which I had used it as my secondary computer. Going for 16GB RAM and 512GB/1TB Storage
Thanks you for my favourite mat and I am so happy for MacBook Air and I wonder if iPad air 6 is replaced iPad Air 5?
I just got a MacBook Air M1 this year, not getting a newer one until next year depending what they come up with next.
Apple is going to need to put a fan in the M4 Airs. I was thinking about upgrading my base M1 Air. No way in heaven am I doing that after seeing the results, the M3 throttles like crazy under long sustained loads, is barely faster than the M1.
I have had my M1 MacBook Air for 2.5 years now and seriously.. I’ve never even seen a buffer bar or had an app not open instantly. With that said, I basically use safari, Apple Music and Apple TV+
If I was using high end video and audio editing software I’m sure I’d see some slower speeds but like most people buying a MacBook Air.. I keep it simple.
Also, the build quality is miles above my previous laptop. I had a Dell Latitude E6420 that cost $2,250 in 2012. It’s got a dogshit build compared to my $899 M1 MacBook Air.
...... 1.7x increased speed from a m1 chip is a considerate amount. that would be like 850% increase from a 2018 model????
Not enough speed increase to buy an M3 say over and M1 or M2 MacBook Air for how much you can pick them up for, even new on deals from some retailers
@@MattTalkTechjust like most of apples new products. But people still pick them up🤪
Only if you are now upgrading from 2018 model. If you already have M1 or M2, then don’t even bother.
EXACTLY!@@innnews6299
I love ur videos Matt! 🎉 Btw, I agree with you. I think The m1 MacBook is great for people on a budget! ❤
I got mine for 500$ 8/256gb from a Friend . great deal , made mistake to sell mine 16gb ram m1 back 2 years ago for m2 iPad but I don't care , I will survive with 8gb its amazing device , just amazing in everyday
Here in Latvia we can not get these nice M1 deals. The cheapest option for brand new M1 air is 1029€ ($1112). I got very lucky to get brand new M2 air [512 Gb version] for 1049€ ($1133). So far I am very happy with my choice.
There is no M1 based Air 15, only M2. For the 13”, buying an M1 Air in 2024 is terrible advice. It won’t have support for much longer (typically 7 years from product launch with Apple) and resale will be terrible in 3 or so years time compared to an M3. Marques B had the same bad take on this. Let’s also not forget that the m3 is 60% more powerful than the m1.
What a great video! I love the M1 air, it's a the best laptop you can buy under 1400 dollars. For the money saved you can buy a Mac mini desktop as well for your desk instead of buying a m3 air. Don't buy an m3 air - get a m1 8/512GB and a Mac mini if you really need 2 monitors.
I have an mba m1 and a mbp m3pro. They do different jobs most of the time but for every day use, social media, UA-cam, emails etc you can’t tell the difference except that the mba is lighter and easier to use on the “lap”.
Won’t be selling mba any time soon…
genune content, great!
Don't have a mac to compare but these new macs seem really fast! Might get one for my university soon.
Air or pro? 13” or 15”?
It's here, I'm getting the MacBook air M3 😊
For the price m1 is definitely the better choice 👍🏼even though the m3 performance is better, that price is ridiculously good.👏🏼
Totally agree