Apple announces upgraded MacBook Air laptops with M3 chips

Apple has taken the wraps off a pair of new M3-equipped MacBook Air models. The 13- and 15-inch laptops are “up to 60 percent faster” than the M1 MacBook Air, according to Apple, and sport up to 18 hours of battery life. You can preorder both devices starting today and they start shipping on Friday, March 8th.

The 13-inch MacBook Air will cost $1,099, while the 15-inch model will cost $1,299. Both devices come with a Liquid Retina display and up to 500 nits of brightness, along with support for up to two external displays when the laptops are closed. They also offer WiFi 6E, MagSafe charging, and two Thunderbolt ports. The 13-inch M2 version of the laptop will stick around at a lower price of $999.

With the M3 chip, the laptops offer an upgraded 16-core Neural Engine that Apple says can “run optimized AI models” as well as a built-in GPU that allows for mesh shading and ray-tracing. The new MacBooks feature a 1080p FaceTime camera, three microphones, and support for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. Both devices are less than half an inch thick.

Just like the M2 MacBook Air Apple released in 2022, the M3 models include a Magic Keyboard with a full-height function row with touch ID. The new M3 MacBook Airs come in four colors, including starlight, space gray, and silver. There’s also a midnight color that features an anodization seal that’s supposed to reduce fingerprints.