• Best Mac for most people

  Apple MacBook Air (M3, 2024)

  Operating System

  macOS Sonoma

  CPU

  8-core CPU (Apple M3)

  GPU

  8-core or 10-core GPU (Apple M3)

  RAM

  8GB, 16GB, or 24GB

  Storage

  256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB

  Battery

  Up to 18 hours

  The new 2024 MacBook Air stays consistent, not changing much on the outside. However, the M3 chipset closes the gap between this and the MacBook Pro. Although the Pro is more powerful and offers a better display and more configurations, the M3 MacBook Air is still highly impressive and the better machine for most people.

  Pros & Cons

  • Snappy hardware
  • Dual external display support
  • Attractive Liquid Retina display

  • No M3 Pro or M3 Max
  • No major design updates

  $1100 at Apple (13 inches)
• Built for professionals

  MacBook Pro (M3, 2023)

  Operating System

  macOS Sonoma

  CPU

  Apple M3: 8-core, 11-core, 12-core, 14-core, 16-core

  GPU

  10-core, 14-core, 18-core, 30-core, 40-core

  Storage

  512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB

  Battery

  Up to 22 hours of video playback

  Display (Size, Resolution)

  14.2-inch (3024x1964p) or 16.2-inch (3456x2234p) Liquid Retina XDR display, 254ppi, 1600 nits, 120Hz

  The MacBook Pro M3 is overkill for most users, but it's still the best Mac laptop out there for creators, professionals, and hardware enthusiasts. It combines beefy hardware with a great design and a beautiful Liquid Retina XDR display that's a joy to look at. 

  Pros & Cons

  • Powerful hardware
  • Wide configuration options
  • Gorgeous Liquid Retina XDR screen

  • Expensive in any configuration
  • 16-inch unavailable with base M3 chip

  $1599 at Apple

Apple fans have been expecting an update to the MacBook Air since late last year, and it's here. The company recently announced that the MacBook Air will not be available with the powerful new M3 chip for 2024. That shrinks the gap between the MacBook Air and the higher-end MacBook Pro lineup but also raises a few questions. Chief among these is how the 2024 MacBook Air M3 compares to the MacBook Pro and whether the Pro M3 is still worth it, given that the Air is considerably more affordable.

However, the two have several notable differences, including which M3 chips are available for each laptop. If you're considering grabbing one of the best Macs and are still weighing your options, we can help. We've laid out the differences and similarities between the new MacBook Air M3 and the MacBook Pro to help you decide which of the two is a better fit for you.

Price, specs & availability:

Apple revealed the MacBook Pro M3 in October 2023. The new MacBook Air M3 was announced in March of this year and made available for order the same month. The 2023 MacBook Pro is available in two sizes (14 or 16 inches) and a range of hardware configurations, including multiple M3 chip options, with pricing starting at $1,599 for the 14-inch model. The 2024 MacBook Air is also available in two sizes, following last year's update that introduced a new 15-inch variant along with the standard 13-inch. Like the entry-level MacBook, the Air offers fewer CPU options and is currently available only with the base M3 chip, of which there are two variants.

Pricing for the new MacBook Air M3 starts at $1,099, which is a $100 increase over the base MSRP of the 2022 MacBook Air M2. The MacBook Pro M3 is a premium laptop with boosted specs for professionals and tech enthusiasts, with a starting MSRP of $1,599. Given the wide range of hardware options, a fully specced MacBook Pro carries a sticker price of $7,199, so buyers have numerous customization options. Both MacBooks are available for order through Apple and online retailers, including Best Buy and Amazon.

• 	Apple MacBook Air (M3, 2024)	MacBook Pro (M3, 2023)
  Operating System	macOS Sonoma	macOS Sonoma
  CPU	8-core CPU (Apple M3)	Apple M3: 8-core, 11-core, 12-core, 14-core, 16-core
  GPU	8-core or 10-core GPU (Apple M3)	10-core, 14-core, 18-core, 30-core, 40-core
  Storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB	512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB
  Battery	Up to 18 hours	Up to 22 hours of video playback
  Speakers	Six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers	High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers
  Colors	Silver, Starlight, Space Gray, and Midnight	Space Gray, Silver, Space Black
  Ports	MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, 2x Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports	SDXC card, HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack, 3x Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3
  Weight	2.7 pounds (13-inch), 3.3 pounds (15-inch)	3.4 pounds (1.55kg) or 4.7 pounds (2.14kg)
  Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
  Security	Fingerprint reader	Touch ID
  Memory	8GB, 16GB, or 24GB	8GB, 16GB, 18GB, 24GB, 36GB, 48GB, 64GB, 96GB, 128GB
  Price	Starting at $1,099	Starting at $1,599
  Webcam	1080p FaceTime HD camera	1080p
  Dimensions	11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (13-inch model) / 13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches (15-inch model)	12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches (31.26 x 22.12 x 1.55cm) or 14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches (35.57 x 24.81 x 1.68cm)

Design

Becoming more and more alike

With the 2022 refresh, Apple strayed from the traditional design language of the MacBook Air. It's still slim and light thanks to its fanless architecture, but a thicker frame replaces the wafer-thin, super-sleek chassis with an overall aesthetic similar to the MacBook Pro. However, the MacBook Air is still thinner than its pricier sibling, with the 13-inch model measuring just 0.44 inches thick and the 15-inch measuring just a hair thicker.

Contrast that with the MacBook Pro M3, which measures 0.61 inch and 0.66 inch thick for the 14-inch and 16-inch models, respectively. The Air is also quite a bit lighter, with the 13-inch weighing 2.7 pounds and the 15-inch weighing 3.3 pounds, in contrast to the 3.4-pound 14-inch and 4.7-pound 16-inch Pro.

Size differences aside, the 2024 MacBook Air M3 and MacBook Pro look much alike, and the fact that they now share the M3 chip indicates Apple's intent to consolidate its laptop lineup. The MacBook Air could almost be considered a "MacBook Pro Lite," as it's becoming more like a more budget-friendly version of the Pro line than a completely different device. Despite this, the MacBook Air continues to fulfill its original purpose: to be a slim and lightweight Mac laptop for users on the move. All models also have two Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, except for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which has three.

Display

Both are lovely, but one is better

Apple is no slouch when it comes to making great screens. Neither the 2024 MacBook Air M3 nor the 2023 MacBook Pro displays disappoint. The 13.6-inch MacBook Air sports a 2560 x 1664 WQXGA Liquid Retina panel, while the 15-inch variant has a 2880 x 1864 WQXGA+ Liquid Retina display. Both feature a pixel density of 224 ppi and a peak brightness of 500 nits. These offer a nice view, to be sure, but the MacBook Pro screen is better, as you'd expect.

You get a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with a 3024 x 1964 resolution or a 16.2-inch 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR Display with a 254ppi pixel density. The Pro can also have 600-nit peak brightness for SDR content or up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness for HDR content. Both displays are great, but the MacBook Pro's Liquid Retina XDR panel makes it more suitable as a creator laptop.

The MacBook Air M3 now supports two external displays, provided you shut the lid.

One limitation of the 2022 MacBook Air we took issue with was its support for only one external display (although this is also true with the base M3 MacBook Pro). Apple has addressed that with the 2024 refresh, although with a catch. The MacBook Air M3 now supports two external displays, provided you shut the lid. That still only gives you a maximum of two screens to work with. However, having two full-sized desktop monitors is an undeniably better multi-display setup than a laptop screen paired with a desktop monitor.

By comparison, the MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip can support up to two external displays without closing the lid. Opt for the M3 Max chip and connect four external displays simultaneously. It's unlikely that most people will ever need that kind of screen real estate, but it highlights the fully upgraded M3 system-on-a-chip capabilities.

Performance

The Pro is still the Mac king

The star of the show here is the M3 chipset, the third generation of Apple's proprietary silicon SoCs. The base M3 chip, available in the new MacBook Air and the 14-inch MacBook Pro, has eight CPU and eight or 10 GPU cores (the 10-core GPU is standard on the Pro). The MacBook Pro is also configurable with the M3 Pro or M3 Max chips, considerably boosting horsepower. The M3 Pro has two configurations: one with 11 CPU and 14 GPU cores and an upgraded version with 12 CPU and 18 GPU cores.

Finally, there's the fully loaded M3 Max, comprised of a 14-core CPU and a whopping 30 GPU cores. For memory, the MacBook Air M3 offers 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB of RAM, whereas the MacBook Pro M3 is configurable with between 8GB and 128GB of unified memory.

All the M3 chips are capable performers. Even the base M3 MacBook Air delivers up to 60% more processing power than the 2020 MacBook Air with Apple's first M1 silicon chip. Nonetheless, creators and other hardcore users running demanding software will be served better with one of the upgraded chips, relegating them to the MacBook Pro. The entire M3 chipset features a 16-core Neural Engine, which Apple boasts as the best consumer-available processor for generative AI tasks. There aren't a lot of AI functions built into MacOS yet, but we expect these to be forthcoming, and it does support AI functions in third-party apps.

Apple silicon combines CPU and GPU cores on one chip, giving these MacBooks more graphical muscle than those of years past. This includes support for mesh shading and ray tracing, and the MacBook Air M3 is the first in the line to offer these capabilities. The M3 MacBooks won't replace a proper gaming laptop, of course.

Still, Apple's increased focus on graphical processing power indicates the company's intent to appeal to creators and those who expect their laptops to be at least capable of some light gaming (which the M3 chips can handle, provided the games are compatible with MacOS). Finally, for SSDs, the MacBook Air offers between 256GB and 2TB of onboard storage. The MacBook Pro comes standard with 512GB and is upgradable to up to an 8TB SSD.

Battery life

Improvements across the board

One of the highlights of the M3 chips is their energy efficiency. That translates to better battery life across the board, although the MacBook Pro lineup takes the lead again. Neither laptop will likely have you constantly hunting for an AC outlet, though. The 13-inch MacBook Air packs a 52.6-watt‑hour internal battery, and the 15-inch model's larger frame can support a bigger 66.5Whr battery.

The larger chassis of the MacBook Pro allows for a larger battery, with the 14-inch model packing a 70Whr or 72.4Whr battery (depending on chip configuration) and the 16-inch Pro loaded with a considerably bigger 100Whr battery.

Real-world longevity depends on usage, and if you're running demanding software and multitasking daily, plan to be plugged in much of the time, or at least make sure you've got a charger with you — still, the longevity of the M3 MacBooks impresses. In our hands-on time with the 16-inch MacBook Pro M3, we got more than 16 hours out of a single charge for basic tasks and at least four hours running the energy-hungry Final Cut Pro software. The MacBook Air may not be as good, but given the M3 chip's efficiency, it's not likely to disappoint.

Which is right for you?

The 2024 MacBook Air M3 and MacBook Pro are both excellent laptops. The answer to the question of which is best boils down to your own needs and budget, but in our opinion, the MacBook Air is the better choice for most users. That might be a surprise, given that the MacBook Pro is the superior machine.

However, it's overkill for most people's needs and costly — especially once you start considering upgrades like the M3 Pro or M3 Max chips. With the M3 chip, the 2024 MacBook Air is more than capable of handling the sorts of work and entertainment that most people use their laptops for, and it does it at a reasonable price point (for a Mac, anyway).

If you genuinely need more powerful hardware and have the cash, the MacBook Pro M3 is a fast and muscular workhorse for professionals, creators, and other power users. It's just too expensive for your average buyer, especially those who don't specifically require something that can handle demanding productivity software. The MacBook Air has come a long way in recent years, and the gap between Apple's entry-level MacBook and the high-end Pro is smaller than it was, making it hard to justify the latter's premium sticker price. Nonetheless, the MacBook Pro M3 is a superb machine for those who need it.