I took Apple's new MacBook Air M3 out for a spin — here's how it went

On Monday, Apple announced that a brand-new MacBook Air had joined its M3 chip family, boosting the super-popular computer to new heights.

The tech giant debuted the M3 chip in its MacBook Pros and iMacs last fall.

I got to try the 24-inch iMac and was impressed by its vivid resolution, physical aesthetics and features, and nimbleness in handling several heavy tasks simultaneously — including gaming.

Some background

I was introduced to Apple computers in 2014 when I bought my first MacBook Air. It was unbelievably light, with a processing power that allowed me to use heavy video editing programs and run Photoshop without a hiccup.

The Air was solid. It held up against time, and my sibling still uses it for work. I eventually upgraded to the Pro — the 13-inch 2020 model with the M1 chip — before moving to the iMac M3.

As a full-time MacBook girlie, the iMac was a grounding, welcome change.

It forces me to sit at my desk instead of slouching on a couch or working from my bed, and the massive screen is excellent for my struggling vision. Laptop stands and third-party monitors no longer clutter my desk. Plus, I get to play games without needing a traditionally kitted-out PC.

I still use my 2020 MacBook Pro when I’m on the go. It’s a solid machine, but it’s starting to show its age, and despite my love for smaller pieces of tech, the 13-inch display strains my eyes.

Not having used a MacBook Air in years, I was excited to try the M3 model. It comes in four colours — midnight, starlight, space grey, and silver — and two sizes (13 and 15 inches), with varying SSD storage and unified memory.

I was sent a 15-inch starlight model with 16 gigs of unified memory and 512 gigs of SSD storage.

Switching to the MacBook Air M3

Right off the bat, I was split between two feelings: I had some worry that the 15-inch MacBook Air would not be as portable as its 13-inch counterpart, but I also saw some relief that I would not have to strain my eyes in front of a smaller screen.

The portability worries disappeared quickly, however.

I’m a backpack person, and the MacBook Air fits comfortably in the laptop compartments of three of my most-used backpacks. It’s less than 100 grams heavier than my smaller 3.1-lb MacBook Pro, to make things even sweeter.

While integrating the Air into my daily workflow, I used it alongside my iMac and discovered that both computers were in harmony without any effort.

The new MacBook Air M3 boasts support for up to two external displays.

I could flip through screens without changing settings since I was signed into my iCloud on both devices. It’s such a bonus to be able to use the same trackpad and mouse on two different computers without fiddling with connectivity settings.

Running programs

If you’re an animator, expect programs like Blender to run and execute tasks shockingly smoothly. This would also be a great upgrade for creators like musicians, DJs, illustrators, and video editors. The price point (especially with Apple’s student discount) makes it a stellar investment for students. The device is solid and will last you years and years.

The M3 chip is truly no joke. You might not need to shell out MacBook Pro money when the Air handles things easily.

Apple said the M3-loaded MacBook Air is up to 60% faster than its M1 counterpart and 13 times faster than the Intel-based MacBook Air I once knew, even rivalling some Pro models released in recent years.

WiFi capabilities are up to two times faster than the previous generation, too.

As far as my daily work goes, I swing between “expert organizer” and “multi-tasking mess” (what can I say? She contains multitudes). I’m always running several programs, and my browser tabs multiply like bacteria. On a good day, I have at least 30 tabs and eight apps running by noon.

So far, the MacBook Air M3 has been handling all this without hiccups.

I’m hoping to give gaming a try soon. Playing games on the M3-equipped iMac was fun, but the Air also has the same ray-tracing feature and a 10-core GPU. Better character/object shadows and reflections make the experience more immersive.

Battery life and aesthetics

My old MacBook Air had a remarkably extensive battery life, and this one doesn’t disappoint in that department. The machine boasts up to 18 hours of battery life.

As someone who is garbage at making sure their devices are full of juice, I haven’t had to charge it more than once, and even that wasn’t to a full charge.

The crystal clear and rich Liquid Retina display makes it a joy to use in all kinds of lighting, and it’s nice to use a larger trackpad than the one on my 13-inch Pro.

Though the unit sent to me is a beautiful starlight colour that goes well with my natural titanium iPhone, I’m in love with someone else — the midnight variant. This time, Apple has made extra efforts to ensure it isn’t a fingerprint magnet, which sings to my sensibilities.

The MacBook Air is also a lot more uniform shape-wise. If you didn’t love how the iPhone’s shape changed in the mid-to-late 2010s, this MacBook will scratch a certain itch. Those who get it, get it.

It’s less slippery and more levelled. Though the edges are slightly rounded to reduce sharpness, they don’t taper like older MacBooks. Overall, it feels sturdier.

The device’s camera is also top-quality. It’s well-lit and even-toned without washing you out or making you feel like you’re using a video app “beauty” filter.

As someone who takes several meetings, I appreciated the camera upgrade on the iMac M3. It’s nice to see it in MacBook Air, too. Not to malign my trusty 2020 MacBook Pro, but it has the picture quality of a flip phone. God forbid I’m in dim lighting; it makes me look like a kidnapper filming a confession in their basement.

If you want to upgrade to the new MacBook Air, you can now order it on Apple’s website. Availability begins Friday, March 8.

The 13-inch model starts retailing at $1,449, but with Apple’s student/education discount, you can get it for $1,299 before tax.

The 15-inch model begins at $$2,249 and can be bought for $2,099 with the same discount.

Read more about the devices on Apple’s website here.

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