The MacBook Air Conundrum 

The greatest thing about this MacBook Air is that it generates discounts on other MacBook Airs

“I debated whether I was gonna review this at all”. Sure, Jan.

"the best feature that the M3 MacBook Air introduces... is price cuts for the other two." LOL so true

At this point I might replace my M1 Air with the M5 or M6 when the M8 drops lol

"Buy refurbished and buy last generation" is my motto these days.

I’m sticking to my M1.

Have an M1 13 inch MacBook Pro bought in 2020 and I have no desire to upgrade anytime soon. My plan is to keep it until stops receiving security updates. We have reached a point now where these things are solved problems. Unless you are Luke Miani or iJustine thats editing lots of videos, years then upgrading regularly makes sense. Basic editing in Photoshop, occasional RU-vid vlog video, managing your budget in Excel, writing a script in Google Docs, spending most of your time web browsing honestly doesn't warrant regular upgrades. But if you have the money and you like treating yourself to latest greatest, different.

Clearly you can't lose with any of the three. But for basic users on a tight budget, the M1 at this writing is still available for $750 new. That was the choice I made a couple of months ago, and I don't regret it.

You look so happy to have made it as a RU-vidr. Really happy for you, and best of luck furthering your career.

Your insight is always appreciated.

I went from a 2015 air to an m1 air, and I don't think I will need to upgrade for a long time, I use it everyday for logic and for things like tonex and amplitube and it doesn't miss a beat.

let me just take a moment to appreciate how clean and effortless the unboxing was🤩

first discovered your content Luke during the pandemic (I guess I'm actually an early fan, was it March 2020? I remember watching your content just as the first lockdown set in, so yea, that's 4 years now, wow). anyhow, love your style, the no-clickbait / practical approach. also you are wonderful at coming up w budget recommendations & a good narrative for a review. keep it up man

i bought a 'refurb' M1 last month based on your advice in other videos and i cant be happier. I had bought another M1 (or it was at least listed as such) but had the Intel chip. The battery life on an M1 is just dumbfounding. office work alone 16-19 hours. video easy 12 plus. Crazy.

Great review and information Luke!

My base m1 MacBook Air with 15 battery cycles and 1 big deep scratch I got for $450 is still the best tech deal I’ve got in many years. All I do is get great deals on tech, and this is still the best. It’s insane.

I bought a base M2 13 at a very nice price, literally the day before the m3s dropped. So this video is very comforting, thankyou Luke!

Thanks for sharing. Blessings on your day.

I am looking at upgrading my two daughters old MBA’s 2014 and 2015. Your review was very useful. Its school work not power use and I think discounted M1’s will be the best option for me. Thank you.

The base spec are too low and the upgrades cost way too much.

Huh? 2 Display support & Wifi 6E for future proofing

1. Stick to your budget 2. Consider what you have now If still on Intel, get M1 (refurb or discounted) If on M processor already, you don't need a new one.

one thing about these newer air macs is that they will make the used market of m1 and 2 macbooks even better than it used to be

M1 with 512 GB (two NAND chips) is what I have, and it's a killer machine for my needs (word processing, image processing, and - rarely - some basic video editing.) I might consider the M3 (better screen, magsafe, other tweaks) when it's second best to the M4, or whatever comes along next.

Excelent overview, and I normally buy the previous model ( there was no model of the studio Ultra) , but this time we have the display support in the higher model.

Thanks, Luke! I think I'll stick with my M2 Macbook Air- I love it, so it's good to hear that there aren't significant changes with the introduction of the M3 chip. I run a podcast, edit photos and occasionally use Davinci Resolve and it run like a charm.

Thanks Luke. I have the M1 and I think I’m good where I’m at.

I have been loving my m1 air and got it on a nice Black Friday sale over a year ago. For my use case it is plenty

Thank you so much Sage advice yet again! I literally have a MacBook Air M2 15" 8g open box in my cart for $933. I was contemplating whether I should upgrade to the M3 and this decision was helped by this video :-) Go used and refurbished! You’ve done me right Luke, many times! Thanks to your advice. I also got a great deal on an iPad Pro 12.9 2018 from Declutter based on your advice. 🎉❤😊

1:07 that was gold lmfao

I was waiting for your review. I picked up a m2 air 15 in off Best Buy for 900$ open box in oct 2023. I have a m1 MacBook Pro 16 which is on the heavier side and my personal machine and wanted something to separate business and personal. No issues got it for a great price at the time.

Smooth intro good take!

At work our laptops got replaced with all plastic 14” Dell Latitudes with 13th gen Core i5 and Intel HD graphics. These retail at around 100 less than the M1 MBA. The mouse cursor occasionally runs at single digit frame rates. That is all.

Im low-key happy with my MacBook Air M1 for a couple of years. I been having mine since 2021.

I like this video helps me sort out my options. I am not looking for a lap top, but was thinking of a Mac mini, but right now for barely 190CAD more than the Mac mini, I can get a refurb MacBook Air M2 with 16Gb ram and 1Tb SSD (same spec as the Mac mini). Which makes me think it would be nice not to have to deal with a third party webcam (family and friends we call almost daily, plus appointments) and sure I could get a webcam for about 100CAD, but this is close enough (I would be paying only 90CAD over the Mac mini and webcam) and bonus, now I have a laptop (and its screen)I can use around the house and on some trips. This is another reminder for those of us Intel iMac owners (esp. 27" screen) that the current iMac is not a good value.

Great advice! I just bought a used M2 Air 24G 512G with one-year warranty from the retailer for 1260 dollars and it’s absolutely fantastic.

Oh no, you really forgot something important!! The base M3 chip now supports dual external displays (also in MBP via update)!!! This is really important for a lot of people. For me, it opens the door to think about "do I need a pro" at all.

my next mac in a few years to replace my mba M1 base model would probably be a 14' m1 pro base model. It would have to be below 1000 euros so not yet but it's double ram and storage and about as powerful as the m3 with more p cores which is good for audio. Seems like the logical step.

I'm still using my 13" Intel Macbook Pro (2017) and looking to finally upgrade this year. What I noticed is that right now, at least where I live, the 14" MBP M1 Pro and 13" Macbook Air M3 are the same price with the same configuration (16GB memory, 512GB SSD). Between the two, which one would you recommend more?

Do you update all the test machines' OSes before running the tests? I'm guessing 'yes', but iit's good to check.

I bought the m2 MacBook Air in the refurbished Apple Store and I just bought the base model and I have been really happy with it I also have 2 users setup on it and I still have plenty of storage with the 256gb storage it came with

The M1 is es absolutely beast in everything with 1 TB SSD and 16GB RAM. It would also be a beast with the base M1 model.

Is the M3 SSD still slower than the M1 with the 512GB model?

Babe wake up this guy uploaded❤

You did not mention the ability to support 2 screens with M3. In my mind, this is a big plus.

hello Luke, do you have news for mac mini with M3 chip if it will be launch by apple this year? i'm considering it to buy one. 😊

One of your best videos

Solid advice

I'm still using my beautiful MacBook Air M1 and watch this with it ;-).

Luke Can you please tell me what monitors are you using?

I was wondering what backgrounds you use for your macs?

Dude! Thank you!!!!!!!

Great comparison and info . However i think M1 Air is best performance for your pocket and people already have it won’t be replacing it.

Thanks for explaining the graphs in the titles cause I don't understand these tests 😂

I bought an m2 15” air with 512gb/16gb in November. Luckily it was black Friday and also did get return at the airport. Otherwise I'd be angry for not having waited…. Now the 15” m2 is gone. I would go for m3 now as it will be supported for longer.

Could you plz tell where you got this wallpaper form?

This is why I love Luke. He doesn’t just say “oh yeah this mac is awesome get it now” he’s honest and says the truth. Keep it up!

I just purchased an eBay refurbished MacBook Air M1 16GB 1TB for $1K. Has 1 year warranty and was in excellent condition. I’ll be using it for music/audio recording and live performance using Logic and MainStage.

Great that dual monitor support was brought to the MacBook Air and will be coming to the base m3 macbook pro. I understand the software limitations of not being able to run two monitors and the built in display at the same time, but why must the lid be closed? I own an apple vision pro and when I use mac virtual display it blacks out my screen but I can keep using the trackpad and keyboard. Why not do the same thing for the m3 air and pro? Black out the laptop screen if connected to two external monitors but don't require the lid to be closed. That way people can still use the keyboard and trackpad and don't need to get an external keyboard and mouse. Seems like an easy software change.

The Silicon Macs can only run MacOS natively. They have to emulate Linux and X86 which is not ideal. Also, the Silicon Macs still swap to SSD which I personally don't like. I stipulate that new Apple laptops are perfect for youtubers who do a lot of video encoding. That was a smart move on Apple's part to target that crowd. For me, the value proposition is still not there. I'll hang on to my 2017 MacBook Pro (not used for video or gaming), and just do my normal productivity stuff coupled with logins to my VM machines.

"I debated whether I was gonna review this at all" says the guy who makes multiple leak videos like a year before the actual product launch date.

Thank you, for this review of all three (3) models of the "Air Laptop" M-1, M-2, and M-3. Have never carried for any MacBook Air model so, I would be buying a used fully loaded 13-inch M-2 MacBook Pro with its "older screen" and "touch-bar" (smile...smile).

good advice👍

Truer words have never been spoken when you said the other 2 macs will have a price cut xD

Extremely happy with the analysis of yours and really appreciate the way you explain the whole idea of buying the MacBooks which are cheaper and almost of the same power as you said are almost similar and if someone is getting for example 500 or $400 discount surely should go from M2. From your advise i concluded and get m2 brand new 15inch base model in 1200 USD and saved 400$ additional for M3

You know what pissed me off in the M3 Air? They rerouted the integrated embedded displayport controller that handles the laptop screen in a way that lets you use a second external display whenever the lid is closed. I've got an M2.

Good advice Luke.

Hi Luke, Could you recommend a MacBook Air for my daughter? She's about to go to university and not particularly tech savvy. But I do want to buy her one that will last more than a year. Could you recommend a good used one? Thanks Luke

Please tell me where you get your intro music from, it slaps!

Its Simple, The M3 is the only one with Dual monitor support, the others cant.

I have both the m1 and m2 Air. In real world use I can't tell a noticeable difference. I think I'll have my current laptops for years to come

Where to get your wallpaper pls 😅

where could i get such beautiful wallpapers?

the dual screen support in clamshell for m3 is a deal-maker feature for me

I completely overlooked the fact that the power adapter in the MBA is USB-C and not magsafe :O Is there an easy way to get a MBA with magsafe power adapter instead? I've waited all this years with my old late 2013 MBP mostly because I wanted magsafe back :D

M1 on sale at BestBuy for $675

I wonder whether the macbook air m3 has the same touchpad or trackpad such not smooth and not working doing like macbook pro 2012. Hopefully you will talk about MacBook Air m3 touchpad later after using it after half or a year, thank you. And also the screenshot after several screenshot it will stop working and loading and loading in macbook air m1. Hopefully m3 not like this.

PPPLLLEEEAAASEEEE Start incorporating the _logic pro benchmark_ into all comparison videos! I especially want to know if ram makes a difference.

Is the SSD issue limited to the base model (256gb)?

I got an apple refurbished m2 15” air with the what should be standard 512 storage and 16 ram and it only had 4 battery cycles on it. I’ll upgrade in about oh 7-10 years

solide advice, that's what i adviced to other people as well

These things are all amazing. I bought a refurbished M1 Air from Apple 3 years ago. Traded it in to Best Buy about 2 months ago on a 15" M2 Air. (Which was on sale, probably because the M3s were about to be announced.) Everybody wins.

I used my M1 MacBook Air for rendering 3D scenes and animations. I'm quite impressed with what it is capable of when you really push it.

Hey Luke, I currently have a 13’ MacBook Pro (2017, no touchbar) so far I’m in love with the computer but know it won’t be good enough when I graduate from college, any recommendations on an upgrade?

I still agree with you that the 14" MacBook Pro is the best of all around usefulness. I haven't been convinced to upgrade from my base model 14" M1 Pro MBP. yet.

Luke thank you for the video. I am about to purchase a laptop. Primarily for photo editing. Is anybody familiar ssd failing or is this only the case with m1 or part of all three generations? Thank you.

Thank you

M1 MBA is still the legend. And now it is very cost friendly.

MBA size and screen is impressive (however SSD i MBA2 was slow), but keyboard (shallow travel), layout and system make it unsusable... such laptop with linux (or even windows) would be PERFECT

Literally just bought a base M2 MBA the day before M3 dropped after literally every place around me ran out of the M1. This is honestly one of the most incredible machines I've ever used. I was a big PC Gaming head for the longest time (I still have my Windows rig gamers, dont worry.) and this machine legitimately impressed me. For $999 this is a pretty strong machine, the charging brick gets warmer than the actual laptop under load.

Every time I see an updated Macbook Air, my interest in holding onto my M1 Air is renewed. Maybe once they finally move on from the 8/256 base configuration I'll consider upgrading...a generation or two after they do it so it's affordable lol

Was about to buy an M1 macbook air brand new this month because theyre still selling it in some retailers. I dont plan on keeping it forever but would anyone recommend one now or should I aim for an M2?

Picked up a m2 cheap at Best Buy

my budget leans more towards the Air but living in a hot climate, the fanless design turns me away pretty quick, which is why i generally went for the 'Pro' with fans. Since the M3 16 Inch now costing over $4200 in australia now its priced out of my budget. I paid $3200 for my 16 Inch M1 Pro when it came out. So i'm kind of leaning towards to 14 Inch Pro, even though the base versions only have one fan it might be enough to help keep it cooler than the Air, but needing to upgrade it to 16GB ram though makes it rather expensive and closer priced to the M3 Pro 14 Inch with 18GB ram. If they had a stock standard 512 SSD with 16GB ram then it might be ok with other retail stores on a discount. im not ready for a new one yet but hate to think of the prices when i do as the last two years they really got significant price increases, at least in Australia.

Alright, a few months and I’m gonna buy one. Since I am coming from a HP (i3 6th gen) I feel like it will be an upgrade. Yes, I have a gaming PC but not a good laptop. Definitely looking forwards for it.

Kinda wish you would do this for the base M1 /M2/ M3 Pro 14

Maybe I’m the weird one, but am I the only one that finds dual monitor support a very relevant part of this upgrade? I went with the M1 Pro at the time almost exclusively because of this.

Would love to be able to use 2 external monitors, natively, no “clamshell” nonsense.

So the Base model M3 SSD is faster?

We enter an era where their computers are so good people are getting the older models. Me? I specifically got a m2 air just for magsafe