This is the best review of the different specs, etc. and the irony is I disagree with the recommendation of the 14 M3 Pro over the 15" Air with 16/512. I know it's only $100 difference - and my head kept saying go the M3 Pro - but I spent a long time in the store comparing the 13" Air, 15" Air and 14" Pro. The size of the 15" screen is so much bigger than the 14" - whereas the 13" Air is similar in size to the 14". (The actual sizes are 13.6", 14.2" and 15.3"). The size real-estate is a lot more than you think when you really see them side by side. For me the 15" just looks and feels so much better than the 14".. .more modern, better battery, quiet, much bigger display and lighter. The Pro just looks like an older gen machine. I know the Pro chip with 18g ram is better, but the Air with 16 gigs will do 95% of what the pro will do and would be imperceptible to me.

Appreciate the good, clear recommendations.

I have the exact same config you have, but with the M2 15" model. Silver color is the best. I got the machine for a good discount off of the refurbished store about 3 months ago. I do often find now that I wish I had a few more ports. I connect one to my USB hub, which has 2 USB-A, and then 2 USB-C ports, and then one to my external SSD. Every port in this setup is occupied. I use my iPad for Sidecar, and never feel the need for an external monitor, so the improvement in monitor support isn't that advantageous. Totally justifying my purchase right now. I am curious to see what Apple does for the M4 iteration, it seem like they are going back and forth between major updates and minor updates. Really great and comprehensive review!

I bought the 13”, M2 MBA 8/10, 16gb, 512gb back in June of ‘22, i bought my wife the 14” M3 Pro MBP, 11/14, 18gb, 1T. In actual use it is difficult to tell the difference, but the speakers are definitely better on the 14”.

thank you for this review. i have been thinking about what to get and this clears it up.

I bought this EXACT laptop. Starlight with 16Gb/512Gb for $1529 with the Veteran discount. Couldn't be more pleased with it. Being in my 50s now, the screen real estate is the biggest factor in a laptop. I use my Windows gaming desktop or my wife's Apple Studio (22) for intense computing. This Air does everything i personally need in a laptop better than anything else I've ever used. Extremely satisfied with it.

I bought the 2024 Macbook Air 15 inch 24 GB / 1 TB model here in Norway for $1163 after rebates and company tax deduction. I wanted a thin laptop without a noisy fan and a large screen and decent performance for everyday tasks. I don't like the chubby 14 inch with smaller screen, noisy fans and not really more performance unless you buy the expensive M3 Pro/Max cpus. 16 inch is way too bulky. I went for space gray since I don't like fingerprints. In the shop, the new midnight variant still had fingerprints all over. If you buy any Mac with atleast 16 GB / 512 GB, you will be just fine in most cases I believe.

i have decided to get this one, and i have seen lots of reviews, of all the things you are the most sensible and honest. every other review felt like an apple fan boy trying so hard.

Great review.. I agree. In the last week I bought a base m3/8gb/256gb spec at best buy because it was an open box for $988. Well after a couple days I was already slightly regretting it a little.. it was fantastic but with just a few programs I was already pushing the 256gb space and I was regularly actively closing programs and making sure I didn't have too many things running. I was using Parallels/Windows 11 and new I needed as much free as possible to keep things running smoothly. Anyway.. bottom line is I returned it and sadly spent the extra $500 for the 16gb/512gb. It was annoying now but I knew if I planned on keeping this laptop for more than a year.. and maybe 4+ it would pay off bigtime. It already has. Also I traded my old M1 8gb/256gb and Best Buy gave me $525 for it which is crazy for a 3.5 year old laptop.. so I know this one will hold it's value especially being spec'd up a bit.

i'm currently using a macbook retina from 2017 😭so the m3 macbook pro would be a dream laptop upgrade for me

I went with the 14 M3 base Pro for $1449 BestBuy because of the fans for longer, sustained DJ sessions and the smart card and HDMI slots so it frees up my other USB Cs to avoid dongles. The speakers and screen are phenomenal too! Otherwise, I would have bought the 15” Air.

Jerry you are so right on the 16gbs of memory, I had the M1 MacBook Air 8gbs and 256gbs and yes for simple tasks of classes and vernal work the computer was amazing with great battery life but when you worked it harder or more tabs per bigger excel files you started to see the bottle neck. M2 MacBook Air 16gb and 512gb has been simply amazing zero bottle necks and it seems over all the speed is better than my M1 air. But yes Apple no more 8gb of ram really?

Yea i agree with the comments, the review is awesome, the best part is comparing price points, a lot of reviews talk about the same perspectives on performance, IO, and benchmarks etc, but price and bang for buck is important to some consumers. Most reviewers don't price compare, and you did a great job with understanding how far you can push the dollar amount, and what you get. I find myself in the same boat as well, if i'm gonna drop 1200+ dollars on a mac in 2024, I wouldn't want to feel like i'm selling myself short at that price point. But i've always been against all of the apple upcharges, TBH external drives are the way to go for me always. Thanks again!!

one of the best reviews on apple products ive seen, thank you

Great comparison at the end of the 3 models that are most suitable for day to day use, Im currently on a i7 13" 2019 MacBook Pro, and will be moving to the M3 14" MBP, thank you for posting!

The dilemma that I have is choosing between the 15 inch air with 16gb ram and 512 gb ssd and the MacBook Pro 14 inch with 18 gb ram is that the price difference here in Sweden actually is 400 dollars between the two. So your case for the small price difference doesn’t really apply here.

The configuration I've been eyeing is the one you're not recommending and I agree with you totally at it being a bad deal. But I need a larger display to upgrade from my M1 Air. So I'm holding out for retailers to offer a discount on the 16/512 model as the months roll on 🤞

You're the first reviewer I've seen that actually talks about the trackpad size and the distance of the keyboard from the front of the laptop. That's one of my biggest concerns about getting a 15" Air. Especially as someone who enjoys the 13" form. But that screen size is very tempting...

I got m3 pro MBP for 1599, Best Buy. I think this is best deal out there for great configuration

Hello Jerry. I really like Your reviews, just simply without all this benchmarks figures etc. Fully agree with your recommendation. Actually stuck with decision MBA M3 15’ 16/256, or MBP 14’ M3 Pro base model. Laptop for my wife, regular user, expecting 7-8 years of usage. I think 14’ will get longer support.

Enjoyed your video mate. I have a M3 Air 13, went with the 512 storage instead of the RAM. 8 GB RAM is fine for my light usage (have powerful pc's for games/video etc) but need the storage for my family photos & vids. Cloud storage real slow and dont want to use external drive everytime want to see some family videos. Apple option prices are insane though!

Having used an M1 MBA as my everyday portable, the M3 MBA 15" keyboard is... bigger/wider ??? It's taking me some time to adjust my typing to not have mishits.

I'm with you 100% on the keycaps. My M2 Air is docked at my desk in clamshell mode about 90%+ of the time. Even with the relatively minimal use of the built in keyboard, the keys look pretty bad. I would have to disagree on the RAM issue. My Air is a base model 8GB/256GB that I've been using since launch day and it flies through everything I throw at it. There are routinely 6-7 apps open at a time and, while I don't use super heavy apps, I regularly work in Photoshop and audio editing. Unless a person knows they're going to be using more intense apps on a regular basis, 8GB of RAM actually works just fine.

You can also choose the M2 15 inch air with 16/512 refurbished from apple at 1295 with student discount…

Spot on about RAM always thought that! Will not be buying a macbook / air until 16GB on base models.

I purchased a refurbed 14” pro 18/512 for exact same price as 15” air 16/256. Very pleased with the space black. Exquisite machine!

Hi Jerry how much difference did you find when it comes to 60hz vs 120 hz promotion . Please help me with this. Is this can be the deciding factor?

Nice to see the M3 price drop for a 16GB / 512GB 13" Air. I'm on the same spec ram and storage M2, and for now it does what I need it to. No need for an upgrade here, but it makes me feel better about pricing in the future for when I do want/need an upgrade.

Thanks for the comparisons Jerry. I moved up to a refurbished M1 Pro MBP 14 from a base model MBA 13 because the extra features you cited meant more to me than better portability.

Forget the inflated claims and sponsored content! This review is an excellent example of honest product evaluation. In a world full of misleading information, this reviewer sets it apart with his uncompromising honesty and actual consumer concern. A thorough, unbiased analysis of the product's strengths and weaknesses is a priceless aid for prospective buyers. It's a breath of fresh air that cuts through the hype around APPLE and offers an extremely frank perspective. Love it!

It’s a lot closer to the original air size wise

hi! i'm a sophomore in college majoring in communication, coming from a 16inch 2019 mbp, 17 2.9, 1tb ssd, 16gb ram. i'm buying a new laptop this week and debating between the 15 inch air and the 14 inch pro. the air would be good for me since im in college and studying abroad in the fall in europe but the pro has a way better display and the 120hz refresh and ports is really enticing as well. can you tell me about the fans on the mbp and how loud they are and also how the battery life on the pro is compared to the air since thats what im leaning towards? also how is the weight on the pro since its slightly bigger than the air? is the 15” air vs. the 14” pro a huge sacrifice in screen real estate??thank u so much!!!

Will there be any performance difference between m3 air 16 gb Ram 256 GB and 512 GB Storage?

I’m upgrading from a MacBook Pro 2017 15inch with 512gb and 16gbs of ram to the m3 MacBook Air 15 inch with 256gb of storage and 8gbs of ram is that a huge downgrade?

Thanks! Saved $200 with your link. Will love the new Mac Pro

3:56 wallpaper link pleaseeeeee

Is it possible to work with Rino 3D and Unity with the 24 GB version?

JS- Many thanks! 🧐😘✊🏾

I always love your stuff, the problem of course with that hub (one of which I have) is that it isn't portable given it needs mains. Is there a more portable option?

I would wait for the 15" m3 air to go on sale.

The starlight color looks like how the grey on the super nintendo would look after a decade of ownership.

Where can I get that jellyfish wallpaper?

Super clear thank you for the review really appreciate it

I currently have a 2019 model MacBook Pro 16 inch 16gb memory and 512 gb SSD which is out of warranty and the battery is down to 86% health according to CleanMyMac X. The battery drains like crazy, I might get 2-3 hours before recharging. So I am in the market for a new MacBook and am torn between the 15 inch Air with M3 16gb memory 512gb SSd and the 14 inch Pro with M3 Pro, 18gb memory and 512gb.just everyday stuff with lots of tabs open. I'm not a power user and I'm happy with my 16 inch screen, but it's hard to decide if I want to downgrade to the Air and the bigger screen or stay Pro with the smaller 14 but a huge upgrade over my current Pro as fas as picture and sound quality. Your video was really helpful but I'm still on the fence.

I have to disagree with the statement that "no Mac should ship with less than 16GB of RAM". That is wrong for several reasons. Price: With lower configurations, Apple can have a cheaper Mac entry point. This is one reason the Air has been the most successful PC since its launch. There are no 2024 Core Ultra premium ultrabooks for under £1600, so people with a budget of £1100 cannot own an XPS 14, Galaxy Book4 Pro, LG Gram 14, etc. Surely, offering a choice is more consumer-friendly than not; if you need 16GB, Apple offers that, and it is even a reasonable price: upgrading the MB Air 13 M3 from 8GB to 16GB also gets 25% extra GPU cores for £200. So, I need clarification on why you would force me to pay extra for more RAM if I cannot afford it. Of course, the base models get discounted; they are already £100 off in the UK, making them exceptional value. I still use my M1 MB Pro 13 base, which I bought 3.5 years ago, and it does not miss a beat for my work. It is a premium Chromebook workflow, and as people know, 99% of Chromebooks run on 8GB or less. Thankfully, many users like me who run on 8GB and do not have a pro workflow understand that 8GB is enough, it has been for 30 years, and that creators are basing their conclusions on a workflow of a tiny niche minority that would (should) never buy 8GB as even the pro creator apps suggest minimum 16GB but recommended 32GB. Leave us 8GB users alone; we love that we can save £500 with the base 8Gb/256GB over the premium Windows ultrabook 16gb/512gb. We are not all flush with money.

great review @Jerry Schulze, am now a little all over the place again after watching, my concern is how safe or the throttling is it much of a concern when we talk about it or its simply the system getting heated but to no effect externally to the user. For light and random interval editing is an air ok or one to rather also just stick to pro, pro maybe as a future proofing. MBAir is tempting appearance and weight wise but if the price difference is not astronomical any harm in just being with the pro and be like that maybe the next 5 years.?

16/256 is perfect TABLET replacement. For the same price as the ipad pro 12.9" 256gb with accesories (like the cover with no keyboard) it is on par with the macbook air 15". Buy it with this config if you have another pc in your house and this is not the main device 16/512 for people who want a basic laptop for their needs and of course it is their main device 24/256 - tell me you are engineer student without telling me so 24/1TB - tell me you are a software engineer / computer engineer without telling me so 16/4TB - PRO music production ? I don't know

Why have 2 MacBooks for routine use, excluding testing reasons for UKposts reviews? Seems excessive given the cost. Edit: I am a big fan of a powerful desktop and light travel laptop combo. For Apple products, that would be Mac Studio and the M2/M3 Air.

Totally disagree on the 8Gb of ram. Using a base M1 air for office stuff, some light photo and video editing (just for pleasure), immersed for meta’s quest 2, internet / productivity / UKposts and so on. Almost all of the above are opened at the same time (using Safari and not Google stuff) and absolutely no problems so far ram wise. The swap / memory pressure is constant and low. This is exactly why this is the best selling and most recommended Apple laptop and it will remain so for the foreseeable future

what if you've found the 15 inch M3 Macbook air for $1549 with 16/512gb can it be said that it's woth it at that price? Currenlty that's the sale price for it at best buy if your a plus member and $1599 at amazon currently.

Can you link that jellyfish wallpaper?

Can this handle basic 4k YT video editing?

cmon people what do you want to do with this machines I mean do you really want to Run blender,final cut pro , premiere , after effect or other heavy tasks all at the same time?? XDD

what about m3 air with 24 gb ram?

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly two years since I bought my 13” M2 MBA 8/10, 16gb, 512 spec. And yes I paid the Apple tax at that time ($1699.00)! But I have had no issues, and don’t plan to upgrade any time soon

I would reduce the recommendations to 2 positions 13" MBA M3 16/256 and 14" MBP M3Pro Base

I disagree with the 16/512 Variant of the 15 Air. The screen difference is massive in real world use…

weird price position for this. Makes no sense the base model 8GB and when spec it up, touch in MacBook Pro territory. Amazing that you just said 8GB no more, no go, period. Thats it.

M3 speakers are way better than my M2 version. Just my opinion and I use it for music.

I'm replacing my late 2013 13" MacBook Pro 1 (8GB of ram and i5 processor). No brainer?!?!?!? My choice is the 15" M3 MacBook Air with 16GB RAM and 256GB of SSD. You wisely listed this as the only option considering a potential switch to 14" M3 MacBook pro. My goal was to have a lightweight MacBook Air this time around and treat it as a true "light client" that stands comfortably on its own with general compute. I just can't bring myself to buy 256GB of SSD memory for $200 -- no thank you! Instead, I bought a small USB-A/C thumb drive with 512GB storage memory for $45. There ---I have 768GB of storage memory and just barley increased the overall footprint and weight of the machine. Then the $200 to get double the RAM where you really are going to need it... if you are a power user (I am also a high-end "to reason" desktop PC person - yes, Windows -- deal with it) on the go and not planning to refresh in a few years, then one would be insane not to upgrade this (8-->(8->16 GB RAM) even if you are a total everyday user! Can't wait to get my hands on my starlight MacBook air (I also was/am not sure this was the best color choice, but I wanted a light color and decided not to want to blend in with all the silver mac laptop brothers! 4K OLED temptations from PCs were a bit hard to overlook this time -- but there is just nothing at all like the MacBook Air in this category - it is sorta a category of it's own really. Can't wait! For heavy stuff I am on my Desktop in Windows where the price of high end machines is not just for the rich.

14 is bulky and harder to type on, I wouldn’t recommend it over 13 inch 16/512

Today they gave me (at the office) a MBP 13 with M2 chip, 24gb of ram and 512ssd. I was using a thinkpad x1 carbon g9. The macbook is slower, has issues with external monitors, and the ecosystem is horribly closed. I do not understand how people invest a single dime in these macbooks.

14 inch not to small for coding?

Re: colour - you're just complaining for the sake of complaining, really? The Starlight looks "dingy"?

I’m after a new machine for console streaming via capture card. And then of course video editing. Would the M3 Air handle this ok? Or better off going with the M3 pro?

I miss the wedge shape.

Hp dragonflay its smaller

Jerry, thank you for this honest and in depth review. I, typically, can go along with all you have to say except for what sounded like an Absolutism- no one should have less tha 16 GB of RAM. I have been using my M1 Air in the base configuration for 3+ years without issue. I have a user profile in common with millions of users- email, word processing, YT, and movies, and some mild photo editing on the M1's photo app (not Photo Shop). I have never needed to have more than 3 apps open at time and eschew Chrome because it is a RAM hog and don't trust Google, at all Would I like 16 Gb of RAM at the base price? Sure, but my use case does not require it. In fact, I just bought a 15" M2 Air base model for $999 (same a a 13" M2 Air). Replacing the M1 only because my 73 yo eyes need a bigger screen!

Too much power for a fan-less unit.

Apple is really being shitty here, shipping 8gb laptops in 2024 what a greedy company

Why does this comment section has so long comments

I think the starlight color is beautiful. It’s a terrific neutral color, like a soft sand. I love a neutral palette, so it works for me 😊

Apple needs to stop with the 8 Gb Ram bullshit

I will skip seems pretty cheap quality and too pricey

you seem to complain a lot.

Thank you!!! exactly what i was looking for in a reviewer. Straight up and direct with the advice on laptop recommendations.

I'd get the MacBook Pro. More ports and better processors. The MacBook Air is limited by the lack of ports.