Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M3) vs Apple MacBook Air 15″ (M3)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMacBook Air 13″ (M3) | AppleMacBook Air 15″ (M3) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | March 2024 | March 2024 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 13.6″ | 15.3″ |
| Resolution | 2560 × 1664 | 2880 × 1864 (better) |
| Panel | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | Liquid Retina display; LED-backlit with IPS technology | Liquid Retina display; LED-backlit with IPS technology |
| Pixel density | 224 ppi | 224 ppi |
| Colour range | Wide colour (P3); 1 billion colours | Wide colour (P3); 1 billion colours |
| Display features | True Tone | True Tone; 60 Hz refresh rate (Notebookcheck) |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Apple M3 | Apple M3 |
| CPU cores | 8 | 8 |
| Graphics | 8-core GPU or 10-core GPU | 10-core GPU |
| Memory | 8 GB, 16 GB or 24 GB | 8 GB, 16 GB or 24 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB to 2 TB | 256 GB to 2 TB |
| CPU | 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores | 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores |
| GPU | 8-core or 10-core GPU; hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Media Engine with H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW acceleration and AV1 decode engine | 10-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing; media engine supports H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW, video and ProRes encode/decode, and AV1 decode |
| AI engine | 16-core Neural Engine | 16-core Neural Engine |
| Memory type | Unified memory | Unified memory; 8 GB at launch, configurable to 16 GB or 24 GB; standard memory increased to 16 GB on 30 October 2024 |
| Memory bandwidth | 100 GB/s | 100 GB/s |
| Storage type | SSD, configurable up to 2 TB | SSD, configurable to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB |
| Cooling | Fanless | Fanless |
| Battery and size | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 18 hours | Up to 18 hours |
| Battery capacity | 52.6 Wh | 66.5 Wh (better) |
| Weight | 1.24 kg (better) | 1.51 kg |
| Thickness | 11.3 mm (better) | 11.5 mm |
| Width × depth | 304.1 × 215 mm | 340.4 × 237.6 mm |
| Battery life detail | Up to 15 hours wireless web; lithium-polymer battery | Up to 15 hours wireless web; lithium-polymer battery |
| Charger | 30 W USB-C adapter with the 8-core GPU model; 35 W Dual USB-C Port Compact adapter with the 10-core GPU, 512GB model | 35 W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter |
| Fast charging | With the 70 W USB-C Power Adapter | With the 70 W USB-C Power Adapter |
| Materials | – | 100% recycled aluminium enclosure |
| Colours | Silver, Starlight, Space Grey, Midnight | Silver, Starlight, Space Grey, Midnight |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × Thunderbolt 3, MagSafe 3, headphone jack | 2 × Thunderbolt 3, MagSafe 3, headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Webcam | 1080p FaceTime HD | 1080p FaceTime HD |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | 2 × Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40 Gb/s) and USB 4 (up to 40 Gb/s); MagSafe 3; 3.5 mm headphone jack with high-impedance headphone support | Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports supporting charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 up to 40 Gb/s; MagSafe 3; 3.5 mm headphone jack with high-impedance headphone support |
| External displays | One at up to 6K 60 Hz alongside the built-in display; with the lid closed, a second at up to 5K 60 Hz | One external display up to 6K 60 Hz alongside the built-in display; close the lid to use a second external display up to 5K 60 Hz |
| Keyboard | Backlit Magic Keyboard, 78 (US) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys | Backlit Magic Keyboard; 78 (US) or 79 (ISO) keys with 12 full-height function keys; ambient light sensor |
| Trackpad | Force Touch trackpad | Force Touch trackpad |
| Speakers | Four-speaker sound system; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos | Six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos |
| Microphones | Three-mic array with directional beamforming; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes | Three-mic array with directional beamforming; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | Touch ID |
| In the box | 13-inch MacBook Air, 30 W or 35 W Dual USB-C Port power adapter (by model), USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m) | 15-inch MacBook Air, 35 W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter, USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m) |
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