13” vs 15” MacBook Air M3 - Which Should You Buy?
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- Опубликовано: 26 июн 2024
- 2024 M3 MacBook Air 13 vs 15 - Which Should You Buy? | MacBook Air M3 Unboxing, Setup, 8GB vs 16GB RAM Test, and Review (Midnight, Starlight & Silver)
Apple just released the 13-inch and 15-inch M3 MacBook Air and in this video, we compare the 13 vs 15 inch sizes, run some benchmark performance tests, compare 8GB RAM vs 16GB RAM, and much more. We also discuss who should be buying the M3 MacBook Air, and which size you should choose. Enjoy!
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Chapters:
0:00 What's coming
0:23 Unboxing, Specs, and Pricing
3:12 Less of a fingerprint magnet on Midnight?
4:02 15-inch MacBook Air Unboxing
5:00 Weight impressions
5:45 Starlight vs Silver Color Comparison
7:07 Midnight vs Silver vs Starlight Colors
7:12 Smudging on Midnight color
8:04 Design & Connectivity
8:41 13” vs 15” Keyboard & Weight Comparison
10:13 13 vs 15" Display Comparison
10:34 Setup Process
12:40 Day One Software Update
13:10 Speakers & Microphones
14:26 Webcam Test (1080p)
15:11 Battery Life
15:30 Dual Display Support (finally!)
16:04 Performance & Benchmark (8GB vs 16GB RAM)
19:00 Should you upgrade to M3 MacBook Air? (from M1 or M2)
20:05 Should you upgrade from Intel Mac?
20:58 Should you buy 13-inch or 15-inch M3 MacBook Air?
22:23 8GB vs 16GB RAM
24:00 Closing Thoughts
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Have a fantastic day & I'll see you soon! 
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Here are the first 23 things you need to do with your M3 MBA: ruclips.net/video/Pm81788IShY/видео.html
Which color do you prefer: Midnight or Silver?
Midnight for sure
@@BrianClarkpharmd now that it attracts less fingerprints, I love midnight
Midnight until gold comes back. Starlight isn’t as slick as the previous (rose) gold of the M1. I have the 14 inch M1 Pro NotchBook Pro in Space Gray. Not sure why the Pro isn’t yet available in Midnight or any shade of gold.
Midnight
Midnight is my favorite color however the starlight is pretty
I got the 13” Starlight M3 16/512 as an upgrade from my 2015 12” MacBook and the difference in all aspects is amazing, the screen seems so much bigger and the battery life is really good. Worthy upgrade.
You always do a solid job with all your videos. Really appreciate your work and countenance...
Silver is the all time classic, great review Brandon ! So, can we say that the Read/Write Speeds on the 256GB SSD have improved come to the M2 Air ?
Thanks for sharing. Blessings on your day!
you saved me a trip to the store. I know which one to get now. Thank you!
Which1?
starlight is really beautiful for sure
I prefer the midnight blue. Even with the fingerprints. I like the all dark inside. It doesn't distract from the screen. Makes watching videos more enjoyable.
Good point.
So true, the bright colors bothers very bad
Hello guys, I can tell you from my experience (I have the M2 macbook air 15 and now the 14 M3 pro) that I would recommend you overall to buy the 13 inch version! Upgrade it to 16 GB ram and its gucci. If U have money for 500gb even better. My next macbook will be a 13/14 inch Air 100%.
Portability is key!
ciao, io ho un Windows 15 pollici e per l’università voglio prendere un Mac. Il fatto è che il 14“ pro costa troppo e per uno studente non ha senso quindi devo decidere tra il 13 e il 15“ il fatto è che ho paura che passando da un 15“ a un 13“ lo schermo sia troppo piccolo e anche per studiare forse non riuscirei ad avere troppe schede aperte tu consigli comunque il 13” o forse a questo punto dovrei prendere i 15 perché ha lo schermo più grande?
I like the 15 format better because I never connect my laptop to a screen (even at home), but fiddling around with both the 13 and the 15 inch in store, the 15 inch feels so cheap and "wobbly".
I've watched like 10+ different videos regarding the midnight, starlight, silver etc and your video had the best comparison and spec comparison to previous gens. Thank you.
Awesome, glad you enjoyed it!
So which one is ur fav color?
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.
I went for the classic silver and also spect it up to 16GB memory and 512GB storage, but I got the 13“ rather than the 15 for maximum portability.
Same, ordered Silver MBA M3 16/512, before I always used MBP, but now only bigger 14" is there. How are you satisfied. I mostly use laptop in lap, so weight, comfort is important. Does it get hot in lap too much?
@@jutjub22 nope, not hot in the lap at all, I guess that also depends on what you're doing with it, but with my use cases it gets slightly warm at most, but it stays cold most of the time when just doing easy tasks, I'm absolutely happy with it.
@@laplthelullemann Thanks, good to hear, looking forward to use it, seems like better choice than MBP for most use cases with that amazing portability.
Can you tell the wifi speed and range difference made by the wifi6e?
Excellent video, thank you. What watch band do you have on in this video?
Looks like ultra
Thank for the vid. I couldn't choose between 13 ans 15.
Waiting for mine to arrive it replaces a 2012 intel Air which has been retired.
I had been saving up for it so i decided to go 13 in midnight with 16gb and 512 ssd it will be a big upgrade for sure.
Are you still loving mid night or would trade for silver!??
Hello! It is a bit out of context but I really liked the desktop wallpaper you were using in this video. Is there any link for it, would it be possible for you to share it if it is okay? Thank you very much.
It’s the standard wallpaper on MacBooks
Starlight is my favorite color. I have an M2 13” MacBook Air.
Did you already make the vid on the more extensive comparison between 8GB vs. 16GB memory? Very curious on the base use case for the 8GB, because almost all of RUclips claims you NEED to upgrade to 16GB while I seriously doubt that...
Air 15, M3 8c, 16 GB RAM, 512 SSD - best spec option
Still don’t know what the accelerometer is used for/why the Pro doesn’t have it (or does the M2/M3 have it now?).
Hopefully the increased use of recycled materials doesn’t mean no more New MacBook Smell (if it is in fact just from the materials and not a secret spray they put on).
Still got my M1 and it’s still going strong. I’m also thinking of selling my M1 MacBook Air and getting the M2 Air.
Thank you so much for this video 🙌🏻
I’m in a dilemma on whether to get MacBook Air M3 15inch or
iMac 2023 24inch.
I don’t know whether 8gb would be enough for studying/ppt/excel/web browsing etc. Will be waiting for the comparison video🙌🏻😀
Which one did you end up going with?
Great video! My favorite is also midnight blue. Regarding the screen size, for video editors, nothing beats an external screen (or two) anyway, so I would definitely go with the 13 inch with 16gb RAM.
Silver or midnight?
Silver or midnight?
How well can MacBook Air 15-inch, 10-core 16GB RAM handle "After Effects" projects? I do not mean heavy animation projects but a project with a decent amount of motion graphics.
Does anybody know if its possible to connect 2 external displays via just one thunderbold 4 dock? (to just connect one tb cable) or do i really need two separate cable connected to the MBA m3 ?
One of my friends bought the 15 inch M2 MacBook Air when it first came out. They still have it. my friend said it was her first purchase of a MacBook since 2012.
nice! The 15" M2 was my fav MacBook of 2023. She should hold on to it for a while
@@BrandonButch yeah, that’s what I told her.
That's quite an upgrade!
@@leebeeskee I agree
For the longest time, I used to think the bigger the screen the better. Having to use the M1 and the M2 MacBook Air at work has really made me appreciate the portability and the power of the Air. 13-inch all-day!
Which color?
@@hamletgolucky3628 Space Grey!
I mean you can still hook up your macbook to a larger monitor if needed.
You’re the only one I’ve seen that said not to upgrade to the 16GB RAM. Even for light use, most videos have recommended the 16GB and 512GB variant.
Which keyboard is more comfortable for typing? Does the 15-inch has more spaced gap between the keys? Or the gaps are the same when comparing the two.
all macs, even the 12" from 2016 have full sized keyboards, they are the same module across all models
I've always had 32 GB computers since I used Adobe software a lot, but now I use cloud tools like Figma, Framer, and Webflow, as well as Google Workspace.
Is the 13” with 8Gb in combination with 256going to be enough?
I love me me 15 inch and the screen real estate is awesome. Completely agree with 8gb. If need more get a pro
I have M2 Air 13 inch 2022 model and I have voice isolation and wide spectrum mic modes exactly like this M3, so you were wrong by saying previous Air models did not have that. That midnight color looks exactly like mine as well. Great review anyways.
I bought the 13 in MacBook Air m3 in starlight. It was hard to decide between the 13in and 15in. I have a 2017 MacBook Air (intel). I’ve seen that these MacBooks are smaller than the one I currently have. I just hope it’s not as small as it looks.
R u loving starlight?
I think I’ll hold onto my m1 air for another year. It still feels super fast and the m3 isn’t a big enough jump in my opinion to justify spending $1,500 usd once you start upgrading the new air.
I’ll sleep much better tonight knowing you’ll be keeping the M1.
@@marilynwong9784 I'm keeping my M2, hope you can sleep better than me..
I really don’t care how it is packaged as long as it is not damaged. Tell us about the working of the unit!
The M2 15 inch air I have it for over 5+ months now close to a year and it’s an absolute beast! I only maxed out the RAM to 24gb ram with 256gb SSD cause i don’t really see a difference with the speeds and I always don’t mind the waiting on the downloads anyway since I’m doing something else to keep me busy. Overall, I’m very satisfied with it! Use multiple tabs, have photoshop open while watching a stream or RUclips, pretty much have multiple applications open and the 24gb ram REALLY helps to not wear out the SSD swap or MacBook itself, absolute powerful machine!
Sure. Why not upgrade the ssd as well? Your mommy could not afford it?
I have big hands and I write a lot. Up to now i'm using a 13'' 2015 macbook air model and i'd like to buy a new m3 model. Do you think the 15'' is worth for a better comfort of the keyboard and hand positioning? Or is the difference not so big and sacrifice portability too much? Thank you!
15 inch is good for everything
Nice models wow i wish i got money to update my macbook air 2012 model 😢
The 15 inch not having speakers on the sides like the Pros really makes the 15 inch ugly around the keyboard .
I have the 2015 MacBook (butterfly keyboard). Might be time to upgrade. Lol
Hey Brandon, which Sony Camera do you use @15:03 ?
It’s a Sony. You’re welcome.
@@marilynwong9784 wow, what part of my question did you read?
The part where I asked WHICH Sony camera it was?
Great review! Those computers are so simple to set up! I had thought about switching to Mac desktop, but the IT guy that I have known for a long time said to stick with windows. I also asked a friend of mine who is graphic design, and he said the same thing. I’m pretty simple on my computer. I just browse the web to email to Microsoft office and that is it. What products do you think Apple will launch Nexxt before the Apple iPad Pro and iPad Air launch? I am saving my money for a new iPad. I’ve had my current iPad for five years and it’s starting to show its age. I did try to use it as a computer for a few days when I was waiting on my new desktop to be delivered, but it did not do what I was hoping it would. There’s a big difference between using the desktop version of a website versus the mobile version. The same thing with the Microsoft suite of office applications.
Do you just send the devices back after the unboxing, or do you keep them all?
I always keep at least 1 of every product
Nice video thanks! I have a 2013 iMAC that is no longer supported; I want to upgrade to a MacBook Air - I’m thinking an M3 but upgrading to 16/512. I am not a gamer. I’m retired. Take some online classes. I’m thinking longevity would be the reason to upgrade to 16?
I would go for m2 macbook air 8gb/256gb. It is more than enough.
get 16/512 for sure
I had a 13" m2 air for about 6 months before upgrading to the 18/512gb m3pro Pro. I travel with my laptop daily and the air was excellent for this. the Pro isn't much larger but the extra weight is noticeable. I feel like I could probably get away with the 15" air as well but it would be pushing my comfort limits footprint wise because the 16" is definitely larger than I would want to carry daily. the 14" is barely larger than the 13" air though when you consider that its actually 13.6" vs 14.2, but with slightly slimmer bezels on the pro. the difference in display size is basically un-noticeable in reality.
PS.. really just opened the video to see if they finally color matched the usbc side of the magsafe cable like they did with the pro models. they didn't. also diappointing that the base air has a downgraded power brick. my m2 came with the 35W dual and I actually opted to keep it over the 70W single port one that came with my pro. Included it with the air when I sold it.
So which would u suggest 13” air or 14” pro?
Cool review. Still undecided, though.
Im stuck on selecting MBA 15inch 16GB 512ssd or MBP 14inch 18 GB 512SSD , i like bigger screen and using it for running logic pro and documents works. Which should i choose will be-the best ? (Im using intel 15inch macbook pro time to change. )
MBP
Midnight has a new coating to help prevent finger prints
yep, and it shows
If you’re going to upgrade any Macbook, make sure you upgrade the RAM- not the storage. It can’t be upgraded later and there is plenty of evidence that suggests more RAM makes a much bigger impact on performance than storage. Not to say a 256 GB SSD is acceptable, but the RAM is way more impactful.
8GB is enough. Been using it daily since M2, no issues. Anybody who needs more than 8GB isn't buying a MBA
Kind of crazy these MacBooks had the most modern processor for less than three months since now their processors technically obsolete since the iPad Pro has the M4. Chip. You really cannot keep up with technology nowadays.
Seems simple enough: either 16 GB / 256 M1 13" Air or baseline 15" M3 Air. Nothing else from Air line up makes sense now, least of all M2.
I’m still confused between the 13inch M3 and the 15inch M2. I cannot decide which would be a better buy. I would love to have the latest M3 chip but I don’t know if I’m ready to trade a bigger screen for 10% faster performance. Can someone help?
15 midnight if you work from home. 13 any other color if you plan to lug around your laptop.
Wouldn’t the 16 gig ram, 512 gig storage 13 inch MacBook Air give off less heat than the base model? I was planning on ordering one next week, coming off a windows laptop.
Not likely. The small form factor is the reason for more heat
@@BrandonButch if you just use the apps that are already on there, and web surfing, emails, no video editing or gaming, would it still overheat? I’ve seen other videos, giving it a good review.
I am a 15.6" Windows laptop user. planning to get a Macbook for the battery. I can't afford the 15” one. My question is about the 13” one, is it too small? I am a web designer by profession, will the 13” be okay?
I think the 13” can be ok. You can always and an external display if you feel too small
I would like to see a video on deciding between the new MacBook Air and the new MacBook Pro. I’m torn on which one to get.
Sorry, that’s never going to happen.
I have both, so I might do that video soon!
I want to buy my kid a macbook first time. M2 is on sale finally for 1300. The m2 pro is 1400. Are those software good for years to come? Or do i buy the m3 for 1,550 right now.
Why not, of course its good
I still like my M2 air. No need to upgrade but if you’re buying new I guess you might as well buy the M3 if it’s the same price.
Exactly.
I feel the same way !
Are new MacBook Pros coming out soon?
Prob Q4
Contemplating selling my M1 iPad Pro and M1 Mac mini. Still waiting to see if they drop a new mini
Nobody asked.
@@marilynwong9784 you feel good bro? You get that off your chest
I'll be giving my trusting M1 MBA 8/256 to my gf and buying the M3 MBA 15" 16/512. 8GB of memory is not enough for me. After I load up the apps I use, the activity monitor is pegged out at 8GB, swap is at 7GB, mostly because Thinkorswim trading platform and I tend to load up desktops with tabs full browsers full of memory hogging websites. The 256GB was just ok, 512GB will give me more headroom, good for trade in or resale and IF I need more, I'm buying a 1TB SSD. The 13" was fine, but I only used it in my condo and I want more screen space. I absolutely do not Need anything "Pro" (phone, tablet, computer) in my life. The M3 will handle anything I do or will do, including some basic photo and video editing. I'm not a gamer. AND... I want MagSafe. I might buy the M2 MBA 15" if I see it in the same configuration.
I just got the midnight M2 15inch air on March 1st. Left for a cruise and now there’s a new one. Will be at Apple tomorrow morning to exchange.
Thanks for sharing. I’ll sleep better tonight knowing you’ll be swapping them out.
Of course you can buy whatever version you like regardless of price since you will be returning them within 2 weeks.
See you in my 6 month later review video!
You only need the ram if you’re a developer running containers/vms or make heavy use of the graphics imo
Working from home 15 midnight. Lugging around your laptop 13 any other color
For mba students (2-3days uni) &with part time jobs do u think 15”? mba m3 would be better or 14” mbp m3pro?
@@hamletgolucky3628macbook air 16gb ram and 512 is more than enough
@@najdymiami 13” or 15”??
@@hamletgolucky3628 13 Inch is more then enough. Got mine for study never regretted. The portability is important. It feels like a light book in your hands. You type very fast. Always found the typing so comfortable on 13 inch MacBooks.
The M2 MacBook Air is still worth a value.
not really if you're buying new. Might as well get M3 imo
@@BrandonButch that’s true, my friend actually bought the M2 MacBook Air 15 inch back in June. it was her first time purchasing a MacBook since 2012. she said that she likes it.
Absolutely. Especially come November / December. The deals on the m2s are gonna be insane.
@@loglady79 yep, definitely
Hell the M1 is also
On the Air do you guys notice the 60hz screen? It’s honestly been years since I’ve used a computer monitor under 120hz. I’d like to try the Air as my first ever Mac, but that refresh rate scares me
I own an iPad and iPhone which are both 60hz. The smooth animations I think better hide the lower refresh rate compared to other operating systems. That said I've never used Mac so not sure if the same translates. I also own a 165hz monitor for my Windows PC as reference.
Forgot the M3 Air came out… 😅
Prob with space black is it looks charcoal irl
It feels heavier because of the effect of leverage, its bigger and you're holding it with one hand, try holding it with 2 hands ;-)
If you have an m2 and you have money to “upgrade” get a Mac mini pro and you will fare better… and now you’ll have an air and a mini instead of trading in the M2 at a huge lost compared to what you get for the new one.
silver kinda og but midnight good
GOAT color tbh
@@BrandonButch Fr
@@BrandonButch space gray and white cables are one of the most recognizable tech designs. simple but effective
Which should you buy? Probably 2 Lenovos or 3 Dells. Or 1 HP and pay 2 months of mortgage.
What if I have an Intel Macbook Pro from say 2015?
wow how is it still alive. my 15 inch from 2015 didn't last beyond 4 years
@@user-rs1xd4xx2k I take it to spas and holiday retreats
The benchmarks aren't an anomoly. You need to run them several times and take an average. They are within the margin of error. And also, there's no reason to disable filevault. Its a security measure so that nobody can get your data if you lose the laptop, literally no advantage to turning it off unless one day you wanted to unsolder the ssd to read the data on another machine in the event of the macbook not booting, which makes no sense better to use filevault and keep a backup somewhere safe. And the differences in the disk benchmark are due to the 512 model having 2 NAND chips and the 256 having one, that's why the write speed is lower.
256GB also has 2 NAND chips.
8 or 16 GB for someone who habitually leaves 8 programs running at the same time?
I got the 16 it Was 8 but when went to checkout i up to the 16gb
If I use it for school which one should I buy ?
Starlight 13”
@@hamletgolucky3628isn’t the screen to little?
60Hz Refresh Rate in 2024 ?
Im disappointed
I still don't know why RUclipsrs tell us that 256gb is too low for us. I know loads of people with 256gb laptops and they get on just fine. My partner's base model M1 Air still has loads of storage left...
My mom & dad are both super casual users, and both have filled up their 256 SSD. It’s not enough for even casual users imo
@@BrandonButch if someone is 100% iCloud, like myself, I have almost nothing locally stored. All on the iCloud.
Noob question but if I buy a 2TB external what’s the point of paying extra for the additional installed space? Thanks
So basically a keep my M1 because I see nothing that makes me say “my laptop is outdated”
I wonder how the performance compares to the 14” M1 Macbook Pro.
I have the 14" M1 MacBook Pro with 16 gb ram. The Disk Speed test is between 5500 and 6000 for both Read and Write.
I have the 14” M1 Max. Will compare it later
Until the Touch Bar comes back, I’m sticking with my current MacBook Pro
That won’t be happening!
@@BrandonButch 😭
At the end of the day it all depends on what you do with it.
Brilliant insight.
Bigger is always better for laptops. Go 15 inch.
Comparing the battery life only by reading the official specs is 👎
Why not test the speakers?
they sound the same as M2
For what? Laptop speakers suck anyways on all of them compared to and decent blue tooth speakers. Who actually listens to their music on the laptop speakers like that? And if video calls are what you need it for like any of them are fine you will be able to hear with no problems😂
i prefer to have the extra 2 inches .......
We are talking about the screen? Or something different 😅
Why does the macbook air m3 13 inch have to be €1299 in Europe
Its different in every country, price is higher because of taxes
Buy the ram
Why do you make your videos with cinematic bars?!
Cinematic bars?
@@BrandonButch timestamps
Don’t bother actually showing the difference between audio just read the specs off the website …
Skip both of them and go for M2 iPad pro 11
No.
MacBook Air M3 should already had 120hz
Buy both 🤣
And I thought the finger-print magnet was a CIA directive...
None. I will not buy another Apple laptop until they get rid of the notch. If every other computer company can make a 1080p webcam, without a dumb notch, Apple with all its money can design it, too! It is possible for sure. Get it together. I’ll be keeping my M1 Air for 10 years either way. It’s too fast for my needs as it is!
I’m sure Apple will be just fine without you.
@@marilynwong9784 in a year it will have no notch. I can hold out. I have an M1 Air, I’ll be good for a long time…
Not enough used ports
Get over yourself.
You still have a chance to use them in the future.
You don't see how one might need 16GB? Do you not have 69 browser tabs open at the same?
Hey Brandon, I just got a question, every year why do you spend millions of dollars on Apple products in just to test them in not keep them anymore. That sounds like a waste of money.
Millions? What are you smoking bro?