M3 MacBook Air 15" 2 Weeks Later: Almost Pro

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.

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 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”.

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.

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 🤞

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.

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.

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?

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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

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!!

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

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!

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.

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!