MacBook Airs get an M3 upgrade, while the M1 model is finally retired
Enlarge / Apple is refreshing the MacBook Air with M3 chips but leaving everything else about the 2022 redesign intact. (credit: Apple)
Apple has quietly refreshed its MacBook Air lineup, bringing new chips (and in some cases, new prices) to its most popular laptops. New 13- and 15-inch MacBook Airs include Apple's latest-generation M3 chip, while the old M2 MacBook Air now replaces 2020's M1 MacBook Air as Apple's $999 entry-level laptop. The new 13- and 15-inch M3 systems start at $1,099 and $1,299; they can be ordered today and will be released on March 8.
The new Airs use the same design as the M2 versions. Compared to older M1 and late-Intel-era Airs, they have slightly larger displays with a prominent notch, a non-tapered but still thin-and-light chassis, larger trackpads, modestly refined keyboards, and a MagSafe port for charging.
All of the new Airs use the M3, with no options to upgrade to faster or more capable processors (this means the Air is still restricted to just a single external display when the built-in display is on, though the M3 can now drive two external displays when the lid is closed, something older chips didn't offer). The $1,099 13-inch Air does use a slightly cut-down version of the chip with 8 GPU cores instead of 10, with the 10-core GPU available as a $100 upgrade; all 15-inch models use the fully enabled M3 with the 10-core GPU.