Design and Build

With the new MacBook Air M3 15, you get a thin and light 11.5mm aluminum body that is only 3.3 lbs (1.51 kg) and still carries a premium design. It is available in four colors: Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, and Silver; and has MagSafe 3, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a headphone jack, and a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. The fanless design not only guarantees quiet operation but, although the users are thrilled with the larger screen, some point out that it provides only a few upgrades compared to the M2 model.

• Aluminum chassis, 11.5mm thick
• MagSafe 3, two Thunderbolt 4 ports
• Magic Keyboard, Touch ID
• 100% recycled aluminum
• Fanless design

Display

The MacBook Air M3 15 has a 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2880 x 1864 at 224 PPI which allows for crisp and colorful images. Apart from its brightness of 500 nits, the screen also has the True Tone feature and P3 wide color support which together ensure a rich visual experience. On one hand, people are happy with the quality of the screen but, on the other hand, most of them say that it is almost the same as the one that will be used in the M4 model.

• 15.3-inch Liquid Retina, 2880 x 1864
• 224 PPI, 500 nits
• True Tone, P3 wide color
• Notch design
• No ProMotion

Performance and Software

The MacBook Air M3 15 powered by Apple's M3 chip with an 8-core CPU, up to 10-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine provides up to 20% faster performance than the M2. It utilizes 8GB to 24GB of unified memory and SSD storage ranging from 256GB to 2TB. The MacBook Air M3 15 running macOS Sonoma and being upgradable to macOS Sequoia is said to be energy efficient by most users, but a few still feel that it trails behind the M4 in terms of speed.

• M3 chip, 8-core CPU, up to 10-core GPU
• 8GB–24GB unified memory
• 256GB–2TB SSD
• macOS Sonoma/Sequoia
• Apple Intelligence support

Battery and Charging

The MacBook Air M3 15 provides a maximum of 18 hours of power from its 66.5Wh battery which is perfect for the whole day. The laptop is also compatible with fast USB-C charging using 35W or optional 70W adapters and it takes around 30 minutes to get up to 50%. During everyday activities, the MacBook Air M3 15 keeps going and gives you 14-16 hours of steady output. Although the users are happy with the battery reliability, they mostly agree there are no significant improvements in the M4 model.

• 66.5Wh battery
• Up to 18h (web browsing)
• 35W/70W USB-C charging
• 0–50% in ~30min

Connectivity

The MacBook Air M3 15 comes with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, MagSafe 3 charging, and a 3.5mm headphone jack—thus providing a range of connectivity options. In addition to that, the MacBook Air M3 15 can also be used for up to two external displays having 6K resolution at 60Hz which makes it perfect for multitasking and creative workflows. Users generally agree that the MacBook Air M3 15 is more than enough for the daily necessities but some of them point out that the new M4 model gives the option of Thunderbolt 5 which is an even higher speed for data transfer.

• Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
• 2x Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3
• Headphone jack
• Two 6K displays

Pricing and Availability

Apple launched the MacBook Air M3 15 in March 2024 with a base price of $1299 for the 8GB/256GB configuration, and the most expensive models were $2199 for 24GB RAM and 2TB storage. The MacBook Air M3 15 is still being sold and is liked by those who want a bigger display but in the same lightweight and portable package. The MacBook Air M3 15 has received a lot of praise for its performance and value, however, the users who have the M4 version say it is a little faster and more energy-efficient.