M3 MacBook Air vs M3 MacBook Professional: Which Mac is greatest for you?

It's time for an excellent previous M3 MacBook Air vs M3 MacBook Professional face-off within the ring for us.

With the brand new 15-inch MacBook Air being geared up with an M3 chip, the query is the way it differs from the 14-inch MacBook Supporter,

Don't fear, pricey reader. We're going to clear up your confusion and show you how to determine which M3 MacBook – Air or Professional – is best for you.

M3 MacBook Air vs M3 MacBook Professional: Value

The M3 MacBook Air is the most affordable and is available in two flavors: 13-inch and 15-inch fashions.

The 13-inch variant begins at $1,099 and comes with the next specs:

• 8-core CPU

• 8-core GPU

• 8 GB RAM

• 256GB SSD storage

Nevertheless, I’ll warning you that 8GB of RAM is a bit low, particularly in the event you like to make use of quite a lot of apps and Google Chrome tabs without delay. To be secure, I’d suggest upgrading your reminiscence to 16GB of RAM, which is an extra $200 for a complete of $1,299.

The M3 MacBook Professional solely is available in a 14-inch mannequin. It has a beginning worth of $1,599 and has the next options:

• 8-core CPU

• 10-core GPU

• 8 GB RAM

• 512GB SSD storage

Once more, the entry-level 14-inch M3 MacBook Professional solely comes with 8GB of RAM, which isn't very best in the event you don't need slowdown when hopping between a number of apps and tabs. I like to recommend the additional $200 for 16GB of reminiscence.

the winner: m3 macbook air

M3 MacBook Air vs M3 MacBook Professional: Show

As talked about, the M3 MacBook Air is available in two show sizes: 13.6 inches and 15.3 inches.

The 15-inch show is the candy spot: not too small (just like the 13-inch mannequin), however not too huge both. There's a risk that the 13.6-inch mannequin could also be too tight for you.

The M3-based MacBook Professional solely is available in a 14-inch variant, however in the event you don't thoughts spending the additional cash, you will get the 16-inch MacBook Professional, which comes with a processor improve (for instance, Extra highly effective) M3 Professional or M3 Max) as a substitute of the entry-level M3 chip.

Take a look at the decision and brightness of every laptop computer in each the M3 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Professional fashions:

• 13 Inch M3 MacBook Air: 2,560 x 1,664-pixel decision, 500 nits brightness

• 15-inch M3 MacBook Air: 2,800 x 1,864-pixel decision, 500 nits brightness

• 14 Inch M3 MacBook Professional: 3,024 x 1,964-pixel decision, as much as 1,600 nits of brightness

To place it briefly, if you’d like a shiny show (a should in the event you incessantly use your laptop computer exterior) and a crisp, high-resolution display (very best for graphics and video modifying), then The 14-inch M3 MacBook Professional is the only option for you. ,

the winner: m3 macbook professional

M3 MacBook Air vs M3 MacBook Professional: Design

Design-wise, let's begin with what's comparable. In case you're not a fan of the notch (for instance, the webcam-housing, rectangular thingamajig that sinks into the show), too dangerous! This can be a characteristic in each the Air and Professional fashions.

Wanting on the variations, the M3 MacBook Air gives the next colours, together with Midnight Black, which is designed to withstand fingerprints higher than others:

macbook professional line Too Encompasses a colorway with a fingerprint-resistant seal; That is known as house black. Nevertheless, there’s a catch. You may solely get House Black for MacBook Professional fashions with the M3 Professional or M3 Max chip. In different phrases, you must spend a minimum of $2,000 to get it (for instance, the 14-inch M3 Professional-based MacBook Professional model).

That being stated, you possibly can solely get the next colours for the M3-based 14-inch MacBook Professional:

A bit boring, I do know. If I have been you I’d go for silver; Fingerprints and scratches are much less seen on it.

I'd additionally add that, not surprisingly, the 14-inch M3 MacBook Professional is the heaviest:

• 14 Inch M3 MacBook Professional: 3.4 kilos, 0.6 inches thick

• 15-inch M3 MacBook Air: 3.3 kilos, 0.45 inches thick

• 13 Inch M3 MacBook Air: 2.7 kilos, 0.44 inches thick

In case you want a journey companion that gained't put an excessive amount of pressure in your again and shoulders, the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air is right.

Lastly, one other key distinction between the Air and Professional is the presence of speaker grilles that flank the keyboard on the latter. As you'll see within the subsequent part, the Professional is unmatched on the subject of delivering ear-pleasing sound.

the winner: m3 macbook air

M3 MacBook Air vs M3 MacBook Professional: Audio

There isn’t any competitors. Not solely does the MacBook Professional have higher audio than the MacBook Air, nevertheless it additionally has the most effective speaker system in the marketplace.

• 14 Inch M3 MacBook Professional: 6-speaker sound system

• 13-inch, 15-inch M3 MacBook Air: 4-speaker sound system

Don’t get me flawed; The audio on the M3 MacBook Air remains to be divine.

Whether or not you select the 13-inch or 15-inch variant, it comes with a four-speaker sound system that’s crisp, loud and easy. Nevertheless, once you play music on the MacBook Professional's six-speaker sound system, which is provided with a force-canceling woofer, it sounds completely divine.

It's price noting that each the MacBook Air and MacBook Professional have a three-mic array, however Apple claims the MacBook Air has a “studio-quality” setup.

M3 MacBook Air vs M3 MacBook Professional: Ports

In case you are a content material creator, I’d suggest switching to the Professional mannequin. The issue with the Air is that it solely has the next I/O choices:

However, the M3 MacBook Professional provides two extra ports: HDMI, SDXC card slot.

the winner: m3 macbook professional

M3 MacBook Air vs M3 MacBook Professional: Exterior Show Assist

The M3 MacBook Air, in contrast to its predecessor, helps two exterior shows. The issue, nevertheless, is which you can solely use these shows when the lid is closed. In different phrases, no, you possibly can't use the panel on a laptop computer – solely two exterior displays.

This implies you must depend on exterior units like magic keyboard, magic trackpadAnd magical mouse To take pleasure in multi-screen expertise.

Apple lately introduced that the 14-inch M3 MacBook Professional, like the brand new M3 MacBook Air, will assist the identical exterior show features (together with exclusion of the laptop computer panel when utilizing a number of screens) within the close to future.

the winner: Drag

M3 MacBook Air vs M3 MacBook Professional: Efficiency

Sure, the MacBook Air and MacBook Professional have the identical chip – the M3 – however there are some variations that have an effect on the efficiency of each fashions.

Earlier than we get into that, permit us to share our scores from Geekbench 6, which examined the 8-core CPUs inside our M3 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Professional evaluation items.

• 14 Inch M3 MacBook Professional: 11,998

• 15-inch M3 MacBook Air: 12,057

Once more, each fashions we examined on Geekbench 6 have the identical 8-core CPU, so processing energy is kind of comparable. Thus, the delta between the 2 scores is simply too negligible to be vital.

Nevertheless, the 14-inch M3 MacBook Professional gives extra graphics oomph with its base mannequin, because of its 10-core GPU (versus the 8-core GPU configuration that begins the Air line). If you wish to improve your Air to a 10-core GPU, you'll should spend an extra $100.

In different phrases, the configuration with the 10-core GPU ought to present a slight edge for anybody involved in video and photograph modifying – or macOS gaming.

It's additionally price noting that the M3 MacBook Professional, being fanless (the M3 MacBook Air has a fanless design), can higher deal with CPU and GPU-stressing workloads than the Air fashions.

In case you do any critical, intensive work with graphics, go for Professional.

the winner: m3 macbook professional

M3 MacBook Air vs M3 MacBook Professional: Battery Life

In line with Apple, each the 13-inch and 15-inch M3 MacBook Air fashions are rated for as much as 18 hours of battery life. However, the 14-inch M3 MacBook Professional lasts as much as 22 hours on a single cost.

Winner: M3 MacBook Air

In case you positively want an ultra-bright, high-resolution show, an SDXC card slot, and an industry-leading laptop computer sound system, go for the M3 MacBook Professional.

Nevertheless, take into account that the M3 isn’t a MacBook Air Very Fairly a downgrade from the M3 MacBook Professional. Plus, with the M3 MacBook Air, you will get the Midnight Black colorway, which is designed to scale back fingerprint smudges – a profit the M3 MacBook Professional doesn't supply.