Home > News

The M3 chip is coming to MacBook Air, and you can preorder it now

Last Updated on March 4, 2024
Macbook pro retina display vs Macbook pro retina display vs Macbook pro retina display vs MacBook Air M3.
PC Guide is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More
You can trust PC Guide: Our team of experts use a combination of independent consumer research, in-depth testing where appropriate - which will be flagged as such, and market analysis when recommending products, software and services. Find out how we test here.

Apple, being the behemoth that it is, always likes to keep a few surprises up its sleeve, and a major one just dropped for fans of the powerful M3 chip. Two new MacBook Air laptops with the M3 chip are now available for preorder and will be available in stores starting March 8.

The M3 chip is now available in the latest models of the MacBook Air, a 13-inch model that retails at $1,099 and a 15-inch model that you can get for $1,299. This marks the end of the MacBook Air’s M1 chip era, although you can still purchase a 13-inch M2 MacBook Air for $999. The laptops are up for preorder on Mac’s website and will be coming to stores on Friday, March 8.

Macbook Air now equipped with the most powerful MacOS chip

The M3 chip was first made available on the MacBook Pro last year and made quite an impression. However, being a Macbook Pro, it was priced out of many people’s budgets. Now that it’s available on the cheaper MacBook Air, more enthusiasts will be able to check out the power of the M3 chip.


Top 5 Cyber Monday deals

This year's Cyber Monday has officially kickstarted, offering up huge discounts on some of the market's leading tech products. Below, we'll list the best Cyber Monday deals we can find.

Prices and savings subject to change. Click through to get the current deal prices.


Apple has stated that the new M3 chip on the MacBook Air can run 60% faster than an M1 MacBook Air. This powerful chip allows it to run games and other programs faster, too, like No Man’s Sky and Final Cut Pro. Both will also see an impressive 60% speed increase with the new models using the M3 chip.

If you’ve never tried out a Mac laptop, this may be a good time to switch over. While a lot of enthusiasts don’t always look straight to Mac, Apple says that the new MacBook Air runs twice as fast as a Windows laptop with an Intel Core i7 processor. The new MacBook also is said to have 50% more battery life and 50% faster web browsing. These stats are impressive enough to entice customers to switch from a Windows laptop to a new Macbook Air.

While the new Macbook Air is introducing the new M3 chip, it seems they won’t be introducing a new look for the laptops. The new models come in the same shade range and have the same appearance as previous laptops in the series. Its design remains sleek and professional, which is always popular, so there’s not much to complain about when it comes to the new line of laptops.

Annie is a journalist focusing on the latest technology news and deals. At PC Guide, Annie covers the latest bundle deals and news from the world of tech, with a particular focus on GPU and CPU news.