Products
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M2, 2022)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3, 2024)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Oct 29, 2025 03:02 PM
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Amazon.com
Tested using Methodology v0.8.3
Updated Oct 31, 2025 08:11 PM
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Amazon.com
Size
13.6"
Operating System
macOS
Size
13.6"
Operating System
macOS
Our Verdict
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M2, 2022)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3, 2024)
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3, 2024) is the direct successor to the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M2, 2022). The 2024 model only has a few upgrades, including a slightly faster M3 SoC, Wi-Fi 6E, and support for two external displays, though the latter is only possible with the laptop closed. Apple's M3 SoC also brings new features, like hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AV1 decoding. Battery life is better on the M3 model, especially for video playback.
Variants
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY43LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MC7X4LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY33LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY03LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MC7V4LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLXY3LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLXX3LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MC7U4LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLXW3LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY23LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MC7W4LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY13LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MXCV3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXW3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXV3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MXCT3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXR3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXQ3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MXCR3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXP3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXN3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MXCU3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXU3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MRXT3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
Main Differences for
School
School
Threshold
School
8.5
8.7
Battery
8.4
8.8
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
9.5
9.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.1
9.1
Hinge Photo
Range
135°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
9.1
9.1
Dimensions Photo
Size
13.6"
13.6"
Thickness
0.5" (1.3 cm)
0.5" (1.3 cm)
Width
12.2" (31.0 cm)
12.0" (30.4 cm)
Depth
8.5" (21.5 cm)
8.5" (21.5 cm)
Volume
52.9 in³ (866.5 cm³)
51.9 in³ (849.7 cm³)
Weight
2.7 lbs (1.2 kg)
2.7 lbs (1.2 kg)
Charger Size
5.0 in³ (81.7 cm³)
5.5 in³ (89.4 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.3 lbs (0.2 kg)
0.3 lbs (0.2 kg)
Serviceability
3.5
3.5
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
6.0
6.0
RAM Slots
0
0
Storage Slots
0
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
No
No
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
2560 x 1664
2560 x 1664
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
Pixel Density
225 PPI
224 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
84%
86%
Refresh Rate
5.9
5.9
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
No
Contrast
7.6
7.6
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
1,490 : 1
1,518 : 1
Brightness
8.5
8.4
Maximum Brightness
468 cd/m²
453 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
2 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Reflections
8.9
9.2
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Glossy
Glossy
Total Reflections
1.73%
1.35%
Indirect Reflections
0.39%
0.4%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.34%
0.95%
Black Uniformity
8.2
9.4
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
0.814%
0.556%
Horizontal Viewing Angle
6.5
Horizontal Viewing Angle Video
Horizontal Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Left
27°
Color Washout From Right
27°
Horizontal Hue Picture
Color Shift From Left
31°
Color Shift From Right
34°
Horizontal Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Left
30°
Brightness Loss From Right
30°
Black Level Raise From Left
60°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
27°
Gamma Shift From Right
27°
Vertical Viewing Angle
6.6
Vertical Viewing Angle Video
Vertical Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Below
25°
Color Washout From Above
27°
Vertical Hue Picture
Color Shift From Below
28°
Color Shift From Above
36°
Vertical Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Below
27°
Brightness Loss From Above
30°
Black Level Raise From Below
45°
Black Level Raise From Above
45°
Gamma Shift From Below
29°
Gamma Shift From Above
31°
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
9.3
9.3
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
2.02
2.18
Avg. Gamma
2.31
2.25
Avg. Color dE
1.66
1.38
Avg. Color Temperature
6,695.9 K
6,821.3 K
Color Gamut
9.4
9.4
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
99.95%
99.98%
sRGB uv
99.81%
99.98%
Adobe RGB xy
88.14%
87.68%
Adobe RGB uv
92.92%
92.89%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
99.68%
99.31%
DCI P3 uv
99.15%
99.25%
Rec. 2020 xy
72.43%
72.02%
Rec. 2020 uv
73.13%
73.74%
Flicker
10
9.0
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
Yes
No
Flicker Frequency
No Flicker
> 1000Hz
Flicker Active Below
0%
100%
Interface
Keyboard
8.0
8.0
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
8.0
8.0
Numpad
No
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
63 gf
64 gf
Actuation Force
39 gf
39 gf
Pre-Travel
0.78 mm
0.76 mm
Total Travel
0.92 mm
0.86 mm
Touchpad
9.2
9.2
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
9.5
9.5
Size
16.0 in² (103.2 cm²)
15.8 in² (102.0 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
8.1
8.1
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
76 dB SPL
75 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
5.5 dB
3.7 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
2.5
0.1
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
145 Hz
236 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
17 kHz
20 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
1.5 dB
1.3 dB
Webcam & Microphone
8.7
8.7
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
9.0
9.0
Resolution
1080p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
No
Face Unlock
No
No
Connectivity
Ports
5.0
5.0
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
0
0
USB-C Ports
2
2
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 3
Thunderbolt 3
USB-C Charging
Yes
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
Yes
HDMI
No
No
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
No
No
Ethernet
No
No
Proprietary Port
Apple MagSafe 3
Apple MagSafe 3
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.0
5.3
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Apple
Apple
Model
M2
M3
Core Count
8
8
Thread Count
8
8
GPU
Brand
Apple
Apple
Model
M2
M3
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A
N/A
GPU Total Graphics Power (TGP)
N/A
RAM
Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Modules
Unknown
Unknown
Type
LP-DDR5
LP-DDR5
Speed
6,400 MHz
6,400 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
256 GB
256 GB
Usable Capacity
214 GB
214 GB
Drive 1
Apple SSD AP0256Z
Apple SSD AP0256Z
Drive 1 Type
SSD
SSD
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
9.1
9.3
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,928 points
2,347 points
CPU Multi-Thread
8,954 points
10,793 points
GPU Compute
26,155 points
29,965 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
9.4
9.7
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,581 points
1,897 points
Multi-Thread
8,003 points
9,006 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
8.5
8.6
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
4.2 min
3.9 min
GPU Render Time
2.2 min
2.2 min
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
6.7
6.8
Basemark Image
Overall Score
34,329
36,620
Storage Drive Performance
8.9
9.2
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
2,469.6 MB/s
2,816.8 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
1,091.6 MB/s
2,702.2 MB/s
Random Write Speed
45.0 MB/s
40.0 MB/s
Random Read Speed
60.1 MB/s
64.2 MB/s
Battery
8.4
8.8
Capacity
53 Wh
53 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
10.9 hrs
11.6 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
7.0 hrs
11.6 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
2.7 hrs
3.3 hrs
Charge Time
3.0 hrs
3.0 hrs
Borderlands 3
4.1
3.2
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
28 fps
20 fps
1% Low
11 fps
7 fps
0.1% Low
5 fps
3 fps
1% Low Delta
59 ms
88 ms
0.1% Low Delta
173 ms
265 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
36 fps
37 fps
Civilization VI
5.7
4.4
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
45 fps
30 fps
1% Low
27 fps
17 fps
0.1% Low
21 fps
14 fps
1% Low Delta
15 ms
27 ms
0.1% Low Delta
25 ms
37 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
76 fps
92 fps
Avg. Turn Time
10.11 s
11.76 s
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
8.9
CS:GO graph
Avg. FPS
114 fps
1% Low
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
175 fps
Counter-Strike 2
0.0
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
N/A
1% Low
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
N/A
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
4.0
4.3
SOTTR Graph
Avg. FPS
25 fps
31 fps
1% Low
16 fps
11 fps
0.1% Low
10 fps
5 fps
1% Low Delta
22 ms
62 ms
0.1% Low Delta
65 ms
150 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
42 fps
41 fps
Thermals And Noise
8.1
8.1
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
30 °C (86 °F)
28 °C (83 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
49 °C (120 °F)
49 °C (119 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
N/A
N/A
Fan Noise Under Load
N/A
N/A
Power & Fan Control App
No
No
Performance Over Time
6.7
5.7
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
N/A
83 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
4% loss
12% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
N/A
83 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
18% loss
16% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
macOS
macOS
Additional Software
None
None
Extra Features
Biometrics
Fingerprint Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen Support
No Stylus Support
Secondary Display
No
No
Touch Pen
No
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Apple MacBook Air 13 (M2, 2022)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3, 2024)
Comments
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M2, 2022) vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3, 2024): Main Discussion
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