Today, Apple injected the MacBook Air series with the latest generation of Apple silicon, the M3 chip. With the adjustment of the product line and the update of the pricing strategy, the models with the M1 chip released in 2020 and the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air launched in June 2023 have been phased out of the market. So, in the face of the M2 and M3 MacBook Air, which one is more suitable for you? Is it worth upgrading? This article will reveal all the differences between the two for you.
The biggest highlight of the new 2024 MacBook Air is the M3 chip it carries. In the benchmark test, M3 improves single-core tasks by about 17% and multi-core tasks by about 21% compared to M2. The METAL benchmark shows that the M3 has a significant 15% improvement in GPU performance over the M2.
The M3 chip introduces a new GPU architecture that includes breakthrough dynamic caching technology that optimizes GPU memory allocation and usage in real time to suit the needs of different tasks, resulting in a significant increase in graphics performance, especially for graphics-intensive tasks such as advanced editing, 3D rendering, and gaming. In addition, M3 also supports 1 decoding, which can provide more efficient and higher image quality from streaming services
Although both M2 and M3 are equipped with a 16-core Neural Engine, the M3 is more efficient at performing machine learning and AI tasks thanks to the advanced 3nm process. At the same time, M3 also supports up to 24GB of unified memory, and achieves more efficient memory bandwidth utilization through a new process.
It is worth noting that the M3 chip is better than the M2 in terms of energy efficiency. The 3nm process enables the M3 to achieve higher performance without increasing the power consumption ratio, which is very attractive to notebook users who are looking for a balance between performance and battery life.
Overall, the M3 chip has achieved significant upgrades over the M2, including higher transistor counts, improved performance for CPU and GPU tasks, and superior energy efficiency. While M3 has significant advantages, for existing M2 users, there is no need to rush to upgrade if their current workflow is running smoothly. For new buyers or those upgrading from older models, the M3's performance and efficiency improvements will be even more prominent.
In addition to the chip, there are some other notable differences between the two generations of MacBook Air, and while they don't change much, they are still worth considering when deciding whether or not to buy the best.
To sum up, the MacBook Air with M3 chip is a modest upgrade to its predecessor, focusing primarily on performance improvements rather than new features. It is mainly aimed at users who have an earlier version of MacBook Air (such as M1 or Intel processor version) or who do not yet own a MacBook Air.
Unless you need to take full advantage of the unique benefits of the M3 chip and pursue extreme performance, it may not be cost-effective for most users to choose the M3 MacBook Air over the M2 MacBook Air. However, if you prefer to keep your computer equipment for a long time and focus on future compatibility, then spending an extra $100 on it may be wise. In addition, the M3 model supports the ability to connect dual external displays, which may be a key factor in the purchase decision for users who need multiple screens.
If you're planning to buy a MacBook Air directly from Apple and favor 153-inch large screen style, then M3 will be the only choice, because M2 15The 3-inch model has been discontinued. However, M2 15The 3-inch MacBook Air is still available in the second-hand, refurbished and third-party retailers,** down from $1,299 for the latest M3 model. If you like a large screen, you might as well look for the discount of the M2 model first, and then consider whether to buy the latest M3 model directly.
For the vast majority of consumers, upgrading from M2 to M3 MacBook Air is not much necessary. The upgrade from the M2 13-inch MacBook Air to the M3 15-inch MacBook Air, considering the increase in screen size, may be more reasonable, but it does not bring much transcendence to the previous generation in terms of substantive functions.
post by lucy