Device hub · Laptops · Desk research
MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)
13-inch Air M3 is the 2024 silent Mac: M3, 52.6Wh, 1.24 kg, two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, 1080p camera.
Product images
Placeholder — OEM press not licensedMidnight / starlight / space gray / silver photography stays on Apple Support and Newsroom.
Credit: GadgetShowdown labeled placeholder (not an Apple asset). View official product image
Studio still only. Manufacturer press JPEGs are not hosted here. See the official product page for the real product photo.
Placeholder — OEM press not licensedMacBook Air 13-inch (M3)
Credit: GadgetShowdown labeled placeholder (not an Apple asset). View official product image
Studio still only. Manufacturer press JPEGs are not hosted here. See the official product page for the real product photo.
In short
13-inch Air M3 is the 2024 silent Mac: M3, 52.6Wh, 1.24 kg, two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, 1080p camera. Keep it if the machine already works. Buy M5 when you want the 16GB/512GB floor, Center Stage, N1 Wi-Fi 7, or lid-open dual displays. Do not paste M5 numbers onto this table.
Who it is for
- Owners already on M3 Air who are typing “is M5 worth it?” — this hub is the honest leftover record.
- Refurb / education shoppers who want a fanless Mac and will accept 1080p camera + Wi-Fi 6E.
- Writers building Air M3 vs Air M5 or Air M3 vs Pro 14 M4 pages.
Who should skip it
- Anyone buying new at Apple’s current Air shelf. That is the M5 hub.
- Leftover 13-inch M2 shoppers (Wi-Fi 6, one external display). That is /laptops/macbook-air-m2/.
- 15-inch M3 Air shoppers — different weight and battery pack. That is /laptops/macbook-air-15-m3/.
- People who need Center Stage, Wi-Fi 7, or a 512GB floor as sold on M5.
Key differentiators
- Same 13.6-inch 500-nit Liquid Retina size class as later Airs — useful for vs-pages that should not invent a panel jump.
- Fanless 52.6Wh pack with Apple’s 18h movie / 15h wireless-web claims (January 2024 protocol on the Support footnote).
- M3 8-core CPU; 8GB memory block still appears on Support 118551 alongside a 16GB block.
- Lid-closed second display only — Support says close the lid to use a second external display.
Caveats
- Apple has raised Air RAM/SSD floors on later chips. Do not recycle M5’s 16GB/512GB onto M3.
- Support 118551 still shows both 8GB and 16GB memory blocks. Lock the SKU you are comparing.
- Discontinued at Apple retail is not a reason to skip this hub. Installed base remains.
- No hands-on; leftover street prices are not a list price.
Laptop-category specs
Same rows on every laptop page (MacBook Air/Pro, Dell XPS, Framework, Surface Laptop). Same manufacturer rows on every laptop page.
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Chip / processor | Apple M3 — 8-core CPU (4 performance + 4 efficiency); 16-core Neural. | Apple Support 118551Configurable to M3 with 10-core GPU. |
| Graphics | 8-core GPU standard; configurable to 10-core GPU; hardware-accelerated ray tracing | Apple Support 118551 |
| RAM / memory configs | Support lists a 16GB block (CTO 24GB) and an 8GB block (CTO 16GB or 24GB) | Apple Support 118551Soldered. Name the SKU on a vs-page. Do not assume every M3 Air is 16GB. |
| Storage configs | 256GB SSD standard; configurable to 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB | Apple Support 118551 |
| Display size | 13.6-inch diagonal Liquid Retina | Apple Support 118551 |
| Display type | LED-backlit IPS Liquid Retina; not touch | Apple Support 118551 |
| Display resolution | 2560 × 1664 at 224 ppi | Apple Support 118551 |
| Refresh rate | Not published | Apple Support 118551 |
| Peak brightness (OEM) | 500 nits | Apple Support 118551 |
| Color / HDR (OEM) | 1 billion colors; Wide color (P3); True Tone | Apple Support 118551 |
| Dimensions | 0.44 × 11.97 × 8.46 in (1.13 × 30.41 × 21.5 cm) | Apple Support 118551 |
| Weight | 2.7 lb (1.24 kg) | Apple Support 118551 |
| Chassis material | Aluminum unibody (fanless) | Apple Support 118551 |
| Finishes | Silver; Starlight; Space Gray; Midnight | Apple Support 118551 |
| Battery capacity | 52.6-watt-hour lithium-polymer | Apple Support 118551 |
| Battery — wireless web (OEM) | Up to 15 hours wireless web | Apple Support 118551 footnoteApple January 2024 footnote: 13-inch M3 8-core CPU / 8-core GPU, 8GB / 256GB; 25 sites; brightness 8 clicks from bottom. |
| Battery — video playback (OEM) | Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback | Apple Support 118551 footnote |
| Charging (OEM) | 30W USB-C adapter with 8-core GPU; 35W Dual USB-C Compact with 10-core GPU + 512GB. USB-C to MagSafe 3. Fast-charge capable with 70W USB-C adapter | Apple Support 118551 |
| Ports | MagSafe 3; 3.5 mm; two Thunderbolt / USB 4 (Thunderbolt 3 up to 40Gb/s, USB 4 up to 40Gb/s, DisplayPort, charging) | Apple Support 118551 |
| Webcam | 1080p FaceTime HD camera | Apple Support 118551Not 12MP Center Stage. That is M5. |
| Speakers | Four-speaker sound system; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos | Apple Support 118551 |
| Microphones | Three-mic array; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum (M3) | Apple Support 118551 |
| Keyboard | Backlit Magic Keyboard; 78 (U.S.) / 79 (ISO); Touch ID | Apple Support 118551 |
| Trackpad | Force Touch trackpad | Apple Support 118551 |
| Wireless (Wi-Fi / Bluetooth) | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax); Bluetooth 5.3 | Apple Support 118551 |
| Operating system | macOS (Support lists macOS + Apple Intelligence footnote for M1 and later) | Apple Support 118551 |
| External display support (OEM) | One external display up to 6K@60 with the lid open; close the lid to use a second external display up to 5K@60 | Apple Support 118551 |
| Security / biometrics | Touch ID | Apple Support 118551 |
| Cooling | Fanless (acoustic table: idle / wireless-web rows on Support) | Apple Support 118551 |
| US MSRP (launch / current list) | US launch class $1,099 for 13-inch M3 (2024). Not a 2026 Apple Store current-shelf price | Apple 2024 Air M3 launch materials / Support 118551Leftover/refurb tickets move. Date any street number. |
| Price band | Legacy leftover ultraportable | Editorial |
| Announced | 4 March 2024 (Newsroom); Support year introduced 2024 | Apple Newsroom 2024-03-04; Support 118551 |
| Availability | Introduced 2024. Treat as leftover / refurb / education in 2026 unless Apple still lists it | Support 118551; editorial |
MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) extras
Unique to this line or SKU. Other laptops keep the first table aligned and swap this extras list.
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| 13-inch leftover M2 sibling | /laptops/macbook-air-m2/ — Support 111867: Wi-Fi 6, one external display, no lid-closed second-display row. Do not paste Wi-Fi 6E onto that table. | Editorial |
| 15-inch M3 sibling | /laptops/macbook-air-15-m3/ — Support 118552: 10-core GPU floor, 66.5Wh, 1.51 kg, six speakers. Not this page. | Apple Support 118552 |
| Second display rule | Support: close the lid to use a second external display. M5 Air’s current spec sheet lists two lid-open displays — do not back-port that. | Apple Support 118551 |
| In the box | 13-inch MacBook Air; 30W or 35W Dual USB-C Compact adapter depending on GPU/SSD; USB-C to MagSafe 3 (2 m) | Apple Support 118551 |
Overview
The 13-inch MacBook Air with M3 is the March 2024 fanless Air that people still own and still shop used. Apple Support KB 118551 is the spec sheet this hub cites: 8-core CPU, 8- or 10-core GPU, 100GB/s memory bandwidth, a 13.6-inch 2560×1664 Liquid Retina panel at 500 nits, a 52.6Wh pack, and two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports plus MagSafe 3. This page exists so a later Air M5 vs Air M3 article does not invent M3 numbers from memory.
Size lock is 13-inch. The 15-inch M3 Air is /laptops/macbook-air-15-m3/.
We do not claim we compiled, exported, or traveled with this machine. Hours below are Apple’s January 2024 preproduction footnotes, not a GadgetShowdown rundown.
Chip, memory, and storage
Copy Apple’s 118551 floor; do not blend M3/M4/M5:
| Item (Apple) | 13-inch Air M3 |
|---|---|
| CPU | 8-core |
| GPU | 8-core (CTO 10-core) |
| Memory | 8GB or 16GB unified — name the SKU |
| SSD | 256GB start (CTO 512GB / 1TB / 2TB) |
| Bandwidth | 100GB/s |
There is no 4TB CTO row on this Support sheet. Do not invent one from the M5 page.
Display and chassis
13.6-inch Liquid Retina, 2560 × 1664, 500 nits, P3, True Tone. Not ProMotion. Not XDR. Fanless aluminum. 2.7 lb (1.24 kg). Midnight / starlight / space gray / silver.
Battery, ports, and webcam
| Mode (Apple’s words) | 13-inch Air M3 claim |
|---|---|
| Apple TV app playback | Up to 18 hours |
| Wireless web | Up to 15 hours |
| Pack | 52.6Wh |
Ports: MagSafe 3, 3.5 mm, two Thunderbolt / USB 4. Webcam: 1080p FaceTime HD, not Center Stage. A second external display still needs the lid closed on this Support page.
Software and price
Quote Apple’s live macOS compatibility page on write day. Do not invent an end-of-life date. Launch-era US start was $1,099; leftover street prices go stale faster than M5 list.
How this page compares on a desk
/laptops/macbook-air-m2/— leftover 13-inch M2, Wi-Fi 6, one external display./laptops/macbook-air-15-m3/— 15-inch leftover, 10-core GPU floor, 66.5Wh, six speakers./laptops/macbook-air-m4/— 16GB floor, Center Stage, lid-open dual displays./laptops/macbook-air-m5/— 512GB / 4TB, N1, 153GB/s.
Sources
- Apple Support — MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) tech specs — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple Newsroom — new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air with M3 — accessed 2026-09-19
Frequently asked questions
Is M3 skipped because M5 exists?
No. Site rule: do not skip old devices. M3 Air is the leftover / upgrade-from SKU for Air M5 vs Air M3.
8GB or 16GB?
Support 118551 still prints both memory blocks. Lock the config in any vs-caption. Do not pretend every M3 Air shipped 16GB.
Same screen as M5?
Same 13.6-inch 2560×1664 500-nit Liquid Retina size class on both Support sheets. The M5 story is chip, storage floor, camera, wireless, and display-out — not a new panel size.
Can this run current macOS?
Quote Apple’s live macOS compatibility page on write day. Do not invent an end-of-life date.
Official product page: MacBook Air 13-inch (M3). Tech specs: MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) specs.