Macbook Air M3 tech specs

2 May 2025

1 min read

Haziq

Haziq

Tech Expert for Back Market UK, Ireland & Australia

The Apple MacBook Air M3 revolutionised the digital industry on its release back in March 2024, and the breakdown of the specs below tells you just how capable these machines are. You’ll also find cheaper, more green-friendly choices on the MacBook Air M3 model from Back Market, with the same specs and performance.

The MacBook Air M3 is one of Apple's ultra-thin laptop models with improved speeds and battery life over previous models. It runs on the M3 chip, built with a 3-nanometer processor for better power efficiency and faster performance. The laptop supports up to 24GB of unified memory and includes a Liquid Retina display with a wide colour range. It’s available in 13-inch and 15-inch sizes and includes MagSafe charging, two Thunderbolt ports, and a headphone jack. The MacBook Air M3 supports Wi-Fi 6E and runs macOS Sonoma, supporting Apple's latest software updates.

  • Front view of the 13-inch Apple Macbook Air M3 with its screen black.

    Macbook Air 13-inch

    Release date: The new 13-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip was announced on 4 March 2024, and released on 8 March.
    Price of New: From £999
    Back Market Price: From £769
    Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
    Available Colours: Silver, Starlight, Space Grey, Midnight
    Buyers can choose between these storage options: 256GB SSD, 512GB SSD, 1TB SSD, 2TB SSD
    There are three unified memory (RAM) configurations to choose from: 8GB, 16GB, 24GB
    Size and Weight details: Height: 0.44 inches (1.13 cm), Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm), Depth: 8.46 inches (21.5 cm), Weight: 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg)
    Screen Display Specs: Display Size: 13.6 inches (diagonal), Resolution: 2560 x 1664 pixels, Pixel Density: 224 pixels per inch (ppi), Brightness: Up to 500 nits
    Display info: Brightness: Up to 500 nits, Colour Support: Wide colour (P3) gamut with support for 1 billion colours, Technology: True Tone technology for a more natural viewing experience
    External Display Support: Up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz, Video Output: Thunderbolt 4 digital video output with native DisplayPort 1.4 support over USB-C
    Resistance to Water, Splash, and Dust: Does not have an official Ingress Protection (IP) rating for water, splash, or dust resistance. This means they are not certified to withstand exposure to these elements.
    CPU: 8-core CPU, comprising 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores.
    GPU: Configurable with either an 8-core or 10-core GPU.
    Neural Engine: 16-core Neural Engine, enhancing machine learning capabilities.
    Media Engine: Supports hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW encoding and decoding.
    Camera: 1080p FaceTime HD camera, Image Signal Processor: Advanced image signal processor with computational video, Microphone Features: Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes, along with enhanced voice clarity in audio and video calls
    Speaker System: Four speakers with two tweeters and two woofers.
    Spatial Audio: Supports Dolby Atmos for an immersive sound experience.
    Audio Jack: 3.5mm headphone jack with support for high-impedance headphones.
    Features: Touch ID, Backlit Magic Keyboard, Force Touch trackpad
    Battery specs: Up to 15 hours of wireless web, up to 18 hours of Apple TV app movie playback
    Hardware: Microphones: Three-microphone array, Ports: Two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Front view of the 15-inch Apple Macbook Air M3 with its screen black.

    Macbook Air 15-inch

    Release Date: The new 15-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip was announced on 4 March 2024, and released on 8 March.
    Price of New: From £1199
    Back Market Price: From £918
    Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
    Available Colours: Silver, Starlight, Space Grey, Midnight
    Buyers can choose between these storage options: 256GB SSD, 512GB SSD, 1TB SSD, 2TB SSD
    There are three unified memory (RAM) configurations to choose from: 8GB, 16GB, 24GB
    Size and Weight details: Height: 0.45 inches (1.15 cm), Width: 13.40 inches (34.04 cm), Depth: 9.35 inches (23.76 cm), Weight: 3.3 pounds (1.51 kg)
    Screen Display Specs: Display Size: 15.3 inches (diagonal), Resolution: 2880 x 1864 pixels, Pixel Density: 224 pixels per inch (ppi)
    Brightness: Up to 500 nits, Colour Support: Wide colour (P3) gamut with support for 1 billion colours, Technology: True Tone technology for a more natural viewing experience
    External Display Support: Up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz, Video Output: Thunderbolt 4 digital video output with native DisplayPort 1.4 support over USB-C
    Resistance to Water, Splash, and Dust: does not have an official Ingress Protection (IP) rating for water, splash, or dust resistance. This means they are not certified to withstand exposure to these elements.
    CPU: 8-core CPU, comprising 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores.
    GPU: Configurable with either an 8-core or 10-core GPU.
    Neural Engine: 16-core Neural Engine, enhancing machine learning capabilities.
    Media Engine: Supports hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW encoding and decoding.
    Camera: 1080p FaceTime HD camera, Image Signal Processor: Advanced image signal processor with computational video, Microphone Features: Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes, along with enhanced voice clarity in audio and video calls
    Speaker System: Six speakers with two tweeters and two force-cancelling woofers.
    Spatial Audio: Supports Dolby Atmos for an enhanced sound experience.
    Audio Jack: 3.5mm headphone jack with support for high-impedance headphones.
    Features: Touch ID, Backlit Magic Keyboard, Force Touch trackpad
    Battery Specs: Up to 15 hours of wireless web, up to 18 hours of Apple TV app movie playback.
    Hardware: Microphones: Three-microphone array, Ports: Two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack

Do your bit for the planet – buy a refurbished MacBook Air M3 and save 135KG in CO2 emissions. Your wallet will be happy too!

Why buying a refurbished MacBook is the way to go

According to the Back Market 2024 Impact Report, if consumers were to buy refurbished MacBook Air M3 models, they would be contributing to the 382,000 metric tons of CO2 e-savings that Back Market helped prevent in 2023. In 2023, Back Market also helped to avoid 1,512 tons of e-waste. The amount of e-waste is rapidly growing and the carbon footprint of the digital industry is predicted to quadruple by 2040, which is why refurbished models are the way to go.

By buying a refurbished model from Back Market, you play your part in creating a greener planet, while still getting the same quality product as a new model.

Haziq

Written by Haziq, Tech Expert for Back Market UK, Ireland & Australia

When not fighting the good fight for environmental sustainability, Haziq loves making reviews of everything and anything tech-related.

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