Yesterday, Apple introduced the next generation of MacBook Air models with the M3 chip, which provides an incremental performance improvement over the M2 chip. Today, early Geekbench benchmarks gave us a first glimpse of how fast the M3 models are compared to their predecessors. According to one result from MySmartPrice, the MacBook Air with the M3 chip and 16GB of unified memory achieved single-core and multi-core scores of 3,157 and 12,020, respectively.
For a quick compare/contrast, the previous-generation MacBook Air with the M2 chip and 16GB of unified memory achieved single-core and multi-core scores of 2,610 and 10,120, respectively. That’s approximately a 20% and an 18% improvement in single- and multi-core scores, respectively; therefore, users should see around a 20% improvement in overall performance depending on what they’re doing. Those benchmark scores are also on par with those of the base 14-inch MacBook Pro as they both share the same chip.
To put things in perspective, Apple states that the MacBook Air with the M3 chip is up to 60% faster than the M1-based model and up to 13x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air. The new MacBook Air also offers Wi-Fi 6E and support for up to two external monitors when the lid is closed.
The MacBook Air with the M3 chip starts at $1,099, and the existing M2-based model starts at $999. You can order the M3-based models today, and they’ll be available this Friday, March 8.
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