MacBook Air M3 (13 & 15): Fantastic BUT Beware...

[@JustJoshTech]

🎉 MacBook Air 15 M2 ($400 OFF - 16GB): howl.me/clITcBPvU70 👉 MacBook Air 15 M2 ($300 OFF - 8GB): howl.me/clAl2kDgZ9J 💻 MacBook Air 13 M3: howl.me/clL0yVpwQOp 🛒 MacBook Air 13 M2 (On Sale): geni.us/nSgO 💻 MacBook Air 15 M3 (16GB): howl.me/clUUdOAj4ej Windows Laptops 👉 HP Spectre 14 ( @BestBuy ): bestbuy.7tiv.net/nL30AX 😁 HP Spectre 14 (Customizable): bestbuy.7tiv.net/eKPnQO 💻 ThinkPad X1 Carbon: lenovo.vzew.net/QyrO7a

[@pashapa11]

WINDOWS!!!!! lol both are good

[@volarex5311]

One of the best reviewers out there, telling us the reality that 8GB is not enough instead of excusing Apple’s absurd decision and saying it’s “enough”.

[@piotrd.4850]

WIth M3 starting with 8 GB baseline basically even all Apple shills criticized or downright mocked the idea.

[@carlstevenwilletts]

I agree. The claim that it's equivalent to 16GB in a Windows laptop doesn't seem right. RAM is definitely more efficient with these M chips, but efficiency is not the same as capacity.

[@karmatraining]

If you're using the M3 and your workload is light enough to not need 8GB, just get the Air.

[@OthMar39]

Tbf, I have M1 MacBook Air base model. The 8GB Ram is good for working on one app at a time. Till now I didn’t face any problems working on FCP, Logic Pro, OBS, and other apps… once I start using multiple apps at once I may get a notification that I have to close one app.

[@dwight.shrute]

​@@OthMar39 My friend who is not in tech told me that his laptop starts slowing down once he opens a few chrome tabs and MS office. He also does occasional gaming for fun and has seen noticeable lags. So clearly 8GB RAM isn't enough even for normal users. Stop justifying 8GB RAM in 2024 on a $1000+ laptop, period.

[@shaneholly11]

They'll play this game it's ridiculous I don't care whether you like Mac or Windows or Linux but the bare minimal should be 16 gigs dual Channel no exceptions

[@JustJoshTech]

I agree. Just an FYI DDR5 single stick is dual channel, so that is less of an issue than it was in the DDR4 days

[@andyH_England]

I have been around since the start of PCs. And basically used 8GB over the last 40 years. And have no issues at all. I know many people that use only 8 GB and are fine. We are not all in the KZbin bubble that uses Pro apps. I don't even think I use an app that would stretch a MacBook Air. It is hard for me to accept your conclusion that we should start at a higher config and obviously a higher price as that would mean I would have to pay extra like I would do in Windows land and that is unfair on someone like me that only needs base spec but love a premium device as I keep my laptops for 7 to 10 years and I'm willing to pay extra for quality.

[@cameronbosch1213]

​@@andyH_England Sure, if you run one application at a time and literally don't use any professional apps, then you MAY be able to get away with 8 GB for now. But for $1100? Come the hell on!

[@andyH_England]

@@cameronbosch1213 the surface laptop 6 just released by Microsoft is also priced the same and also cost £200 a pop for every upgrade. So when Microsoft the founder of Windows also follows this path then we have to ask why the two biggest companies in the world have agreed? Maybe they know more than we do.

[@JustJoshTech]

@@andyH_England while that may be true. My aim at this channel is to help people get the best deal on the best laptop for their use case. Buying a laptop for over $1k with 8g of soldered memory and 256g of soldered storage is not acceptable

[@romanmaksimov2024]

I just upgraded from my 2020 M1 13" Pro 16GB / 1TB SSD to a M3 PRO 14" 18GB / 1TB, and I couldn't be more pleased! I do software development and photography professionally, and honestly my fav feature is the SD card port. I use it everyday and it's just so nice that when I need it, I don't have to think about where I put the dongle. Oh and the performance / screen is crazy. What a worthwhile upgrade! Hoping to keep this for at least 4 years like I did with my M1 13.

[@joshuanesbit]

thinking of switching from an intel 2020 13 inch pro to the 13 inch m3 air

[@dennisseemann571]

Thanks Josh!, I waited for the new air 5 M3 to come out before buying, then I waited for you to do your thing before I put my money out, your the only guy I trust to give me not only the whole story and put in perspective, keep up the great work!

[@MaxTechOfficial]

Great work!

[@Kevin-xz4jq]

Quickly becoming the most useful laptop review channel. Great work Josh!

[@JustJoshTech]

Thanks Kevin

[@Lee.S321]

@@JustJoshTech Unlike most KZbin reviewers, you actually seem to understand the technology behind the device, & not just see the surface level detail. I'm tempted to buy the new Spectre, but i'm holding off for the reviews of the new range of SD powered laptops.

[@ouzzz_6480]

i cant wait to see the first pc powered by the snapdragon x

[@DustyKing]

Snapdragon can’t even make good phone chips 😂😂😂

[@BackSlashJvb125]

YES

[@adequatequality]

Will only have taken PC manufacurers half a decade to catch up to Apple's level of CPU efficiency 😂

[@Yayaloy9]

Lol, your braincell needs abit of updating on the window side, bro. Just look at Ryzen latest power efficiency, or josh latest laptop review showing those efficiency. They are almost identical to those M3 chip. But but but Mac battery is a lot longerrrrr you might ask? Arm vs x86 architecture, bro. Arm can't run Cad application without lagging on their M1 chip while windows can.

[@Yayaloy9]

And if you're talking about Arm cpu, take a look at Galaxy s22 pro vs iphone 15 pro. The S22 destroys iphone in term of continuous runs, power efficiency and heat management. And if you look at the comment section, apple fanboys are complaining that they won't ever run that much of a heavy load to justify their little reasons for buying an iphone.

[@Tsubaki.P.P]

I just got my M3 Air with 16/512GB, absolutely in love with it. I guess no one with common sense would buy the base model. 8GB in 2024 is hilarious

[@dwight.shrute]

True. But $400 is just way way too much, I mean how on earth Apple gets away with such practices ?

[@Tsubaki.P.P]

@@dwight.shrute honestly...I've been a windows user my entire life (not counting iPads and macs at work) and I eventually switched to macbook because I could no longer endure the crappy windows updates, jet engine style fan noises, heating and the unreliability of the system in general. After trying out ridiculously expensive gaming laptops, ultra portable ones and military types, I still was frustrated with every single one of them. Apple ecosystems are simply reliable and robust, and better spend money on something reliable than replacing your laptops yearly as random updates eat your nerves.

[@marlonbachini7296]

If you read the review for the M3 Air, there is no difference between the M1 if you are using the laptop for basic use which is probably 80 percent of the users. I would go with the PRO for heavy intensive work, Best Buy/B&H sometimes have the PRO on sale for 1599 which is 100 dollars more than the full spec M3. Air is fanless and the machine will throttle performance while the PRO has a fan.

[@smittyvanjagermanjenson182]

I wanted this configuration of MBA, but after watching these videos, I now want an M3 MBP pro 18gb. I'm a novice video editor and I need a machine that can do whatever comes to mind as i build up my skills, as I'm not a "one or two layers with minimal VFX effects" type of guy, apparently lol

[@vivekgopinathan6960]

8gb is absolutely fine for normal computing needs - web browsing!

[@w0mblemania]

Yep. You MUST get at least 16GB. You will regret it if you buy the 8GB version. Apple's price gouging is criminal.

[@LordTrayus]

I do think the 512gb storage is less important. Between external storage and cloud storage, physical storage on the laptop is much less relevant. But your point about the 16gb RAM is spot on. Never understood how people could defend 8gb RAM on a $1k+ laptop.

[@PeterEmery]

I bought a 15-in M3 MacBook Air with 512 GB/16 GB but it was still technically a build-to-order device because I specified the 70 Watt charger over the 35 Watt standard one. In the 13-inch M3 Air, once you upgrade the storage from 256 GB to 512 GB (even if for some inexplicable reason you stay with 8 GB memory) the option for the 30 Watt charger is gone: you can have either the 35W dual USB-C port OR the 70W single USB-C port charger.

[@sarthakbaghla6274]

Been Waiting for Josh's opinion of the new Macbook's and safe to say was totally worth it.

[@JustJoshTech]

I'm glad we could deliver

[@ethylg7572]

I gave in and went back to Windows after a decade using Macs. I do a lot of data analysis and needed multiple external screens for spreadsheets but not a lot of power. I just could not justify the price of a MacBook Pro for my use case, so I got a Lenovo yoga 6 with 16GB RAM on sale for $600. And it has been quite nice actually!

[@catfluf]

I agree this is great value for money. Only weak point is max screen brightness but otherwise it feels quite premium.

[@dwight.shrute]

Hopefully Snapdragon Elite and other ARM based chips from AMD and Intel are going to have comparable battery life and power/wattage than Apple silicon, we can happily ignore Apple once and for all.

[@rundomeyes6130]

the pace of your content gives the aura of confidence and credibility. keep it up.👍

[@faa923]

Which one is bigger, the 13 inch or the 15 inch?

[@moonlightfilms5279]

I'm picking up a base m3 air as a software engineer. I have a very powerful desktop pc and do most of my work through remoting into it. My main prioterties are build quality, battery life, good wifi, and decent keyboard.

[@sjewkes1]

8GB/256 should absolutely no longer be legally allowed by any manufacturer for anything over $5-600. I know damn well it is not costing them THAT much to start the base at 16GB/512, because Windows laptops are doing it. The Apple Tax has gotten out of hand, but Microsoft is just as complicit with their idiotic lineup. Especially with the cost-savings they have from moving to their own silicon, and the price they charge to do literally any upgrades.

[@dwight.shrute]

Agreed. A friend of mine working in the chip industry told me that it would cost less than $80-100 for Apple to ship their laptops with 16Gb RAM + 512GB SSD as base specs. Apple seriously takes it's consumers for granted, hope EU does something about it.

[@AtulGupta-xz9tx]

I just bought the 15" M3 with 16GB/512GB from Best Buy for $1400 (open box), new was $1500. Honestly Im a windows guy and I hate MacOS/iOS but there is no Windows laptop that is even in the same ballpark at the same pricepoint as the M3 macbook. The battery life and performance is unmatched with no fan noise, faster charging, etc.

[@neilandrei]

For the cheaper alternative I would have said the HP Pavilion Plus 14 that you can get at Costco for $600-$700 it has 1TB of storage, 16GB memory, 120hz OLED screen and AMD 7840U

[@andyH_England]

Yes but they are tailored for a different market offering those that cannot afford a premium laptop. And of course they are not macos.

[@DustyKing]

don't buy this hp crap

[@Lee.S321]

Based on Josh's review of the HP P+ it's pretty much the best bang for your buck in the laptop market right now. I just wished more laptops gave you a AMD's U-series chip option...

[@Tatar_Piano]

For 700 i bought intel nuc x15 laptop with 12gen intel and dedicated arc 730m 12gb vram, also nice build quality and decent screen 24 gb ram

[@DustyKing]

@@Tatar_Piano bad deal 😬

[@championslayers]

Best laptop review channel. Period.

[@taylorshin]

I purchased MBP14 with M2Pro, 16GB/512GB and returned it. At first, it was great. Extra long battery life, great screen to code and design on, great UX from MacOS, existence of brew that I can use Linux stuffs, and even the CAD programs that I currently use runs ok on the Apple silicon. But once I figured out that 512 was terribly short to run anything with virtual machine, which became a mandatory due to platform shift and doesn't have a good performance since it needs to be x86, the 16+512 was not even close... So, with the return, I got ASUS G14! Which came with 16GB of memory soldered with an empty SO-DIMM slot and I had a leftover 2TB 2280 M.2 lying around from my desktop PC upgrade, this G14 is now 32+2T with ample power to run everything I need. Even with virtual machines! Had Apple had a little courtesy they had with my 2008 Unibody MBP, I would have kept the M2Pro MBP14. But being locked out of further upgrade or replacing when something goes wrong, seems too much of planned obsolescence and money gouging instead of selling a good product.

[@andyH_England]

That is always a problem when you have soldered RAM and SSD and it is advisable to buy what you need. I wouldn't blame Apple for that as they based their M-chips on the A-chips which have both soldered RAM and storage. You will find this will be the case with Snapdragon X Elite and even now Intel uses soldered RAM as the latest fastest RAN does not come in modular form. It's a case of adapting and understanding that it is important to buy what you need and maybe a little bit more for future-proofing as the world is changing and technology always moves on.

[@cameronbosch1213]

​@andyH_England There is no reason for Apple to be soldering SSDs though. I MAY give them soldering RAM IF they put at least 16 GB on their base units. But even Microsoft has their ARM Surface Pro 9 tablets have M.2 SSDs. That's Apple saying fuck you to consumers. And when it inevitably can't be written to anymore, you'll need a motherboard replacement rather than one part.

[@andyH_England]

@@cameronbosch1213 no one is saying that it is perfect having soldered RAM and storage, but there are reasons for the RAM including the fastest Ram isn't supported at the moment in modular form and there are some ridiculously fast RAM out at the moment. As for storage, it is possible for ARM chips to have modular SSDs but I assume it is to do with cost, space, and performance that persuades Apple to use soldered NAND modules. As always Apple is a small player (10% market share) and people have the choice to accept Apple's decisions or buy something else.

[@cameronbosch1213]

@@andyH_England And I did buy something else.

[@StaceyAyodele]

You do realize you could have gotten an external SSD and put the VMs on that right? I have external SSDs for specific things (1. SSD for file backup 2. SSD for my retro console emulators and their games). External SSDs can be a live saver. the Internal SSD is always for the OS and user data. VMs and such, I'd always put on an external SSD seperate from the OS. This way, if the OS needs a reinstall, I don't lose my VMs and their configs and such.

[@Gearsandco]

If you're comfortable with opening the machine and add a 1mm layer of thermal pad on the CPU that makes contact with the bottom case then you don't need the base 14" Macbook pro, as long as you don't care much about the screen and the ports. I would do that and of course I will upgrade the Macbook airs ram and storage even if it's very expensive, it would be still cheaper than specking up the 14" Macbook pro (with the base M3 chip), the best thing to do as long as you don't come from a pro, max or Ultra M chip, it should be perfectly fine for content creation, just upgrade the ram to 16gb and the GPU to 10 core (storage is optional since it doesn't make a difference performance wise) it will get the job done.

[@chelious1973]

Josh still killing it. Nice review like always.

[@qamstel]

Your review is so good and concise I had all the info I needed on minute 3 and didn’t need to stay for the rest of the video. Hard past on this shiny slick looking box😂

[@svamptrask913]

3:17 You are comparing Macbook Air M3 to Macbook Pro M3 Pro. If you compared Macbook Air M3 to Macbook Pro M3 instead we could tell how much difference putting the fans in the chassi would make.

[@JustJoshTech]

Yes we know :) Please be aware we did buy 3 MacBook Pro 14s. The M3 Pro 11C, M3 Pro 12C, and M3 Max. As the channel grows... which it is... we are going to try to be more expansive :) . Good feedback though, its helpful to see what you would like to see and find useful

[@MarbsMusic]

Maybe I missed it but you failed to note that the 14" Pro base model doesn't have an M3 Pro processor but a normal M3, it does have a better screen, more ports and a fan so a little better but not necessarily a "pro" IMHO. We have multiple Pros in the family but got a 13" Air with 16/512 and it's quite amazing for everything we purchased it to do. Definitely more impressed than I thought. I would not get one with 8GB or 256, that is simply not enough IMHO. Luckily we found it for $200 off which is a decent price.

[@rightwingsafetysquad9872]

The Spectre has one massive, deal breaking problem. It's an HP. I think a lot of us techies tend to drastically under estimate how good paging on Apple Silicon works. Unless you're doing a lot of high bitrate media work, physics simulations, or AI training, 8GB of memory is almost certainly enough on a Mac. If you're memory limited, you're buying a Pro anyway for the processing power and better display. It's still insulting that they don't start at 16GB for how much they cost, but it's not crippling in any way. That said, storage starting at 256GB is a major problem. You're paging a lot, which wears small SSDs quickly. And a lot of people will fill 256GB very quickly, most will fill it over the course of 3-5 years, especially if they sail the high seas for shows and movies 🏴‍☠️. For students and office work, the middle model Air with upgraded storage is plenty. You're paying more than you need to, personally I'd get a Lenovo Slim 7i. But if you really want a Mac, it'll get the job done.

[@Yayaloy9]

Oh please 255gb, you run through those very very quickly especially for students in the programming section. My friend who bought an m1 with 8gb ram and 255gb can't even run her project because the storage is full. She doesn't even have that many projects in her Mac (1-2 project max) because most of the space is occupied by the tools that is needed to run her projects. Anaconda, python, env, etc. so no, 255gb is absolutely not enough. Same goes for ram, I used to have a 2019 MacBook pro core i7 gen 10th 32gb ram (About 2000$ during its release). I have about 20-40 Firefox tabs open and 2 emulators running at the same time (Flutter, mobile development). Guess what? The entire fucking OS shut down the moment I compile my code on both the emulators.

[@pesomistic7656]

Arrr, matey! Let them walk the plank!@@Yayaloy9

[@rightwingsafetysquad9872]

@@Yayaloy9 You're lying. Those tools don't take up nearly as much space as you're saying. Python, for example, takes up 0 storage because it's preinstalled on all Macs. Maybe you need a special legacy version, the largest is 50 MB. Anaconda takes up just under 2 GB installed. Either you made up the whole thing, or she's filled her drive with other stuff. Regardless, I said 256 GB was not enough so you're not even disagreeing with me on that point, you're just taking an antagonistic tone for reasons I don't care to speculate about. And there is not a single piece of software that will crash a computer with 32GB of memory when compiling. You can compile the entirety of the Linux kernel, AOSP, Chrome, Firefox, whatever massive piece of software you can think of on just 4GB of memory. Will it be unbearably slow, yes, but it will work. Maybe you intentionally wrote the compilation equivalent of a zip bomb?

[@dwight.shrute]

It is UNACCEPTABLE to ship a $1100-$1600 laptop with just 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD in 2024. Apple needs to stop taking it's customers for granted and keep milking them for spec upgrades. If you are even a semi professional, 8GB RAM is simply unusable even with all the paging, you practically get just 5.9GB out of 8GB RAM for running applications and remaining 2.1GB is reserved for graphics(VRAM). Open a few tabs here and there and one or two moderate applications and boom, your memory is full and now you are bogged down by continuous paging which is still noticeably slower but also kills the SSD (look at the stats of how much time and data is being paged), which makes one wonder why did they spend so much on a laptop in first place.

[@marksaxon]

Here comes the Apple fanboys who say 8GB of memory is fine. Lol. I'm on a Logic Pro FB group and I have lost count how many times I'm told my recommendation of getting at least 16GB for that app is ridiculous and how 8GB is fine. Apple should have upped the base memory to something like 10GB or 12GB. That would make sense and I could get behind that.

[@JustJoshTech]

I'd only say it's fine if price of the Air is below $800

[@-Burb]

Wow really they say 8gb is ok for Logic Pro?! I see my Mac(18GB ram) easily pushing well above 8gb when using Logic Pro. That FB group is crazy.

[@AZisk]

Logic will run fine on 8GB :) But if you want to run tons of plugins and instruments, then no. Every model is for somebody, as long as one keeps that in mind, we won’t get unnecessary angry. My mom is very happy with her 8GB MacBook Air, and in 2024 even 😮. Look at some point, even if you have a 32GB machine, given enough plugins, Logic will struggle. Know thyself.

[@marksaxon]

@@AZisk Can Logic work with 8GB? Yes. Will you future proof yourself if a year later you decide you want to dabble with virtual instruments/samplers or heavy plugins when buying 8GB of memory? No. My projects are hardly crazy but I can tell you the M2 Air struggles just as hard as my i7 quad core in my 2020 MBP. The 4 P-cores aren't going to give you a ton of processing power if you choose to get more into audio production.

[@JustJoshTech]

I don't think we should recommend anyone buy a laptop for well over $1K with only 8GB. @@AZisk . Its not a sensible use of people's funds. Someone like your mother will probably not notice any difference when using the older M2 with 8GB vs the new M3 with 8GB. My advice is for use cases like hers, to buy last year's M2 and save money. There is no reason for Apple to launch an M3 version with 8GB. There isn't enough of a difference for use cases like hers to warrant that over the older M2 version.

[@JimmyCheng]

best reviewer for sure, dishing out info like no other. These videos are so informative and to the point. I recently made a big decision to ditch my 16pro for the 15 air, one big reason being the weight. I plan to travel a lot later this year and the lighter chassis brings so many benefits. Tried the 14pro but unfortunatly the screen real estate is simply not on par with the 16/15. So 15 air is my only choice. I do wish it has more ports though. I do mobile dev and windows laptop simply wouldn't cut it since they cannot run Xcode haha.

[@kamikakushi_]

Wish Xcode could be run in Windows. I would be sooo happy. Those 48GB MBPs are so darn expensive

[@erkil1996]

Do we get a review of the new Samsung laptops?

[@theotherperspective2212]

Thanks a ton!

[@100mexk]

Apple probably think they can justify all this with the logic that if you want to do actual work you shouldn't be looking at the Air in the first place. I mean it kinda is true, but only because they force it to be. It would likely cannibalise the sells of their pro machines if they put out a 16/512 macbook air at a low price.

[@SnoringVids]

Thank you for trying to edit video on it that's what I've been looking for! We got the 15 with 16GB RAM I've only tried very light video editing in premiere rush. Worked fine but i plan on getting into more complex work flows

[@coffeebeardtv]

I got the 8gig one and use it for video editing and runs fine.

[@dwight.shrute]

Joker.

[@liltimmy109]

I did 4k video editing on m3 MacBook Air with 8 gb of ram and it did perfectly fine.

[@dwight.shrute]

Seriously? Let's meet some time later this year once the next MacOS comes out. Even today, open a few chrome tabs and try to do some basic video editing, baseline MBA is simply going to give up on RAM and will throttle down quite a bit (since only 5.5 GB of RAM is usable and other 2.5 is VRAM), leading to exponentially higher swaps to SSD reducing it's life and in turn longevity of your device.

[@liltimmy109]

@@dwight.shrute how do you know?? Did you test that out on YOUR m3 MacBook Air with 8gb ram??? Because all I know is that my MacBook works and doesn’t break a sweat plus future proofing is a scam since there is always the possibility you drop your laptop

[@dwight.shrute]

@@liltimmy109 Your MacBook works for now on video editing since you are just running one editing software on it, likely not the ones from Adobe. 8GB RAM is insufficient even today since it is a shared RAM and just 5.5GB of RAM is actually available for running all you tasks as 2.5GB is reserved for VRAM (graphics). Yes, future proofing looks like scam if people purchase an overpriced and over the top spec hardware which they don't really use, but in this case 16GB RAM is one upgrade most if not all tech youtubers and every sensible member of the tech community is recommending on MBA. Maybe you didn't have enough money when going for the purchase but don't misguide others to purchase the baseline MBA as it is useless in the long run, primarily due to the RAM.

[@definingslawek4731]

You have either a) never used a faster computer or b) edited a very simple project that only requires decoding of basic video. I bought and returned a m3 pro macbook pro with 18GB of ram. I returned it because it was too ram starved and too slow to edit even my basic videos. But obviously it is fantastic that you have a machine that does what you need it to do. I'd say Josh is totally right about the base spec air being too ram starved to edit (well) though.

[@dwight.shrute]

@@liltimmy109 You can purchase any device and have the risk of dropping it, this is such a foolish basis of any argument related to longevity, handle with care or don't purchase- simple as that. You have to consider how much RAM is currently used by the system and basic tasks, trust me 8GB in 2024 is a JOKE esp. when the RAM is shared and part of it is utilized for graphics. You can justify for now, that's what gives Apple leverage to ship a $1200 laptop with 8GB RAM + 256GB SSD in 2024, in a world where 16GB + 512GB should be bare minimum for any sensible purchase.

[@JohnJohnson-qv1fm]

It’s so nice seeing an honest Mac review.

[@boki1386]

Sorry, I have a question. I am a programming student and I am looking to buy one of these. I usually go to university to study or to libraries, so that’s why I prefer portability. However, I am concerned if a 13-inch screen is large enough for split-screen and coding. What would you recommend?

[@hanva100]

Do you think matte or glossy display is better for your type of usage, like video editing, programming or graphism

[@JustJoshTech]

Doesn't matter to me. Glossy needs to be 500 nits or higher for me, though, as it needs to combat reflections

[@HDRPC]

Glossy is best for everything. Just ban matt finish. I just hate matt finish.

[@Manuel-rl6um]

I love matte finish. Dirt is not spotted as easily, easier to clean as well, less reflections too. Glossy display laptops get more dirt from even the keyboard, as the glass can touch the keyboard slightly, while matte display are a bit into the bezels.

[@cameronbosch1213]

I'd only get glossy for OLED screens if it's touch screen.

[@dwight.shrute]

@@HDRPC Most dumbest and unpopular opinion in this entire comments section.

[@YaYousef5]

5:13 I've seen some other channels record screens at slow-mo speeds to show the difference in screen refresh rate since even if you film at 60p (looks like you record at 24p?) you can't see the difference because 60 fps is the max supported frame rate on KZbin.

[@AdastraRecordings]

Limiting ram to 8gb on a base model in this day and age is worse than paying $400 for a 4050 GPU, but I'll admit, it's damn close.

[@JustJoshTech]

lol

[@MJ-gc4es]

Editing h264 video in Premiere Pro is not indicative of the MacBook's performance at all. H264 is a long gop video codec, not suited for editing. And APP just can't handle it. Which will result in dropped frames during playback. And don't even mention stacking multiple video tracks with effects in this format.

[@dwight.shrute]

Still it conveys one message effectively- 8GB RAM on laptops costing $100-$1600 is a JOKE in 2024.

[@Shmepple]

I just got the new 15” McBook air 16gb and I am loving it, despite the lack of ProMotion (120hz) and other screen specs.

[@dom7452]

how is this channel not at 1 million subs already?

[@Joeldca]

Will they solve the temperature problems? Or they will put annoying fans on the outside.

[@therealdeal7468]

Hi Josh, how does the HP pavilion plus 14 Ryzon 7 perform for coding? I've got one on the way.

[@jesusmarywillsaveyou]

This is only the second vid ive watched on your channel and i must say, your recommendations have certainly opened my eyes and made me wiser concerning LT purchases. Thank you for your knowledge. Ive subscribed too. Your channel deserves to grow. Keep it up. From South Africa.

[@JustJoshTech]

Thank you very much for the ncie words

[@smittyvanjagermanjenson182]

I have been on a youtube binge for information on these M3 Macbook Airs (at the spec you recommend), trying my hardest to find answers. I want to use one as a portable workstation and for what i guess some would call "complex" video editing, but now I'm very unsure, and you may have just convinced me to look at the Macbook Pro lineup instead. Im not very wealthy, but i do like the continuity and quality of these systems, so it may be worth it overall! It doesnt help that I'm also a novice, only relying on my knowledge from a few years using the latest iMacs and Adobe CS5 in high-school, and some self teaching in Filmora with my current rtx 3070 powered gaming desktop.

[@stevesutton772]

I spent a good month seriously considering switching to Mac and all apple eco system. Luckily my budget was ONLY 3000.00 lol.

[@kimolsson1772]

Great video once again! Im definetely looking for 16/32GB RAM in a laptop. Oh, and is there a video coming on the new Samsung book4 series by any chance? :)

[@rodolfopinheiro]

Are you planning on reviewing Samsung Galaxy Book4? They seem to be equivalent to Spectre and Carbon. Bought one recently, high pitch of the fan is a little bit annoying otherwise is a good laptop

[@donkim3176]

Really appreciate the pragmatic and big picture approach you take to explaining our choices as consumers. I feel like lots of semi-knowledgeable buyers like myself get that feeling of unease in their stomach at trying to rationalize shelling out $1k for 8gb ram and 256gb storage

[@macbp41]

For the same price (in my country), what has more value for money? M2 - w/ 24GB RAM & 512GB SSD or; M3 - w/ 16GB RAM & 512GB SSD? I'll use it for college -- business analytics related course. More on spreadsheets, research tasks, visualizing datas, maybe some coding and graphic design at the side. There would also be some instances where I'll be needing to use Parallels for virtual machine other OS. I'm going to upgrade from a MacBook Pro 16" 2019 with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD, Intel Core i9. I'm having issues with kernel panics (random shutdowns), apps crashing, loud fan noise, annoying heat, and averaging 3-4 hours battery life :))

[@GeorgeSK]

What about the new GoFetch vulnerability baked into the chips? This vulnerability prevented me now from buying a new M3 Air.

[@abinashrabhaofficial]

Great work. Thank you. I am getting the MacBook Pro 14, some people may say, 14 inch is small, reality is 99% of the time I will use it with an external Monitor.

[@steshaw6510]

Would it outrage you to discover that the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 is 5,399 AUD here in Australia?

[@BackSlashJvb125]

m1 STILL REMAINS KING, that gpu performance rivaling new intel chips arc gpus is INSANE

[@ValdeSanus]

Both GPU's are on TSMC 5nm, so not really.

[@BackSlashJvb125]

@@ValdeSanus yeah it does. Only as of now Intel managed to have high performance intergraded GPUs

[@syedmohdfaize7813]

What's the window's equivalent laptop for Macbook pro Max.

[@rishabhrastogi4602]

ya i hv the same question , when u found out let me know

[@sureshmilton]

Superb review!

[@JustJoshTech]

Thank you

[@kosmondano]

Beautiful photo of the Puente Nuevo in Ronda ❤ wonderful place to live and visit 😉

[@krishitajindal6619]

Hey Josh I just wanted to ask that should I get apple care while buying the laptop or not? And what would be the advantages of buying it?

[@recell312]

So first of all: Thanks for your videos. I'm currently looking for a replacement for my 2015 MBP and your videos seem the most trustworthy! One comment on the recommended Thinkpad though: I got this thing as a worklaptop from my employer. That thing annoys me so much. As soon as I just look at it, the fans turn up full blast. I can't even do the simplest tasks on it without the fans being extremely loud. It's really annoying. I previously had a Yoga X1 from 2017. Less performance, yes. But at least that thing was quiet.

[@JustJoshTech]

Which ThinkPad? The X1 Carbon? Normally they are extremely quiet. Is it a T series you have?

[@recell312]

@@JustJoshTech On the back of my device it just says ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 (Type Number: 21HM-S3PU00, if you know what to do with it - searchin in the internet leads to a "T"). It really is a disaster in terms of noise. I've had the device for a week and almost miss its predecessor. To the round: I know the MacBook Pro 14 with M3, 16/512 is not often recommended. I actually wanted to order the Air (same specs), but now I'm a bit unsure whether the fanless design could be a problem. My most intensive tasks: Parallels + Magic The Gatering Online and Magic Arena (native Mac OS). Does anyone here have any experience with this? Expect of this, just general surfing/browsing and music edition 2 times a year. Pro costs 1800 in this configuration, the Air 1400 (Europe). 400 more for just Promotion wouldt be worth it, but the missing fan on the Air confusses me... M3 Pro is sadly around 2100.

[@CPA003]

I bought the macbook air M3 15.3 with 16gb of memory and 512 gb of storage. I do some light video editing and it performs very well. However, I feel that if my tasks were more intensive, the pro 14 would be the right choice. I payed 1700 dollars for mine with a dongle for extra ports and apple care. Very happy with the laptop.

[@gyanryan1301]

Comparison of premium 14" laptop so far please

[@winnie_2023]

and Space Grey vs Silver. Those of you that thought first that keyboard on Silver would be too distracting from the screen: what do you think now after usage?

[@robertpatashny7473]

As usual thanks for the advice on the new MacBook Air. I do believe Apple would is doing a disservice by not including 16 gigs for the base model

[@andyH_England]

But if they did, it would cost more! So, I do not get that argument. If they started at the recommended configuration of 16GB/512GB, the Air 13-inch would cost $1500, which is what it costs now! Remember, all premium laptops cost a similar amount, which is called equilibrium pricing. Please name me one premium Windows machine for $1100 list (not discounted 2023 models) with 16GB/512GB. I will save you the trouble, there are none, e.g. the XPS 14 without the OLED display and lower PPI is £1600! The Surface Laptop 6 is £1999! The Galaxy Book4 Pro is £1600. The MB Air 13 M3 with that spec is cheaper than all these at £1500 suggesting that Apple is not overcharging versus comparable rivals.

[@dwight.shrute]

@@andyH_England Storage has gotten significantly cheaper in the last decade and an upgrade to 16GB + 512 GB (both soldered) is not going to cost more than $80-100 for Apple, yet they charge $400 for the same. Companies need to be held accountable for taking consumers for granted, be it Apple or anyone. There are very good Windows laptops with 16GB RAM + 512/1TB SSD, dedicated graphics, and very capable processors from AMD. These cost right in the MBA bracket and outperform it except for the battery life. Check out Asus, Acer and Lenovo. If you can't find, let me know, I will share some links here.

[@dwight.shrute]

@@andyH_England It will not cost more. Your opinion is limited to very limited set of laptops. Memory both RAM and SSD has got significantly cheaper in last few years and 16GB / 512GB baseline specs are just $80-100 for Apple not more than that (considering all the internal architecture and tightly integrated components since I work in the industry). We need to STOP allowing companies like Apple to ship $1100-$1600 laptops in 2024 with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD.

[@dwight.shrute]

@@andyH_England I can enlist fantastic premium Windows laptops which ship with 16GB RAM and 512/1TB SSD with 4GB RTX or Ryzen graphics, in same price range as baseline MBA or even lesser.

[@ferrarisuper]

Don't need to buy a laptop right now (rocking a 14 inch m1pro mbp refurbished for1800€ last year from apple themselves (taking out taxes and using freedom currency it translates to around 1550$)), but this channel is absolutely amazing! Calling out apple bs decision with the M3 lineup, but at the same time acknowledging the benefit of quiter, colder systems with longer battery instead of just looking at how high the GPU score is and recomending gaming laptops to everyone. Keep it up!

[@neyah]

I agree with this completely i have the macbook air m1 and for years is been a pain to use to edit 4k videos, unless i do s very simple edit of one clip where i have to just cut the sequences.But as soon as you put color grading 4k 10 bit and some even light effects and transitions the machine is a pain to use.Not even mentioning the ssd that for video editing is unusuable in the long term and you have to use sn external ssd card which slows down the process even more.I am never buying a macbook ever again not even the pro as the price for me is not justifiable

[@youcantsiumee]

What did you get instead

[@levii_i678]

Did u guys put a screen protector?

[@shto4782]

This guy proofs that speaking with confidence even the most useless information ever is key

[@dwight.shrute]

Really? Are you so smart or so f**king dumb that you don't understand how computers work in general?

[@carlstevenwilletts]

I think the main problem with the M3 MBA is that if you want to do anything demanding on it, you're better off with a MacBook Pro, particularly if you want to upgrade RAM or storage. However, if you're not looking to do anything demanding you can just as easily get by with an M1 or M2 MBA.

[@Pamlicojdjdj1487]

Define the user case for demanding

[@REALHARSH]

I use the base model m3 and it does everything I need... I even live stream with it and it 100% performs just as well as my M2 MacBook Pro in this use case!!

[@dwight.shrute]

@NOTREALHARSH stop lying. Base M3 MBA is not even comparable to M2 MBP be it any demanding task, simply due to increased RAM and better processor. Who are you fooling here?

[@riccia888]

Thats true you can live stream using obs but it wont last long because MBA doesnt have fans. That put stress inside the machine.

[@ellysetadifa]

Great review, thank you! Last year I got m2 15 air 16gb, and now I’m on a hunt which mac should I get for my son. I was thinking of getting the same, but since the release of M3, I’m undecided.

[@asthana12]

1:03 No way M2 Pro 12C is scoring 3153 on GB6 beating out M3 Pro. Definitely an error there. Pls correct it else its misleading

[@JustJoshTech]

Yes, that looks like a miss copied cell. As it doesn't change the conclusion at all or any key points, I will put in a pinned comment and description. Thank you for looking closely and pointing this out

[@FoxxFire]

Lol, Josh, you know your core Mac-user audience well. You know choosing a Windows machine is almost a non-starter. Our choices are between the best Mac that fits our budget and our needs. I think so many of us have had such poor experiences with Windows devices over the years that it is just impossible to choose one. For example, I bought for my kid, who was 13 at the time, a Yoga 6 a couple years ago. It had top of the line specs for an ultrabook at that time. Just two and a quarter years later, the machine is a disaster. Its fan is on all the time, and it chugs with even basic tasks; and don't even try to use the thing on battery power (even in the best performance on battery setting). I should have known with the first unit we bought having a faulty microphone that it was not going to be a great experience. We exchanged it at Best Buy for a new model with a working microphone, but yeah, despite it being only $800 on sale at the time, I should have paid a couple extra hundred to get my kid an M1 MBA. And meanwhile, i'm typing this comment on a 27" 5k iMac that I bought in late 2015, and this thing works as well as the day i took it out the box. The point of this long story is that we have just had better experiences with Mac, and they are worth the premium, if one can comfortably afford it of course.

[@JustJoshTech]

You aren't wrong. Apples are definitely more solid on average but you pay for it! That being said, 8g on a machine that costs around $1.5K is disgraceful in 2024

[@dwight.shrute]

@@JustJoshTech Strongly agree. 256GB SSD is also a mockery of it's loyal customers.

[@wevelve]

I like your video, you say it as it is. I myself also recommend Windows laptops. In most of them you can easily add RAM and change the enhance the HD. Unless you need XCode or do video editing, there’s no need for a Mac.

[@ClevaTreva]

Are they okay for music production (16Gb)?

[@mrengler1]

5:02 did you say the pro has 2mm key travel? My thinkpad has 1.7mm, and 2mm on a Mac would be amazing

[@JonasPerssonPhoto]

I will check out the Zenbook and Thinkpad. Bought the Spectre X360 and returned it again the next day. It was lagging so much in Lightroom, the delay when dragging the sliders was unbearable. Maybe I have to high expectations, using a Macbook Pro M3 Max:ed out. Just need something easy to carry around when traveling Europe for work. In the end I probably have to go for M3 Air. Just worried it will slow down during heavy use. Why is there just no perfect computer? Haha

[@r3sp3ctall]

Thanks for the video.

[@raminMTL]

Josh can you please make a video about your workout routine?

[@sumitat1]

Superb review 👍🏻 that' is what I was looking for

[@TroupeGoal]

My ten year old Air still browses etc absolutely fine, no need to spend a grand just for that.

[@xThe3xecution]

Just thought of how I got an Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 16" with 7840hs, 512fb storage and 32 gb of ram + 120hz 350nits 2k ips panel for 780€. If power lowered to max 15 watts the fans are dead silent too and u don't have to worry about anything ram related and still have the ability to go up to 65w plugged in to get around 920 score in cb24. Over 200€ less for more performance and enough ram to edit photos or videos (only fhd otherwise performance isn't enough) even with some heavy edits. And the battery life is quiet good too. Simply love it :)

[@acidGoatG]

thank you for mentioning the poor display of the macs. I got tricked into buying a new air, had to send it back as I am so used to more color accurate and faster screens, my eyes started bleeding instantly when opened it.

[@mike_010]

I’m an apple fan, but it’s crazy to see apple view storage as a “expensive” feature and need to add crazy amount of money to have more storage. Anyone who understands a little about electronics knows those storage chips only costs a few bucks in manufacturing. What a shame for apple to do this throughout these twenty years

[@pablobragacp]

Great reviews, but the prices you mentioned for the Windows laptops are not the ones on the links you provided. They are much more expensive there.

[@JustJoshTech]

Unfortunately the laptops regularly go on big sales. Thats how Windows laptops are. Hang tight, i'd imagine for Easter weekend or Memorial Day we will see them on sale again

[@dwight.shrute]

@@JustJoshTech Agree on the price fluctuation of Windows laptops. Same reason why we don't have that kind of resale value for them.

[@Manuel-rl6um]

I think they should change to: - Base model 12GB/256GB (some people really do most in the browser but RAM is important for that) - Ram upgrades to 18/24/32GB

[@Mad.Maxx.77]

Outstanding video, as always, mate! I traded in my M1 Air for the 13" M3 Air (16GB/1TB). I love the portability of the smaller Air. My main computer for work/fun is my desktop PC (14700/4080), so an MBP is some serious overkill -- love that miniLED screen, tho.

[@dwight.shrute]

If you had the money to go with 16GB + 1 TB M3 MBA, you made a huge mistake tbh. You should have gone with 14 inch M3 Pro MBP, way better laptop with slightly increased weight and nearly similar size.

[@Mad.Maxx.77]

@@dwight.shrute The huge mistake would’ve been spending hundreds more $$ for a bigger, heavier, more expensive laptop that’s built for serious video production and using it for nothing more than Word and Photoshop.

[@dwight.shrute]

@@Mad.Maxx.77 If you need nothing more than word and photoshop, why on earth did you spend $200 for 16GB RAM upgrade and $400 for SSD upgrade, are you real?

[@Mad.Maxx.77]

@@dwight.shrute Because that's what I wanted and my total cost was $700 with the M1 Air trade in.

[@dwight.shrute]

@@Mad.Maxx.77 it's good that you wanted to waste your money by purchasing an inferior product. I won't go to M3 MacBook Pro, let's just stick to M2 MacBook Pro still available in a lot of stores. That one at $1500-1600 offers similar if not more RAM, far far better processor and unmatched performance. 14inch MBP is just very slightly bigger than 13 inch MBA, and weight difference is hardly noticeable if you carry it in a bag pack. You got a far inferior device for the money, no matter how much you justify using a much weaker MBA (when compared to MBP) with bumped up specs.

[@lamka02sk]

Few months ago I got Yoga Slim 7 with 90 Hz OLED, 32 GB memory and 1TB storage for price of the base Macbook Air model. What a joke

[@neugeburt1952]

3 hours of battery life and fan noise. what a joke

[@Lee.S321]

@@neugeburt1952 My ASUS S13 (AMD 6800U) can run for 15-16 hrs on light tasks. Typically 12 hrs for day to day productivity work. Not all Windows laptops have poor battery life.

[@DustyKing]

I feel sad for you that you bought an overpriced yoga crap

[@catfluf]

Yoga battery life does suck but noise wise they're much better than I was expecting. Great value for money.

[@andyH_England]

I hope your one lasts. I have had a crap experience with Lenovo, but that was a while back, and they may have improved since then.

[@ryu5731]

so would the macbook pro with M3 chip have the best battery life?

[@nothingtosee7718]

So true, the MBA is just the wrong answer pretty much regardless of the question. 8GB is not enough to run MacOS, you need 6GB for it to just breathe and 256GB storage is a joke in 2018. I have just bought a fully loaded MBA M3, and it's a disaster. The only saving grace is I didn't pay list, but even with a $600 saving, it's over priced. And for sure, the new coating doesn't work. its a finger print magnet.

[@PaigeEscapes]

This was an excellently explained video! Your comparison to the MacBook pros and description of it was really fantastic! Definitely agree with May things you said and learnt things too!

[@PaigeEscapes]

Silly- but do you think MacBook pros last longer? Just seem to be hardier(?) or something? I’ve always had pros and they last me many years ( still using a 2015 15” pro! 🫣 love it!)

[@dwight.shrute]

@@PaigeEscapes You asked a question and then answered it yourself while contradicting your original opinion. Were you high?

[@PaigeEscapes]

@@dwight.shrute no, are you high? I didn’t ask a question and then answer it. I made a statement, then below it I asked a question - sometimes I’m unable to edit my comments on KZbin if I’m on my iPhone so i just comment below it. Perhaps I should have just made a completely different comment but still… not sure why you thought i answered my own question when my first comment wasn’t a question or an answer to anything. And he didnt address my question in the video. Im usually on my phone at night watching these so if my wording isn’t perfect for you, my sincere apologies- I hope you get a life

[@dwight.shrute]

@@PaigeEscapes You need a life bro, seriously and sincerely requested.

[@PaigeEscapes]

@@dwight.shrute 😂 you are the one that needs a life… you initially stupidly replied to a strangers comment on KZbin in an attempt to put them down & somehow lift your dumbass ego up 🙃my guess is that reading and replying to strangers on KZbin is a habit of yours. Be nice and get some manners.

[@Gabriel-gy5uc]

Do you think 16gb M2 or M3 8gb ?

[@stockdetective4396]

Why every KZbinr compares these to prior M models . I have zero models and looking to buy a laptop

[@Danishxbr]

Hey Josh would you suggest 8gb and 512 gb ssd for a normal user . No editing or coding required

[@DemonSoulEater]

have a base model M3 and use it for studying and some schoolwork and it is perfectly fine

[@dwight.shrute]

16GB RAM upgrade is a no brainer compared to 256GB SSD upgrade. RAM is shared in Apple silicon which means a portion of it is used for graphics (VRAM) and hence baseline 8GB RAM MacBook Air effectively leaves you with just 5-5.5GB of actually usable memory and this is too less even for basic tasks like MS office, browsing with multiple tabs, etc. in the long run. There is a reason why most educated and sincere tech youtubers have called out Apple for shipping a laptop with just 8GB RAM + 256GB SSD for over $1100 in 2024.

[@SlowgrindT]

I’m still rocking with my windows Acer predator triton 300 se 12th gen i7 14” 165hz screen 16gb ram 512 ssd and a rtx 3060 for 899 from Best Buy.

[@oooogabooooga2]

What do you think about the Asus Zenbook Pro 15 flip (UP6502)? I am considering buying it because it's currently on sale for -$500 coming in at $1300 CAD.

[@YouGotPropofol]

macOS is still a deliberately annoying experience. Their apps are good.. mail, calendar, pages, numbers, keynote, preview… but the user interface is just really bad. Safari, finder, iMessage, notes … are not that great. I wish they’d stop trying to be different and just get to fixing the “quirks” of the whole window management issues. Ughhh.

[@Jomidimor]

Great review as always, I’m wondering if the issue with the 256gb SSD being slower than a similarly specced 512gb has been solved this time around?

[@dwight.shrute]

Yes, it has. M3 MBA now has 2 128GB SSDs connected by a high speed bus just like M1 MBA and performance is far better than M2 MBA.