Buy the M4. It starts at the same $1,099, now includes 16GB RAM as standard (the M3’s 8GB base was its biggest weakness), adds Thunderbolt 4, and lets you run two external displays with the lid open. For the exact same money, there is no reason to choose the M3 new.
The M3 is only worth it if you find a meaningful discount — a refurbished unit for $100–$150 less, or a certified open-box deal. If you already own an M3 Air and it’s working well, wait for the M5.
You’re buying new. Same price as M3, more RAM, faster chip, better ports, dual displays. It’s the straightforward choice for everyone purchasing in 2026.
You find a certified refurbished or open-box M3 at a significant discount ($150+). Light users who only use one external display and don’t need the extra speed can save money this way.
| Spec | MacBook Air M3 | MacBook Air M4 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Apple M3 | Apple M4 |
| CPU | 8-core | 10-core |
| GPU | 10-core | 10-core (tie) |
| Base RAM | 8GB | 16GB |
| Max RAM | 24GB | 32GB |
| Base Storage | 256GB SSD | 256GB SSD (tie) |
| Max Storage | 2TB | 2TB (tie) |
| Display | 13.6” Liquid Retina, 500 nits | 13.6” Liquid Retina, 500 nits (tie) |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz (tie) |
| Thunderbolt | TB3 (2 ports) | TB4 (2 ports) |
| External Displays | 1 (lid open) / 2 (lid closed) | 2 (lid open or closed) |
| Camera | 1080p FaceTime | 12MP Center Stage |
| Battery | Up to 18 hrs | Up to 18 hrs (tie) |
| MagSafe | MagSafe 3 | MagSafe 3 (tie) |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E (tie) |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 (tie) |
| Weight | 1.24 kg (2.7 lbs) | 1.24 kg (2.7 lbs) (tie) |
| Starting Price | $1,099 | $1,099 (same price, more specs) |
| Colors | Starlight, Midnight, Space Gray | + Sky Blue |
The M4 chip uses the same TSMC 3nm process as the M3 but with architectural improvements that add two more CPU cores (10 vs 8) and push clock speeds higher. In Geekbench 6 benchmarks: M4 scores approximately 3,900 single-core and 15,100 multi-core vs. the M3’s 3,000 and 11,800. That’s a roughly 25–30% multi-core improvement.
Real-world impact: Final Cut Pro exports are about 25% faster, Xcode builds run roughly 35% quicker, and Lightroom AI masking is noticeably snappier on M4. For everyday tasks — email, browsing, documents, video calls — both chips are instant. You won’t feel the difference clicking through Safari. You will feel it running creative apps under load.
If your heaviest task is a browser with 20 tabs and Zoom calls, no — both feel identical. If you edit video, compile code, or run creative apps regularly, the M4 is noticeably faster. Either way, buy the M4 at the same price.
Both are fanless, which means sustained heavy workloads cause some thermal throttling. Neither chip is intended for multi-hour rendering sessions — the MacBook Pro M4 with active cooling handles those. Under brief heavy loads the M4 throttles later and to a lesser degree than the M3.
This is the single most important improvement. The M3 Air starts with 8GB of unified memory. At the $1,099 price point, that was always a problem — 8GB fills up quickly with a few Safari windows, Spotify, Slack, and any creative app running simultaneously. We consistently recommended spending the extra $200 to upgrade to 16GB on M3, which meant the real starting cost was $1,299.
The M4 Air ships with 16GB as standard at $1,099. That changes the value equation completely. You get what was a $200 upgrade for free. The M4 Air at its base price is now genuinely adequate for power users, not just light users.
The M4 also maxes out at 32GB (vs 24GB on M3). That’s relevant for developers running Docker containers and VMs, or photographers managing Lightroom catalogs above 50,000 images.
Both have two Thunderbolt ports and MagSafe 3. The upgrade from Thunderbolt 3 (M3) to Thunderbolt 4 (M4) is subtle but real: TB4 mandates better dock compatibility, PCIe tunneling support, and tighter certification requirements. If you’ve had intermittent issues with a dock or hub on an M3, it typically disappears on M4.
The external display situation is a bigger deal. The M3 Air supports one external display when the lid is open, or two monitors when the lid is closed (clamshell mode). That frustrated a lot of desk users who wanted their MacBook screen plus two monitors while remaining mobile-ready — clamshell mode means you need an external webcam and keyboard at all times.
The M4 Air supports two external displays with the lid fully open, plus the built-in screen. That’s three screens total. This is a genuine use-case change for anyone who works at a desk with a dual-monitor setup.
M3: Desk monitor + built-in screen, OR two external monitors with lid closed. Not both.
M4: Two external monitors + built-in screen. All three active at once.
The display is identical: 13.6-inch Liquid Retina at 2560×1664, 224 ppi, 500 nits sustained, P3 wide color, True Tone. 60Hz on both. If you need ProMotion at 120Hz, that’s the MacBook Pro.
The camera is a meaningful upgrade. M3 has a 1080p FaceTime camera. M4 upgrades to a 12MP Center Stage camera with an ultrawide sensor. The jump is obvious on video calls — sharper, more accurate color, better low-light performance. Center Stage automatically keeps you in frame when you move. Desk View shows a top-down view of your desk during presentations. For anyone who does frequent video calls, this alone is a worthwhile improvement.
Apple rates both at up to 18 hours. In our real-world testing at 70% brightness with Wi-Fi active, both delivered 14–16 hours of mixed use. Pure video playback hit 18 hours on both. Under sustained heavy loads the M4’s improved efficiency gives it a slight edge, but you’d need to be running back-to-back renders all day to notice a difference.
Battery is not a deciding factor between these two laptops. Both are best-in-class for battery life in a thin-and-light laptop.
Both start at $1,099. But the M3 at $1,099 came with 8GB RAM, which we always said felt underpowered — the real M3 entry price for an adequate configuration was $1,299 with the 16GB upgrade. The M4 starts with 16GB. So effectively, the M4 gives you a $200 upgrade for free.
Where the M3 makes sense: refurbished or open-box with a meaningful discount. Apple Certified Refurbished M3 Airs can be found for $849–$950 with one-year warranty. At that price with 16GB RAM, the M3 is excellent value. At the same $1,099 new, the M4 wins every time.
Our recommendation — 16GB RAM, Thunderbolt 4, dual displays
Only worth it at a significant discount vs. M4
Buy the M4 if you’re purchasing new — same price, 16GB RAM standard, Thunderbolt 4, dual external displays. The M3 is only worth it at a significant discount ($150+) on a refurbished or open-box unit.
Probably not if your M3 is working well. The upgrade is meaningful but not urgent. Wait for M5 unless you specifically need dual external displays with the lid open or a Thunderbolt 4 dock.
In practice, both deliver 14–16 hours of real-world mixed use. Battery is not a deciding factor.
To get 16GB on M3 you had to pay $1,299. The M4 includes 16GB at the $1,099 base price. That extra $200 is effectively gone with M4.
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