MacBook Air M3 15" First Impressions
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
My initial thoughts on the MacBook Air M3 15" fully spec’d model…
- The size, weight and form factor are perfect for me. I love my 13" M1, but I like the 15" M3 more. Typing feels less cramped for my big hands.
- Though the M3 is a mere 1/10th of a pound lighter, there seems to be even more of a weight difference between the two. Probably because of the larger overall footprint.
- I like the screen much better. At 500 nits vs. 300 for the M1, the screen pops more at full brightness. As a former design artist, this is important to me.
- The body has no micro-holes for speakers. I love this. My day job 16" MacBook Pro does, and all kinds of dust gets stuck in the tiny holes. I plan to do some sound comparisons between the M1 and M3 tonight.
- The notch was noticeable when I first started setting it up, but after a while it sort of faded into the background. Thankfully Bartender 5’s menu bar styles helped with this.
- Having a MagSafe charger again is great. I always thought that was a brilliant design and was sad when Apple moved away from it. I’m happy to see MagSafe making a comeback. Plus it opens up an extra USB-C port.
- I like the smaller screen bezel. It makes the screen feel bigger than it really is.
- It’s fast. I’m glad I got the top spec.
- Sadly, it’s just a little too wide for my favorite Crumpler messenger bag I’ve had for 15+ years. I see a replacement purchase in the near future here.
All in all, after just a few hours of use, it’s a purchase I’m pleased with. More thoughts to come in the next week or two.