Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition)
VS
44.5Performance44
29.8Display41.6
66.7Battery71
88Portability76.6
2 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)7 spec wins — Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition)
InnoReviews verdict
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) wins this laptop face-off, 55.2 to 53.5, pulling ahead mainly in display (+12) and battery (+4). Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)
- Stronger portability score: 88 vs 77
- 35% lower thickness: 11.3 mm vs 17.5 mm
- Lower launch price: $1,099 vs $1,400
Reasons to pick the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition)
- Stronger display score: 42 vs 30
- Stronger battery score: 71 vs 67
- 100% higher Refresh rate: 120 Hz vs 60 Hz
- 100% higher storage: 512 GB vs 256 GB
- 86% higher charging: 65 W vs 35 W
Display
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 13.6 ″ | 13.8 ″+1% |
| Panel type | IPS (Liquid Retina) | HDR PixelSense LCD (touchscreen) |
| Resolution | 2560x1664 | 2304x1536 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 120 Hz+100% |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | 600 nits+20% |
Performance
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M3 (8-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus (10-core) or Snapdragon X2 Elite (12-core) |
| Graphics | Apple M3 8-core GPU | Qualcomm Adreno |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM type | LPDDR5 (unified) | LPDDR5x |
| Storage | 256 GB | 512 GB+100% |
| Storage type | NVMe SSD | Gen 4 SSD (removable, M.2 2230) |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,050Top 33% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 12,000Bottom 17% | — |
Battery
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 53 Wh | 54 Wh+3% |
| Web browsing endurance | 15 h | 16 h+7% |
| Charging | 35 W | 65 W+86% |
Design
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.24 kg+8% | 1.34 kg |
| Thickness | 11.3 mm+35% | 17.5 mm |
| Material | Aluminum | Aluminum (100% recycled) |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm | 2x USB-C/USB4, USB-A 3.2, 3.5mm headphone jack, Surface Connect |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Webcam | 1080p FaceTime HD | 1080p Full HD (Windows Studio Effects) |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | Facial recognition (Windows Hello) |
Software
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS Sonoma | Windows 11 Home (Arm) |
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