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InnoReviews

Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)

Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)
53.5Inno Score
VS
WINNER
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
56.2Inno Score
44.5Performance38.7
29.8Display29.8
66.7Battery94.7
88Portability80.1
2 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)3 spec wins — Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)

InnoReviews verdict

Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) wins this laptop face-off, 56.2 to 53.5, pulling ahead mainly in battery (+28). 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 performance score: 45 vs 39
  • Stronger portability score: 88 vs 80
  • 35% lower thickness: 11.3 mm vs 17.5 mm

Reasons to pick the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)

  • Stronger battery score: 95 vs 67
  • 29% higher charging: 45 W vs 35 W
  • 20% higher Web browsing endurance: 18 h vs 15 h

Display

Display comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
Screen size13.6 ″+5%13 ″
Panel typeIPS (Liquid Retina)PixelSense LCD (touchscreen)
Resolution2560x16641920x1280
Refresh rate60 Hz60 Hz
Peak brightness500 nits500 nits

Performance

Performance comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
ProcessorApple M3 (8-core)Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus (6-core)
GraphicsApple M3 8-core GPUQualcomm Adreno
RAM16 GB16 GB
RAM typeLPDDR5 (unified)LPDDR5x
Storage256 GB256 GB
Storage typeNVMe SSDUFS (removable)

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
Geekbench 6 (single)3,050Top 33%—
Geekbench 6 (multi)12,000Bottom 17%—

Battery

Battery comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
Capacity53 Wh—
Web browsing endurance15 h18 h+20%
Charging35 W45 W+29%

Design

Design comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
Weight1.24 kg1.23 kg+1%
Thickness11.3 mm+35%17.5 mm
MaterialAluminumAluminum

Connectivity

Connectivity comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
Ports2x Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm2x USB-C/USB 3.2, USB-A 3.2, 3.5mm headphone jack
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6EWi-Fi 7
Bluetooth5.3Bluetooth 5.4
Webcam1080p FaceTime HD1080p Full HD
BiometricsTouch IDFingerprint (Windows Hello)

Software

Software comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
Operating systemmacOS SonomaWindows 11 Home (Arm)

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