Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition)
VS
44.5Performance44
29.8Display41.6
66.7Battery68
88Portability65.9
3 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)6 spec wins — Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition)
InnoReviews verdict
This one is close to a dead heat: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) scores 53.5 against 52.6 for Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition). Pick by the categories that matter to you — Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) edges ahead in portability and performance, or by price.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)
- Stronger portability score: 88 vs 66
- 38% lower thickness: 11.3 mm vs 18.3 mm
- 25% lower weight: 1.24 kg vs 1.66 kg
- Lower launch price: $1,099 vs $1,550
Reasons to pick the Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition)
- Stronger display score: 42 vs 30
- 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
- 25% higher capacity: 66 Wh vs 53 Wh
Display
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 13.6 ″ | 15 ″+10% |
| Panel type | IPS (Liquid Retina) | HDR PixelSense LCD (touchscreen) |
| Resolution | 2560x1664 | 3270x2180 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 120 Hz+100% |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | 600 nits+20% |
Performance
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-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 15-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 15-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 53 Wh | 66 Wh+25% |
| Web browsing endurance | 15 h+7% | 14 h |
| Charging | 35 W | 65 W+86% |
Design
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.24 kg+25% | 1.66 kg |
| Thickness | 11.3 mm+38% | 18.3 mm |
| Material | Aluminum | Aluminum (100% recycled) |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-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, microSD |
| 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 15-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS Sonoma | Windows 11 Home (Arm) |
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