Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition)
VS
41.4Performance35.5
29.8Display27.3
55.3Battery69.5
79.6Portability82.8
6 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3)3 spec wins — Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition)
InnoReviews verdict
This one is close to a dead heat: Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) scores 48.4 against 49.5 for Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition). Pick by the categories that matter to you — Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) edges ahead in battery and portability, or by price.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3)
- Stronger performance score: 41 vs 36
- 37% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 3,130 vs 2,287
- 33% higher capacity: 67 Wh vs 50 Wh
- 26% lower thickness: 11.5 mm vs 15.6 mm
- 18% higher Screen size: 15.3 ″ vs 13 ″
Reasons to pick the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition)
- Stronger battery score: 70 vs 55
- Stronger portability score: 83 vs 80
- 100% higher RAM: 16 GB vs 8 GB
- 29% higher charging: 45 W vs 35 W
- 19% lower weight: 1.22 kg vs 1.51 kg
- Lower launch price: $900 vs $1,299
Display
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 15.3 ″+18% | 13 ″ |
| Panel type | IPS (Liquid Retina) | PixelSense IPS LCD (touchscreen) |
| Resolution | 2880x1864 | 1920x1280 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits+18% | 425 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M3 (8-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-42-100) |
| Graphics | Apple M3 10-core GPU | Qualcomm Adreno X1-45 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB+100% |
| RAM type | LPDDR5 (unified) | LPDDR5x |
| Storage | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Storage type | SSD | UFS 4.0 (removable) |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,130+37%Top 14% | 2,287Bottom 7% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 12,066+8%Bottom 29% | 11,125Bottom 18% |
Battery
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 67 Wh+33% | 50 Wh |
| Web browsing endurance | — | 16 h |
| Charging | 35 W | 45 W+29% |
Design
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.51 kg | 1.22 kg+19% |
| Thickness | 11.5 mm+26% | 15.6 mm |
| Material | Recycled Aluminum | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt / USB 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm | 2x USB-C (USB 3.2, DisplayPort 1.4a), USB-A, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Webcam | 1080p FaceTime HD | 1080p Full HD |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | Fingerprint (Windows Hello, in power button) |
Software
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS Sonoma | Windows 11 Home (Arm) |
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