Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
VS
41.4Performance38.7
29.8Display29.8
55.3Battery94.7
79.6Portability80.1
2 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 15 (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 48.4, pulling ahead mainly in battery (+39) and portability (+1). Apple MacBook Air 15 (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 15 (M3)
- 34% lower thickness: 11.5 mm vs 17.5 mm
- 18% higher Screen size: 15.3 ″ vs 13 ″
Reasons to pick the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
- Stronger battery score: 95 vs 55
- 100% higher RAM: 16 GB vs 8 GB
- 29% higher charging: 45 W vs 35 W
- 19% lower weight: 1.23 kg vs 1.51 kg
Display
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 15.3 ″+18% | 13 ″ |
| Panel type | IPS (Liquid Retina) | PixelSense LCD (touchscreen) |
| Resolution | 2880x1864 | 1920x1280 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M3 (8-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus (6-core) |
| Graphics | Apple M3 10-core GPU | Qualcomm Adreno |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB+100% |
| RAM type | LPDDR5 (unified) | LPDDR5x |
| Storage | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Storage type | SSD | UFS (removable) |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,130Top 26% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 12,066Bottom 19% | — |
Battery
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 67 Wh | — |
| Web browsing endurance | — | 18 h |
| Charging | 35 W | 45 W+29% |
Design
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.51 kg | 1.23 kg+19% |
| Thickness | 11.5 mm+34% | 17.5 mm |
| Material | Recycled Aluminum | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt / USB 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm | 2x USB-C/USB 3.2, USB-A 3.2, 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) |
Software
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS Sonoma | Windows 11 Home (Arm) |
Related comparisons
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3)vs Acer Swift Go 14 (2024)VSApple MacBook Air 15 (M3)vs MSI Stealth 16 AI StudioVSApple MacBook Air 15 (M3)vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 5VSApple MacBook Air 15 (M3)vs ASUS ExpertBook P3 (PM3406)VSMicrosoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)vs Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)VSMicrosoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)vs Lecoo Air 14 2026VSMicrosoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)vs ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18 (2025)VSMicrosoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)vs ASUS TUF Gaming 16 (2026)VS