Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
41.4Performance39.3
29.8Display41.6
55.3Battery45.9
79.6Portability51.4
6 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3)5 spec wins — Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
InnoReviews verdict
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) wins this laptop face-off, 48.4 to 43.5, pulling ahead mainly in portability (+28) and battery (+9). Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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)
- Stronger battery score: 55 vs 46
- Stronger portability score: 80 vs 51
- 48% lower thickness: 11.5 mm vs 22 mm
- 28% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 3,130 vs 2,450
- 24% lower weight: 1.51 kg vs 1.98 kg
- Lower launch price: $1,299 vs $2,399
Reasons to pick the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Stronger display score: 42 vs 30
- 243% higher charging: 120 W vs 35 W
- 100% higher Refresh rate: 120 Hz vs 60 Hz
- 100% higher RAM: 16 GB vs 8 GB
- 100% higher storage: 512 GB vs 256 GB
Display
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 15.3 ″+6% | 14.4 ″ |
| Panel type | IPS (Liquid Retina) | IPS (PixelSense Flow, touch) |
| Resolution | 2880x1864 | 2400x1600 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 120 Hz+100% |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | 600 nits+20% |
Performance
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core i7-13700H |
| Graphics | Apple M3 10-core GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB+100% |
| RAM type | LPDDR5 (unified) | LPDDR5X-6400 (soldered) |
| Storage | 256 GB | 512 GB+100% |
| Storage type | SSD | PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (user-replaceable) |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,130+28%Top 26% | 2,450Bottom 28% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 12,066+5%Bottom 19% | 11,500Bottom 16% |
Battery
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 67 Wh+15% | 58 Wh |
| Web browsing endurance | — | 9 h |
| Charging | 35 W | 120 W+243% |
Design
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.51 kg+24% | 1.98 kg |
| Thickness | 11.5 mm+48% | 22 mm |
| Material | Recycled Aluminum | Magnesium and aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt / USB 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm | 2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB-A 3.1, microSDXC, Surface Connect, 3.5mm |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Webcam | 1080p FaceTime HD | 1080p + IR |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | IR face (Windows Hello) |
Software
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS Sonoma | Windows 11 |
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