The author of the YouTube channel MaxTech tested a new version of the MacBook Air featuring the M3 chip. It was revealed that Apple not only upgraded the laptop processor but also addressed a significant issue with the previous generation model concerning the speed of the built-in storage.
The base version of the MacBook Air with the M2 chip was equipped with a single-chip 256 GB SSD, which proved to be slower than the drive in the iPad Air tablet. However, the updated laptop model now boasts two 128 GB NAND chips, resulting in a substantial increase in both read and write speeds.
Testing conducted by the blogger demonstrated that the MacBook Air M3 can achieve speeds of up to 2880 MB/s for reading and up to 2108 MB/s for writing. In comparison, the MacBook Air M2 with the same SSD capacity recorded figures of 1584 MB/s and 1576 MB/s, respectively.
Another notable difference between the new model and its predecessor is the ability to connect two external displays via Thunderbolt ports.