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MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) vs MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)

MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024)1MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Air M3 against MacBook Air
FigureMacBook Air M31MacBook Air2
Price£1,0993launch price£1,1994launch price
ChipM3chipCore i51.6GHz dual-core Intel
CPU8-coreCPU2-coreCPU
GPU8-coreGPUNot available5GPU
Memory8GB6unified memory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base128GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to18 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to13 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released8 March 20243ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 4 March 2024.7 November 20184ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2018.
Security updatesNot available7Security updates14 September 20268Security updates ended
Price
The MacBook Air M3 is £1,099 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Air is £1,199 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) · 304.1 × 215 mm footprintMacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) · 304.1 × 212.4 mm footprint

Footprints from above, from Apple’s published dimensions, drawn to one scale and superposed. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air M31MacBook Air2
Dimensions11.3 x 304.1 x 215 mm4.1–15.6 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm
Weight1.24 kg1.25 kg
ColoursSilver, Starlight, Space Grey, MidnightGold, Silver, Space Gray
PortsTwo Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports22
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 3
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.9No USB-A ports.10
HDMINo HDMI port.11No HDMI port.12
SD card slotNo SD card slot.11No SD card slot.12
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeYesNo MagSafe port.12
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch IDFull-size keyboard with LED-backlit keys
Touch IDYesYes

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air M31MacBook Air2
Display size13.6 in13.3 in
Resolution2560 x 16642560 x 1600
Pixel density224 ppi227 ppi
Display typeLiquid Retina displayRetina display
Brightness500 nitsNot available5
Wide colour (P3)YesNot available5
Nano-texture optionNo nano-texture display option.11Not available5

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air M31MacBook Air2
ChipApple M3 chip1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconYesIntel processor, not Apple silicon.10
CPU cores82
Performance cores4Not available13
Efficiency cores4Not available13
GPU cores8Not available5
Graphics8-core GPU, 10-core GPU14Intel UHD Graphics 617
Neural Engine cores16Not available15
Chip optionsM3 with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU or 10-core GPU1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i516
Memory (base)8GB68GB
Memory (maximum)24GB616GB
Memory options8GB, 16GB or 24GB68GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents17No, as Apple documents17
Memory bandwidth100 GB/sNot available18
Storage (base)256GB128GB
Storage (maximum)2TB1.5TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1.5TB
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decode engineNot available15

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air M31MacBook Air2
Battery capacity52.6 Wh50.3 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles191,000 cycles19
Video playback (claimed)2018 h13 h
Wireless web (claimed)15 h12 h
Included power adapter30 W30 W
Fast chargingYesNo fast charging.12

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air M31MacBook Air2
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax)802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth5.34.2
EthernetNo Ethernet port.11No Ethernet port.12
External displays (base)1212

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air M31MacBook Air2
Camera1080p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersFour-speaker sound systemStereo speakers
MicrophonesThree-mic array with directional beamformingThree microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air M31MacBook Air2
Shipped withNot available22macOS Mojave23
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate24macOS Sonoma25
Model identifierMac15,1226MacBookAir8,125
Model year20242018

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Air M3 · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air with the powerful M3 chip · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — All-new MacBook Air takes flight · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — All-new MacBook Air takes flight. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  6. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  7. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  8. endoflife.date — Apple macOS · third-party figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  9. MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs. Read 14 Sep 2026

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  10. MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018): No USB-A ports. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  11. MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No nano-texture display option. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No MagSafe port. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  13. Doesn’t apply: this is an Intel processor, and Apple lists a total core count only

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  14. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 14 Oct 2026

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  15. Doesn’t apply: Apple silicon feature; this Mac has an Intel processor

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  18. Doesn’t apply: Apple publishes it only for Apple silicon

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  19. Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops · Apple’s figure · read 15 Oct 2026

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  20. Two different Apple tests. MacBook Air M3: Apple TV app movie playback. MacBook Air: iTunes movie playback.

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  21. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  22. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air with the powerful M3 chip; Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  23. Apple Newsroom (UK) — All-new MacBook Air takes flight · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  24. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  25. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  26. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Air M3. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart has no entry for this Mac, so no figures are shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air with the powerful M3 chip; Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Air. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart has no entry for this Mac, so no figures are shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — All-new MacBook Air takes flight, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my MacBook Air M3 (13-inch, 2024)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.