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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Display
- Interface
- Connectivity
- Configuration
- Performance
- Additional Features And Software
- Comments
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023) vs Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.3
Updated May 02, 2025 03:07 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8.3
Updated May 02, 2025 02:58 PM
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Size14"
Operating SystemmacOS
Size15.3"
Operating SystemmacOS
Variants
- MacBook Pro 14 (MRX83LL/A) (Silver - M3 Max/14‑core CPU/30‑core GPU/36GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MRX63LL/A) (Silver - M3 Pro/11‑core CPU/14‑core GPU/18GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MRX73LL/A) (Silver - M3 Pro/12‑core CPU/18‑core GPU/18GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MR7K3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8‑core CPU/10‑core GPU/8GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MR7J3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8‑core CPU/10‑core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MRX53LL/A) (Space Black - M3 Max/14‑core CPU/30‑core GPU/36GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MRX33LL/A) (Space Black - M3 Pro/11‑core CPU/14‑core GPU/18GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MRX43LL/A) (Space Black - M3 Pro/12‑core CPU/18‑core GPU/18GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MTL83LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8‑core CPU/10‑core GPU/8GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MTL73LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8‑core CPU/10‑core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MXD43LL/A) (Midnight - M3/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYU3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYV3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MXD23LL/A) (Silver - M3/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYP3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYQ3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MXD13LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYM3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYN3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MXD33LL/A) (Starlight - M3/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYR3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYT3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8GB/512GB)
Our Verdict
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024)
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023) is better than the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) for most use. While they share a lot of similarities design-wise, the MacBook Pro is a device designed for professionals like content creators and other demanding workloads like 3D graphics and simulations, while the MacBook Air is mainly for general productivity tasks. The MacBook Pro has a few improved features, like a brighter 120Hz Mini LED display, better-sounding up-firing speakers, and a wider port selection with better multi-display support. It’s available with M3 Pro/Max SoCs, which perform better than the MacBook Air 15’s base M3 chip, especially on the graphics side. You can get the MacBook Pro with a base M3 SoC; it’s the same chip as the one in the MacBook Air 15, but because the MacBook Pro has an active cooling system, it’ll still outperform the MacBook Air in heavy, sustained workloads.
Main Differences forSchool
School
Threshold
School
9.0
8.8
Ports
8.5
5.0
Battery
9.6
9.1
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
9.5
9.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.1
9.1
Hinge Photo
Range
135°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
8.5
8.7
Dimensions Photo
Size
14"
15.3"
Thickness
0.6" (1.6 cm)
0.6" (1.4 cm)
Width
12.3" (31.3 cm)
13.4" (34.0 cm)
Depth
8.7" (22.1 cm)
9.3" (23.7 cm)
Volume
67.5 in³ (1,106.8 cm³)
68.8 in³ (1,128.1 cm³)
Weight
3.5 lbs (1.6 kg)
3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)
Charger Size
9.0 in³ (148.3 cm³)
4.2 in³ (68.6 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
Serviceability
3.5
3.5
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
6.0
6.0
RAM Slots
0
0
Storage Slots
0
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
No
No
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
3024 x 1964
2880 x 1864
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
Pixel Density
254 PPI
226 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
89%
87%
Refresh Rate
8.7
5.9
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
120 Hz
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Apple ProMotion
No
Contrast
10
7.5
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
33,667 : 1
1,412 : 1
Brightness
8.8
8.7
Maximum Brightness
548 cd/m²
494 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
2 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Reflections
8.8
9.1
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Glossy
Glossy
Total Reflections
1.82%
1.47%
Indirect Reflections
0.18%
0.38%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.64%
1.09%
Black Uniformity
10
7.3
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
0.209%
1.103%
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
9.7
9.9
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
1.86
1.47
Avg. Gamma
2.22
2.24
Avg. Color dE
1.11
0.98
Avg. Color Temperature
6,817 K
6,742.3 K
Color Gamut
9.5
9.4
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
99.99%
99.93%
sRGB uv
99.95%
99.72%
Adobe RGB xy
89.61%
87.43%
Adobe RGB uv
94.62%
92.34%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
99.82%
99.05%
DCI P3 uv
99.68%
98.72%
Rec. 2020 xy
73.19%
71.83%
Rec. 2020 uv
74.21%
73.49%
Flicker
9.0
9.0
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
No
No
Flicker Frequency
> 1000Hz
> 1000Hz
Flicker Active Below
100%
100%
Interface
Keyboard
8.0
8.0
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
8.0
8.0
Numpad
No
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
62 gf
62 gf
Actuation Force
38 gf
40 gf
Pre-Travel
0.75 mm
0.80 mm
Total Travel
0.84 mm
0.91 mm
Touchpad
9.2
9.6
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
9.5
9.5
Size
16.1 in² (104.0 cm²)
21.4 in² (138.0 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
8.9
8.9
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
85 dB SPL
81 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
5.4 dB
5.9 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
-2.0
2.2
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
220 Hz
155 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
13 kHz
20 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
1.9 dB
2.3 dB
Webcam & Microphone
9.1
8.7
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
9.5
9.0
Resolution
1080p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
No
Face Unlock
No
No
Connectivity
Ports
8.5
5.0
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
0
0
USB-C Ports
3
2
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt 3
USB-C Charging
Yes
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
Yes
HDMI
2.1
No
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
SD UHS 2
No
Ethernet
No
No
Proprietary Port
Apple MagSafe 3
Apple MagSafe 3
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.3
5.3
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Apple
Apple
Model
M3 Pro
M3
Core Count
11
8
Thread Count
11
8
GPU
Brand
Apple
Apple
Model
M3 Pro
M3
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A
N/A
GPU Total Graphics Power (TGP)
N/A
N/A
RAM
Capacity
18 GB
8 GB
Modules
Unknown
Unknown
Type
LP-DDR5
LP-DDR5
Speed
6,400 MHz
6,400 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
512 GB
256 GB
Usable Capacity
457 GB
214 GB
Drive 1
Apple SSD AP0512Z
Apple SSD AP0256Z
Drive 1 Type
SSD
SSD
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
9.6
9.4
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
2,237 points
2,322 points
CPU Multi-Thread
13,230 points
10,501 points
GPU Compute
48,048 points
33,403 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
9.9
9.7
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,916 points
1,892 points
Multi-Thread
13,072 points
9,179 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
9.3
8.7
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
2.7 min
4.0 min
GPU Render Time
0.3 min
1.6 min
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
8.6
7.4
Basemark Image
Overall Score
69,112
44,950
Storage Drive Performance
9.5
9.2
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
5,042.9 MB/s
2,738.0 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
4,609.9 MB/s
2,834.7 MB/s
Random Write Speed
56.6 MB/s
41.1 MB/s
Random Read Speed
59.9 MB/s
62.5 MB/s
Battery
9.6
9.1
Capacity
72 Wh
67 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
15.5 hrs
12.7 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
12.6 hrs
12.0 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
2.1 hrs
3.5 hrs
Charge Time
2.0 hrs
2.8 hrs
Borderlands 3
5.1
3.1
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
39 fps
20 fps
1% Low
23 fps
7 fps
0.1% Low
13 fps
4 fps
1% Low Delta
18 ms
89 ms
0.1% Low Delta
50 ms
230 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
78 fps
37 fps
Civilization VI
7.2
5.6
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
59 fps
41 fps
1% Low
44 fps
26 fps
0.1% Low
40 fps
17 fps
1% Low Delta
6 ms
14 ms
0.1% Low Delta
8 ms
33 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
117 fps
93 fps
Avg. Turn Time
8.93 s
10.24 s
Counter-Strike 2
0.0
0.0
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
N/A
N/A
1% Low
N/A
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
N/A
N/A
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
7.1
4.3
Avg. FPS
55 fps
32 fps
1% Low
40 fps
15 fps
0.1% Low
35 fps
8 fps
1% Low Delta
7 ms
36 ms
0.1% Low Delta
10 ms
90 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
97 fps
44 fps
Thermals And Noise
8.2
8.1
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
27 °C (81 °F)
27 °C (81 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
42 °C (108 °F)
50 °C (121 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
N/A
Fan Noise Under Load
40.0 dBA
N/A
Power & Fan Control App
No
No
Performance Over Time
10
7.1
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
96 °C
90 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
0% loss
6% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
74 °C
90 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
0% loss
12% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
macOS
macOS
Additional Software
None
None
Extra Features
Biometrics
Fingerprint Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen Support
No Stylus Support
No Stylus Support
Secondary Display
No
No
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Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024)
Comments
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023) vs Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024): Main Discussion
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