Now this is a surprise: Apple just updated its 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops with its latest M3 chip. Said to be up to 60% faster than the M1 model – or up to a whopping 13x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air – it’s good to see the M3 chip also offered in the thinner, lighter MacBook Air than just the MacBook Pro.

First, pricing. Here in Malaysia, the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 starts at RM5,199, while the larger 15-inch MacBook Air M3 retails from RM6,199. Just like the previous model, four colours are offered: Midnight, Starlight, Silver, and Space Grey. Yes, the darker Space Black colour option remains exclusive to the MacBook Pro.

Compared to the previous M2 model, the new M3 MacBook Air can now output to two external displays – even with the lid closed – and twice as fast WiFi, thanks to support for WiFi 6E. Beyond that, other specifications of the new MacBook Air remain the same. These include a Liquid Retina display, MagSafe 3 charging with two Thunderbolt ports, and of course, up to 18 hours of battery life despite packing a more powerful chip.

As usual, while the Malaysian pricing of the MacBook Air M3 has been revealed, it remains to be seen exactly when the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops will be available for purchase on our shores. Rest assured, we will keep a close eye on their local availabilities.