M3 MacBook Air - 3 Months Later: Some Surprising Issues...
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2024
- Here's my honest long-term review of the Apple MacBook M3 Air after using it for 3 months. Unfotunately, I've noticed some odd issues after 500+ hours of M3 Air use but overall this is still a daily laptop of dreams. With the new iPad M4 Pro and laptops that feature the incredible Snapdragon X Elite like the new Dell XPS 13 and Surface Pro, let's see if this MacBook Air is still worth it.
For those of you who own one: what do you think? Have you been enjoying yours?
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🥏 VIDEO CHAPTERS
0:00 - MacBook M3 Air - Long Term Review
0:40 - The Negatives & Issues
5:16 - The Positives
7:38 - Snapdragon X Elite Laptops
9:28 - Is it Still Worth It?
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M3 MacBook Air - 3 Months Later: Some Surprising Issues...
#macbook #macbookair #m3 - Jak na to + styl
Speakers don't pack enough punch in a busy cafe? Rule of laptop speakers in a cafe = if you forgot your headphones, you don't get to use your speakers.
Yes, I would not be disrespectful to other customers by using speakers in a public place like a cafe. That is a weird one!
Tbh I agree with this take
I was gonna say you’re far too young to be “that person” who uses speakers in a crowded cafe.
True it's the Macbook Air not the Rapbook.
Airy. I'm considering getting one. Thanks for the honest update, very helpful!
You had me worried for a second when I read your title. Good to hear the negatives seem to be a defective MacBook rather than general known issues overall.
Yep 100%, overall it's still a crowd favorite for good reason: it's an incredible everyday laptop.
You are still under warranty… just replace the keyboard
Great insight on the power adapter - very useful knowledge 😊
Interesting take and inclusion of the Snapdragon laptops keeping it honest and balanced. Apple is in a sweet spot right now and has been ever since the M chips but as a tech lover I always welcome more options and competiton from Windows PC's.
Thanks for jumping into your experiences instead of explaining the specs.
I bought the 15" 24GB. and I picked it up over the pro because of the slim form-factor & beautiful midnight color.
I've been using it for design work and I have seen no issues or heating troubles.
would programming and design work be a comparable task? I mean would a programmer work well with that device without issue?
@@rayensabandar8392 I think yea, programming on this shouldn’t be a problem. Perhaps the only heavy tasks for it would be 3D work & gaming. Would serve you well to search on CZcams for how programmers rate it.
@@rayensabandar8392 It depends on what type of programmer for you. I found that the 15” was not suited to my needs as a programmer (I work with deep learning). Chip would throttle consistently and get hot. I ended up going with a MacBook Pro 14” with M3 Max and 36 gigs of ram. I plan on keeping my laptop for at least 4 years. But again. This is for deep learning, which is very intensive. If ur programming involves less power the m3 pro or 15” model with m3 should be fine. Hope I’m not too late!
because it's 24GB. Normal ppl don't want to pay that money
Enjoyed the video. I have a mid- spec Mac Book M-1 Pro 14". My first MAC ever after being a PC user for decades. The hardware was just too good to ignore and it was actually less than last laptop a Dell XPS 13. The eco-system is a bonus as I have iPads , iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods airy
Helpful review, especially about charging rates given heavier use. And I’m happy about Snapdragon competition - it only pushes Apple to be better.
Great review! And also, great desk!
Airy - Great review, thank you!
2:27 combined power consumption for GPU and CPU is at 33w but we need to factor in other power consumption like the screen, the speakers, the keyboard backlight, SSD, RAM, etc. The 35w charger cannot charge the battery without a surplus though peak power consumption is not really sustained all the time.
Did your e key feel loose. Such as tapping lightly on the key making a click noise. I just bought a laptop and some keys feel very loose. Not sure if they will get more stiff with use.
did your unit get chipped at all around the ports with use? 4:37
Great review. Really helped with my decision. Picked up a 15" macbook air M3 on sale. gotta love the EOFY sales and snap dragon competition bringing prices down. Went for the M3 over the snapdragon as I don't really use multi core apps and M3 has a much better GPU. The speakers on the 15" are fantastic. I still think my iPad has a better OS (like I said, not a power user). What sh!ts me to no end is that out of the box, the mouse scroll and trackpad scroll can't be separated.
Which MacBook is better for video editing? Both are almost the same price on Education sale. MacBook air m2 16gb 512gb VS MacBook air M3 16gb 256gb.
Or, anything else do you recommend?
Hey, what colour is it? your mac looks really nice.
Hey Andrew, your review was super helpful - thank you :) I’m planning to buy M3 Air next month. Just wondering if you think it’s worth buying antivirus software?
Interesting point about the power consumption vs the charger power. Is that why Apple offer a 70W charger option?
Have you pop the E key out and clean the membrane/switch under it?
What is this application that is running in time 2:29? Otherwise, thanks for the great summary, it will now be the second month since I got the Air with the M2 processor (8/512) and I'm very excited about it. Especially with the performance for Lightroom and other apps, this is absolutely sufficient
hey andrew, how you see the temperature while charging ?
where did you get the wallpaper? link please
What screen scaling do you use on your 13” MacBook Air?
Can you use an extra display with the mac? Basically 2 displays with the mac being one of them
The difference in chargers was something that was so unclear to me, but watching your video I'm going for the higher charge as I know I work and charge at the same time. Thank you so much for an excellent review :-) plus it helps that you've had it for 3 months!
after 2 months my 13' m3 air with 500g ssd and 16g ram working almost 24/7 in my studio has no problems so far...using cubase 13 , logic pro 11 and many plugins, the max temp by HOT app is about 98C cels while rendering...I hope it will stay reliable in the future.👍
Love my MacBook Air M3 16G Ram since the beginning. I personally use a 65W Anker Gan charger ;-)
Did you bought the 256gb version?
@@bobcar3985 no I’ve got my self the 512 version. Better option to have all my raw pictures during the post treatment process. 256 is to short for me.
@@bobcar3985no, 512gb
@@bobcar3985512 gb ssd is equip with 16gb ram, 256 gb ssd can only be bought with 8gb ram
I’ve been using my base-level M2 MBA for the past 1.5 years and it’s served me so well so far. Top-notch battery life, good performance overall for research, and a beautiful, lightweight design. I can’t wait to upgrade in a year or two!
has the low ssd speed affected you in anyway? i am thinking about getting one but getting mixed reviews
@@taimoorkhurshid3244 not at all! I think the SSD speed issue only surfaces in benchmark testing, and that's how all these reviewers latched onto the SSD "issue." Honestly, I didn't experience any slow performance except when too many applications were open simultaneously. I think the SSD speed surfaces when you try to transfer data from or to an external hard drive. I'd spend the extra money on extra RAM. If you're a student, get the baseline model.
If ur average user, you can not experience it.@@taimoorkhurshid3244
I don't need top of the line. I just need for some photography editing apps, layer edit type work. Maybe get into some short nature clip type vids one day. A m1 would probably be enough for me. Thinking about trying a air or mini to see if I can adjust & like using the Mac coming from a pc. I have an older 10" 7th-gen ipad & iphone 11. If so, would keep the air for photo handling while traveling & pick up either a Macbook Pro or most likely a Studio for the home. I doubt most people need to upgrade as soon as a new model is released which seems like every 6-12 months these days. Apple really nails you once you leave the base models & a custom built pc desktop would most likely be upgradable well into the future for a lot less & way easier to repair if need be. The constant Windows updates kill me thow!!! All I want are the security updates. Not all this for your user experience crap they push on you saying it is for your banefit when it is really so they can track what your interested in for sales & marketing. I know, I went off subject. sorry.
Hi looking to buy a MacBook air for my nursing school should i go for m2 13inch 16gb 512gb or m3 15 inch 8gb 256 gb
the E key problem means you probably need to manually remove the key, check that everything is clean and working, then snap it back into the keyboard. i've had this problem with a number of keyboards over the years (macbook pro, external, etc.) and it's pretty common to just pop it out carefully, then snap it back into the keyboard. that will fix your problem 90% of the time unless part of it is broken or really dirty. most of the time it happens to me with the space bar because it's used the most.
Unfortuantely even that did not fix it... that'd be too "eee"asy. Back to Apple it goes
Chrome has been much better lately, with good RAM management and no longer requiring a heavy CPU resource. I would say it is no longer a negative to use versus Safari.
I recommend charging in laptop downtime. It creates less heat than pushing a fanless PC with a heavy workload and expecting it to charge. I assume Apple uses optimised charging to keep thermals in line. As Macs can run on battery with no performance loss, I would not charge and work simultaneously. If you want both, buy a Mac with a fan that will allow that.
I am certainly interested in the Microsoft surface laptops.
Currently in the market for a laptop and I was going to get an air but will wait for the reviews of the new surface stuff before I make a decision. Airy
Hey , i am a college student currently trying to learn machine learning. Can you guys recommend which model should i go with ? 16gb 256 or 8gb 256?
I love this laptop, but my only concern with it are the thermals due to the lack of fans. I'm a power user and use performance demanding programs at times or even game on this machine.
it gets hot, but not to the point that its uncomfortable to myself, but I'm more concerned about the longevity of the components or drying out thermalpaste due to the CPU getting hotter than the boiling point of water..
I really want to keep this laptop around for at least 5 years before getting a new one, and don't want it to die during that time due to this issue.
I’m definitely getting it!!!
Good vid. The best color is silver. Classic and no fingerprint
How do u guys get 13 hours? 🤔🤔
I get around 9 to 10 max.. and its light to medium work😢
Airy. Was thinking about buying this. Might just get the 14 inch pro
Andrew, if you’re interested in more processing power, why not try the MacBook Pro with M3 Pro or M3 Max?
Check his other Apple product advertisement videos.
He already has:
Macbook Air M2
Macbook Air M3
Macbook pro M2 max
Macbook pro M3
Mac Studio M2 Ultra (Apple gives away lots of stuff free to youtubers for advertisement)
Lol after using an Apple M chip laptop it's near impossible to go back to x86 laptops that run hot, loud and have terrible battery life. But I hope snapdragon changes this with the Elite x. If snapdragon CPU could use Graphic card from nvidia or AMD then Apple maybe in trouble..
The new M Macs just have a cleaner design and amazing battery life. It’s so easy just taking it to a library or café and working there without having to plug into an outlet. My wife has a Dell laptop for work and it’s just so loud and bulky.
Airy:) do you think the m3 is worth the extra $100 compared to the m2? I'm debating which one to get (I'm a college student) and want it to last a few years, but I'm also not doing anything crazy like editing on my laptops so do you think getting the m3 is worth the extra $ for the average person?
It’s a $100-$120 price difference between comparable specs of M2 and M3 and I do not think it’s going to be worth it, if as you said you’re not doing anything crazy. You’d be better off spending $200 if you can to increase the ram to 16GB. I’d go with the 256 GB SSD as well since you can get a 256GB USB drive for like $30.
You can also spend that $200 to get the 15 inch MBA for a bigger screen and that would be a better upgrade than getting the M3.
The only real benefit of getting the M3 is that you can hook it up to 2 monitors when the lid is closed.
The M1 is more than sufficient. Even a 2011 Macbook Airs computing power is sufficient for normal work. Don't fall for the advertisement hype that apple is spreading through CZcamsrs.
Great review Andrew!
regarding the charging issue, you have the option for a 70 watt charger when buying the laptop
Does it overheat or not?
When it comes to audio, I always use Boom 3D and it sounds great on my laptop. I've used it for years and it really boosts the audio quality on MacBooks.
Awesome app suggestion I'll have to check it out, thanks - it might make it into my next Mac Apps video! :)
@@AndrewEthanZeng have a great weekend. Love the content. ✌🏼
3 months long term?
finally some honest review
Is the color a huge issue? Mine arrives tomorrow and the reviews I’ve seen are scaring me with the color chipping near the ports. I’m not sure that’s because these people don’t care for their laptops or because the paint and color is just awful
Great long term review, very balanced and fair. Hopefully you’re able to get that keyboard issue resolved, it sounds like something your warranty should cover! P.S. Airy 😉
Thanks, I'm hoping so too!
The only reason why I bought the Pro over the Air is because of the card reader. I don't want to carry around another dongle just to be able to read memory cards. For that reason alone, I got the Pro and I am happy with the purchase.
MacBook air m3 ka kya price rahega
I still have my M1 Pro 14 inch base model. i may seriously consider a M4 Pro model when it launches. but even that i may not have to. (I want a 16 inch model)
the Air i just cannot purchase wioth a base model of 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. i just could never justify that price.
I don’t think the regular consumers would mind the chip set 10:09
It doesn't matter how good the Snapdragon is, we'd still be hampered by Microsoft's abysmal software. Airy.
100%. In terms of AI processors for productivity work, I still prefer macs (specifically mba m3) over windows ultrabooks with NPUs such as the surface laptop. Besides, I believe apps will better integrate their systems to Apple’s neural link AI engine in the near future. M3 mba still outperforms its competition engineering-wise. In an incredibly thin fanless chassis, they have solid performance and top of the tier battery life. The pure definition of efficiency, design and build quality. Macs simply age better. Without any maintenance, I’ve been using my macbook pro 15-inch 2017 for about 7 years now, and it still runs well, had no issues with it.
For sure. Who the fuck wants to use spyware Recall?
Yeah its funny how people are hyped about snapdragon finally (after 4 years) catching up to Apple when Microsoft doesnt have a functioning translation layer to translate over all the old software to the new chip lol. The only native programs are like office apps and Edge, it will take another 5 years for Microsoft to be on macbook air level
You Mac people are so defensive. Like someone is gonna take away your precious crown, like a bunch insecure babies. Some people like Macs, some like Windows. If both have very good battery life, WTF cares.
Competition is good for everyone. I think MS will definitely take a chunk of Mac sales with its upcoming ARM generation devices. And speaking of software, MS is pretty well optimized on Surface Laptops, if you have never used one, try it out. I have never experienced any glitch on Surface devices, I have been using them since Surface Pro 3 (currently I am not using Surface devices, but once the reviews are out, I would consider the Surface Laptop if it is worth). And a lot of software's that I use on daily basis (and lot of my colleagues) for work are Windows only (I am a academic researcher). The other part is pricing, Surface devices come with a removable SSD, so the customer is not stuck permanently with the storage they buy and Apple's SSD and RAM prices are ridiculous. All this will definitely boost competition and ultimately customers will be happy.
i need an advice, for my budget i can buy an M3 with 8 ram, 8 gpu, 256 ssd, or an M2 with 8 ram, 10 gpu, 512ssd .
i don't know what to choose, any ideas?
No idea 😂
Makasih udah ber bagi impoya semoga ber mangpaat 🙏🙏❤️❤️
Sometime resting your left hand while typing will bring the curser to the beginning of a sentence you are typing and erase what you typed.
Does anyone face a crackling speaker at a higher volume?
great video. hope the m4 will have the minimum of 16 gig and 512 AAAAAAND at least 90 hertz refresh rate
The charger is fine,
first, if you charge slowly the battery temp is better for the battery's longevity.
second, if it uses some of the battery capacity it's good because you probably do not use the full load all the time using some of the battery capacity is also better than not using it at all.
Should I get the 8gb ram with 524 ssd? For college and school?
never get 8gb ram bro. ever.. unless it's a phone
I'd be a lot more excited about X Elite if they weren't caught cooking their benchmarks, and if Microsoft had something as efficient as Rosetta 2 for Windows.
But that's promising, and competition begets improvement.
You benefited more from the extra RAM more so than the faster CPU.
Hey, I' m gonna talk about a different problem. I see the exact same problem with your record, I telling that in the beginning IT IS REALLY HARD TO HEAR THAT!
I have been having a problem about 3 weeks know. Earlier ı got a 2015 MacBook Pro and when using logic (recording vocals) there is stretching sound like you are writing something on to paper or writing with the chalk to a blackboard. ( it is sometimes called, crakcling problem but I think it is a little bit different )The corrupted sound goes simultaneously with the vocal. Especially if you talking a little bit fast or doing music like a rap song. I tried almost everything to fix it. Believe me! So finally I changed my computer. I got brand new MacBook Pro M3, and today I tried to have a record again, and hello! Same problem goes again. By the way I should tell that first I have a new Focusrite Scarlett solo 4. generation. AT4040 condenser mic (new). A balanced good quality xlr cable. So ı tried almost everything the fix that problem. ( changing buffer sizes, trying with the usb mics (they are new), almost every settings in the logic and also in the MacBook Pro ( midi settings), tried with different recording program, even the MacBook pros own mic do the same problem! (İt drives me crazy), I tried to isolate everything around ( cables, any electronic devices any charging cables or exc. Even I turned off the wifi router.) I did a lot of things. I don' t wanna write it down here because probably it is going to be pages.
İt is the same problem that I can hear with your video. I warn you guys it is hard to hear, but once you hear it you can detect it. İs anyone here faced with the same problem pleaseee help me.😭😭
note: By the way I can describe that sound as a nosal problem that somebody is having, it sounds like sometimes there is an extra mess in somebody's nose. Like your are having a flu or something
could you tell me what interface you used for video, is that connected to a Mac or not?
Why are you working outside so much? With or without headphones, you could get distracted from your work.
I get watching Netflix on a beach, but not in a coffee shop often unless traffic is too crazy to get home from work.
Snapdragons haven't lived unto the mark as they were hyped up before release, they do compete with M chips, but not a win over them
Glad the M3 Air has been working for you. The problem with the “E”” key on your Air sounds like an “Airy” issue… ;)
😂😂
I have nothing against the Windows laptops catching up or even surpassing the Mac Air. The OS, software, and hardware we choose to use are personal preferences. So if you’re a Windows user, more power to you. That said, it won’t matter to me how well the new Windows machines perform as I am not a Windows user, unless it’s for work. For personal use, I have been using a Mac for a long time and have no plans on changing that. I am eventually going to pick up a Mac Air because I do believe it’s the best option for what I need.
Intel never made a processor that Microsoft couldn’t slow down. Qualcomm is about to learn that same lesson.
that is it! 😁
Would moving from the M1 MacBook Pro to the M3 MacBook Air be an upgrade?
airy hm do you know do m3 got problems with thermals ? mmm
Snapdragon X Elite is really good
I ran into exactly the same keyboard issue but with me 2017 MBP (it had the notorious butterfly keyboard), I suggest giving it into Apple to fix
useful
Please share the wallpaper
Link is in the description box!
This problem with the "E" button happened on my MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 16"). Different key though. Apple replaced the keyboard to make it go away which also replaced the top case and battery as it is a single part.
Thanks for the heads up, definitely will have to take it into Apple
this is really informative, Im thinking of getting one for college. Is laptop worth it as a student?
100%, you won’t have any issues using this machine for school.
definitely. Depending on what you're doing as a student, you could save some money and get the m1 or m2.
In my experience the iPad is a way better investment for studying!
0:58 thats a defect
Airy what’s up 😅
Yo sick clean wallpaper can you please share it?
Link in the description!
Whew, I usually buy a wallpaper just to chip in for the channel, but $15 is quite a bit rich when they all look the same!
Should’ve got 24gb ram
what are chromium apps except chrome and why shouldn't i use them?
Chromium apps are notorious for eating up more of your Mac's RAM than necessary.
can the m3 air with 16gb/512gb edit 8k insta x4 video, does anyone know if it can handle that? :P
I've been testing the new X4 recently and yes it can (with files remaining on local SSD)
@@AndrewEthanZeng super, that saves me 1k not having to buy the pro. Woohoo thank you
We're you definitely recording in 8k though? The default setting is 5.7k. I'm just about to pull the pin on either the pro or air. 😂
AIRY
Airy
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x now for 1290$ 1TB 2242, 16GB, SD X Elite X1E78100, OLED/3K/90HZ/1000nits display, and 70w battery. This is definitely a better option than the MacBook Air. I will wait for the reviews
Same. I am waiting for review on this same model and will be pulling the trigger on the Lenovo model with 1TB SSD and 32GB RAM
@@techwhizard I want to see the Galaxy Book 4 Edge as well. I just need to check if it has fans or not. The Surface laptop is available at the same price for a 15-inch (1300$) size but 256GB.. excited to see the reviews
“airy”
airy
Negative issues:
1. Sensitivity issue with the E key on the keyboard causing accidental registrations while typing.
2. Difficulty in simultaneous charging and battery usage, particularly noticeable during resource-intensive tasks like 4K video editing.
3. Despite decent battery life, there were challenges with the MacBook Air M3's charging capability, especially with the included charger struggling to keep up during demanding tasks.
4. Speaker sound quality satisfactory but desires more power, especially in noisy environments.
5. While the new anodization process reduced fingerprints on the laptop's exterior, the keyboard still attracted fingerprints, similar to previous models.
6. Some minor drawbacks were noted, including issues with fingerprints, speaker power, and charging, though these were relatively manageable.
I certainly would not recommend charging and intensive use simultaneously with the MB Air as it has no fan. Obviously thermals will be bad when doing both.
I bought MacBook Air M1 8 gigs and it started to lags after 2 years. I will never buy that expensive laptop again. Not basic 16 GB is shame but understand creators who have money for it. It's perfect device to that.
Larry
im still on a m1 max, I don't see myself needing to upgrade anytime soon.
M1 Max definitely goes hard.
@@AndrewEthanZeng Beyond hard, I normally run for the latest in tech... but the m1 max has held me over since it's release date.
see rub r3k
k
Hey
Im first
At the bottom of the list.
You must not care about spyware.
What an airy video.