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Apple MacBook Air (M3, 2024)
The M3 version of the MacBook Air brings the incredible performance and power efficiency of modern Apple silicon to Apple’s sleekest laptop lineup. Its well-rounded performance and peerless portability make it a double threat to the ultrabook space.
Pros- Powerful M3 CPU
- Slim and lightweight
- Long battery life
Cons- Relatively weak GPU options
- Limited port selection
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Surface Laptop Studio 2
Microsoft’s convertible powerhouse
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is a high-performance 2-in-1 laptop for creative professionals. Between its 13th-generation Intel Core i7 CPU and its 14.4-inch touchscreen with tactile pen support, it offers the best features of a tablet and a laptop.
Pros- Convenient 2-in-1 form factor
- Smooth 120Hz display
- Discrete GPU options
Cons- Bulkier than the MacBook Air
- Awkward fan placement
- Mediocre webcam
While most laptop users have already decided which operating system they prefer, the new MacBook Air M3’s raw power and portability may have some users second-guessing their allegiances. And what better way to analyze this new laptop than by comparing it to a popular competitor from Microsoft’s Surface lineup? The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is the benchmark to beat today as we weigh these two laptops’ design, display quality, performance, and battery life to find a clear winner. Before we begin this head-to-head showdown, let’s discuss price and model options.
Price, availability, and specs
Although both of these devices are from the current generation of tech, the M3 MacBook Air is a somewhat newer device. It was released on March 8, 2024, while the Surface Laptop Studio 2 was released on October 3, 2023. Consequently, if you plan to purchase either device soon, you can expect to pay close to the MSRP.
The M3 MacBook Air is available in several different configurations. It is available in either a 13-inch or a 15-inch form factor. There is a version with 8GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD for $1299, a version with 8GB of unified memory and a 512GB SSD for $1499, and a version with 16GB of unified memory and a 512GB SSD for $1699. The 13-inch model costs around $200 less for each configuration.
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 has even more configuration options than the MacBook Air M3, even though it only comes in a 14.4-inch form factor. There are six total configurations of the Surface Laptop Studio 2, each with a different combination of RAM, storage, and GPU.. At an MSRP of $2000, the base model is closest to the MacBook Air M3 in price and performance, but there are pricier options are available with more RAM and storage and discrete Nvidia GeForce GPUs.
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MacBook Air M3 15-inch Surface Laptop Studio 2 CPU Apple M3 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700H GPU Apple M3 Intel Iris Xe, NVIDIA GeForce RT 4050, GeForce RTX 4060, NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Display (Size, Resolution) 15.3-inch Liquid Retina Display, 2880×1864 14.4-inch PixelSense Flow, 2400×1600, 3:2 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate, 1500:1 contrast ratio, VESA DisplayHDR 400, 600 nits (SDR), touch and pen support Storage Up to 512GB SSD 512GB, 1TB, 2TB Battery 66.5Whr Up to 19 hours of typical device usage (model with integrated graphics), up to 18 hours of typical device usage (models with Nvidia graphics), up to 120W power adapter Ports Two Thunderbolt 3, 3.5mm audio jack 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) 1x Surface Connect 1x USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 1) 3.5mm headphone jack microSD card reader Operating System macOS Windows 11 Dimensions 0.45 x 13.40 x 9.35 inches 12.72 x 9.06 x 0.86 inches (323 x 230 x 22mm) Weight 3.3 pounds (1.51 kg) Integrated graphics: 4.18 pounds (1.89kg), discrete graphics: 4.37 pounds (1.98kg) Colors Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, Silver Platinum
2:15
MacBook Air (M3, 15-inch, 2024) review: The Goldilocks laptop size
The 15-inch MacBook Air offers an immersive large screen experience while keeping a slim and light(er) body than the MacBook Pro
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 review: The most powerful Surface ever
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is all about more power
Design
This category is kind of Apple’s thing
Although we like aspects of both laptops, the MacBook Air M3 wins in the design category because of its sleek and lightweight construction. It is thinner and lighter than the Surface Laptop Studio 2, making it much easier to use on the go. Although the MacBook Air M3’s 15-inch display makes it the wider laptop, you can scale down to the 13-inch if this dimension is of particular concern.
That’s not to say that the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is wholly unsuitable for on-the-go use. It is only marginally bulkier than the MacBook Air M3. Plus, it makes up for this with a convertible form factor that easily switches between laptop and tablet mode. It only comes in one colorway, though, which sets it behind the MacBook Air M3’s four.
Aside from the size and color discrepancies, both laptops are constructed from high-quality materials and have great interfaces. The MacBook Air M3 hasn’t tweaked its beloved backlit Magic Keyboard and Force Touch trackpad combo, and the Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a fancy new haptic touchpad with Sensel technology. Both laptops also have easy biometric login options. While you can’t go wrong with either option, the smaller design of the MacBook Air M3 is more universally useful than the 2-in-1 form factor of the Surface Laptop Studio 2.
Display
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 brings 120Hz smoothness
While both laptop displays look great in person, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is the winner on paper because of its higher refresh rate, contrast ratio, and brightness. It has a 14.4-inch PixelSense Flow panel with the high color accuracy and wide viewing angles you’d expect from an IPS display. The 120Hz refresh rate is a welcome feature when gaming, and the extra brightness and contrast greatly increase screen readability in bright spaces.
At the same time, the M3 MacBook Air’s Liquid Retina Display is fairly similar in specs. Its 15.3-inch IPS display is bright and accurate and has a native resolution of 2880×1864, with the 13-inch model coming in at 2560×1664 resolution. This makes it an equally viable option for watching movies, editing photos, and reading text. However, its 60Hz refresh rate won’t be as smooth for gaming, and that’s a tough break when you’re squared up against a laptop as versatile as the Surface Laptop Studio 2.
Performance
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is in a whole different weight class
Surface Laptop Studio 2 display
Unfortunately, comparing the MacBook Air M3 to the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is not exactly a fair fight. Considering that the Surface Laptop Studio 2 was designed to be a beefy laptop, comparing it to the M3 Pro MacBook Pro would be more fair. But there is no hiding from the truth: the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is the faster machine.
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is powered by the Intel Core i7-13700H CPU, which has 14 cores in total. This includes 6 performance cores operating at a base 2.4GHz clock speed and 8 efficient cores operating at a base 1.8GHz clock speed. Comparatively, the M3 SoC only has 8 cores. These include four performance cores operating at a base of 4.06GHz and four efficiency cores operating at a base of 2.75GHz. The specs of these two chips speak for themselves. Still, if there is any ambiguity about which laptop has superior performance, it is worth mentioning that the Surface Laptop Studio 2 also has the option to ship with discrete graphics.
While Intel’s Iris Xe integrated graphics are already good enough for some light gaming, you can play AAA game titles with impressive performance if you add an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 or 4060 to the overall package. This only further increases the performance gap between these two devices. However, in the MacBook Air M3’s defense, it still offers appropriate performance for its price point, which is not always guaranteed with Apple products. Its integrated GPU is much better than Intel’s, it just can’t compete with Nvidia.
Battery
Apple’s M3 SoC is too efficient to beat
Source: XDA
It’s hard to confidently declare a winner in this category because both laptops support many different use cases. However, based on personal experiences from product reviewers on the XDA team, the 66.5Whr battery of the MacBook Air M3 outperforms the 58Whr battery of the Surface Laptop Studio 2.
Since our staff consists mostly of power users, we tested these machines on process-intensive tasks like video editing and gaming. The M3 MacBook Air allowed us to edit videos for more than 3.5 hours, which is a fairly impressive result. Comparatively, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 could only deliver about 100 minutes of gaming. Remember that this figure was achieved with the RTX 4060 version Surface Laptop Studio 2 and that results will vary depending on what hardware you choose.
Thankfully, these figures are only relevant for the most demanding PC tasks. Both laptops can run much longer while performing everyday tasks like web browsing and word processing. The M3 MacBook Air gets about 10 hours of battery life in these conditions, while the Surface Laptop Studio 2 gets closer to 8.5. Either way, it’s clear that Apple takes the cake here.
MacBook Air (M3, 2024) vs Surface Laptop Studio 2: Which is right for you?
If you were hoping for us to declare a unanimous winner between these two laptops, you’re out of luck. As much as they share in common, they are ultimately two very different devices with two different target audiences. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is a great high-performance 2-in-1 for the gamer or creative professional on the go. And the MacBook Air M3 is an all-around rock star for casual use. That means the best option for you depends largely on your personal needs. Since the MacBook Air M3 better suits the most common laptop use cases, it has earned the title of “editor’s choice.”
MacBook Air M3 15-inch
Editor’s choice
The MacBook Air M3 is an easy contender for the best laptop of 2024 because of its sleek design and well-rounded feature set. It might not be the most powerful laptop in Apple’s lineup, but it delivers the right balance of price and performance for most laptop users.
But while the MacBook Air has more universal appeal, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is still the better option for users favoring power over portability. Its discrete GPU options make it a more compelling upgrade than the MacBook Pro, and its 2-in-1 form factor keeps it in the conversation for on-the-go use.
Surface Laptop Studio 2
Runner-up
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is a unique device that combines a convertible laptop’s flexibility with a workhorse machine’s raw performance. The cost of its discrete GPU models might be a stretch for casual users, but it makes a solid upgrade for power users.
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