M2 Mac Air or M3 Mac Pro? Or even m3 air

With Apple's System on Chip designs, the choice of processor (base, Pro, or Max) appears to affect a lot of things other than just the number of CPU cores, GPU cores, and hardware video engines that you get.

There also seems to be a pretty direct link between the chip level and the amount of RAM you can get, the number of USB-C / Thunderbolt expansion ports you get, and the number of external monitors you can have.

In the current lineup, the big divide is between the 13" and 15" M2 MacBook Airs; and the 14" MacBook Pros based on M3 Pro and M3 Max processors; with the 14" M3 MacBook Pro being "half and half". (Its predecessors, the 13" M1 and M2 MacBook Pros, were more like MacBook Airs than like their 14" MacBook Pro siblings.)

13" and 15" M2 MacBook Airs

• Can be ordered with 8, 16, or 24 GB of RAM (not expandable later)
• Two multi-purpose USB-C (USB, USB4, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3, charging) ports
• MagSafe 3 charging port
• Headphone jack
• No HDMI port or SDXC card slot – though it is possible to buy USB-C to HDMI adapters, and USB card readers, from third parties.
• Passive cooling (no fans)

14" MacBook Pros using the M3 Pro and M3 Max processors

• Can be ordered with anywhere from 18 GB to 128 GB of RAM (not expandable later)
• Three multi-purpose USB-C (USB, USB4, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4, charging) ports
• MagSafe 3 charging port
• Headphone jack
• HDMI port
• SDXC card slot
• Mini-LED backlit display which can provide high dynamic range for playing back HDR video. Pixels are closer together than on the MacBook Air, so by default, text will be physically smaller. (You can change the Displays Settings to be a notch closer to Larger Text, if that bothers you.)
• Support for up to two (M3 Pro) or three (M3 Max) external displays
• Active cooling (cooling fans)

14" MacBook Pros using the base M3 chip

Like the 14" MacBook Pros based on higher-end chips, they have the mini-LED backlit display, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, and cooling fans.

Like the MacBook Airs, they have only two USB-C (USB4, Thunderbolt 3) ports and support only a single external display.

BobTheFisherman wrote:

My advice is to contact the university you will be attending and ask them what the best computer would be for your course of study. You want to be 100% compatible with the course of study requirements, other students for group projects, and with professors for submission of assignments.

Good advice.

samsammy19 wrote:

so which one should i get?

The one the university says is needed for your course of study, compatibility with other students and professors. I forgot to mention earlier, whatever computer you decide on also should be one supported by your university's IT support organization.

My advice is to contact the university you will be attending and ask them what the best computer would be for your course of study. You want to be 100% compatible with the course of study requirements, other students for group projects, and with professors for submission of assignments.

I’d say it’s fair to assume that an M3 macbook air is coming soon, likely within a month or two. As a fellow college student, I’d recommend you wait for this release unless you need a laptop urgently. My M2 Air got critically water damaged a few weeks ago, and I’ve chosen to live without a laptop until I can buy the M3 Air.