Should I get a MacBook Pro M2, a MacBook Air M3, or keep my 2020 MacBook Air Intel?

Dtarvin wrote:

I did see that [the M3 MacBook Air] will support 2 external displays, but only when the laptop is closed. But I'm not sure if that's the final word or if the adapter will help get around that.

If you want to attach two displays to a M3 MacBook Air in a first-class, hardware-supported fashion, there is no adapter that can get around the need to close the lid.

Everything I have seen with regards to the Technical Specifications of Macs that use base M1, M2, and M3 chips suggests that these chips only support TWO video outputs, TOTAL. The M3 and/or the motherboards in the M3 MacBook Air are apparently clever enough to be able to switch one of those outputs between the internal screen and an external display. (When the lid is closed, macOS needs to remember what was on the screen – but there wouldn't be a need for the chip to actually update a screen that was turned off, and that you couldn't see.). This gives you more flexibility than you had with the M1 and M2 MacBook Airs – but the chip's capabilities are still the driving factor behind the restriction. To drive three displays at once, you will need a higher-end chip, like the M3 Pro or M3 Max.

Some of the workarounds that people use to let a M1 or M2 MacBook Air drive multiple displays in a second-class fashion might work for the M3 MacBook Air, as well, to let you attach two displays with the lid open. But then you would have the disadvantages associated with the workarounds. It would be on the workaround vendors and you, not on Apple, to make things work.

Dtarvin wrote:

I thought about paying just a little more and getting a new M3 MacBook Air, but that introduces another problem. I have a Xebec Tri-Screen 2 that I absolutely love and that works great with my Intel Air. I know for it to work with the Pro I need to use an adapter, but it will work. But I can't find anything that says whether it will work at all with the M3 Air. I did see that it will support 2 external displays, but only when the laptop is closed. But I'm not sure if that's the final word or if the adapter will help get around that.

Note that variants of the 14" MacBook Pro that use the base M3 chip currently support one external display. Even when you close the lid, the limit is one. Apple has reportedly confirmed that a future software update will give the 14" M3 MacBook Pro the same "can drive two displays when the lid is closed" feature as the M3 MacBook Airs.

https://9to5mac.com/2024/03/04/14-inch-m3-macbook-pro-multi-display-support/

If you are looking for a notebook that can support multiple external displays when the lid is open, you might want to look at 14" MacBook Pros based on the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips. Models with the M3 Pro chip can support up to two external displays. Models with the M3 Max chip can support up to four.

MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro or M3 Max, Nov 2023) - Technical Specifications

You do know that no matter what advice you get here, you are the one that has to make the final decision, and you are the one that has to "live with it."

The only real advice I can give you is to understand the store's return policy should, whatever you choose, does not work out for you. If you buy directly from Apple you have 14 days to return it for a full refund. When you get it from an Apple Authorized Reseller, like Best Buy, you purchase may be subject to their policy instead. So, it pays to check this out beforehand.

When it comes to overall performance, the trifecta of importance are: CPU, Memory, & System Drive. As you know, the M3 will outperform a M2, with both outperforming the Intel CPUs.

For RAM, get, at least, 16 GB (or better still 32 GB). Finally for the System Drive, you pretty much will only have the choice to get an SSD. In this case, two things are important: how the SSD connects to the logic board, and its storage size ... with bigger being better. Why, you may ask? Because, SSDs can wear out. They are rated for the amount of times data can be written to the SSD's individual cells. The larger the drive, the more cells it has to "spread out this wear." Having too little RAM, will cause apps to have to be swapped out of memory to the SSD, further adding to the wear.

What you didn't mention is what is your price ceiling for this purchase?

Finally, you will need to research any peripheral you want to continue using with your new Mac to find out if it will be compatible. Most of the time, new device drivers will do the trick, but not always.