MacBook Air M3 launches in South Africa — starting at R25,999

South African retailers have launched Apple’s latest M3-powered MacBook Air models starting at R25,999 for the 13-inch version.

The latest MacBook Air is also available in a 15-inch model, priced from R29,999.

In its unveiling of the new compact laptop models in early March 2024, Apple announced that the M3 chip provides up to 60% faster performance in the new MacBook Air than the M1 chip released in 2020.

It also said these models are up to 13 times faster than the Intel-based MacBook Air.

For the models available in South Africa, the chip features up to a 10-core GPU and an 8-core CPU and the option of up to 16GB of unified memory.

13-inch models are available with either an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU or an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU chip.

The 8-core GPU option can only be paired with 8GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage, whereas the 10-core GPU option allows you to choose between 8GB or 16GB of unified memory and comes with 512GB storage.

The 15-inch model only has the option of the 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU chip.

However, you can choose between the 256GB and 512GB storage options when selecting the 8GB unified memory model. The 16GB is only available with 512GB storage.

Both models feature a Liquid Retina display, support for two additional external displays with the laptop’s lid closed, and up to 18 hours of battery life.

The 13-inch and 15-inch are available in four colourways: midnight, starlight, space grey and silver.

The following table provides a price comparison between the different MacBook Air M3 models from Digicape, Incredible, and iStore.