Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023) vs Air 15 (M2)
67
out of 100
VS
58
out of 100
Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
Review
Performance
System and application performance
Gaming
Performance in popular 3D games
Display
Viewing angle, color accuracy, brightness
Battery Life
Potential battery life in light and average use
Connectivity
Ports, webcam and other interfaces
Portability
Design, materials, durability and usability
Pick the usage scenario that best matches your needs
Value for money (Beta)
Key Differences
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023)
- Higher screen refresh rate: 120 versus 60 Hz
- Higher number of cutting-edge USB Type-C ports: 3 versus 2
- Can run popular games at about 12-16% higher FPS
- Around 19% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench 2024 test
- Much smaller footprint: 15% more compact case (107.1 vs 125.4 square inches)
- Provides 20% higher max. screen brightness: 600 vs 500 nits
Tests and Specifications
Comparison table of test results and technical specsCase
| Weight | 1.55 kg (3.42 lbs) | 1.51 kg (3.33 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 312.6 x 221.2 x 15.5 mm 12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches |
340.4 x 237.6 x 11.5 mm 13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches |
| Area | 691 cm2 (107.2 inches2) | 809 cm2 (125.3 inches2) |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~84.6% | ~83.9% |
| Side bezels | 3.4 mm | 5.4 mm |
| Colors | Black, Silver, Gray | Black, Silver, Gold, Gray |
| Material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Transformer | No | No |
| Opening angle | 135° | 130° |
Size comparison
| Cooling system | Active | Passive |
| Vapor chamber | No | No |
| Liquid metal | No | No |
| Number of fans | 2 | - |
| Max. fan speed (RPM) | 6800 RPM | - |
| Noise level (max. load) | 48.5 dB | - |
Display
| Size | 14.2 inches | 15.3 inches |
| Type | Mini LED | IPS LCD |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes (24-120 Hz) | No |
| PPI | 254 ppi | 224 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| Resolution | 3024 x 1964 pixels | 2880 x 1864 pixels |
| HDR support | Yes, Dolby Vision | Yes, Dolby Vision |
| Sync technology | No | No |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Coating | Glossy (Antireflective) | Glossy (Antireflective) |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | Yes |
Screen space comparison
MacBook Air 15 (M2)
15.3″ (16:10 ratio) = 105.2 in2
MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023)
14.2″ (16:10 ratio) = 90.6 in2
~16% more screen space
| Contrast | 1000000:1 | 1326:1 |
| sRGB color space | 100% | 99.9% |
| Adobe RGB profile | - | 98.9% |
| DCI-P3 color gamut | 100% | 98.7% |
| Response time | 72 ms | 24 ms |
Max. brightness
Battery
Capacity
| Full charging time | 2:00 hr | 2:50 hr |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
| Charging via USB (Power Delivery) | Yes, 100 W | Yes, 70 W |
| Charging port position | Left, Right | Left |
| Charge power | 70 / 96 W | 35 / 70 W |
| Cable length | 2 meters | 2 meters |
| Weight of AC adapter | 273 / 315 grams | 189 / 208 grams |
CPU
CPU name
| Base frequency | 4.05 GHz | 3.5 GHz |
| Cores | 8 (4P + 4E) | 8 (4P + 4E) |
| Threads | 8 | 8 |
| Integrated GPU | Apple M3 GPU | Apple M2 GPU |
| Fabrication process | 3 nm | 5 nm |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)
Graphics Card
GPU name
| TGP | 15 W | 15 W |
| Type | Integrated | Integrated |
| Fabrication process | 3 nm | 5 nm |
| GPU base clock | 500 MHz | 500 MHz |
| GPU boost clock | 1380 MHz | 1398 MHz |
| FLOPS | 3.5 TFLOPS | 2.9 TFLOPS |
| Memory size | System Shared | System Shared |
| Memory type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5 |
| Memory bus | 128 bit | 128 bit |
| Memory speed | 6.4 Gbps | 6.4 Gbps |
| Shading units (cores) | 1280 | 1024 |
| Texture mapping units (TMUs) | 80 | 64 |
| Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) | 40 | 32 |
| GPU performance | 3.5 TFLOPS | 2.9 TFLOPS |
| Blender GPU | 141 | 287 |
| Solar Bay | 12983 | 6590 |
RAM
RAM size
| Channels | 2x4 GB | 2x4 GB |
| Clock | 6400 MHz | 6400 MHz |
| Type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5 |
| Upgradable | No | No |
Storage
Storage size
| Bus | Custom | Custom |
| Storage type | SSD (M2) | SSD (M2) |
| Channels | 2x256 GB | 1x256 GB |
| Upgradable | No | No |
| NVMe | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | 4.2 (4 tweeters and 2 woofers) | 2.4 (2 tweeters and 4 woofers) |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| Loudness | ~84 dB | ~85 dB |
| Microphones | 3 | 3 |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | v6E | v6 |
| Bluetooth | v5.3 | v5.3 |
| Fingerprint | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared sensor | No | No |
| Optical drive | No | No |
| Webcam | Above the display | Above the display |
| Webcam resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 |
| USB-A | No | No |
| USB Type-C | 3x USB 4.0 | 2x USB 4.0 |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 3 |
| HDMI | 1x HDMI 2.1 | No |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| VGA | No | No |
| Audio jack (3.5 mm) | Yes | Yes |
| Ethernet (RJ45) | No | No |
| SD card reader | Yes | No |
| Proprietary charging port | Yes | Yes |
Input
| Keyboard type | Island | Island |
| Numpad | No | No |
| Backlight | Yes | Yes |
| Key travel | 1 mm | 1 mm |
| Size | 13.2 x 8.1 cm | - |
| Surface | Glass | Glass |
| Windows Precision | No | No |
Further details
Notes on MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023):
- The M3 Max version of the 14-inch MacBook is only available with a 30-core GPU, not the 40-core as listed in the specs. It's approximately 25% slower and features a 384-bit wide memory bus.
*Disclaimer! Ports, speakers, display, and other specifications can vary depending on the laptop's specific configuration or region.
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Total votes: 88