Skip the MacBook Pro — the 15-inch MacBook Air may be more powerful than we imagined

MacBook Air M2 open with display facing you and a snowy mountain behind

(Image credit: Future)

Yesterday I wrote about Apple ramping up its production of the upcoming 15-inch MacBook Air, and yes, many are excited about it. It's not just because the new Air will come with a roomier 15-inch display and the legendary Air battery life. Excitement is building because rumors suggest the 15-inch Air will be speedier and more powerful.

Rumors have been swirling since leaks revealed Apple bought up all of TSMC's initial run of 3nm chips, and many are now speculating the next generation MacBook Air will come packing these powerful, efficient chips. With WWDC 2023 just two months away, you may want to hold off on buying that new MacBook Pro because the 15-inch Air could give you pro-level performance at a far lower price.

Why you may want to wait

Although many rumors have Apple cornering the 3nm chip market and rapidly building out a system that will feature the more efficient and powerful chipset, recent words should excite those needing a new laptop even more.

According to our friends at Digital Trends, several recent rumors and a story in China Times suggest that the chipsets will feature TSMC's latest 3nm N3E node, rumored to be even more potent than the N3 node 3nm chips first produced. The N3 node 3nm chips may be used in Apple's Bionic 17 iPhone chips, and the more potent N3E will be used exclusively in MacBooks featuring the M3 chipset.

We are just hypothesizing here, as we never know exactly what Apple has planned. The Castle Walls of Cupertino remain mostly impenetrable, with most leaks coming from suppliers rather than internal leaks. However, if the rumors are true, purchasing a MacBook Pro now seems like a bad idea with a more powerful chipset on the horizon.

With WWDC coming June 5 and Apple fanatics' fingers crossed for the launch of Apple's AR/VR ski goggles, I believe the bigger story would be the launch of a far more powerful and efficient MacBook Air that will rival the company's MacBook Pro's and blow away the Windows competition.

Save money, wait till June, and buy the newer M3 MacBook Air powered by a 3nm chipset. That would be the smarter move, especially since, at this point, Apple is only competing against itself since I can think of at least five reasons MacBooks are better than Windows laptops.

Mark has spent 20 years headlining comedy shows around the country and made appearances on ABC, MTV, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, Food Network, and Sirius XM Radio. He has written about every topic imaginable, from dating, family, politics, social issues, and tech. He wrote his first tech articles for the now-defunct Dads On Tech 10 years ago, and his passion for combining humor and tech has grown under the tutelage of the Laptop Mag team. His penchant for tearing things down and rebuilding them did not make Mark popular at home, however, when he got his hands on the legendary Commodore 64, his passion for all things tech deepened. These days, when he is not filming, editing footage, tinkering with cameras and laptops, or on stage, he can be found at his desk snacking, writing about everything tech, new jokes, or scripts he dreams of filming.