M3 MacBook Air Teardown Shows Apple Fixed Base Model's Biggest Flaw

The repair website iFixit today shared a video teardown of the base model 13-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip and 256GB of storage, and it shows that this configuration is equipped with two 128GB flash storage chips. This change results in significantly faster SSD speeds compared to the equivalent MacBook Air with the M2 chip, which has a single 256GB storage chip, as the SSD can read and write from the two chips simultaneously.

macbook air new blue
YouTube channel Max Tech ran Blackmagic's Disk Speed Test tool with a 5GB file size test on both the M2 and M3 models of the 13-inch MacBook Air with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, and they found the SSD in the M3 model achieved up to 33% faster write speeds and up to 82% faster read speeds compared to the SSD in the M2 model.

Apple's decision to switch to a single 256GB chip for the base model M2 MacBook Air was controversial, even though the slower SSD speeds are unlikely to be noticed by the average user working on common day-to-day tasks. Fortunately, the base model M3 MacBook Air's SSD speeds are now roughly equivalent to the base model M1 MacBook Air again, so customers no longer need to be concerned about this potential limitation.


Apple still sells a 13-inch M2 MacBook Air with 256GB of storage for $999, so customers who want maximum SSD performance should avoid that model.

Beyond this SSD-related change, the teardown shows that the M3 MacBook Air models have a virtually identical internal design as the M2 models. The video provides a look at the battery cells with adhesive pull tabs, logic board, trackpad, and more.

Update: iFixit's CEO Kyle Wiens said the base model 15-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip and 256GB of storage also has two 128GB storage chips.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Related Forum: MacBook Air

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
top stories 2025 04 19

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, CarPlay Bug Fix, and More

Saturday April 19, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
This week saw rumor updates on the iPhone 17 Pro and next-generation Vision Pro, while a minor iOS 18.4.1 update delivered not just security fixes but also a fix for some CarPlay issues. We also looked ahead at what else is in Apple's pipeline for the rest of 2025 and even the 20th-anniversary iPhone coming in 2027, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! iPhone 17 ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...

Top Rated Comments

Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
15 months ago
I'm not sure if 'fix' is the right term here.

The decision to switch to a single module, just like removing HDMI, SD card ports, and MagSafe from notebooks, was unwarranted to begin with.

They've reversed course and we shouldn't be praising this as an upgrade, but a return to the standard.
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brofkand Avatar
15 months ago
I know it's been beaten to death in the year or so since the M2 came out. But I question just how much this means in the real world. Obviously for the price of these machines you don't want any compromises and I get that. But realistically...I didn't buy into the SSD speed boogeyman.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
picpicmac Avatar
15 months ago

[HEADING=2]Apple Fixed Base Model's Biggest Flaw[/HEADING]
AS IF the M2 is actually flawed in regards to SSDs. Just because one does not like or prefer something does not mean it is flawed.


...and it shows that this configuration is equipped with two 128GB flash storage chips. This change results in significantly faster SSD speeds compared to the equivalent MacBook Air with the M2 chip
A speed difference which is irrelevant to almost all users of an MBA. First off, the "speed" of SSDs is mostly poorly understood; using testing apps, many of the gadflies on the internet only pick the largest number, which is usually for transfers of the biggest blocks. This ignores two things:
- typical use is transfer of small blocks;
- sustained transfers are slower, sometimes much more so, than what is often tested, because the NAND can only write so quickly and a great many people misinterpret speeds reported as if those are NAND speeds, and not system speed. SSDs as used include fast buffers that fill up first.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bankshot Avatar
15 months ago
Biggest flaw? I would argue the 8 GB of memory ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/is-8gb-of-ram-enough-for-a-mac-in-2024.2421631/') at that price point is a bigger flaw. At a much lower price it would be fine, but at the actual premium starting price, customers should expect more than what was standard 10+ years ago.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
orbital~debris Avatar
15 months ago
In general use, there's really no problem with this version of the M2 MacBook Air.
Those percentages sound large, but it's relative. In practice, the M2 MacBook Air is extremely speedy and there's a high chance the slower performance won't be noticeable to a majority of users.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antiprotest Avatar
15 months ago
Apple finally stopped the fraud after years of ripping off customers. Let's keep up the intensity of complaints and lawsuits and public denunciation and ridicule whenever Apple does something shady.

To those who kept defending Apple with "You won't even know the difference," that is the very essence of a scam. But now you will also get the benefit of a faster machine and better value for your money.

Stay vigilant. Don't get Tim cooked.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)