Next-gen MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro to use M3 chips

Rumors about Apple releasing a 15-inch MacBook Air aren’t new. Display analyst Ross Young says it will come in April, and Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported that Apple is already preparing a refresh for the 13-inch model.

While it was unclear whether one of the models would feature the M2 chip and the other one the M3, 9to5Mac believes it has the answer, as Filipe Espósito heard from independent sources that Apple is working on a new generation MacBook Air in two different sizes and with the M3 processor.

According to 9to5Mac’s sources, the new 13-inch MacBook Air (codenamed J513) is already in the works with an M3 chip. It will be announced along with a brand-new 15-inch version (codenamed J515), which will also have the M3 chip.

In the past, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple could release the 15-inch MacBook Air powered by the M2 and M2 Pro chips in “early April.” However, our sources say that the 15-inch model will get the same entry-level M3 chip as the new 13-inch MacBook Air. The chip will have an 8-core CPU just like M1 and M2.

If that turns out to be accurate, Apple would be adopting the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus strategy with the MacBook Air by offering a larger screen without the premium price of the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

In addition to these new laptops, 9to5Mac says a new entry-level MacBook Pro is also in the works. It will feature the M3 chip, the same design, and an 8-core CPU. While Apple has considered dropping the “Pro” branding from this model in the past, it seems the company has given up on that idea.

Last but not least, an M3 iMac is also in the works. While it was already reported that Apple would skip the M2 generation for the iMac, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman recently said that the Cupertino firm could release this computer in the second semester.

For the new MacBook Air models and the entry-level MacBook Pro with the M3 chip, Apple could announce them in a spring event or as late as WWDC 2023 in June. BGR will keep reporting on the latest Mac rumors.