The M1 MacBook Air is still fine, but the M3 is worth the extra cost.

I would not buy the M1 in 2025 unless the M3 is genuinely out of your budget.

The M1 Air is still a capable machine — it browses, emails, edits photos, and runs Office just fine. But it’s a 2020 chip, and you’re buying it five years later. The M3 delivers noticeably faster performance, better battery life, and will get macOS updates for years longer. Resale value will also hold better.

The real kicker: the M3 Air finally fixed the M1’s biggest annoyance — it supports two external displays (vs one on M1). If you ever dock it, that alone is worth the upgrade.

If you’re on a