M3 MacBook Air Supports Up to Two External Displays With Lid Closed

Apple's new MacBook Air models with M3 chip include support for up to two external displays with the laptop lid closed.

Apple MacBook Air 2 up hero 240304
The previous generation MacBook Air models with M2 chip, the 13-inch model of which Apple still sells, only officially offer support for one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz.

By contrast, the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models support one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz with the laptop lid open, and two external displays with up to 5K resolution at 60Hz with the lid closed.

Apple announced the two new MacBook Air models today. Pre-orders are now open on Apple's website, with the laptops set to launch on Friday, March 8. Apple today also discontinued the MacBook Air with M1 chip as well as the 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Related Forum: MacBook Air

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:46 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever. Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but here are five new things iOS 26 can do on the Lock Screen as of the current developer beta. Widgets Top or Bottom In iOS 18, the row of widgets on your Lock...
iOS 26 Hold Assist

Google Says iOS 26 Copies Three Android Features

Tuesday June 17, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
In a new ad, Google says iOS 26 copies three Android features that have been available on Pixel phones for years: Live Translate, Hold Assist, and Call Screening. The video, part of the ongoing #BestPhonesForever series, shows an iPhone and a Pixel 9 Pro talking to each other on a fictional podcast. "I announced live translation for text messages," the iPhone says. "And it turned out...

Top Rated Comments

mystery hill Avatar
17 months ago
The M3 MacBook Air now has better external display support than the M3 MacBook Pro.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nfl46 Avatar
17 months ago
Well, it’s become time. Good job, Apple!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JonnyMacx86 Avatar
17 months ago
It's the Mac mini transformer hybrid we've wanted all this time!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hovscorpion12 Avatar
17 months ago
Let’s goo!! Now we’re Talking. Finally, after 3 generations, Apple FINNALY solved dual monitor support.

I am speculating that the iPad Pro M3 will have the same.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brofkand Avatar
17 months ago
How did they figure out such complicated technology? Two external displays...wow!

Maybe next they'll figure out how to do a 1080P webcam without notching the display. But let's not get too crazy!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jakey rolling Avatar
17 months ago

Only with Apple do they get criticized for giving the user more flexibility.
Only with Apple do users have to deal with such a limitation on a premium-priced laptop in the first place.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)