Apple took the wraps off its newest MacBook Air laptops, now equipped with its M3 chips which it stated were up to 60 per cent faster than models with its M1 processor.

The M3 chips enable users to add up to two external screen displays when the laptop lid is closed. Apple stated the devices feature sharper 1080-pixel webcams and Wi-Fi 6E, which the vendor stated offers download data rates up to two-times faster than the previous generation.

Apple promises up to 18 hours of battery life, which it stated is up to six hours longer than an Intel-based MacBook Air. 

The laptops come in in 13-inch and 15-inch screen sizes.

Apple states the 13-inch model is up to 35 per cent faster in Excel and 60 per cent for video editing in its Final Cut Pro than versions with the M1 processor.

It is up to 40 per cent faster when using AI to enhance an image with Photomator’s Super Resolution function.

The tech giant claimed the laptops are “the world’s best consumer laptop for AI” citing the M3 chip’s 16-core neural engine, “along with accelerators in the CPU and GPU to boost on-device machine learning”.

Apple opened the ordering process yesterday (4 March) with devices set to go on sale on 8 March, priced at $1,099 for the 13-inch and $1,299 for the 15-inch.