Seemingly few comments on M3 Not Pro or Max versions

[dizmonk]

Hi. I just got an M3 this week (16gb?/1Tb) and I find it interesting how little discussion there seems to be on this board about that. I get it that most people (on this board) buying a Pro are going to buy the Pro version or the Max. Yet what propelled me to sell my 15 Air and go to the M3 was the possibility of a boost in power without losing any battery life. So far (and I still can't say for certain), the M3 seems to do that. I got ridiculous battery life from the 15 Air so to be able to match that with a little more power, is (potentially) excellent.

I did try out the 8GB base but that wasn't happening. The one thing I did notice was that when I did some very modest video editing, it did get a bit hot (although I did not hear the fans kick on).

Is there anyone here, who got the M3 (not Pro or Max)? I'm interested in hearing their experiences, esp. while my return window is still open.

 

[Adelphos33]

Hi. I just got an M3 this week (16gb?/1Tb) and I find it interesting how little discussion there seems to be on this board about that. I get it that most people (on this board) buying a Pro are going to buy the Pro version or the Max. Yet what propelled me to sell my 15 Air and go to the M3 was the possibility of a boost in power without losing any battery life. So far (and I still can't say for certain), the M3 seems to do that. I got ridiculous battery life from the 15 Air so to be able to match that with a little more power, is (potentially) excellent.

I did try out the 8GB base but that wasn't happening. The one thing I did notice was that when I did some very modest video editing, it did get a bit hot (although I did not hear the fans kick on).

Is there anyone here, who got the M3 (not Pro or Max)? I'm interested in hearing their experiences, esp. while my return window is still open.

I am interested more in your comparison of the 15" Air to the 13" Pro. How about he form factor difference?

 

[dizmonk]

I am interested more in your comparison of the 15" Air to the 13" Pro. How about he form factor difference?

I liked the Air better in terms of comfort. The only form factor issue where they are equal is the keyboard. Both are good to type on. The weight dispersion and flatness of the Air are far more comfortable than the chunkiness of the M3. What I'm still evaluating is the battery life. That's kind of the deal breaker for me.

 

[3SQ Machine]

M3 16gb version is a powerful machine, and I strongly considered it due to the battery life. I did a write up on my M3 (base) version experience compared with the M3 Pro. However, as good as the M3 16gb version is, the M3 Pro is even better and it's the same price given the regular $250 off sales on the M3 Pro base.

I landed on the 12 core 1tb M3 Pro 14 inch for $1807 (open box sale at Best Buy, currently going on now by the way). Apple is not advertising how good the battery life really is, probably to avoid cannibalizing MAX sales, but after having a few weeks with it, it's darn impressive. PC Mag noted that the M3 Pro had the highest battery life of any laptop it ever tested--30 hours. If battery life is your main concern, it might be worth checking out.

As an aside, I was traveling the last couple weeks with limited access to power and put the M3 Pro in low power mode. I noticed no real lag, yet the battery lasted for days--barely dropping more than a few % despite watching videos and doing some mild mixing in Logic Pro. This machine has really proven itself in the use case of portability, performance, and battery life.