Apple announced that 16GB of RAM is now the standard minimum for M2 and M3 MacBook Air models. The update brings the company’s most affordable laptops on par with the rest of Apple’s refreshed computers, all of which now come with at least 16GB of RAM. For those who don’t already know, the entire iPhone 16 lineup, from the base iPhone 16 to the flagship iPhone 6 Pro Max, comes with 8GB RAM.
Despite the significant memory upgrade, the entry-level MacBook Air maintains its $999 starting price. This change removes the previous $200 upsell for 16 GB RAM.
The RAM improvement exceeds that of the MacBook Air. All of the new computers Apple announced this week, including the iMac, the smaller Mac Mini, and the updated MacBook Pro, come with at least 16GB of RAM. This removes the 8GB RAM tier from Apple’s entire computer lineup.
Industry experts speculate that this overall increase in base RAM is likely driven by Apple’s focus on Apple Intelligence. AI models require significant memory resources to work properly, especially on macOS.
This isn’t the first time Apple has made a move like this. According to The Verge, the company increased the minimum RAM for the 13-inch MacBook Air to 8GB in 2016 and discontinued the 4GB 11-inch version shortly after.
