Apple MacBook Air M5 release date, price, specs, and must-know features
MacBook Air M5. | Image by Apple
MacBook Air M5 is now here
What's changed vs MacBook Air M4:
- New M5 chip is more powerful and efficient, especially in AI tasks
- Expanded AI capabitilies
- Faster SSD technology
- No major design changes
- 13- and 15-inch models
- Similar display to its predecessor
- The MacBook Air with M5 was announced on March 3, 2026.
- Pre-orders start on March 4, with general availability beginning March 11, 2026.
Price:
- The 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 starts at $1,099.
- The 15-inch MacBook Air with M5 starts at $1,299.
Jump to:
MacBook Air M5 Release date
The MacBook Air M5 was announced by Apple on March 3, 2026. General availability in stores starts on March 11, 2026.
| Device family | Announcement | Market release |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air M5 | March 3, 2026 | March 11, 2026 |
| MacBook Air M4 | March 5, 2025 | March 12, 2025 |
| MacBook Air M3 | March 4, 2024 | March 8, 2024 |
MacBook Air M5 Price
The MacBook Air M5 now starts with 512 GB of storage. As such, its starting price is now up to $1,099 in the U.S.
| MacBook Air model | 13-inch, starting price | 15-inch, starting price |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air M5 | $1,099 for 512 GB storage | $1,299 for 512 GB storage |
| MacBook Air M4 | $999 for 256 GB storage | $1,199 for 256 GB storage |
Opting for more memory and storage will naturally increase the pricing.
Design and ports
The MacBook Air got a redesign with the M2 chip, but the M4 chip is not seeing any upgrades in terms of looks.
MacBook Air M5. | Image by Apple
Apple killed off the tapered design language and made the Air look like a slimmer Pro model, with flat frames and slightly rounded corners all around back with the M2-powered Air. It also got the notched display, as well as some extra ports. We definitely love this design language and don't really see the need for a redesign. Apparently, Apple agrees.
The MacBook Air M5 is available in two sizes: 13-inch and 15-inch ones. The latter is a fairly new development, fueled by the public's desire for larger laptops that don't necessarily need to break the bank.
Size-wise, the MacBook Air with M5 remains consistent with the previous generation: the 13-inch model measures 30.41 x 21.5 x 1.13 cm and weighs just 1.23 kg, while the bigger-sized model measures 34.04 x 23.76 x 1.15 cm and weighs 1.51 kg.
The MacBook Air M5 is available in four colors: Sky Blue, Silver, Starlight, and Midnight, so no surprises here either.
Ports
Ports on the M5 MacBook Air. | Image by Apple
One of the more considerable differences between a MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro is the port selection.
While the Pro has just about anything a pro user might need for their daily workflow (three USB-C ports, an HDMI, 3.5mm jack, and an SDXC card), the Air is rather slim on I/O ports.
We have two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, a dedicated MagSafe 3 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
Display
Apple is not bringing any changes to the MacBook Air M5 display. Size and basic display properties are the same.
The 13-inch model comes with a 13.6" Liquid Retina display, whereas the 15-inch model boasts a 15.3" screen. The display resolution of the first model is 2560 by 1664, while the larger device bumps that to 2880 by 1864 pixels.
| MacBook Air M5 13-inch | MacBook Air M5 15-inch |
|---|---|
| Peak brightness 500 nits | Peak brightness 500 nits |
| Display technology IPS-LCD | Display technology IPS-LCD |
| Display refresh rate 60Hz | Display refresh rate 60Hz |
| Display Size 13.6-inch | Display Size 15.3-inch |
| Display resolution 2560 x 1664 | Display resolution 2880 x 1864 |
Performance and Memory
MacBook Air with M5. | Image by Apple
The MacBook Air with M5's biggest upgrade is in the performance department.
The device comes with the 3nm Apple M5 chip inside, the base non-Pro/non-Max version. We're still getting two versions, a binned one with 8 cores and a regular 10-core variation. Naturally, this one will be at the bottom of the performance charts in comparison with the rest of the M5 lineup, but should still provide a hefty performance upgrade over the M4 and earlier chipsets.
The M5 is designed with AI performance in mind. Thanks to a Neural Accelerator in each core of the GPU, the new Air is, according to Apple, 4x faster for AI tasks than the M4 MacBook Air and up to 9.5x faster than the M1-powered MacBook Air.
Moreover, the M5 also comes with faster unified memory (now 153 GB/s of bandwidth), which is around a 28% improvement over the M4. This should ensure faster app launches and smoother multitasking.
| Specification | Apple M5 chip* | Apple M4 Chip |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset configuration | 8/10-core CPU 4 P-cores >@4.6GHz 4/6 E-cores >@3.0GHz | 8/10-core CPU 4 P-cores @4.41GHz 4/6 E-cores @2.9GHz |
| Transistor count | 28 billion transistors | 28 billion transistors |
| Manufacturing process | 3nm technology ARMv9 instruction set | 3nm technology ARMv9 instruction set |
| iGPU | Up to 10-core GPU Hardware-accelerated ray tracing | Up to 10-core GPU Hardware-accelerated ray tracing |
| AI | 16-core Neural Engine | 16-core Neural Engine |
| Memory bandwidth | 153GB/s of bandwidth | 120GB/s |
| Multimedia engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW ProRes encode and decode engine Video encode/decode engine AV1 decode | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW ProRes encode and decode engine Video encode/decode engine AV1 decode |
*-anticipated figures
In terms of memory, the MacBook Pro M5 to start with 16GB of RAM in the base M5 chip version, and it's configurable to 24GB or 32GB. Storage-wise, we have 512GB and 1TB versions. It can be configured all the way up to 4TB, though.
Software
The laptop comes with macOS 26 Tahoe, which delivers Liquid Glass to the MacBook. With a universal and cohesive design language that is shared between macOS, iOS, watchOS, and visionOS, Liquid Glass delivers more than a simple redesign. It is a sign that Apple aims to bolster the draw of its ecosystem, starting with the aesthetics.
Aside from the new looks, Tahoe also removes the LaunchPad but gives us Live Activities on the Mac, allows for Control Center customization, folder customization with symbols, emoji, and colors, the Phone and Games apps, a new icon tinting option, Shortcuts automations, Metal 4 support, and last but absolutely not least, enhanced Spotlight Search, which doubles as an app launcher.
Battery and charging
No redesign means the same battery size as the previous MacBook Air. However, this shouldn't mean that the laptop won't get better battery life. Quite the contrary––the more efficient M5 chip could bolster the battery life figures, which are already pretty decent on the Air.
Here's what the battery size and battery life of the upcoming MacBook Air M5 might be like.
| Apple MacBook Air M5 | Apple MacBook Air M4 |
|---|---|
| Battery size 53.8Wh (13-inch) | Battery size 53.8Wh (13-inch) |
| Battery life (web) Up to 15 hours | Battery life (web) Up to 15 hours |
| Battery life (video) Up to 18 hours | Battery life (video) Up to 18 hours |
| Charging MagSafe 3 40W USB-C Fast charging with 70W+ wall adapter | Charging MagSafe 3 30W USB-C with 8-core GPU 35W Dual USB-C with 10-core GPU Fast charging with 70W+ wall adapter |
*-anticipated figures
In terms of charging, the MacBook Air with M5 comes with a 40 W charging brick, which is an upgrade over last year's model. All configurations of the laptop come with this new charger, which is the 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max that Apple introduced alongside the iPhone 17 Pro.
Fast-charging support with up to 70W is also part of the feature set.
Should I wait for the MacBook Air M5?
- You should wait for the MacBook Air M5 if you have the M1 MacBook Air, as that device still uses the mostly portless wedge design language of old. That could be the cutoff; the Air with M1 and older should consider upgrading to the M5 model.
- You should not wait for MacBook Air M5 if you're already a proud owner of a MacBook Air with the M3 or M4 chip, it wouldn't make a lot of sense to upgrade to the M5 model. Even owners of the M2 model should be wary of upgrading to the newer model. Don't get us wrong, the M5 will easily be the fastest Apple chip once it launches; it's just that the M2 still delivers great performance.
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