Apple has just announced the successor to the MacBook Air M4, with the aptly titled MacBook Air M5.
As you might have gathered by their names, the latest MacBook Air is fitted with Apple’s flagship M5 chip, while its predecessor sports the year-old M4 processor. Other than that, what actually separates the MacBook Air M5 from the MacBook Air M4?
Although we haven’t reviewed the MacBook Air M5, we’d assessed its specs and compared them to the 4.5-star MacBook Air M4. Keep reading to see what’s changed and what’s the same with the MacBook Air M5.
Once you’re finished here, make sure you visit our MacBook Pro M5 Pro vs M5 Max as we’ve compared the latest top-end laptops, and our best laptops guide too.
Specs comparison
| MacBook Air M5 | MacBook Air M4 | |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, (N1) | Wi‑Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Display Technology | LED | LED |
| Front Camera | 12MP | 12MP |
| Operating System | macOS | macOS |
| Processor | M5 | M4 |
| Ports | MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5mm headphone jack, 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports | MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5mm headphone jack, 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz |
| Weight | 1.23kg | 1.24kg |
| RRP | £1099/$1099 | £999/$999 |
Price and Availability
At the time of writing, the MacBook Air M5 will be available for pre-order today, March 4th, from 2:15pm (GMT). Like the iPhone 17e, iPad Air M4 and MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max, the MacBook Air M5 will officially launch on March 11th.
The MacBook Air M5 has unfortunately seen a slight price increase over its predecessor, with a starting price of £1099/$1099.
The MacBook Air M4 is no longer available to buy directly from Apple’s website, however it is possible to find the laptop on third-party sites including Amazon and John Lewis. While its official RRP was £999/$999, it is possible to pick up the laptop with a decent price cut.
M5 vs M4
The biggest difference between the MacBook Air M5 and MacBook Air M4 is with their respective processors. Although both are Apple-designed silicons, the M5 is newer than the M4 and boasts a few noteworthy improvements and features. According to Apple, the MacBook Air M5 is fitted with a 10-core CPU with the “world’s fastest CPU core” and an up-to-10 core GPU which should deliver up to “4x faster performance for AI tasks than MacBook Air with M4”. In addition, the M5 chip has 28% faster unified memory over the M4, with 153GB/s of bandwidth.
All in all, these improvements means we can reasonably expect the MacBook Air M5 to offer an overall faster experience than the MacBook Air M4. Having said that, it’s worth noting that we found the MacBook Air M4’s performance to be immensely capable, and could handle everything from editing 4K video or photos in Lightroom, and play compatible titles at 30fps too.
Plus, remember both the MacBook Air M5 and M4 iteration will support Apple Intelligence in all its glory, including Image Playground, Writing Tools and more. While we wouldn’t necessarily advise that Apple Intelligence should be the sole reason for upgrading, it’s good to know the toolkit is supported.
MacBook Air M5 comes with 512GB of storage by default
Although we were initially disappointed by the MacBook Air M5’s price hike, it’s somewhat understandable when you factor in its default storage. While the MacBook Air M4 starts with 256GB, the M5 iteration boasts double at 512GB. Not only that, but you can even opt for up to 4TB of storage, although just note that will come with a hefty additional price.
According to Apple, the increase in storage also delivers “2x” faster read/write performance compared to the previous generation. This should help speed up workflows and file access too.
MacBook Air M5
MacBook Air M4
MacBook Air M5 includes Apple’s N1 chip
First introduced with the iPhone 17 series, the MacBook Air M5 sports Apple’s N1 chip. Essentially the N1 chip enables the running of Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and even Thread for smart home devices too. Instead, the MacBook Air M4 supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
In addition, the N1 is promised to improve the overall performance and reliability of features such as Personal Hotspot and AirDrop too.
Both have a 12MP Center Stage camera
There haven’t been any improvements with the MacBook Air’s webcam, as both are a 12MP Center Stage lens. Not only that, but the two MacBook Airs also support Desk View which simultaneously display the user and top-down view of their desk too, and each laptop sports a three-mic array and support for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos too.
Early Verdict
The biggest difference between the MacBook Air M5 and MacBook Air M4 is with their respective chips, with the M5 promising to offer an overall faster performance than the M4. However, that’s not to say the MacBook Air M4 struggles – in reality we found that it’s a brilliant laptop that’ll likely suit the vast majority of users.
With this in mind, the MacBook Air M4 could be a great option for those who want to experience an Apple laptop on a budget. On the other hand, if you want the most power possible, housed in a lightweight and sleek design, then the MacBook Air M5 seems like an easy recommendation.
We’ll be sure to update this versus once we review the MacBook Air M5.
