Apple’s 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air have been available for a while, but there’s a lot you may not know that could play a pivotal role when deciding if the company’s portable Mac lineup is worth the money. To make matters simple, here’s a detailed roundup on everything you’ve been wanting to know about the M5 MacBook Air.
Display and design
Much of what’s present on 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air models was carried over to the M5 MacBook Air series, with Apple retaining the dimensions and weight of its succeeding portable Macs. The design has also largely remained the same, which is unsurprising to see because Apple has yet to revamp the exterior shell since the time it introduced the M2 MacBook Air.
Then again, if something isn’t broken, why fix it? However, what can be improved are the internals, and Apple has doubled down on that bit. In short, if you don’t mind a similar chassis from the past few launches but do appreciate a decent specifications bump, the M5 MacBook Air is definitely for you.
| Display | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 13.6-inch | 15.3-inch |
| Resolution | 2,560 x 1,664 | 2,880 x 1,864 |
| Technology | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Maximum brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
| ProMotion support for higher refresh rate | No | No |
| Pixels Per Inch | 224 | 224 |
| Wide color gamut | P3 | P3 |
| True Tone | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 11.97 inches (30.41cm) | 13.40 inches (34.04cm) |
| Width | 8.46 inches (21.5cm) | 9.35 inches (23.76cm) |
| Thickness | 0.44 inch (1.13cm) | 0.45 inch (1.15cm) |
| Weight | 2.7 pounds (1.23kg) | 3.3 pounds (1.51kg) |
Chipset and other specifications
One of the more notable changes brought forward to the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air is the chipset upgrade from the M4. As the majority of you know, Apple announced the M5 back when it unveiled the MacBook Pro refresh, and it was only a matter of time before the ‘Air’ series was refreshed with the same silicon. The company has also added 16GB of unified memory as standard and bumped up the base storage to 512GB.
While the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air share the same chipset, the specifications are slightly different. For instance, the base model features a 10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency cores, but the GPU only has 8 cores. As for the 15-inch version, the base model has a 10-core GPU, giving users slightly better performance if they’re willing to spend extra and gain a small boost in graphics performance.
| Chipset, memory and storage differences | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air |
|---|---|---|
| SoC | M5 | M5 |
| Lithography | TSMC 3nm N3P | TSMC 3nm N3P |
| Cores | 10-core (4 super, 6 efficiency), 8-core GPU (configurable up to a 10-core GPU) | 10-core (4 super, 6 efficiency), 10-core GPU |
| Neural Engine | 16-core | 16-core |
| Neural Accelerators | Yes | Yes |
| Memory bandwidth | 153GB/s | 153GB/s |
| Unified memory configurations | 16GB base (up to 32GB) | 16GB base (up to 32GB) |
| Storage configurations | 512GB base (up to 4TB) | 512GB base (up to 4TB) |
Performance
The M5 MacBook Air is a solid machine that can handle pretty much anything thrown in its way, but there are limitations on what you can do, as its capabilities boil down to how well the chipset is cooled. Even with passive cooling, the M5 MacBook Air can handle 99 percent of tasks effortlessly, but in sustained workloads, it will be slower than the M5 MacBook Pro, which is equipped with a fan. Given below are a series of test results taken from multiple sources, providing a complete breakdown concerning the kind of performance you’ll get when taking the M5 MacBook Air through its paces.
SSD speeds
In a 5GB/s read and write benchmark running Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, the SSD on the 13-inch M5 MacBook Air ends up being up to 19.85 percent faster than the previous-generation 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro, while registering up to a whopping 229.96 percent faster performance than its immediate predecessor, the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air. All the read and write speed comparison details are mentioned below.
| 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 13-inch M4 MacBook Air | 15-inch M4 MacBook Air | 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro | 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro | 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackmagic Disk Speed Test (5GB read, tested by Notebookcheck) | 6473.4MB/s | 2833.3 MB/s | 2904 MB/s | 3028MB/s | 6752.1MB/s | 5401.3MB/s |
| Blackmagic Disk Speed Test (5GB write, tested by Notebookcheck) | 6558.6MB/s | 1987.7MB/s | 3023.9MB/s | 3426MB/s | 6194.2 MB/s | 6713.2MB/s |
Gaming
The M5 can deliver solid gaming performance just as long as it’s cooled properly. Unfortunately, the chipset in the MacBook Air won’t perform the same as the one outfitted in the MacBook Pro, as the latter’s active cooling fan allows the silicon to operate at 20W when running Cyberpunk 2077.
Sadly, the M5 MacBook Air can only sustain around 9W, leading to a 40 percent difference in the framerate. The same problem arose when Geekerwan tested the M5 MacBook Air in titles like Baldur’s Gate and Elden, where the framerate starts up nice and stable, but slowly drops due to throttling.
In short, if you’re going to use the M5 MacBook Air as a gaming machine, this is one of the trade-offs you’ll be making. As far as gaming in the less intensive titles go, the portable Mac can handle them just fine.
Wireless
With its N1 wireless networking chip, the M5 MacBook Air delivers a small performance bump over the Wi-Fi 6E adapter on the M4 MacBook Air. However, as Just Josh has shown in his comparison, the N1 isn’t as fast as a Wi-Fi 7 chip supporting the 320MHz channel, with the local network file transfer being quicker on a Windows 11 notebook.
- M5 MacBook Air (N1 with 160MHz support) - 230MB/s (15 percent faster than Wi-Fi 6E)
- M4 MacBook Air (Wi-Fi 6E) - 200MB/s
- ThinkPad X9 15 (Wi-Fi 7 with 320MHz support) - 350MB/s (52.2 percent faster than N1)
Wired and wireless connectivity
There are two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports present on each M5 MacBook Air, with the maximum theoretical bandwidth reaching 40Gb/s. Also, for the first time, Apple has introduced its in-house N1 wireless networking chip to the MacBook Air series, giving both machines access to the newest Wi-Fi 7 standard, but do note that this adapter doesn’t support the faster 320MHz channel and is limited to the 160MHz channel.
| Wireless connectivity | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 using Apple's N1 wireless networking chip | Wi-Fi 7 using Apple's N1 wireless networking chip |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 6 | Bluetooth 6 |
| Wired connectivity | ||
| Ports | Two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports up to 40Gb/s | Two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports up to 40Gb/s |
| 3.5mm headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| MagSafe charging port | Yes | Yes |
External display support
Since there are two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air models share the same specifications when it comes to hooking up external monitors, which are either two 6K 60Hz or two 4K 144Hz monitors, or one 8K 60Hz, 5K 120Hz, or 4K 240Hz monitor.
| External display support | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air |
|---|---|---|
| Single monitor support | Up to a 8K resolution at 60Hz, or 5K resolution at 120Hz, or 4K resolution at 240Hz | Up to a 8K resolution at 60Hz, or 5K resolution at 120Hz, or 4K resolution at 240Hz |
| Dual monitor support | Up to a 6K resolution at 60Hz, or 4K resolution at 144Hz | Up to a 6K resolution at 60Hz, or 4K resolution at 144Hz |
Audio and camera
A high-end speaker system comprising of four units is found in each M5 MacBook Air model, with support for Spatial Audio and dynamic head tracking when wearing a pair of supported AirPods. There’s also a triple microphone array, with the front-facing camera being a 12MP Center Stage unit with Desk View support.
| Camera, speakers, and microphones | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage with Desk View support | 12MP Center Stage with Desk View support |
| Speakers | Four-spreaker system | Four-spreaker system |
| Spatial Audio | Yes | Yes |
| Dynamic head tracking using supported AirPods | Yes | Yes |
| Microphones | Triple array | Triple array |
| Voice Isolation | Yes | Yes |
| Wide Spectrum | Yes | Yes |
Trackpad and keyboard
A Force Touch trackpad coupled with a backlit keyboard is present on both M5 MacBook Air models. With the advanced touchpad, users gain access to features like gesture control, Multi-Touch gestures, and pressure-sensitive drawing.
| Trackpad and keyboard | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air |
|---|---|---|
| Touch ID | Yes | Yes |
| Force Touch | Yes | Yes |
| Gestures control | Yes | Yes |
| Precise cursor control | Yes | Yes |
| Pressure-sensing force clicks | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Touch gestures | Yes | Yes |
| Pressure-sensative drawing | Yes | Yes |
| Accelerators | Yes | Yes |
Battery and charging
The battery size on the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air models remains unchanged from the previous-generation models, with the smaller one sporting a 55.8WHr capacity, and the larger version shipping with a 66.5WHr cell. Surprisingly, despite the battery size difference, Apple claims that both machines last for the same amount of time in video streaming and web browsing, which is up to 18 hours and up to 15 hours, respectively.
As for charging, there’s MagSafe support, with the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air also getting topped up with their USB-C port, which can take up to 70W of juice with a higher wattage adapter. Sadly, this accessory needs to be purchased separately. As for the packaging, both M5 MacBook Air models ship with a 40W Dynamic Power Adapter that can go up to 60W.
| Battery life, capacity and charging | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 55.8WHr | 66.5WHr |
| Battery time in video streaming | Up to 18 hours | Up to 18 hours |
| Battery time in web browsing | Up to 15 hours | Up to 15 hours |
| Power adapter size | 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with up to 60W | 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with up to 60W |
| Fast-charging support | With 70W USB-C Power Adapter or higher | With 70W USB-C Power Adapter or higher |
| MagSafe charging support | Yes | Yes |
Price and colors
Apple officially launched the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air at $1,099 and $1,299, respectively, but online retailers like Amazon are selling the same versions at $50 off. In short, you can grab the 13-inch version for $949.99 and the 15-inch one for $1,149.99, both of which offer 16GB of unified RAM and a 512GB SSD. As for the colors, the paint jobs remain unchanged from last year, with Apple selling the Sky Blue, Midnight, Silver, and Starlight finishes worldwide.
