Apple’s 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M5 have been available for some time, but there are a lot of things you might not know that could play an important role when deciding whether the company’s line of portable Macs is worth the money. To make things easier, here’s a detailed summary of everything you want to know about the M5 MacBook Air.
Appearance and design
Most of the features found on the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M4 models are carried over to the MacBook Air M5 series, with Apple maintaining the dimensions and weight of its next portable Mac. The design also remains largely the same, which isn’t surprising since Apple hasn’t overhauled the outer shell since introducing the M2 MacBook Air.
After all, if something isn’t broken, why fix it? However, what could be improved is the internals, and Apple has improved them twofold. In short, if you don’t mind the similar chassis of the last few launches but appreciate a decent spec upgrade, the M5 MacBook Air is definitely for you.
| Displaying | MacBook Air M5 13 inch | MacBook Air M5 15 inch |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 13.6 inches | 15.3 inches |
| Resolution | 2,560×1,664 | 2,880×1,864 |
| Technology | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Maximum brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
| ProMotion support for higher refresh rates | NO | NO |
| Pixels Per Inch | 224 | 224 |
| Wide color gamut | p3 | p3 |
| True Tone | Yes | Yes |
| Size | ||
| Long | 11.97 inches (30.41cm) | 13.40 inches (34.04cm) |
| Wide | 8.46 inches (21.5cm) | 9.35 inches (23.76cm) |
| Thickness | 0.44 inch (1.13cm) | 0.45 inch (1.15cm) |
| Heavy | 2.7 pounds (1.23kg) | 3.3 pounds (1.51kg) |
Chipset and other specifications
One of the important changes brought to the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M5 is the chipset upgrade from the M4. As most of you know, Apple announced the M5 again when it launched its MacBook Pro refresh, and it was only a matter of time before the ‘Air’ series was refreshed with the same silicon. The company also added 16GB unified memory as standard and increased the base storage to 512GB.
Although the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M5 use the same chipset, their specifications are slightly different. For example, the base model has 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, which gives users slightly better performance if they are willing to spend the extra money and get a slight increase in graphics performance.
| Differences in chipset, memory and storage | MacBook Air M5 13 inch | MacBook Air M5 15 inch |
|---|---|---|
| SoC | M5 | M5 |
| Lithography | TSMC 3nm N3P | TSMC 3nm N3P |
| Core | 10-core (4 super, 6 efficiency), 8-core GPU (configurable up to 10-core GPU) | 10-core (4 super, 6 efficiency), 10-core GPU |
| Neural Engine | 16 cores | 16 cores |
| Neural Accelerator | Yes | Yes |
| Memory bandwidth | 153 GB/s | 153 GB/s |
| Integrated memory configuration | Base 16GB (up to 32GB) | Base 16GB (up to 32GB) |
| Storage configuration | Base 512GB (up to 4TB) | Base 512GB (up to 4TB) |
Show
The M5 MacBook Air is a solid machine that can handle almost anything that comes its way, but there are limits to what you can do, as its capabilities depend on how well the chipset is cooled. Even with passive cooling, the M5 MacBook Air can handle 99 percent of tasks with ease, but under sustained workloads, it will be slower than the M5 MacBook Pro, which is equipped with a fan. Below are a series of test results pulled from various sources, providing a complete breakdown of the kind of performance you’ll get when you put the M5 MacBook Air through its paces.
SSD speed
In the 5 GB/s read and write benchmark running the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, the SSD on the 13-inch M5 MacBook Air was 19.85 percent faster than the previous generation 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro, while recording up to 229.96 percent faster performance than its predecessor, the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air. All the read and write speed comparison details are mentioned below.
| MacBook Air M5 13 inch | MacBook Air M4 13 inch | MacBook Air M4 15 inch | MacBook Pro M4 14 inch | MacBook Pro M5 14 inch | MacBook Pro M4 Pro 16 inch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Game
The M5 can deliver solid gaming performance as long as it is properly cooled. Unfortunately, the performance of the chipset in the MacBook Air is not the same as that in the MacBook Pro, as its active cooling fan allows the silicon to operate at 20W of power when running Cyberpunk 2077.
Unfortunately, the M5 MacBook Air can only withstand around 9W, causing a 40 percent difference in framerate. The same issue arose when Geekerwan tested the M5 MacBook Air in titles like Baldur’s Gate and Elden, where the framerate started out nice and stable, but slowly dropped due to throttling.
In short, if you want to use the M5 MacBook Air as a gaming machine, this is one trade-off you’ll want to make. As far as gaming with less intensive titles goes, a portable Mac can handle it just fine.
Wireless
With the N1 wireless networking chip, the M5 MacBook Air delivers slight performance improvements over the Wi-Fi 6E adapter in the M4 MacBook Air. However, as Just Josh points out in its comparison, the N1 isn’t as fast as the Wi-Fi 7 chip that supports 320MHz channels, and local network file transfers are faster on Windows 11 notebooks.
- 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 on every M5 MacBook Air, with a maximum theoretical bandwidth of 40 Gb/s. Additionally, for the first time, Apple is introducing its in-house N1 wireless networking chip to the MacBook Air series, giving both machines access to the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard, but it’s worth noting that this adapter doesn’t support the faster 320MHz channel and is limited to a 160MHz channel.
| Wireless connectivity | MacBook Air M5 13 inch | MacBook Air M5 15 inch |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 uses Apple’s N1 wireless networking chip | Wi-Fi 7 uses Apple’s N1 wireless networking chip |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 6 | Bluetooth 6 |
| Wired connectivity | ||
| Harbor | Two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports for up to 40 Gb/s | Two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports for up to 40 Gb/s |
| 3.5mm headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
| MagSafe charging port | Yes | Yes |
External display support
Because there are two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M5 models have the same specifications when it comes to connecting external monitors, namely two 6K 60Hz monitors or two 4K 144Hz monitors, or one 8K 60Hz, 5K 120Hz, or 4K 240Hz monitor.
| External display support | MacBook Air M5 13 inch | MacBook Air M5 15 inch |
|---|---|---|
| Single monitor support | Up to 8K resolution at 60Hz, or 5K resolution at 120Hz, or 4K resolution at 240Hz | Up to 8K resolution at 60Hz, or 5K resolution at 120Hz, or 4K resolution at 240Hz |
| Dual monitor support | Up to 6K resolution at 60Hz, or 4K resolution at 144Hz | Up to 6K resolution at 60Hz, or 4K resolution at 144Hz |
Audio and camera
A four-unit high-end speaker system is found in every M5 MacBook Air model, with support for Spatial Audio and dynamic head tracking when wearing a supported pair of AirPods. There’s also a three-mic array, with the front camera being a 12MP Center Stage unit with Desk View support.
| Camera, speaker and microphone | MacBook Air M5 13 inch | MacBook Air M5 15 inch |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage with Table Display support | 12MP Center Stage with Table Display support |
| Speaker | Four speaker system | Four speaker system |
| Spatial Audio | Yes | Yes |
| Dynamic head tracking using supported AirPods | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone | Triple arrangement | Triple arrangement |
| Sound Isolation | Yes | Yes |
| Broad Spectrum | Yes | Yes |
Trackpad and keyboard
A Force Touch trackpad combined with a backlit keyboard is present on both MacBook Air M5 models. With an advanced touchpad, users get access to features such as gesture control, Multi-Touch gestures, and pressure-sensitive images.
| Trackpad and keyboard | MacBook Air M5 13 inch | MacBook Air M5 15 inch |
|---|---|---|
| Touch ID | Yes | Yes |
| Force Touch | Yes | Yes |
| Gesture control | Yes | Yes |
| Precise cursor control | Yes | Yes |
| Click pressure sensing power | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Touch Gestures | Yes | Yes |
| Pressure sensitive images | Yes | Yes |
| Accelerator | Yes | Yes |
Battery and charging
Battery sizes on the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M5 models remain unchanged compared to the previous generation models, with the smaller model having a capacity of 55.8WHr, and the larger version shipping with a 66.5WHr cell. Surprisingly, despite the difference in battery size, Apple claims both machines last the same length of time in video streaming and web browsing, namely up to 18 hours and up to 15 hours respectively.
For charging, there’s MagSafe support, with the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M5 also equipped with a USB-C port, which can use up to 70W of power with a higher wattage adapter. Unfortunately, this accessory needs to be purchased separately. As for the packaging, both M5 MacBook Air models ship with a 40W Dynamic Power Adapter capable of up to 60W.
| Battery life, capacity and charging | MacBook Air M5 13 inch | MacBook Air M5 15 inch |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 55.8WHour | 66.5 hours hours |
| Battery life in video streaming | Up to 18 hours | Up to 18 hours |
| Battery life when browsing the web | Up to 15 hours | Up to 15 hours |
| Power adapter size | 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with up to 60W power | 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with up to 60W power |
| Fast charging support | With a 70W or higher USB-C Power Adapter | With a 70W or higher USB-C Power Adapter |
| MagSafe charging support | Yes | Yes |
Price and color
Apple officially launched the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M5 for $1,099 and $1,299 respectively, but online retailers like Amazon are selling the same versions for $50 off. In short, you can grab the 13-inch version for $949.99 and it The 15 inch is $1,149.99both offer 16 GB integrated RAM and 512 GB SSD. As for colors, the paint job remains unchanged compared to last year, with Apple selling Sky Blue, Midnight, Silver, and Starlight colors worldwide.
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