With a price increase of around $100 on the base version, Apple's best-selling laptop , the MacBook Air, returns with significant upgrades.
The new MacBook Air incorporates the brand new M5 chip, doubles the original storage space and brings upgraded wireless connectivity, attempting to further consolidate its position in the premium but mainstream laptop category.
Apple seems to be targeting both casual users and content creators who demand high performance without sacrificing portability and battery life. The result is a device that evolves substantially without changing the familiar, minimalist character of the Air series.
See also: Apple introduces M5 Pro and M5 Max processors
M5 MacBook Air: Two sizes, same design philosophy
The new MacBook Air is available in 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch versions, with a Liquid Retina with 500 nits of brightness and support for 1 billion colors. The viewing experience remains one of the device's strengths, whether it's for photo editing or multimedia consumption.
The slim build continues to be a key feature of the series. The absence of active cooling means absolute silent operation, but also that users with prolonged heavy workloads — such as professional video rendering or complex 3D projects — may need to turn to the Pro series.
M5: Significant leap in CPU, GPU and AI
At the heart of the upgrade is the new M5 chip. The MacBook Air is equipped with a 10-core CPU and up to 10 GPU cores, while each core incorporates an upgraded Neural Accelerator to accelerate Artificial Intelligence tasks. According to John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, the new generation offers "incredible performance and even more capabilities" in the company's most popular laptop.
Apple claims that AI performance is up to four times faster than the previous M4 model and up to 9.5 times faster than the M1. This translates into significantly faster image processing, optimized machine learning functions, and more immediate responsiveness in applications that leverage generative AI tools.
See also: Apple's most affordable AirPods dropped to $89
Improved shader cores and a third-generation ray-tracing engine further boost graphics performance. In applications like Blender, performance is reported to be up to 1.5x faster than the M4, while in Topaz Video, processing speed is reported to be up to 1.9x faster.
More space, faster SSD
One of the most practical changes concerns storage. The base model now starts at 512GB, double the previous generation, with the option to upgrade to up to 4TB. At the same time, the new SSD promises twice the data transfer, improving application loading times and transferring large files.
The device features two Thunderbolt 4 ports and supports connecting two external displays, maintaining flexibility for professional setups. Although it does not adopt Thunderbolt 5 — found in the Pro series — it fully meets the needs of its category.
Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 with new N1 chip
For the first time in MacBook Air, Apple is integrating its own N1 networking chip, offering support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. This means faster speeds, lower latency and better handling of multiple connections — critical in environments with cloud workflows and high-resolution streaming.
See also: Apple: Third Betas of iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 Available to Developers
Battery life remains stable, with up to 18 hours of use, maintaining one of the series' key competitive advantages.
Price and availability
The starting price is $1,099 for the 13-inch model, which is available in Sky Blue, Starlight, Silver, and Midnight. Depending on storage and memory options, the price can reach almost $3,000 for the fully equipped 15-inch model. Pre-orders begin today, March 3, with availability following on March 11.
With the M5, Apple isn't just redefining the MacBook Air; it's transforming it into a platform ready for the AI era, without sacrificing the portability that made it successful.
