Quick Summary
- Apple unveiled its latest MacBook Air powered by the M5 chip, with pricing beginning at $1,099 for the 13-inch variant
- The M5 processor provides AI performance improvements of up to 4x versus M4, and 9.5x compared to M1
- Base storage capacity has been doubled to 512GB, featuring SSD speeds twice as fast as the prior generation
- MacBook Pro variants equipped with M5 Pro chips are priced from $2,199
- Pre-order period begins March 4, with retail availability starting March 11
Apple has revealed its newest MacBook Air featuring the M5 chip, with pricing set at $1,099 for the 13-inch version and $1,299 for the 15-inch option.
The M5 Pro-powered MacBook Pro carries a starting price of $2,199.
The updated Air includes 512GB of base storage — twice the capacity offered with the M4 generation — and supports configurations up to 4TB, marking a first for the product line.
Storage performance has also received a boost, with the SSD offering double the read/write speeds of its predecessor.
The M5 processor incorporates a 10-core CPU alongside up to a 10-core GPU configuration, with each GPU core equipped with a dedicated Neural Accelerator.
According to Apple, the chip achieves AI task performance up to 4x faster than M4, while reaching speeds 9.5x faster than the original M1.
The tech giant also asserts that web browsing performance exceeds PC laptops with Intel Core Ultra X7 processors by up to 50%.
For professionals, Apple highlights performance gains including up to 6.9x faster AI-powered video enhancement in Topaz Video compared to M1, alongside 6.5x faster 3D rendering capabilities in Blender.
Technical Specifications
Memory bandwidth reaches 153GB/s — representing a 28% increase over M4 — which Apple indicates enables more fluid multitasking and quicker application responsiveness.
The refreshed Air incorporates Apple’s N1 wireless chip, bringing Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 capabilities to the MacBook Air lineup for the first time.
Two Thunderbolt 4 ports come standard, offering compatibility with up to two external displays.
Battery performance remains at up to 18 hours, matching previous generations.
The fanless aluminum chassis continues, offered in sky blue, midnight, starlight, and silver finishes for both the 13-inch and 15-inch models.
Operating System Features
The devices come pre-installed with macOS Tahoe, incorporating Apple Intelligence capabilities including Live Translation within Messages and enhanced Reminders functionality.
Expanded Shortcuts actions enable direct integration with Apple Intelligence models, supporting automated workflows such as extracting PDF data into spreadsheet formats.
A newly introduced Edge Light effect for video conferencing has been implemented, intended to enhance facial visibility during low-light video calls.
Apple notes the M5 MacBook Air contains 55% recycled materials, including 100% recycled aluminum for the enclosure, advancing the company’s objective of achieving complete carbon neutrality throughout its operations by 2030.
Pre-ordering begins March 4, with the MacBook Air M5 becoming available for purchase on March 11.
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