The MacBook Air has been the default answer to “which laptop should I buy?” for several years. The M5 model, released in March 2026, does not change the design. It changes what is inside: a faster chip, twice the base storage and Wi-Fi 7.
Performance
The M5 has a 10-core processor with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. Notebookcheck measured 4,185 points in Geekbench 6 single-core and 17,072 in multi-core, and called it the fastest single-core processor you can buy in a laptop. That puts the Air ahead of most Windows ultrabooks at this size. Expert Reviews measured a 32% gain over the M4 Air in its video and image conversion tests.
Storage got quicker as well. Macworld found that drive speeds have roughly doubled compared with earlier models, and the base SSD is now 512 GB.
The Air has no fan. For everyday work that only means silence. Under a long, heavy load the chip settles at about 9 watts, and Notebookcheck saw the Cinebench 2024 multi-core score fall from 957 to 820 after 30 minutes, a drop of about 14%. A MacBook Pro 14 with the same chip and a fan stays about 18% ahead in that test. If you export video or compile code all day, the Pro is the better tool. For everything else you will not notice.
Performance does not drop when you unplug the charger, which is not true of many Windows laptops.
Graphics and gaming
This is the Air’s weak part score. The base model has an 8-core graphics chip, and both RTINGS and Macworld came to the same conclusion: it is fine for casual and older games, and not a laptop to buy for current high-end titles.
Display
The 13.6-inch panel has a resolution of 2560 x 1664. Apple rates it at 500 nits, and Notebookcheck measured a little more: 519 nits on average and 546 at the brightest point. It covers 98.6% of sRGB and 98.1% of DCI-P3, with good colour accuracy out of the box and no PWM flicker.
Two limits are worth knowing. The refresh rate is 60 Hz, while many Windows laptops at this price now offer 120 Hz. And because this is an IPS screen and not OLED, RTINGS notes that blacks look grey in a dark room.
Battery life
The battery is the same 53.8 Wh unit as before. Notebookcheck recorded a little over 16 hours of Wi-Fi browsing at 150 nits, about the same as the M4 model, and around 6% less than the M4 at full brightness. In practice that is a full working day with room to spare, but it is not an improvement.
Build, ports and upgrades
At 1.23 kg and 11.3 mm thick with an aluminium body, the Air remains one of the best-built laptops in its class. It has a four-speaker system that reviewers rate as good for the size, and a 12MP webcam. There is no Face ID; you sign in with Touch ID.
Wireless is up to date, with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Notebookcheck measured transfer speeds of around 1,540 Mbit/s in both directions. Ports are the compromise. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports and MagSafe on the left and a headphone jack on the right. Anything else needs an adapter or a dock.
Memory and storage are fixed at purchase. Buy the amount you will need in three years, not the amount you need today.
Price and value
Notebookcheck reviewed the entry model at $1,099 when it launched. Reviews published later in 2026 note that the price has risen, and recent buying guides list the 13-inch model at $1,299. Our value score uses that figure. If you find it at the launch price, it is a noticeably better deal.
Who should buy it
Buy the MacBook Air 13 (M5) if you want a light, quiet laptop for work or study and are happy with macOS. Our scoring method explains why it rates higher for work and study than for gaming. Look elsewhere if you game, if you need built-in HDMI or USB-A, or if a $1,299 budget could be stretched further by a Windows laptop with more ports.