Apple has refreshed the MacBook Air with its new M5 chip, bringing faster performance, upgraded wireless connectivity and double the starting storage to its most popular laptop.
The new MacBook Air is available in 13-inch and 15-inch sizes and keeps the same thin, fanless aluminum design. Under the hood, it now runs on Apple’s M5 processor, which features a 10-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU. Apple says the chip delivers a noticeable jump in speed for everyday tasks, creative work and AI-driven workflows compared to earlier models.
The M5 also includes enhanced graphics with improved ray tracing support and faster unified memory bandwidth, now reaching 153GB/s. Apple claims major gains in areas such as 3D rendering, AI video processing and image editing compared to M1-based MacBook Air models.
One of the most practical changes is storage. The new MacBook Air now starts at 512GB as standard, up from 256GB previously. It can be configured with up to 4TB of storage. Apple says the updated SSD is up to twice as fast as the previous generation, which should make large file transfers and app launches noticeably quicker.
Connectivity has been upgraded with Apple’s N1 wireless chip, adding support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. The laptop continues to feature two Thunderbolt 4 ports and MagSafe charging, and it supports up to two external displays.
Battery life remains rated at up to 18 hours, and the display is still a Liquid Retina panel with up to 500 nits of brightness and support for one billion colors. The machine includes a 12MP Center Stage camera, a three-microphone array and a speaker system with Spatial Audio support.
The new MacBook Air ships with macOS Tahoe, which introduces Apple’s updated Liquid Glass design and expanded Apple Intelligence features across the system.
Pricing starts at $1,099 for the 13-inch model and $1,299 for the 15-inch version, with education pricing available. It comes in sky blue, midnight, starlight and silver. Pre-orders open March 4, with availability beginning March 11.
