Updated processor, price, storage and more

Apple’s “big week” of product releases is coming. After unveiling the new iPhone 17e and updated iPad Air on Monday, the company today unveiled the latest version of its popular MacBook Air laptop.

As previously rumored, this update is mainly a specs improvement. The laptops still come with 13- or 15-inch displays, are exactly the same size as last year’s models, and even come in the same four color options – but they now run on the faster M5 chip instead of the previous M4. This is the same chip used in the iPad Pro and last year’s MacBook Pro, and it should provide a sizable boost for graphics and AI-related tasks. For the latter, Apple says “neural accelerators” in each GPU core can deliver 4x faster performance for AI tasks than last year’s M4-based MacBook Air.

In addition, both new MacBook Airs are equipped with 512GB of storage space, which is double the previous one, and each can now be configured up to 4TB. Apple says the SSD can also provide “2x faster read/write performance” compared to the previous generation MacBook Air. The laptops now feature the company’s N1 wireless chip, support for improved Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 protocols, and Apple’s specs page says they have faster power adapters that support charging speeds of up to 60W. Everything else is pretty much the same as before, with no noticeable upgrades to the display, battery life, or port selection.

Unfortunately, the new Air’s starting price has also increased: $1,099 for the 13-inch model and $1,299 for the 15-inch model. That’s $100 more than the entry point for the corresponding M4 model, although you again get a healthier amount of storage by default. This increase is likely due to a general increase in storage and memory costs driven by the ongoing artificial intelligence boom, although Apple did not specify either case.

In addition to the updated Air, Apple also launched new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros. These devices are supposed to be more niche than the MacBook Air, but they feature the powerful new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips as well as faster memory and more base storage. Unfortunately, starting prices here are also higher than before, up $200 for the $2,199 M5 Pro model and $400 for the $3,599 M5 Max version. The company also launched two updated 5K Studio Displays, including a high-end “XDR” model with an advanced mini-LED panel.

Each device announced today will be available for pre-order starting March 4th and will be generally available on March 11th. Note that we expect Apple to unveil more products tomorrow, when the company will host live “experiences” for reporters in various cities. This could include a long-rumored cheaper version of the MacBook, which should sit below the Air in the company’s laptop lineup.

Here’s a quick overview of the differences between the latest 13-inch MacBook Air M5 and the previous-generation MacBook Air M4.

Specs comparison: MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) vs. MacBook Air (13-inch, M4)