Apple MacBook Air M5 review: Apple’s thinnest laptop gets an upgrade

Apple MacBook Air M5 review: Apple’s thinnest laptop gets an upgrade

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/tech/computers/apple-macbook-air-m5-review

Publish Date: 2026-04-30 04:35:00

Source Domain: www.digitalcameraworld.com

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Thanks to the existence of the MacBook Neo, Apple’s slimmest laptop is no longer its cheapest. That puts it in a slightly awkward middle ground, as power users will naturally gravitate to the absurd heights of MacBook Pro models, such as the one with the M5 Max CPU, while the Neo is a compelling prospect for anyone looking for a cheap everyday laptop. By putting an M5 in the new MacBook Air, however, Apple has positioned it as a natural step up. There’s almost as much processing power here as you’d get from the entry-level MacBook Pro, at a lower price, and while it can’t be specced with enormous amounts of RAM and storage, what you get is a useful and highly portable laptop that can handle plenty of photo and video tasks.

(Image credit: Ian Evenden / Future)

Specifications

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Price

The 13-inch M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,099/£1,099/AU$1,799, an increase over the M4 model, and if you spec it up with a small processor upgrade, 32GB of RAM, and a 4TB SSD, you’ll get to $2,699/£2,699/AU$3,999. There’s a 15-inch model too, which is more expensive, but for a thin and light laptop of this quality, it’s not a bad price, especially as it comes with 16GB of RAM as standard. While you can certainly find something cheaper, what you won’t get elsewhere are the Mac’s superb battery life and quality of life improvements like the Center Stage camera.

• Apple MacBook Air M5 (2026) (512GB SSD) at Amazon for $949.99

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