13-inch MacBook Air (M5) review: Fast and steady wins the race
13-inch MacBook Air (M5) review: Fast and steady wins the race
https://www.macworld.com/article/3086162/13-inch-macbook-air-m5-review.html
Publish Date: 2026-03-13 07:15:00
Source Domain: www.macworld.com
At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Fantastic performance for this laptop class
- Double the storage capacity and performance
- All-day battery life and then some
Cons
- Still no HDR or variable refresh rate
- Not much has changed in four years
Our Verdict
The more things change, the more the MacBook Air stays the same. It may not be much different from the model from last year or from 2022, but this is still a winning formula that works just right for most users.
Price When Reviewed
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Best Pricing Today
Price When Reviewed
From $1,099
Best Prices Today: Apple 13-inch MacBook Air (M5, 2026)
$1099
If you’ve used a MacBook Air in the last four years, you know exactly what to expect of the new M5-equipped model. Apple’s most popular laptop has changed very little. It’s really all about the M5 chip, which delivers impressive year-on-year performance improvements.
However, the MacBook Air is no longer the entry-level option. With the launch of the $599 MacBook Neo, the MacBook Air, which now starts at $1,099, is firmly in the mid-range of Apple’s laptop lineup. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Air is targeting a different audience, but its positioning puts it in a different light.
Unfortunately, you won’t find anything surprising or especially noteworthy about the new M5 version of the MacBook Air. It continues to be a stable workhorse in Apple’s lineup, and a great laptop for most, but it’s hard to get excited about somewhat longer benchmark bars on a benchmark chart year after year.
M5 MacBook Air: Design, display, and specs
Apple has changed precious little about the MacBook Air since the M2 model was introduced four years ago. With the M4 model last year, it swapped out the Space Gray…
