M4 vs. M5 MacBook Air Buyer's Guide
Published: (April 28, 2026 at 01:07 PM EDT)
3 min read
Source: MacRumors
Source: MacRumors
Apple last month announced a new MacBook Air, introducing the M5 chip, faster wireless connectivity, double the base storage, and a more capable charger, while simultaneously discontinuing the M4 model. So how does the new machine compare?
Pricing and Storage
- M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,099 for the 13‑inch model and $1,299 for the 15‑inch model, a $100 increase over the equivalent M4 models.
- Base storage doubles from 256 GB to 512 GB, and Apple says the new SSD delivers twice the read and write speeds of the previous generation.
- Education pricing is available directly from Apple and typically shaves at least $100 off the price.
Performance Improvements
CPU / GPU / Ray Tracing
| Metric | Improvement |
|---|---|
| Multithreaded CPU performance | Up to 15 % faster |
| Overall graphics performance | Up to 30 % faster |
| Ray tracing performance | Up to 45 % faster |
| Unified memory bandwidth | 27.5 % higher |
AI‑Driven Workloads
| Workload | Speed‑up |
|---|---|
| Peak GPU compute for AI | 4×+ |
| Time to first token (LLM) | 3.6× faster |
| Topaz Video Enhance AI | 1.8× faster |
| Blender ray‑traced rendering | 1.7× faster |
| AI speech enhancement in Premiere Pro | 2.9× faster |
Architectural Changes
- Neural Accelerator: Integrated into every GPU core (absent in the M4). Exposed via new Metal 4 developer APIs with Tensor capabilities.
- Process node: Moves from TSMC’s second‑generation 3 nm (N3E) to third‑generation 3 nm (N3P).
- Wireless: Apple’s N1 chip adds Wi‑Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, replacing Wi‑Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
- GPU engine: Third‑generation ray tracing engine and second‑generation dynamic caching.
- Memory: Bandwidth increases from 120 GB/s to 153 GB/s.
- Power: Upgraded to a 40 W Dynamic Power Adapter (max 60 W) from the previous 30 W USB‑C adapter.
Feature‑by‑Feature Comparison
| Feature | MacBook Air (2025) – M4 | MacBook Air (2026) – M5 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip basis | A18 (iPhone 16) | A19 Pro (iPhone 17 Pro) |
| CPU cores | 4 performance + 6 efficiency | 4 super + 6 efficiency |
| Process | TSMC 3 nm (N3E) | TSMC 3 nm (N3P) |
| Neural Accelerator | None | Integrated in every GPU core |
| Developer APIs | Metal 3 | Metal 4 with Tensor APIs |
| Ray tracing engine | 2nd generation | 3rd generation |
| Caching | 1st generation dynamic | 2nd generation dynamic |
| Shader cores | Standard | Enhanced |
| Memory bandwidth | 120 GB/s | 153 GB/s |
| Wireless chip | Apple N1 (Wi‑Fi 6E, BT 5.3) | Apple N1 (Wi‑Fi 7, BT 6) |
| External display support | Up to two displays (lid open) | Up to two displays simultaneously over a single Thunderbolt port; 8K @ 60 Hz or 5K @ 120 Hz |
| Power adapter | 30 W USB‑C | 40 W Dynamic (max 60 W) |
| Base storage | 256 GB (up to 2 TB) | 512 GB (up to 4 TB) |
| Release date | March 2025 | March 2026 |
| Starting price | $999 (13‑inch), $1,199 (15‑inch) | $1,099 (13‑inch), $1,299 (15‑inch) |
Who Should Upgrade?
- AI‑heavy users – On‑device inference, large language models, diffusion models, video enhancement, or ray‑traced production will see multi‑fold speed‑ups thanks to per‑core Neural Accelerators, higher memory bandwidth, and the new GPU architecture.
- Professional 3D/graphics work – Complex rendering and GPU‑bound tasks benefit noticeably from the performance gains.
For typical day‑to‑day usage—browsing, office work, media playback, and basic editing—the difference is unlikely to be perceptible. The M4 already exceeded the demands of normal Mac workloads, so most existing M4 MacBook Air owners have no compelling general‑purpose reason to upgrade.