New MacBook Airs come with M5, double the storage, and higher starting prices

Source: Ars Technica

Overview

Apple is refreshing most of its laptop lineup. The high‑end MacBook Pros receive M5 Pro and M5 Max chip updates, and the MacBook Air is being upgraded with an M5 chip — see the official announcement here.

Storage and Performance

• Base storage increases from 256 GB to 512 GB.
• Apple claims the new storage is up to twice as fast as that in the M4 MacBook Air.
• An Apple N1 Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth chip adds further internal upgrades — details at Ars Technica.

Pricing

• 13‑inch model: starting price rises from $999 to $1,099.
• 15‑inch model: starting price rises from $1,199 to $1,299.

The price change can be viewed as an increase or a cut, depending on whether you compare it to the previous‑generation M4 Air’s 512 GB configuration ($1,199).

Configurations

Apple offers two M5 variants:

• 8 GPU cores (standard).
• 10 GPU cores (fully enabled).

Upgrading to the 10‑core version adds $100 and is required for:

• 24 GB or 32 GB RAM upgrades.
• Storage upgrades to 1 TB, 2 TB, or 4 TB.

All M5 chips include four high‑performance “super cores” and six efficiency cores.

Availability

• Pre‑orders begin on March 4.
• Shipping starts on March 11.

Related Announcements

Apple’s broader event lineup this week includes:

• A new iPhone 17e — details at Ars Technica.
• An updated iPad Air with an M4 chip and extra RAM — see here.
• New MacBook Pros with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips — see here.
• Updated Studio Displays.

These announcements precede Apple’s “special experience” event on Wednesday morning.

Increasing the MacBook Air’s starting price also creates space in Apple’s lineup for a rumored, lower‑priced MacBook that may be announced soon.