Get the 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 if you want a silent everyday Mac: it comes with Wi-Fi 7, 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage as standard.1 / 6
Laptops
MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Surface Laptop, one size and chip per guide, because the same laptop in two sizes is two different buys. Each covers the chip, memory, battery life, ports and weight.
Get the 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 if you want a silent everyday Mac: it comes with Wi-Fi 7, 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage as standard.
Get the MacBook Air 15-inch (M5) for a 15.3-inch screen on a silent, fanless Mac, with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage to start.2 / 6
Get the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 for its XDR screen, HDMI, SD slot and longer battery; a MacBook Air is lighter, fanless and cheaper.3 / 6
Get the 13-inch MacBook Air with M4 if you find it discounted: it has 16GB of memory and the Center Stage camera, but starts with 256GB of storage.4 / 6
Get the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 if you've outgrown the Air: it adds fans, a 120Hz XDR screen, HDMI, an SD card slot and a third Thunderbolt port.5 / 6
Get the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop with Snapdragon X2 Elite only if you want its 12 CPU cores; the X2 Plus model has the same screen, ports and battery.6 / 6
Photos from Amazon listings and Wikimedia Commons.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See Affiliate disclosure. This guide summarizes the makers’ published specs below — we haven’t tested them ourselves. See Methodology.
Start here
2026
MacBook Air 15-inch (M5)
Get the MacBook Air 15-inch (M5) for a 15.3-inch screen on a silent, fanless Mac, with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage to start.
MacBook Air 13-inch (M5)
Get the 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 if you want a silent everyday Mac: it comes with Wi-Fi 7, 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage as standard.
MacBook Pro 16-inch (M5 Pro)
Get the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro for a 16.2-inch XDR screen with Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7 and 1TB as standard, from $2,699.
Surface Laptop 13.8-inch Elite (8th Edition)
Get the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop with Snapdragon X2 Elite only if you want its 12 CPU cores; the X2 Plus model has the same screen, ports and battery.
2025
MacBook Air 15-inch (M4)
Buy the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) only below its $1,199 launch price, because the 15-inch M5 that replaced it adds Wi-Fi 7 and starts at 512GB of storage.
MacBook Air 13-inch (M4)
Get the 13-inch MacBook Air with M4 if you find it discounted: it has 16GB of memory and the Center Stage camera, but starts with 256GB of storage.
MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5)
Get the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 for its XDR screen, HDMI, SD slot and longer battery; a MacBook Air is lighter, fanless and cheaper.
2024
MacBook Air 15-inch (M3)
Get a MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) with 16GB of memory, not 8GB, and only at a clear discount from its $1,299 launch price.
MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)
Keep your 13-inch MacBook Air with M3 if it still does the job, and buy one used only at a real discount, with 16GB rather than 8GB of memory.
MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4)
Get the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 if you've outgrown the Air: it adds fans, a 120Hz XDR screen, HDMI, an SD card slot and a third Thunderbolt port.
MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro)
Buy the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro only at a discount: it has Thunderbolt 5 and the XDR screen, but the M5 Pro adds Wi-Fi 7 and doubles base storage.
MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Max)
Get the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Max used for four displays and up to 128GB of memory; the newer M5 Max adds Wi-Fi 7 and longer battery ratings.
Comparisons
MacBook Air 15-inch (M5) vs MacBook Air 13-inch (M5)
Two sizes of the same M5 Air: the 15-inch adds a 15.3-inch screen, six speakers and a standard 10-core GPU for $200 more, with the same 18-hour battery rating.
MacBook Air 13-inch (M2) vs MacBook Air 13-inch (M1)
The M2 Air is the redesign: MagSafe 3, a flat case, a 13.6-inch 500-nit screen and a 1080p camera from $1,199 at launch; the $999 M1 is the 13.3-inch wedge that charges over USB-C.
MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs MacBook Air 13-inch (M1)
More than five years apart: the M5 Air is the flat 13.6-inch redesign with 16GB, 512GB, MagSafe, Wi-Fi 7 and a 12MP camera from $1,099; the M1 is the 13.3-inch wedge that launched at $999.
MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) vs MacBook Air 13-inch (M2)
The M3 Air is the M2 Air with Wi-Fi 6E, hardware ray tracing and a second external display with the lid closed; the screen, camera, battery and MagSafe are unchanged.
MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs MacBook Air 13-inch (M2)
Four years after the M2, the 13-inch Air keeps the same screen and body, but the M5 starts with 16GB and 512GB and adds a 10-core chip, a Center Stage camera, Wi-Fi 7 and support for two monitors.
MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) vs MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)
The M4 Air keeps the M3's 13.6-inch screen and battery rating but adds a 10-core CPU, 16GB in every model, a 12MP Center Stage camera and two-monitor support, at a lower $999 launch price.
MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)
Two years apart at the same $1,099 launch price, the M5 Air adds two CPU cores, 16GB and 512GB as standard, Center Stage, Wi-Fi 7 and a second monitor with the lid open, on the M3's screen and body.
MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) vs MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4)
The fanless M3 Air is the light, cheaper laptop; the 14-inch M4 Pro adds an XDR screen with ProMotion, HDMI, an SD slot, a third port and a 24-hour video rating for $500 more.
MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs MacBook Air 13-inch (M4)
A year apart and identical outside, the M5 Air adds 512GB of storage as standard, Wi-Fi 7 and more memory bandwidth for $100 more than the M4's $999 launch price; 16GB and Center Stage were already on the M4.
MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5)
Same M5 CPU in both: the Pro adds fans, a 14.2-inch XDR screen with ProMotion, HDMI, an SD slot, a third Thunderbolt port and a longer battery rating, while the cheaper Air is fanless, lighter and has Wi-Fi 7.
MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) vs MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4)
A year apart in the same 14.2-inch XDR body, the M5 model adds 153GB/s of memory bandwidth, GPU Neural Accelerators and a 4TB option; it launched at the M4's $1,599 and has started at $1,699 with 1TB since March 2026.