Laptops comparison · Maker specs
MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs MacBook Air 13-inch (M1)
Quick Answer
Upgrade to the MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) when your MacBook Air 13-inch (M1) runs short of memory or storage: the M5 starts at 16GB and 512GB for $1,099. It also brings a brighter 13.6-inch screen, MagSafe, a 12MP Center Stage camera and Wi-Fi 7. The M1 launched at $999; if yours still copes, keep it, because Apple rates both for 18 hours of video.
The verdict
Retire a MacBook Air 13-inch (M1) for the MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) once it runs short of memory, storage or ports; until then, the M1's battery rating is no worse.
Why: More than five years separate them. The M5 is the flat 13.6-inch design with a 500-nit screen instead of the 400-nit 13.3-inch wedge, starts at 16GB and 512GB instead of 8GB and 128GB, and adds MagSafe, a 12MP Center Stage camera, Wi-Fi 7 and support for two external displays. What didn't change is Apple's battery rating: 18 hours of video on both.
Buy MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) if
Your M1 has 8GB or 128GB and you're out of room, you want MagSafe and two external monitors, or you're on enough calls to want a sharper camera that keeps you in frame.
Buy MacBook Air 13-inch (M1) if
Yours still handles your work with 16GB and enough storage, or you're buying used well below $1,099 and can live with one external display and the 720p camera.
If you bought an M1 Air in 2020 or 2021, almost nothing about the M5 will feel familiar: the case, the screen, the charging port, the camera, the radios and the starting memory and storage are all different. The M1 Air was announced on 10 November 2020; the M5 followed on 3 March 2026, with pre-orders from 4 March and US stores from 11 March.
Side by side
| Spec | MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) | MacBook Air 13-inch (M1) |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 3 March 2026 | 10 November 2020 |
| Case | Flat, 0.44 × 11.97 × 8.46 in | Wedge, 0.16 to 0.63 × 11.97 × 8.36 in |
| Weight | 2.7 lb (1.23 kg) | 2.8 lb (1.29 kg) |
| Screen | 13.6-inch Liquid Retina, 2560 × 1664, 224 ppi, 500 nits | 13.3-inch Retina, 2560 × 1600, 227 ppi, 400 nits |
| CPU | M5, 10-core (4 super, 6 efficiency), 153GB/s | M1, 8-core (4 performance, 4 efficiency) |
| GPU | 8-core; 10-core optional | 7-core or 8-core |
| Memory | 16GB (to 24GB or 32GB) | 8GB (to 16GB) |
| Storage | 512GB (to 1TB, 2TB or 4TB) | 128GB (to 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB) |
| Charging | MagSafe 3; 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max | USB-C; 30W adapter |
| Ports | MagSafe 3, headphone jack, two Thunderbolt 4 | Two Thunderbolt / USB 4, headphone jack |
| External displays | Up to two, lid open | One, up to 6K at 60Hz |
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage, 1080p video | 720p FaceTime HD |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Battery | 53.8 Wh; up to 18 hours video streaming, 15 hours web | 49.9 Wh; up to 18 hours movie playback, 15 hours web |
| US price | $1,099 (education $999) | $999 at launch (education $899) |
A different laptop to carry and look at
The M1 is the last of the wedges, 0.63 inches at its thickest and 0.16 at its thinnest, with an 11.97 by 8.36-inch footprint and a weight of 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg). The M5 is a flat slab, 0.44 by 11.97 by 8.46 inches, at 2.7 pounds (1.23 kg). It’s the same width and a touch deeper, but an even 0.44 inches thick from front to back.
The screen grew and got brighter: 13.3 inches, 2560 × 1600 and 400 nits on the M1, against 13.6 inches, 2560 × 1664 and 500 nits on the M5, by Apple’s ratings. Pixel density barely moves, from 227 to 224 pixels per inch, and the M5’s Liquid Retina panel shows 1 billion colors where the M1’s Retina screen shows millions. Both cover wide P3 with True Tone, and neither has ProMotion.
The colors changed as well: gold, silver and space gray for the M1; sky blue, midnight, starlight and silver for the M5. Both are fanless, and Apple calls the M5 completely silent.
Memory and storage you no longer pay extra for
A base M1 has 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage, and the most you could order was 16GB and 2TB, with 256GB, 512GB and 1TB steps in between. The M5 starts at 16GB, configurable to 24GB or 32GB, and 512GB, configurable to 1TB, 2TB or 4TB. There’s no 8GB or 128GB M5.
That’s why the exact M1 matters if you’re weighing a used one. Memory is soldered, so a 16GB, 1TB M1 keeps that room for life, and a base 8GB, 128GB model stays tight. Either way it’s still the wedge, with Wi-Fi 6 and a 720p camera. If a seller won’t tell you the storage, assume 128GB.
Charging, ports and monitors
On the M1, power comes in through one of its two Thunderbolt and USB 4 ports from a 30W USB-C adapter, which leaves a single port free while it charges. The M5 charges over MagSafe 3 from the 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max in the box, keeping both of its Thunderbolt 4 ports free, and it fast-charges from a USB-C adapter of 70W or more. MagSafe isn’t an M5 invention, since the M2 Air brought it, but coming from an M1 it’s new to you. Both keep a headphone jack, and there’s no HDMI port or SD card slot on either.
The M1 handles just one external display, up to 6K at 60Hz. With its lid open, the M5 drives two, each at up to 6K at 60Hz or 4K at 144Hz; a single display can run at 4K at 240Hz, 5K at 120Hz or 8K at 60Hz.
Camera, sound and wireless
On a video call the gap is wide. The M1 has a 720p FaceTime HD camera; the M5 has a 12MP Center Stage camera, which pans to follow you, records 1080p and has an overhead mode for showing what’s on the table in front of it.
Sound goes from the M1’s stereo pair, with Dolby Atmos playback, to four speakers with Spatial Audio. The microphone count stays at three; Apple names Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes for the M5’s and directional beamforming for the M1’s. Both keyboards are backlit Magic Keyboards with Touch ID.
Wireless moves on too: Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 on the M1, against Apple’s N1 chip on the M5 with Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 6 and Thread. Wi-Fi 7 isn’t available in every country.
The chip and software
The M5’s CPU has 10 cores, 4 super and 6 efficiency, against 8 on the M1 (4 performance, 4 efficiency). Both have a 16-core Neural Engine, and Apple gives the M5 153GB/s of memory bandwidth. The M5’s GPU has 8 cores, or 10 as an option, with Neural Accelerators and hardware-accelerated ray tracing; the M1’s has 7 or 8, and the base model has 7. The M5 also has hardware decoding for H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW, plus AV1.
The M5 launched with macOS Tahoe and Apple Intelligence. The M1 launched with macOS Big Sur, and Apple lists macOS Sequoia and Apple Intelligence for M1 and later, so the older laptop isn’t shut out, though that’s no promise of every feature the M5 gets.
Battery: the same rating, five years on
Wireless web is rated at up to 15 hours on both. For video, the M1’s 18 hours is Apple TV app movie playback and the M5’s 18 hours is streaming, from batteries of 49.9 and 53.8 watt-hours. Apple’s M1 figures come from an October 2020 test of an 8-core GPU model with 8GB and 512GB, not the base 7-core, 128GB machine. The M5’s come from January 2026, on a model with the 10-core CPU, the 8-core GPU, 16GB and 512GB, cycling through 25 websites at eight clicks above minimum brightness.
Despite the bigger battery and brighter screen, Apple’s rating is the same, so battery life alone isn’t a reason to upgrade.
What they cost
At launch the M1 cost $999 ($899 for education). The 13-inch M5 starts at $1,099, or $999 for education: $100 more than the M1’s launch price, for a base model with twice the memory and 512GB of storage. A refurbished M1 can cost far less, and it will still be the wedge, with a 400-nit screen, a 720p camera, Wi-Fi 6 and whatever memory its first owner chose. Check current prices before you buy.
If the M1 left you wanting more screen and more ports than an Air offers, compare the M5 Air with the 14-inch MacBook Pro (M5) as well.
Frequently asked questions
Is the M5 Air just the M1 with a new chip?
No. The M5 is the flat 0.44-inch design with a 13.6-inch, 500-nit Liquid Retina screen; the M1 is the wedge, 0.16 to 0.63 inches thick, with a 13.3-inch, 400-nit Retina screen. You'll notice the body before the chip.
Does the M1 Air start at 16GB and 512GB?
No. It starts at 8GB of memory, which goes only to 16GB, and 128GB of storage, which goes to 2TB. The M5 starts at 16GB and 512GB and goes up to 32GB and 4TB.
Did the 18-hour battery rating survive the redesign?
Yes, unchanged. By Apple's ratings it's 18 hours of video and 15 of wireless web on both, even though the M5 carries 53.8 watt-hours to the M1's 49.9.
Does the M5 still charge only over USB-C?
No. The M5 has MagSafe 3 alongside two Thunderbolt 4 ports, so the charger doesn't take a USB-C port, while the M1 charges through one of its two. MagSafe 3 first arrived on the M2 Air, so it isn't new to the M5.
Sources
- Apple Support — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) Tech Specs — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple Newsroom — MacBook Air with M5, 3 March 2026 — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple Support — MacBook Air (M1, 2020) Tech Specs — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple Newsroom — Mac with M1, 10 November 2020 — accessed 2026-09-19