MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)

The M3 Air, announced on 4 March 2024, already has Wi-Fi 6E and hardware-accelerated ray tracing, so a two-year jump to the M5 is smaller than the gap in chip names suggests. The M5 model, announced on 3 March 2026 and in US stores from 11 March 2026, keeps the M3’s 13.6-inch screen, flat 2.7-pound body and MagSafe 3. Two more CPU cores, a bigger starting configuration, a new camera, lid-open support for two monitors and Wi-Fi 7 are what the extra two years bought.

Two years of changes at a glance

Spec	MacBook Air 13-inch (M5)	MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)
Announced	3 March 2026	4 March 2024
CPU	10-core: 4 super, 6 efficiency	8-core: 4 performance, 4 efficiency
Memory bandwidth	153GB/s	100GB/s
GPU	8-core or 10-core; ray tracing, Neural Accelerators	8-core or 10-core; ray tracing
Memory	16GB; 24GB or 32GB to order	8GB or 16GB; up to 24GB to order
Storage	512GB; 1TB, 2TB or 4TB to order	256GB; 512GB, 1TB or 2TB to order
Camera	12MP Center Stage, 1080p video	1080p FaceTime HD
External displays	Two with the lid open	One with the lid open; a second only with the lid closed
USB-C ports	Two Thunderbolt 4	Two Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4
Wireless	Apple N1: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Display	13.6-inch, 2560 × 1664, 224 ppi, 500 nits	Same
Battery	53.8 Wh; up to 18 hours video streaming, 15 hours web	52.6 Wh; up to 18 hours Apple TV app movies, 15 hours web
Charger in the box	40W Dynamic Power Adapter, 60W Max	30W, or 35W Dual USB-C Compact
Weight	2.7 lb (1.23 kg)	2.7 lb (1.24 kg)
US launch price	$1,099; $999 education	$1,099

Ten CPU cores instead of eight

The M3’s CPU splits eight cores evenly between performance and efficiency and has 100GB/s of memory bandwidth behind it. The M5 adds two efficiency cores for 10 in total, renames its four fast ones super cores, and raises bandwidth to 153GB/s. That’s the clearest performance change in two generations, though Apple gives no benchmark for either chip.

The rest of the silicon lines up. The GPUs match at 8 cores standard and 10 to order, each with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and the Neural Engine is 16-core on each. The M5’s GPU adds Neural Accelerators, and its media engine handles H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW and AV1 decoding.

More memory and storage to start

The base M3 has 8GB. It came in two memory configurations, 8GB (upgradable at purchase to 16GB or 24GB) and 16GB (upgradable to 24GB), and nothing can be added after it leaves the factory. A secondhand offer that just says “M3” won’t tell you which one you’re getting. The M5 starts at 16GB, with 24GB or 32GB as options.

Storage doubles at both ends. The M3 starts with a 256GB SSD and offers 512GB, 1TB or 2TB; the M5 starts at 512GB and offers 1TB, 2TB or 4TB. If your M3 is the base 256GB model and you’re forever clearing space, the M5’s starting drive solves that.

Center Stage replaces the 1080p camera

On a call, this is the change you’ll actually see. The M3’s camera is 1080p FaceTime HD; the M5 moves to a 12MP Center Stage camera, which follows you as you move, offers an overhead view of whatever is on the table in front of it, and records in 1080p.

Audio is a wash. Both have a three-mic array with Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes, which Apple says uses directional beamforming on the M5, and a four-speaker system that supports Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. Touch ID, the keyboard and the Force Touch trackpad are shared too.

Two monitors without closing the lid

With its lid open, the M3 drives one external display, at up to 6K (60Hz); it can add a second, at up to 5K (60Hz), only if you close the lid. The M5 drives two with the lid open, up to 6K each, and adds faster modes: both screens at 4K and 144Hz, or a single screen at 8K (60Hz), 5K (120Hz) or 4K (240Hz). If you want the laptop’s own screen as a third display next to two monitors, that’s the M5.

The USB-C ports changed underneath, too: Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 at up to 40Gb/s on the M3, Thunderbolt 4 on the M5. Both keep MagSafe 3 and a headphone jack, and there’s still no HDMI port or SD card reader on either.

The power adapter in the box went up, to a 40W Dynamic Power Adapter (60W Max) on the M5. The M3 came with 30W on the 8-core GPU model, or the 35W Dual USB-C Compact adapter on 10-core GPU models with 512GB. For fast charging, the M3 needs Apple’s 70W adapter and the M5 anything from 70W up. The cable is USB-C to MagSafe 3 either way.

Wi-Fi 7 instead of 6E

The M3 pairs Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) with Bluetooth 5.3. On the M5, Apple’s N1 chip brings Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) along with Bluetooth 6 and Thread, and Apple says Wi-Fi 7 availability depends on the country. The new radio needs a Wi-Fi 7 router to make a difference, so it matters most if you’ll replace your router while you still own this laptop.

Same screen, body and battery ratings

The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina panel runs 2560 by 1664 at 500 nits on both, with no touch and no ProMotion. If a brighter screen is what you want, neither Air goes past 500 nits; the 14-inch MacBook Pro is the step up, compared in MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5).

Both cases are 0.44 × 11.97 × 8.46 inches and 2.7 pounds (by Apple’s figures, 1.24 kg on the M3 against 1.23 kg on the M5), and both are fanless. The colors differ slightly: space gray is an M3 option, sky blue an M5 one.

The battery ratings match, but the tests didn’t. The M3’s 52.6-watt-hour battery is rated for up to 18 hours of Apple TV app movie playback, the M5’s 53.8-watt-hour battery for up to 18 hours of video streaming, and both for 15 hours of wireless web across 25 sites at eight clicks of brightness. Apple tested the M3 in January 2024 with an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 8GB and 256GB, and the M5 in January 2026 with a 10-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16GB and 512GB. Two generations of chips didn’t add an hour.

On software, Apple shipped the M5 with macOS Tahoe and Apple Intelligence, and it says Apple Intelligence runs on M1 and later Macs, so an M3 isn’t shut out of it.

Same $1,099, different machines

Both started at $1,099; the M5 is $999 with education pricing. At that price the M5 comes with 16GB, 512GB, the 10-core chip, Wi-Fi 7 and Center Stage. The base M3 that $1,099 bought had 8GB, 256GB, the 8-core chip, Wi-Fi 6E and a 1080p camera.

The M3 is two years old now, so you’ll mostly find it used or refurbished unless Apple still sells it new. A refurbished M3 with 16GB and 512GB can still be the better spend if you don’t need Wi-Fi 7, Center Stage or the lid-open second monitor. A base 8GB M3 at anything close to a new M5’s price gives up memory, storage and two CPU cores for nothing. Prices change, so check Apple’s current offers before you buy.