COMPUTING · REVIEW ROUNDUP
Apple MacBook Air M5: what the reviews say
By S. Dahani and the RealDigitalTech editorial team
Apple's M5 MacBook Air doubles base storage to 512GB and lasts over 15 hours in tests. Reviewers love it, but a June 2026 price rise now puts the 13-inch at $1,299 in the US.
© Apple
Quick Take
Key figures
Launch details
Apple announced the M5 MacBook Air in early March 2026 and it started shipping on 11 March. It launched at $1,099 for the 13-inch and $1,299 for the 15-inch in the US, $100 more than the M4 models, but with 512GB of storage instead of 256GB. According to MacRumors, Apple then raised the price by another $200 in June 2026 because of the global memory shortage, so the 13-inch now starts at $1,299 and the 15-inch at $1,499. Configurations start with 16GB of memory and go up to 32GB and 4TB. It sits between the cheaper MacBook Neo and the MacBook Pro.
What reviewers agree on
- Performance: the M5 is fast for everyday and creative work; Notebookcheck measured a CPU about 14% faster than the M4.
- Silence: the fanless design stays quiet, and Notebookcheck saw no throttling even in demanding games.
- Battery: Tom's Guide recorded 15 h 28 min (13-inch) and 15 h 37 min (15-inch); TechRadar got about 15.5 hours of web browsing.
- Design: the light aluminium body is unchanged (1.24 kg for the 13-inch), which reviewers see as a strength, not a flaw.
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 arrive, alongside two Thunderbolt 4 ports and MagSafe.
Where opinions differ
| Topic | Favourable view | Reserved view |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrade | TechRadar calls it "the best MacBook yet". | Tom's Guide says it is not a big step up from the M4. |
| Price | TechRadar feels the storage upgrade justifies the $100 increase. | Tom's Guide sees the higher price as the "one catch"; the June hike makes it worse. |
| Screen | TechRadar gives the display 4.5/5 and Notebookcheck finds it accurate. | Notebookcheck calls the 60Hz refresh rate outdated. |
| Ports | Two Thunderbolt 4 ports plus MagSafe cover most needs. | Notebookcheck lists the limited ports and soldered memory among its cons. |
Scores: 92% from Notebookcheck (15-inch); 5/5 for design, performance and battery from TechRadar.
Reviewer consensus
average of 2 published review scores
Strong agreement- TechRadar105/5
- Notebookcheck9.292%
Scores published by the outlets cited in this article, converted to a 10-point scale. RealDigitalTech did not test this product itself.
Verdict
The M5 MacBook Air is still the best Mac laptop for most people: fast, silent and long-lasting. If you own an M4 model, there is little reason to upgrade. Since the June 2026 price rise, buyers on a budget should compare it with the cheaper MacBook Neo, and Windows users can look at our Dell XPS 13 analysis.
This article analyses reviews published by other outlets, in our own words. RealDigitalTech did not test the MacBook Air M5 itself.
Sources
How this article was made: our editorial team selected and read the reviews listed above, compared their results and wrote this synthesis, with AI tools assisting the research and drafting. Every figure was checked against the sources, and the article was approved by the publication director. Our AI Disclosure · Our methodology · Report an error: editorial@realdigitaltech.com