The MacBook Air M5 is expected to be a significant update in Apple’s consumer laptop lineup, primarily focusing on a transition to the next-generation M5 silicon. While the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro have already moved to the M5 chip as of late 2025, the MacBook Air currently remains on the M4 platform.
While there is speculation that Apple will launch the new MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and Max chips before the end of January 2026, to coincide with the launch of Apple’s Creator Studio, the MacBook Air isn’t expected in the same time frame. But we do expect that the new MacBook Air M5 will arrive early in 2026.
This article keeps track of what’s being reported and rumored about the upcoming MacBook Air and offers perspective based on Apple’s current lineup.
Latest Update: Updated to add performance expectations based on M5 MacBook Pro review and thermal concerns.
M5 MacBook Air: Processor and performance expectations
- CPU Speed: An incremental boost of approximately 15% to 25% in CPU speed compared to the M4.
- Graphics: Substantial improvements, with Apple claiming the M5’s GPU architecture can deliver up to 45% higher graphics performance than the M4.
- Memory Bandwidth: A nearly 30% improvement in unified memory bandwidth, reaching 153GB/s compared to the M4’s 120GB/s .
- AI Capabilities: The M5 chip is being heralded as a “next big leap” for Apple Silicon’s AI performance, specifically designed to power on-device Apple Intelligence features.
We can get a good picture of what to expect because the M5 chip arrived with the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro in late 2025 and our own review and benchmarking of the M5 MacBook Pro showed consistent gains in both single-core and multi-core processing. In our M5 MacBook Pro review we found that the M5’s single-core and multi-core results were 14 and 22 percent faster than the M4, respectively.
The M5’s 10-core GPU architecture includes a new Neural Accelerator in each core, which Apple claims provides over four times the peak GPU compute performance of the M4. In our real-world gaming tests using 3DMark Solar Bay Extreme the M5 maintained approximately 100 fps, a 50% improvement over the M4’s 70 fps.
At the time of launch, Apple described the M5 as offering a “big leap” in AI performance, with the chip reportedly delivering up to 3.5 times the AI performance of the previous generation. In practical creative workflows, these improvements translate to tangible time savings. For instance, exporting a complex audio project in GarageBand was roughly 10 seconds faster on the M5 compared to the M4 in our tests.
The M5 also offers a new 10-core GPU architecture with a Neural Accelerator in each core, which Apple says means it can provide “over 4x the peak GPU compute performance compared to M4”.
M5 MacBook Air: Specs, Storage, RAM
Foundry
- M5 with a 10-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16GB unified memory, 256GB SSD, Thunderbolt 4
- M5 with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB unified memory, 256GB SSD, Thunderbolt 4
- M5 with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 24GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, Thunderbolt 4
The specs of the entry-level MacBook Air are likely to include a GPU with fewer cores, and the mid-range MacBook Air is likely to match the spec of the entry-level MacBook Pro, but with half the storage.
That is one specification that we’d like to see change: the 256GB SSD is on the small side. There are rumors that storage and memory options may expand, with higher RAM configurations and potentially larger base SSD options.
All models will start with the 16GB RAM configuration, as has been the case since Apple introduced it mid-way through the M3 cycle (October 2024). There will continue to be the option to add 32GB memory. It’s not known if the 4TB SSD option that is now available on the M5 MacBook Pro will be available, we don’t expect it to be though.
With the M4 MacBook Air, Apple upgraded the built-in camera to a 12MP Center Stage camera and the ports from Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 4. We don’t expect any change here, however, in the U.K. and Europe Apple has left the power adapter out of the box, so it is likely that this will be the case for the MacBook Air when it launches.
M5 MacBook Air: Design
Apple introduced Sky Blue as a color option with the M4 MacBook Air.
Eugen Wegmann
The current design for the MacBook Air was introduced in 2022. Since it’s only a few years old, we don’t expect it to change with the M5 release.
With the M4 MacBook Air, Apple introduced a Sky Blue color to replace Space Gray, but it is unlikely that we will see any new colors for this generation.
M5 MacBook Air: Display
Foundry
No changes are expected for the M5 MacBook Air display.
The rumor mill has reported on plans for the company to implement OLED displays in its MacBooks, however this is unlikely to happen until 2027, with the MacBook Pro getting OLED first, perhaps before the end of 2026 in the rumored touchscreen MacBook Pro.
It’s also possible Apple will continue to offer the standard Liquid Retina display to keep the lines separate, as with the iPhone and iPad.
M5 MacBook Air: Thermal performance
The increased power of the M5 chip has been found to have an impact on thermals – which is likely to impact on the MacBook Air due to the lack of fan for internal cooling.
As noted in The M5 MacBook Pro runs hotter than the M4 it replaces: “During more intensive tasks, such as during Cinebench’s 3D rendering test, the M5 has to throttle its performance to manage its temperature. The fan–both laptops have only one fan– runs much faster on the M5, too.”
If the peak performance of the M5 is limited by the single-fan cooling system, it will be limited even more in the MacBook Air.
M5 MacBook Air: Release date
- Expected in the first half of 2026
The MacBook Air typically follows a different release cycle than the MacBook Pro, usually arriving in the first half of the year following the Pro’s update. Current expectations point toward a launch in spring 2026. This timeline aligns with Apple’s established cadence, where the MacBook Pro is often update in November, followed by the MacBook Air in March.
A gap of a few months between the launch of the M5 MacBook Pro and M5 MacBook Air is likely, so we anticipate that we will see the M5 MacBook Air in the first half of 2026.
On October 16, Gurman reported that the M5 MacBook Air is scheduled for a spring 2026 release.
M5 MacBook Air: Price
Most supply-chain and analyst reports expect prices to stay similar to the current M4 Air lineup, though Apple could keep the M4 around as a lower-cost alternative.
We don’t expect the pricing to change, especially as the MacBook Pro pricing hasn’t changed.
When it launched the M4 MacBook Air, Apple also cut the price of all models by $100, bringing the entry-level model down to $999.
Apple will likely offer similar configurations to the M4, but it remains to be seen if the new lower prices will remain. The threat of tariffs by the U.S. government is a looming issue, which could affect prices. Apple could also keep the M4 around at $999 and start the M5 Airs at $1,099 like before.
Here are the prices for the current standard configurations of the M4 MacBook Air.
| MacBook Air model | U.S. | U.K. | Canada | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13in, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD | $999 | £999 | $1,399 | $1,699 |
| 13in, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD | $1,199 | £1,199 | $1,699 | $1,999 |
| 13in, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD | $1,399 | £1,399 | $1,999 | $2,299 |
| 15in, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD | $1,199 | £1,199 | $1,699 | $2,099 |
| 15in, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD | $1,399 | £1,399 | $1,999 | $2,399 |
| 15in, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD | $1,599 | £1,599 | $2,299 | $2,699 |
