MacBook Air M5 vs M4: Should You Upgrade or Buy the Discount?
The MacBook Air M5 is now the current model, which makes a well-priced M4 Air worth comparing. So which one belongs in your bag, the new chip at full price, or last year's Air at a discount? Here's the honest answer.
Apple refreshed the MacBook Air with the M5 chip in March 2026, keeping the same fanless design and the same gorgeous Liquid Retina display. Pricing did not stay put, though: Apple’s US entry listing was $1,299 when checked October 7; price the 15-inch and upgraded configurations separately rather than applying the old launch-price table. The meaningful changes include 512GB starting storage instead of 256GB, a 4TB storage ceiling, a faster SSD, and N1 wireless alongside the new chip.
The honest summary up front: the M5 is a real but incremental upgrade focused on graphics and on-device AI. If you're buying new today, get the M5. If you already own an M4, or you can find one discounted, the M4 Air is still an outstanding machine and the smart-money pick. Let's break down exactly why.
At a Glance: MacBook Air M5 vs M4
| Feature | MacBook Air M5 | MacBook Air M4 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | M5 (10-core CPU) | M4 (10-core CPU) |
| GPU | 8–10-core with Neural Accelerators | 8-10-core |
| Base memory | 16GB (up to 32GB) | 16GB (up to 32GB) |
| Display | 13.6" / 15.3" Liquid Retina | 13.6" / 15.3" Liquid Retina |
| Base storage / maximum | 512GB / 4TB | 256GB / 2TB |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Battery | Up to 18h video / 15h web | Up to 18h video / 15h web |
| Design | Fanless, identical | Fanless, identical |
| Apple US starting list price (13") | $1,299 | Discounted / refurb |
The chassis, screen, memory ceiling, and advertised battery maxima carry over. The larger base SSD changes the value comparison: match storage before comparing an M4 discount with an M5 price. The GPU's Neural Accelerators drive some of the biggest claimed AI gains; these are not universal speedups.
What Actually Changed in the M5
Graphics: the headline upgrade
Apple reports up to 1.5× faster Blender ray-traced rendering than its tested M4 Air. That is a specific workload and configuration comparison, not a blanket graphics improvement. The base 13-inch M5 still has an 8-core GPU; higher configurations and the 15-inch use 10 cores.
GPU Neural Accelerators and more bandwidth
M5 adds a Neural Accelerator to each GPU core and raises memory bandwidth to 153GB/s from M4's 120GB/s. Apple quotes up to 4× faster selected AI tasks than M4. Whether that helps you depends on the app, model, memory capacity, and workload; it is not a promise that every Apple Intelligence feature is four times faster.
Wi-Fi 7
The M5 Air steps up to Wi-Fi 7 from the M4's Wi-Fi 6E. Nice future-proofing if you have a Wi-Fi 7 router; invisible if you don't.
What did not change
Same design, same 13.6"/15.3" Liquid Retina displays, same 16GB base memory and 32GB ceiling, same Apple up-to-18-hour video rating, same fanless design, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. If those are what you care about, the M4 already nailed them.
Which One Should You Buy?
✅ Buy the M5 if…
You want 512GB starting storage, newer wireless, or an app that benefits from M5’s GPU and AI resources. Apple does not promise an exact support end date. After Apple's June 2026 price reset, do not assume old launch-price parity still holds; compare the current M5 street price against discounted M4 inventory before deciding.
✅ Buy a discounted M4 if…
You want the best value. With the M5 out, M4 Airs are showing up new-old-stock and certified refurbished at meaningful discounts. For browsing, office work, school, and everyday use, you will not feel the difference, and you'll pocket the savings.
❌ Don't upgrade M4 → M5 if…
You already own an M4 Air. A workload-specific graphics or AI gain on a machine you already like is not worth a four-figure outlay for most people. Hold onto it, the M4 Air has years of life left.
💡 On a tighter budget?
If even a discounted M4 is a stretch, the new MacBook Neo is still the cheaper Apple-laptop path, just know it runs an A18 Pro chip, not an M-series, so it's for light work rather than pro apps.
Prices & Where to Buy
MacBook Air M5: $1,299 Apple US entry reference
Apple US 13-inch entry-price reference: $1,299, checked October 7—not an Amazon quote. Check Apple’s configurator for the 15-inch and upgrades. Base models include 16GB memory and 512GB storage.
Or see latest recorded pricing across retailers on our MacBook Air M5 tracker.
MacBook Air M4, discounted & refurbished
No longer sold new by Apple, the M4 Air now turns up discounted and certified-refurbished, often several hundred dollars below the M5. The value play.
Shop discounted MacBook Air M4 on Amazon →Sources: Apple M5 Air launch and performance test notes, current specifications, and Apple US list pricing checked October 7. Battery figures are Apple test maxima.
The Verdict
The MacBook Air M5 is a strong new purchase: it gives you GPU Neural Accelerators, 512GB starting storage, and Wi-Fi 7, though the June 2026 price reset means it now lists above what the M4 launched at. A discounted M4 can be the savvier purchase for lighter work when its actual savings outweigh the smaller base SSD and older connectivity. Match the configuration and inspect condition and warranty before calling it the better deal.
Buying new and want the newer features? Get the M5. Chasing value, or already own an M4? Save your money. And if you want the rest of the lineup in context, our Best Macs to Buy guide lays it all out.
Ready to shop? Check MacBook Air availability on Amazon, then compare eligible retailer offers in the TheresMac buying guide.