MacBook Air M5 vs M4: Should You Upgrade or Buy the Discount?
The MacBook Air M5 is now the current model, which means the M4 Air just became one of the best-value laptops you can buy. 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, the same gorgeous Liquid Retina display, and — crucially — the same starting prices the M4 launched at. That makes this a refreshingly simple comparison, because almost nothing changed except what's inside.
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 | 10-core, ~36% faster | 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 |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Battery | ~18 hours | ~18 hours |
| Design | Fanless, identical | Fanless, identical |
| Starting price (13") | $1,099 | Discounted / refurb |
Look down that table and the story writes itself: the chassis, screen, memory ceiling, and battery are effectively unchanged. The M5 generation's gains live almost entirely in the GPU, the Neural Engine, and faster wireless.
What Actually Changed in the M5
Graphics: the headline upgrade
The M5's 10-core GPU runs roughly 36% faster than the M4's in Apple's testing. You'll feel it in GPU-bound work — gaming, photo and light video edits, and effects-heavy apps — and not much anywhere else.
A faster Neural Engine
The M5 pushes more on-device machine-learning throughput, which means snappier Apple Intelligence features and faster AI tasks in apps that lean on the Neural Engine. Useful, but rarely a daily difference-maker.
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 ~18-hour battery, same fanless silence, same ports. If those are what you care about, the M4 already nailed them.
Which One Should You Buy?
✅ Buy the M5 if…
You're buying new anyway (it's the same launch price the M4 had), you do GPU-leaning or AI-heavy work, or you simply want the longest runway of software support. At identical pricing, there's no reason to choose new M4 over new M5.
✅ 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 ~36% GPU bump on a machine you already love 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 starts at $599 — just know it runs a phone-class A18 chip, not an M-series, so it's for light work rather than pro apps.
Prices & Where to Buy
MacBook Air M5 — from $1,099
13-inch from $1,099 (512GB) / $1,299 (1TB); 15-inch from $1,299 / $1,499. All ship with 16GB memory and the faster M5 chip.
Or see live 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 →The Verdict
The MacBook Air M5 is the right buy if you're shopping new — it costs the same as the M4 did and gives you a faster GPU, a better Neural Engine, and Wi-Fi 7. But this is one of the rare years where "last year's model" is the savvier purchase: the M4 Air is functionally identical for the way most people use a laptop, and with the M5 on shelves it's now available at a genuine discount.
Buying new and want zero compromises? 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? Compare live MacBook Air prices across Apple, Amazon, and Best Buy on Amazon or the TheresMac price tracker — we update every few minutes so you never overpay.