✦ SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARE

MacBook Air 13 M4 vs MacBook Air M5 13-inch: which is better?

MacBook Air 13 M4 and MacBook Air M5 13-inch compared side by side across 106 specs and 13 scored categories — every winner highlighted, so the right pick is obvious.

2 PRODUCTS · 106 SPECS · 13 SCORED CATEGORIES · LIVE RE-RANKING

COMPARING

2 / 4

LAPTOPS

Add or remove products — every chart and spec row re-ranks live.

APPLE

MacBook Air 13 M4

$999

BEST FOR DISPLAY

← TOP PICK

APPLE

MacBook Air M5 13-inch

$1,199

BEST OVERALL

Add product

2 AVAILABLE

⚡ COMPARZONE VERDICT

The MacBook Air M5 13-inch takes the overall win.

Highest composite at 9.2/10 — 1.6 ahead of the MacBook Air 13 M4. Tightest race: battery, just 0.1 apart. Scroll for the category-by-category breakdown.

View the winner →

CATEGORY WINS · 13 SCOREDTIES SHOWN GREY

PERF

DISP

BATT

DESI

VALU

PERF

BATT

DISP

DESI

BENC

CONN

FEAT

MISC

MacBook Air 13 M4×8

MacBook Air M5 13-inch×5

Apple MacBook Air 13 M4BEST FOR DISPLAY

Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inchBEST OVERALL

01 · SCORE RADAR

Performance profile

CLICK A PRODUCT TO ISOLATE ITS SHAPE

LARGEST GAPCONNECTIVITY — MacBook Air M5 13-inch leads by 9.5

TIGHTESTBattery — only 0.1 between the top two

02 · CATEGORY BREAKDOWN

Category showdown

13 M413 INCH

PerformanceiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.3

13 M49.0

13 INCH8.7

DisplayiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.8

13 M48.8

13 INCH8.0

BatteryiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.1

13 M49.6

13 INCH9.5

DesigniMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +0.2

13 M49.4

13 INCH9.6

ValueiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.4

13 M48.9

13 INCH8.5

PERFORMANCEiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.3

13 M49.0

13 INCH8.7

BATTERYiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.1

13 M49.6

13 INCH9.5

DISPLAYiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.8

13 M48.8

13 INCH8.0

DESIGNiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +0.2

13 M49.4

13 INCH9.6

BENCHMARKSiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.4

13 M47.8

13 INCH7.4

CONNECTIVITYiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +9.5

13 M40.0

13 INCH9.5

FEATURESiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +9.5

13 M40.0

13 INCH9.5

MISCELLANEOUSiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +9.5

13 M40.0

13 INCH9.5

03 · VALUE MAP

Price vs performance

TOP-LEFT IS THE SWEET SPOT

SCORE PER $100 · RANKED

01MacBook Air M5 13-inch0.77BEST DEAL

02MacBook Air 13 M40.76

Map shows current starting prices · trends show tracked street prices. Check live deals before deciding.

04 · THE FULL SHEET

Full specifications

106 SPECS · ALL SHOWN

SPECS

MacBook Air 13 M4$9993W7.6

MacBook Air M5 13-inch$1,1993W9.2

Battery Typei

—

Lithium battery

Battery LifeHRiSAME

18 hr

Battery CapacityMAHi

—

4,660 mAh

Battery VoltVi

—

11.55 V

Included Adapter PowerWi

—

35 W

Charging Typei

—

USB-C, MagSafe 3

Fast Chargingi

—

Yes

Battery Replaceablei

—

Battery EnergyWHi

—

52.6 Wh

Charge TimeHRSi

—

2.5 hrs

Has sleep-and-charge USB portsi

—

Yes

Has a MagSafe Power Adapteri

—

Yes

Geekbench 6 (Multi)i

15,200← BEST +9%

14,000

Geekbench 6 Result (Single)iSAME

—

USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (USB-C)i

—

Yes

Supports WiFii

—

Yes

USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (USB-A)i

2x Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm

2x Thunderbolt / USB 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm headphone jack

Webcami

12MP Center Stage

1080p FaceTime HD

USB 4 20Gbps Portsi

—

USB 4 40Gbps Portsi

—

Thunderbolt 5 Portsi

—

Thunderbolt 4 Portsi

—

USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (USB-C)i

—

-1

USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports (USB-A)iSAME

—

Thunderbolt 3 PortsiSAME

—

Has an HDMI Outputi

—

Has USB Type-Ci

—

Has WiFi Versioni

—

Has an External Memory Sloti

—

Bluetooth Versioni

—

Yes

RJ45 Portsi

—

Display Port Outputsi

—

Yes

USB 2.0 PortsiSAME

—

Has AirPlayi

—

Yes

Mini Display Port OutputsiSAME

—

Has a VGA ConnectoriSAME

—

Warranty Periodi

—

1 year

WeightGi

1.24 g

1,240 g← BEST +99900%

Uses a Fanless Designi

—

Yes

Has a Backlit Keyboardi

—

Yes

VolumeCM³i

—

738 cm³

WidthMMi

—

304.1 mm

HeightMMi

—

215.9 mm

ThicknessMMi

—

11.3 mm

French Repairability IndexiSAME

—

Maximum Operating Temperature°CiSAME

—

Minimum Operating Temperature°CiSAME

—

Weather Sealed (Splashproof)iSAME

—

Is a Rugged BuildiSAME

—

Screen SizeINCHi

—

13.6 inch

Display SizeINiSAME

13.6 in

Resolutioni

2560 x 1664

2560x1664

Panel Typei

IPS Liquid Retina

IPS LCD

Refresh RateHZiSAME

60 Hz

BrightnessNITSiSAME

500 nits

Display Typei

—

Liquid Retina

Pixel DensityPPIi

—

224 ppi ppi

Has a Touch Screeni

—

Contrast RatioiSAME

—

Refresh RateHZiSAME

—

Has Anti-Reflecting CoatingiSAME

—

Supported Displayi

—

Release Datei

—

03/11/2026

Has Stereo Speakersi

—

Yes

Has a Socket for a 3.5 mm Audio Jacki

—

Yes

Megapixels (front camera)MPi

—

2.1 MP

Has Front Camerai

—

Yes

Supports DLSSiSAME

—

Supports Ray TracingiSAME

—

Has a Dolby AtmosiSAME

—

Stylus IncludediSAME

—

Has a Fingerprint Scanneri

—

Yes

Number of Microphonesi

—

Uses 3D Facial RecognitioniSAME

—

Has Voice Commandsi

—

Yes

Has a GyroscopeiSAME

—

Has S/PDIF Out PortiSAME

—

Has GPSiSAME

—

Has an AccelerometeriSAME

—

Has a CompassiSAME

—

Has an Optical Disc DriveiSAME

—

Laptopi

—

Laptop

Has a Integrated Graphicsi

10-core Apple GPU

Yes← BEST

CPU Namei

—

Apple M5

Has an Unlocked MultiplieriSAME

—

Supports ECC MemoryiSAME

—

Maximum Memory BandwidthGBiSAME

—

Uses HMPi

—

Yes

Has TrustzoneiSAME

—

Has NX BitiSAME

—

Semiconductor SizeNMiSAME

—

Has Xess(XMX)iSAME

—

Battery HealthiSAME

—

Processori

Apple M4

Apple M5

CPU Coresi

10← BEST +25%

RamGBi

16 GB← BEST +100%

8 GB

Internal StorageGBi

256GB / 512GB / 1TB SSD GB

256 GB← BEST

Uses Flash Storagei

—

Yes

CPU speedGHZi

—

4 GHz

CPU ThreadsiSAME

—

Is a NVMe SSDi

—

Yes

Uses For Multithreadingi

—

Yes

Maximum Memory AmountGBi

—

24 GB

DDR Memory Versioni

—

LPDDR5X

Turbo Clock SpeedGHZi

—

4 GHz

Supports 64-Bitsi

—

Yes

ROW WINS

05 · WHICH ONE IS FOR YOU

Pick by persona

RE-RANKS LIVE AS YOU ADD OR REMOVE PRODUCTS

THE ALL-ROUNDER

Best overall

MacBook Air M5 13-inchAPPLE9.2

ALL GROUPSEQUAL WEIGHT

Best total score across weighted category factors.

RUNNER-UP · MacBook Air 13 M4 (7.6)

FOR VALUE SEEKERS

Best bang for buck

MacBook Air M5 13-inchAPPLE9.2

SCORE ÷ PRICELIVE PRICES

Strongest score-to-price ratio from the available price data.

RUNNER-UP · MacBook Air 13 M4 (0.8)

PRIORITY · CONNECTIVITY

Best for connectivity

MacBook Air M5 13-inchAPPLE9.5

CONNECTIVITY WEIGHTEDCONF 91%

Best visible score in the connectivity category group.

RUNNER-UP · MacBook Air 13 M4 (0.0)

PRIORITY · FEATURES

Best for features

MacBook Air M5 13-inchAPPLE9.5

FEATURES WEIGHTEDCONF 91%

Best visible score in the features category group.

RUNNER-UP · MacBook Air 13 M4 (0.0)

06 · BOTTOM LINE

Why pick each

STRENGTHS · AND ONE HONEST TRADE-OFF

#2APPLE0.0

MacBook Air 13 M4

“Silent, featherlight ultrabook with the M4 chip, all-day battery, and a premium Liquid Retina display.”

BATTERY 10.0

Battery 9.6

Wins Battery Life

Wins Geekbench 6 (Multi)

TRADE-OFFOnly two Thunderbolt ports

BEST FOR DISPLAYBest price →

#1APPLE0.0

MacBook Air M5 13-inch

“The Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch is a highly portable and powerful laptop, perfect for everyday productivity and creative tasks with its adv”

DESIGN 9.6

BATTERY 9.5

Wins Has a Integrated Graphics

Wins Battery Capacity

TRADE-OFFLimited port selection

BEST OVERALLFull review →

Still deciding? The MacBook Air M5 13-inch is the safest pick.

COMPOSITE 9.2/10 · WINS 5 OF 13 CATEGORIES

View the winner →

Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch: which is better?

The Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch is our overall pick, scoring 9.2/10 against 7.6/10 for the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 — a 21% edge. Current starting prices span $999–$1,199. The score weighs category-specific laptops attributes, spec wins, price signals, and data confidence — not sponsorships.

Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch leads overall with a 9.2 total score.
Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch wins 51 comparable specs with a 48% weighted win rate.
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 has the strongest high-impact advantage in Geekbench 6 (Multi).
Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch has the best visible score-to-price balance based on available starting price.

Apple MacBook Air 13 M47.6/10

Silent, featherlight ultrabook with the M4 chip, all-day battery, and a premium Liquid Retina display.

Pros

+ ~18 hour battery life
+ Silent fanless design
+ Fast, efficient M4 performance
+ Excellent build, display, and trackpad

Cons

− Only two Thunderbolt ports
− 256GB base storage fills fast
− No high-refresh display

Best for: Students and professionals · Travel and battery life · Quiet everyday work

“The best everyday laptop for most people: silent, light, long-lasting, and quick. The limited port selection and modest base storage are the only real caveats.”

Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inchWINNER 9.2/10

The Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch is a highly portable and powerful laptop, perfect for everyday productivity and creative tasks with its advanced M5 chip and stunning Liquid Retina display.

Pros

+ Exceptional M5 performance
+ All-day battery life
+ Sleek, fanless design
+ Vibrant Liquid Retina display

Cons

− Limited port selection
− No touch screen
− Higher price point

Best for: Students · Creative professionals · Everyday productivity

“<p><strong>Verdict:</strong> The Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch is poised to be an outstanding choice for those prioritizing a lightweight design, silent operation, and robust performance for daily tasks and creative work within the Apple ecosystem. Its…”

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 or Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch?

By ComparZone's weighted scoring of category-specific laptops specs, the Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch scores highest overall (9.2/10, 1.6 points ahead of the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4). It is the better all-round pick, but the right choice depends on your priorities — the spec table above shows exactly where each one wins.

What are the main differences between Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 and Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch?

The biggest measurable differences are Processor, Geekbench 6 (Multi), Resolution. The grouped spec sheet above marks the winner of every comparable spec.

Is the Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch better value than the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4?

The Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch starts around $1,199 and the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 around $999. Weigh the score gap against the price gap: a small score lead rarely justifies a large premium unless it comes from the specs you personally care about.

Can I compare other laptops on ComparZone?

Yes — ComparZone supports dynamic comparison pages for any 2 to 4 laptops from the same category, with verified specs, transparent scores, and live prices. See the related comparisons below or build your own from the category page.

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