✦ SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARE

MacBook Air 13 M4 vs MacBook Air M5 13-inch vs Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch): which is better?

MacBook Air 13 M4, MacBook Air M5 13-inch and Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch) compared side by side across 106 specs and 15 scored categories — every winner highlighted, so the right pick is obvious.

3 PRODUCTS · 106 SPECS · 15 SCORED CATEGORIES · LIVE RE-RANKING

COMPARING

3 / 4

LAPTOPS

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

APPLE

MacBook Air 13 M4

$999

BEST BATTERY LIFE

← TOP PICK

APPLE

MacBook Air M5 13-inch

$1,199

BEST OVERALL

MICROSOFT

Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch)

$999

BEST VALUE

Add product

1 AVAILABLE

⚡ COMPARZONE VERDICT

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

Highest composite at 9.2/10 — 1.1 ahead of the Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch). Tightest race: battery, just 0.1 apart. Scroll for the category-by-category breakdown.

View the winner →

CATEGORY WINS · 15 SCOREDTIES SHOWN GREY

PERF

DISP

BATT

DESI

VALU

PERF

BATT

DISP

DESI

BENC

CONN

FEAT

MISC

BUIL

COMP

MacBook Air 13 M4×8

MacBook Air M5 13-inch×5

Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch)×2

Apple MacBook Air 13 M4BEST BATTERY LIFE

Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inchBEST OVERALL

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X Elite)BEST VALUE

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 INCH8 INCH

PerformanceiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.3

13 M49.0

13 INCH8.7

8 INCH7.9

DisplayiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.4

13 M48.8

13 INCH8.0

8 INCH8.4

BatteryiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.1

13 M49.6

13 INCH9.5

8 INCH9.2

DesigniMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +0.2

13 M49.4

13 INCH9.6

8 INCH6.5

ValueiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.3

13 M48.9

13 INCH8.5

8 INCH8.6

PERFORMANCEiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.3

13 M49.0

13 INCH8.7

8 INCH7.9

BATTERYiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.1

13 M49.6

13 INCH9.5

8 INCH9.2

DISPLAYiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.4

13 M48.8

13 INCH8.0

8 INCH8.4

DESIGNiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +0.2

13 M49.4

13 INCH9.6

8 INCH6.5

BENCHMARKSiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.2

13 M47.8

13 INCH7.4

8 INCH7.6

CONNECTIVITYiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +9.5

13 M40.0

13 INCH9.5

8 INCH0.0

FEATURESiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +9.5

13 M40.0

13 INCH9.5

8 INCH0.0

MISCELLANEOUSiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +9.5

13 M40.0

13 INCH9.5

8 INCH0.0

Build QualityiSurface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch) · +9.0

13 M40.0

13 INCH0.0

8 INCH9.0

CompatibilityiSurface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch) · +7.6

13 M40.0

13 INCH0.0

8 INCH7.6

03 · VALUE MAP

Price vs performance

TOP-LEFT IS THE SWEET SPOT

SCORE PER $100 · RANKED

01Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch)0.81BEST DEAL

02MacBook Air M5 13-inch0.77

03MacBook 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$1,1994W9.2

Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch)$9995W8.1

Battery Typei

—

Lithium battery

—

Battery LifeHRi

18 hr← TIED BEST

16 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 +5%

14,000

14,500

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

2x USB4 Type-C, 1x USB-A, Surface Connect, 3.5mm

Webcami

12MP Center Stage

1080p FaceTime HD

1080p with IR

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 +92437%

1.34 g

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 SizeINi

13.6 in

13.8 in← BEST +1%

Resolutioni

2560 x 1664

2560x1664

2304x1536

Panel Typei

IPS Liquid Retina

IPS LCD

IPS (PixelSense touch)

Refresh RateHZi

60 Hz

120 Hz← BEST +100%

BrightnessNITSi

500 nits

600 nits← BEST +20%

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

Qualcomm Adreno (integrated)

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

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite

CPU Coresi

12← BEST +20%

RamGBi

16 GB← TIED BEST

8 GB

16 GB← TIED BEST

Internal StorageGBi

256GB / 512GB / 1TB SSD GB

256 GB← BEST

512GB SSD GB

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 · Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch) (8.1)

FOR VALUE SEEKERS

Best bang for buck

Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch)MICROSOFT8.1

SCORE ÷ PRICELIVE PRICES

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

RUNNER-UP · MacBook Air M5 13-inch (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

#3APPLE0.0

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 BATTERY LIFEBest 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 →

#2MICROSOFT0.0

Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch)

“A sleek Copilot+ PC with Snapdragon X efficiency, a touch display, and excellent battery life for everyday work.”

Battery 9.4

BATTERY 9.2

Wins Display Size

Wins Brightness

TRADE-OFFWindows on Arm app compatibility still has edge cases

BEST VALUEBest price →

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

COMPOSITE 9.2/10 · WINS 5 OF 15 CATEGORIES

View the winner →

Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X Elite): which is best?

The Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch is our overall pick, scoring 9.2/10 against 8.1/10 for the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X Elite) — a 14% 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 Battery Life.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X Elite) 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…”

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X Elite)8.1/10

A sleek Copilot+ PC with Snapdragon X efficiency, a touch display, and excellent battery life for everyday work.

Pros

+ Exceptional battery life and silent operation
+ Premium build with a bright touch PixelSense display
+ Strong NPU for Copilot+ AI features
+ Good keyboard and large precision touchpad

Cons

− Windows on Arm app compatibility still has edge cases
− Not suited to serious PC gaming
− Limited port selection

Best for: Office and productivity users · Students and frequent travelers · Buyers prioritizing battery life and quiet operation

“The Surface Laptop 7 is the easiest Windows ultrabook to recommend for office, web, and writing work thanks to its battery life, quiet operation, and lovely touch display. Just confirm your critical apps run well on Arm, since a small number of specialized…”

Frequently asked questions

Which is best: Apple MacBook Air 13 M4, Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch or Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X Elite)?

By ComparZone's weighted scoring of category-specific laptops specs, the Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch scores highest overall (9.2/10, 1.1 points ahead of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X Elite)). 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 these laptops?

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

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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