The new Apple M5 SoC is very powerful and also very efficient - a perfect match for the passive cooling system of the MacBook Air 15. There is just nothing comparable in the Windows world, neither with x86 chips, nor with ARM CPUs from Qualcomm. The performance is nothing short of spectacular and the M5 is also very efficient while gaming, where we did not experience any throttling. This means the slim and silent MacBook Air can play even demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or Baldur's Gate 3 smoothly with reduced details.
Other improvements include Wi-Fi as well as faster PCIe 4.0 SSDs, and this is also the case for the base model starting at $1299. Our review unit is quite expensive due to the RAM and storage upgrades, but you will get pretty much the same performance from the base model, which is our recommendation for most users.
The deficits are still the same on the MacBook Air like soldered RAM and storage, the lack of Face-ID and the limited number of ports, which is even more annoying on the larger 15-inch model. We don't mind the IPS screen on the Air since it has no issues with PWM and offers good image quality, but the refresh rate of 60 Hz is pretty outdated in 2026. Considering the more expensive entry-level level of the MacBook Pro 14, however, we do not think Apple really wants to offer a better screen for the Air and would like you to switch to the Pro for a better screen instead.
+ Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 7 & BT 6
- almost no maintenance options (RAM & SSD soldered)
- webcam without Face-ID, low resolution for photos/videos
- Verdict - MacBook Air 15 gets even better with M5 and Wi-Fi 7
- Display - 60 Hz IPS without PWM
- Performance - Apple M5 with 10-core GPU
Apple refreshes the MacBook Air and the 15-inch version is equipped with the faster M5 SoC with 10 GPU cores. The manufacturer also upgraded the Wi-Fi module as well as SSD speeds and you can get the base model with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD storage for $1299 while our review unit has some upgrades (32 GB RAM and 2 TB storage), which increases the price tag to $2299.
Apple M5 10-Core 10c/10t, 4 x 4.6 GHz Apple M5 S-Core, 6 x 3.0 GHz Apple M5 E-Core, 23 W PL2 / Short Burst, 11 W PL1 / Sustained, MDE44
15.30 inch 16:10, 2880 x 1864 pixel 224 PPI, IPS, glossy: yes, 60 Hz
2 USB4 40 Gbps, 2 Thunderbolt 4, USB-C Power Delivery (PD), 2 DisplayPort, 1 Docking Station Port, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm stereo, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor
Wi-Fi 7 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/ Wi-Fi 6E 6 GHz be = Wi-Fi 7), Bluetooth 6
height x width x depth (in mm): 11.5 x 340.4 x 237.6 ( = 0.45 x 13.4 x 9.35 in)
Webcam: 12 MP Center StagePrimary Camera: 12 MPix
Speakers: six speaker sound system, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 35W PSU, 12 Months Warranty
1.512 kg ( = 53.33 oz / 3.33 pounds), Power Supply: 186 g ( = 6.56 oz / 0.41 pounds)
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.
The case design including ports, webcam and the input devices did not change compared to the previous M4 model, so you still get a very slim but not particularly lightweight laptop at 1.512 kg. The quality is excellent, both in terms of stability as well as build quality. Apple upgraded the Wi-Fi module and it now supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard including Bluetooth 6.0. The transfer rates in our test were good as well as stable and also better compared to the smaller MacBook Air 13 M5. The following images are from the previous M4 generation.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 Lenovo ThinkPad X9-15 Aura Edition Apple MacBook Air 15 M5 Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 15 Lunar Lake Microsoft Surface Laptop 15 Snapdragon X Elite DIN A4 ❌
355.4 mm / 14 in 250.4 mm / 9.86 in 12.3 mm / 0.4843 in 1.5 kg3.41 lbs340 mm / 13.4 in 228.5 mm / 9 in 17.7 mm / 0.697 in 1.4 kg3.1 lbs340.4 mm / 13.4 in 237.6 mm / 9.35 in 11.5 mm / 0.4528 in 1.5 kg3.33 lbs340.4 mm / 13.4 in 237.6 mm / 9.35 in 11.5 mm / 0.4528 in 1.5 kg3.35 lbs329 mm / 13 in 239 mm / 9.41 in 18.3 mm / 0.72 in 1.7 kg3.66 lbs329 mm / 13 in 237 mm / 9.33 in 18.29 mm / 0.72 in 1.7 kg3.67 lbs297 mm / 11.7 in 210 mm / 8.27 in 1 mm / 0.03937 in 5.7 g0.01257 lbs
Apple offers a comprehensive environmental report including data about the CO2 emissions as well as recycled contents. The following image shows exemplary data for the MacBook Air 15 and the highest shown SKU with 24 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD storage has a carbon footprint of 167 kg CO2e.
Apple did not change the display, so we still get a 60 Hz IPS screen (2560 x 1664 pixels, 16:10) and offers good image quality, but the low frequency is an issue. The surface is anti-reflective and there is a visible advantage compared to most other glossy screens, which is also noticeable in our outdoor shots below. There is hardly any backlight bleeding and there is no PWM flickering, either, while the response times are inconspicuous. Both the brightness as well as the color temperature can be adjusted automatically.
The brightness is still north of 500 nits, but the black value is a bit high at 0.44, which still results in a good maximum contrast ratio of ~1300:1. Our analysis with the professional CalMAN software shows that the factory calibration is not that great and there is a distinct blue cast in combination with a cool color temperature. This boosts the maximum brightness and is not noticeable when you use True Tone, but it is not ideal for picture editing. We calibrated the panel and managed to improve the accuracy noticeably (the corresponding profile can be downloaded for free in the box below), so picture editing is no problem (P3 & sRGB).
Maximum: 538 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 520.9 cd/m² Minimum: 2 cd/m²Brightness Distribution: 90 %Center on Battery: 538 cd/m²Contrast: 1223:1 (Black: 0.44 cd/m²)ΔE ColorChecker Calman: 2.1 | ∀{0.5-29.43 Ø4.75}calibrated: 0.7ΔE Greyscale Calman: 3.1 | ∀{0.09-98 Ø5}86.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 3D)98.3% sRGB (Argyll 3D)97.5% Display P3 (Argyll 3D)Gamma: 2.19CCT: 7075 K
Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 7996 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured.
The CPU performance of the new Apple M5 (4 super cores, 6 efficiency cores) is very impressive and it is the fastest single-core processor you can buy with quite a margin. The multi-core performance is also very good, even though the system has to reduce the power limit quite quickly. The deficit compared to the MacBook Pro 14 M5 with active cooling is still only 18 % during the Cinebench 2024 Multi test, which takes a couple of minutes. After the stress test of CB24 Multi (30 minutes), the result is still just ~10 % lower.
Across our CPU benchmarks, the new M5 model is 14 % faster compared to the MacBook Air 15 M4 and 43 % faster compared to the MacBook Air 15 M3. The CPU performance is not reduced on battery power.
The subjective system performance is excellent and the benchmark results support this impression. Apple also increased the memory bandwidth compared to the M4. Overall, you will not notice a difference compared to the more expensive MacBook Pro models or the much more affordable base model of the MacBook Air 15 M5 in everyday scenarios.
The base model now gets 512 GB SSD storage by default, and the speed was improved to PCIe 4.0, so the transfer rates are on par with the MacBook Pro models at around 7 GB/s. Our review unit is equipped with the 2 TB drive, which is a pricey upgrade ($600). The SSD-chips are once again soldered, but the maximum capacity was increased from 2 to 4 TB for the M5 generation.
The MacBook Air 15 gets the faster M5 SoC with the 10-core GPU like the MacBook Pro 14 M5. The performance in short benchmarks is very good and we only see a deficit of up to 5 %, while the advantage over the previous MacBook Air 15 M4 is at least 30 %. However, the performance is not stable and it will drop by around 23 % in the 3DMark stress test (Steel Nomad Light).
The gaming performance on the other hand is completely stable since the SoC simply does not consume so much power to begin with (~8 Watt in games like Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed Shadows or Baldur's Gate 3). We already saw this behavior on the smaller MacBook Air 13 M5 and the result is that the gaming performance is completely stable, even during longer gaming sessions. If you reduce the details, the Air M5 can even handle these demanding games without throttling and while being completely silent.
The MacBook Air still uses a fanless cooling unit, so the laptop is always silent and we did not experience any other electronic noises, either. This is a huge advantage over Windows competitors.
Surface temperatures are absolutely no problem and the MacBook Air usually stays very cool. If you really stress it, it will warm up to slightly more than 40 °C, but that is no problem. During our stress test with combined CPU/GPU load, the M5 SoC consumes up to 28 Watts and then quickly levels off at around 9 Watts after around 20 minutes.
Power Supply (max.) 41.1 °C = 106 F | Room Temperature 20.9 °C = 70 F | Fluke t3000FC (calibrated), Voltcraft IR-900
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 37 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 30.8 °C / 87 F for the devices in the class Subnotebook.(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.1 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 35.9 °C / 97 F, ranging from 21.4 to 59 °C for the class Subnotebook.(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 43.1 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 39.3 °C / 103 F(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.7 °C / 75 F, compared to the device average of 30.8 °C / 87 F.(±) 3: The average temperature for the upper side is 36.6 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 30.8 °C / 87 F for the class Subnotebook.(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (33.3 °C / 91.9 F) and are therefore not hot. (-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.2 °C / 82.8 F (-5.1 °C / -9.1 F).
Apple MacBook Air 15 M5 M5 10-Core GPU, M5 10-Core, Apple SSD AP2048Z; Cinebench R23 Multi + 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test CPU Power: Ø5.13 (4.424-12.356)
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 M4 10-Core GPU, M4 10-Core, Apple SSD AP1024Z; Cinebench R23 Multi + 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test CPU Power: Ø4 (3.391-14.396)
