Powered by the new M5 chip, Apple’s latest MacBook Airs are more powerful than ever with double the base storage (512GB), but they also cost $100 more than their predecessor. Fortunately, though, we’ve found a few ways to save. Best Buy is offering the new 13-inch M5-powered MacBook Air for $1,099 with a $50 gift card and the 15-inch for $1,299 with the same perk ahead of their March 11th release date. That said, if you’d rather spend less and don’t mind buying last year’s model, Amazon’s also selling the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM for an all-time low of $1,099, matching the price of the new 13-inch Air.
Before Apple announced the new MacBook Air on Tuesday, the M4-powered MacBook Air was the model we recommended for most people. Even with the introduction of the cheaper MacBook Neo, the Air is still the better choice if you want more power. We haven’t tested the new M5 version yet, but the changes between the two Air models appear relatively minor on paper, so the overall experience is likely to feel very similar. No matter which MacBook Air you choose, you’ll get a thin, lightweight laptop that’s more than powerful enough to handle everyday work and play, and even some light gaming or video editing. Both also offer excellent battery life that should easily last well over a full workday, along with a 12-megapixel Center Stage webcam.
Aside from the newer chip, the biggest differences between the M4 and M5 models largely come down to connectivity. The newer models support faster wireless standards like Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Both M4 and M5-powered 15-inch models also feature a larger display and a six-speaker sound system instead of the four-speaker setup on the 13-inch Air.
