Apple's updated MacBook Air features the M5 chip, 10 cores, ray tracing, up to 4 TB storage, Wi-Fi 7, and starts at $1,099. Pre-orders from March 4.
© Apple
Apple has unveiled the updated MacBook Air, featuring the new M5 chip and several hardware improvements. The company positions this release as an evolution of its most popular laptop model. The device will be available in 13-inch and 15-inch versions, with pre-orders starting on March 4 and sales beginning on March 11.
The M5 chip boasts 10 cores, hardware-accelerated ray tracing graphics, and an upgraded neural engine for AI tasks. According to Apple, AI performance has seen a significant boost compared to previous-generation M1 and M4 models. The laptop also features faster unified memory with a bandwidth of 153 GB/s.
The base configuration now includes 512 GB of storage, up from 256 GB. Additionally, it uses a speedier SSD, and for the first time in a MacBook Air, maximum storage reaches 4 TB. Other updates include support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, thanks to the new Apple N1 wireless chip.
The laptop retains its thin, fanless aluminum chassis, a Liquid Retina display with up to 500 nits of brightness, a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, and battery life of up to 18 hours. It also features two Thunderbolt 4 ports capable of connecting two external displays and MagSafe magnetic charging. In the U.S., pricing starts at $1,099 for the 13-inch model and $1,299 for the 15-inch version.