Apple has introduced the new MacBook Air with the M5 SoC, an expected refresh for the month of March. This new model brings several improvements compared to the previous generation.
The main and most important upgrade is the new chip. The 2026 MacBook Air features Apple’s M5 SoC, built on TSMC’s 3 nm process. It comes with a GPU of up to 10 cores. The number of active GPU cores depends on the version. The base model includes 8 active GPU cores, while the higher-end version offers all 10 cores. The CPU does not change between versions, as the M5 only comes with a 10-core configuration.
More Storage and Better Base Configuration
The new MacBook Air now starts with 16 GB of unified memory and a 512 GB SSD. This doubles the base storage from 256 GB to 512 GB. This is an important change, as the previous MacBook Air with the M4 chip could run out of storage quickly in its base configuration.
The laptop also includes Apple’s new N1 chip. It features a Liquid Retina display with 500 nits of brightness and promises up to 18 hours of battery life.
The MacBook Air is available in 13-inch and 15-inch versions. The 13-inch model starts at 1,099 dollars, while the 15-inch model starts at 1,299 dollars.
