Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) vs MacBook Air 15 (M5)

What published reviews say about each, where the two differ, and who each one suits.

Summed up from 9 published reviews

Apple

MacBook Air 13 (M5)

The M5 MacBook Air 13 delivers strong performance, exceptional battery life, and a premium portable design, but lacks a high-refresh display and has limited ports.

Best for: Everyday productivity, creative tasks, and portable macOS use
Skip it if: Need high-refresh screen, many ports, or sustained heavy loads

PriceToday's price on AmazonView on Amazon

What reviewers say about the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5)

Apple

The MacBook Air 15 (M5) delivers fast storage, long battery life, and strong everyday performance in a silent, portable design, but its 60Hz display, limited ports, non-upgradable memory, and higher price may deter some buyers.

Best for: Students and general users needing portable all-day performance
Skip it if: You need high-refresh display, upgradeable storage, or sustained heavy workloads

PriceToday's price on AmazonView on Amazon

What reviewers say about the Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5)

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Specs side by side

Spec	Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5)	Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5)
Screen	13.6″	15.3″
Memory	16 GB	16 GB
Storage	512 GB	512 GB
System	macOS	macOS
Processor	Apple M5	Apple M5
Graphics	Integrated	Integrated
OLED	No	No
Touchscreen	No	No
2-in-1	No	No

Rows where the two differ come first.

Where only one fits

screen size: MacBook Air 13 (M5)13″ to 14″; MacBook Air 15 (M5)15″ to 16″

What reviewers like, and what they don't

Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5)

Strong overall performance with M5 chip 1 2 3 4
Excellent battery life lasting 14-18 hours 1 2 3 4
Comfortable keyboard and responsive trackpad 1 2 3
Lightweight portable design at 1.23 kg 1 2
Silent fanless operation for quiet use 1 3 4
No high-refresh-rate display (60Hz only) 2 3 4
Higher price than previous generations 1 2 3
Limited ports with only USB-C 2 3
Thermal throttling under sustained heavy loads 1 3

Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5)

Fast SSD storage speeds double previous generation 1 3 5
Excellent battery life lasting over 16 hours 1 2 3 4
Strong everyday performance for multitasking and creative tasks 1 2 3 4
Bright color-accurate display with high brightness 1 5
Silent fanless operation with premium build quality 2 4 5
Display limited to 60Hz refresh rate 2 3 4 5
Only two USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, no HDMI/SD 2 3 5
RAM and SSD not upgradeable after purchase 2 3 5
Higher starting price than previous generation 1 3 4

Ranked in our guides

Guide	MacBook Air 13 (M5)	MacBook Air 15 (M5)
Best laptops for video editing	#7	#4

Sources

We don't test products ourselves. This page sums up 9 published reviews, read on October 24, 2026; each point above links to the reviews that make it.