2026 MacBook Air arrives with M5 chip, 512GB base storage
What's the story
Apple has launched a refreshed version of its popular laptop, the MacBook Air, now powered by the new M5 chip. The latest model promises faster performance, improved AI capabilities, and more storage as standard. The main upgrade is the new processor with a 10-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU. Each GPU core now comes with a Neural Accelerator for enhanced AI performance.
Performance
AI tasks can be performed up to 4 times faster
Apple claims that the new MacBook Air can perform AI tasks up to four times faster than the M4 model and up to 9.5 times faster than the M1 version. The company is marketing this machine as a more powerful option for creative workloads and on-device large language models in enterprise environments. The graphics performance has also been improved, with enhanced shader cores and a third-generation ray-tracing engine.
Upgrade
Unified memory bandwidth has been increased to 153GB/s
The 2026 MacBook Air promises up to 6.5 times better 3D rendering performance than M1 models, along with improvements in AI video enhancement and image processing apps. The unified memory bandwidth has been increased to 153GB/s, a 28% increase over the M4 model. One of the most practical upgrades is the storage capacity; the base model now comes with a whopping 512GB of storage, double what was offered previously.
Connectivity
The laptop retains its thin, fanless aluminum chassis
The MacBook Air also features Apple's N1 wireless chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support. The laptop retains its two Thunderbolt 4 ports, MagSafe charging, and also support for up to two external displays. Despite the upgrades, Apple has kept the thin, fanless aluminum chassis of the MacBook Air in both 13-inch and 15-inch sizes.
Battery performance
It promises up to 18 hours of battery life
The latest MacBook Air promises up to 18 hours of battery life, which is six hours longer than Intel-based MacBook Air models. It also comes with a 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View support, a three-microphone array, and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. The pre-orders for the new model start from March 4 while the availability starts from March 11. MacBook Air starts at ₹1,19,900 for the 13-inch version, whereas the 15-inch variant starts at ₹1,44,900.