Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M5)
Published date: 29/Sept/2026
Published date: 29/Sept/2026
Colour
Currently unavailable
Key Features
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M5)
Key Features
Colour
Currently unavailable
What Customers Say
Reviewers found this 15-inch MacBook Air quick and dependable, handling dozens of browser tabs, video calls and demanding photo and video edits without slowing down, with a clear gain over the previous model in multi-core work and a noticeably faster SSD. The aluminium body is rigid and the lid opens without the base moving, while the roomy keyboard, the large, precise trackpad and the sharp, colour-accurate screen were all praised. One reviewer rated the speakers especially highly, along with a webcam that stays clear in poor light, and both saw battery life that comfortably covered a long working day.
Both reviewers noted that little has changed from the previous generation, with the same design at a higher starting price, and that large, demanding games run poorly.
For anyone who wants a big screen and long battery life in a thin laptop, reviewers see it as a well-rounded choice, while owners of the last model have little reason to upgrade. Reviews cover the model line, and both testers used higher configurations with more storage, which share this model's design, screen and keyboard.
Who Should Buy This
- Students who want a large screen that still lasts a full day of classes,
- Apple users who want macOS alongside an iPhone or an iPad,
- Home workers who want room for two windows side by side on one screen,
- Music and film fans who want rich sound from a thin laptop,
- Travellers who want a big screen in a thin, light aluminium body.
Who Should Skip It
- Gamers who need a dedicated graphics card for demanding titles,
- Anyone who relies on HDMI, SD cards or Ethernet without an adapter,
- Windows users who depend on software that only runs on Windows,
- Commuters who want the smallest, lightest laptop for a small bag.
What Experts Says
Overall Assessment and Positioning
The Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M5) is Apple's large-screen everyday laptop, pairing a 15.3-inch display with a thin aluminium body. It competes with 15- and 16-inch Windows laptops, both x86 and Arm-based, for buyers who want more screen space without moving up to a heavier pro machine.
Key Strengths and Standout Features
The M5 has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine, which gives office work, photo editing and light video work plenty of headroom. This configuration pairs it with 16 GB of unified memory and a 512 GB SSD. The 2880 x 1864 IPS screen reaches 500 nits with P3 colour and True Tone, so text is sharp and colours are rich. Apple quotes up to 18 hours of video streaming from the 66.5 Wh battery, enough for a long working day. At 1.51 kg and 11.5 mm it is slim for its size, and six speakers with Spatial Audio, three microphones and a 12 MP webcam make it well suited to calls and films.
Value Proposition and Who It's Best Suited For
It suits students, home workers and Apple users who want a big screen and long battery life in a laptop that still fits in a backpack. Connections are limited to two Thunderbolt ports, MagSafe and a headphone jack, so HDMI, SD cards and Ethernet need adapters, and no power adapter comes in the box. Gamers and anyone tied to Windows-only software should look elsewhere.
Video Reviews
ChoiceWise Scores: 81 Out Of 100
The ChoiceWise Score is calculated using a defined methodology based on the features and factors that matter most in this category. Read our full scoring methodology: choicewise.app/methodology#score
Frequently Asked Questions
Apple quotes up to 18 hours of video streaming and up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing from the 66.5 Wh battery.
No power adapter comes in the box, only a 2 m USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable. It charges over USB-C or MagSafe 3, and Apple lists a 35 W adapter, sold separately.
This configuration has the M5 chip with a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, 16 GB of unified memory and a 512 GB SSD. It is also sold with 16 GB and 1 TB, or 24 GB and 1 TB.
It has two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, a MagSafe 3 charging port and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. There is no HDMI port, card reader or Ethernet port.
Yes. It supports up to two external displays.
It weighs 1.51 kg and is 11.5 mm thick, measuring 340.4 x 237.6 mm.
Yes. The backlit keyboard includes Touch ID.
Apple states a 1 year guarantee.
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ChoiceWise does not perform hands-on product testing for this page. The expert opinion and recommendations are based on third-party reviews and sources, which we analyze and summarize using our editorial process.
ChoiceWise does not perform hands-on product testing for this page. The expert opinion and recommendations are based on third-party reviews and sources, which we analyze and summarize using our editorial process.