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MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) vs MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)

MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)1MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Air M5 against MacBook Air
FigureMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Price£1,2993Apple UK store£9494launch price
ChipM5chipCore i51.8GHz dual-core Intel
CPU10-coreCPU2-coreCPU
GPU8-coreGPUNot available5GPU
Memory16GBunified memory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage512GBstorage, base128GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to18 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to12 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released11 March 20266ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 4 March 2026.7 June 20177ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 5 June 2017.
Security updatesNot available8Security updates16 September 20249Security updates ended
Price
The MacBook Air M5 is £1,299 on Apple’s UK store; the MacBook Air is £949 at launch, per Apple UK Store (archived 27 June 2017).

True to scale

MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) · 304.1 × 215 mm footprintMacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) · 325 × 227 mm footprint

Footprints from above, from Apple’s published dimensions, drawn to one scale and superposed. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Dimensions11.3 x 304.1 x 215 mm3–17 x 325 x 227 mm
Weight1.23 kg1.35 kg
ColoursSky Blue, Silver, Starlight, MidnightSilver
PortsTwo Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5mm headphone jackTwo USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps), Thunderbolt 2 port (up to 20 Gbps), MagSafe 2 power port, SDXC card slot, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports1021
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 4Thunderbolt 2
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.112
HDMINo HDMI port.12No HDMI port.13
SD card slotNo SD card slot.12Yes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeYesYes
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch IDFull-size backlit keyboard
Touch IDYesNo Touch ID.13

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Display size13.6 in13.3 in
Resolution2560 x 16641440 x 900
Pixel density224 ppiNot available5
Display typeLiquid Retina displayLED-backlit glossy widescreen display
Brightness500 nitsNot available5
Wide colour (P3)YesNot available5
Nano-texture optionNo nano-texture display option.12Not available5

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
ChipApple M5 chip1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconYesIntel processor, not Apple silicon.14
CPU cores102
Super cores415Not available16
Efficiency cores615Not available16
GPU cores8Not available5
Graphics8-core GPU, 10-core GPU17Intel HD Graphics 6000
Neural Engine cores16Not available18
Chip optionsM5 with 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU or 10-core GPU1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 or 2.2GHz dual-core Intel Core i7
Memory (base)16GB8GB
Memory (maximum)32GB8GB
Memory options16GB, 24GB or 32GB8GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents19No, as Apple documents19
Memory bandwidth153 GB/sNot available20
Storage (base)512GB128GB
Storage (maximum)4TB512GB
Storage options512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB128GB, 256GB or 512GB
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decodeNot available18

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Battery capacity53.8 Wh54 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles211,000 cycles21
Video playback (claimed)2218 h12 h
Wireless web (claimed)15 h12 h
Included power adapterNo power adapter in the box.1245 W
Fast chargingYesNo fast charging.13

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 7 (802.11be)802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth64.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.12No Ethernet port.13
External displays (base)21

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Camera12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View720p FaceTime HD camera
Camera resolution12 MPNot available23
SpeakersFour-speaker sound systemStereo speakers
MicrophonesThree-mic array with directional beamformingDual microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate24macOS Monterey25
Model identifierMac17,326MacBookAir7,225
Model year20262017

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)3,5762781327
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)17,062271,54227

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) - Tech Specs · Default for MacBook Air M5 · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple UK store — 13-inch MacBook Air M5, 10-core CPU, 8-core GPU — From £1,299 · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple UK Store (archived 27 June 2017) — MacBook Air 13-inch, 1.8GHz dual-core Core i5, 8GB, 128GB, £949.00 · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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  5. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac receives major update featuring more powerful graphics, faster processors, Thunderbolt 3 and brighter displays. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  6. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces the new MacBook Air with M5 · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

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  7. Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac receives major update featuring more powerful graphics, faster processors, Thunderbolt 3 and brighter displays · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  8. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  9. endoflife.date — Apple macOS · third-party figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  10. Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Air M5: Thunderbolt 4. MacBook Air: Thunderbolt 2.

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  11. MacBook Air (13-inch, M5): No USB-A ports. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) - Tech Specs. Read 14 Sep 2026

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  12. MacBook Air (13-inch, M5): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No nano-texture display option. No power adapter in the box. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) - Tech Specs. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  13. MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017): No HDMI port. No Touch ID. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  14. MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017): Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  15. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  16. Doesn’t apply: this is an Intel processor, and Apple lists a total core count only

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  17. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) - Tech Specs · Apple’s figure · read 14 Oct 2026

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  18. Doesn’t apply: Apple silicon feature; this Mac has an Intel processor

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  19. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  20. Doesn’t apply: Apple publishes it only for Apple silicon

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  21. Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops · Apple’s figure · read 15 Oct 2026

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  22. Two different Apple tests. MacBook Air M5: Video streaming. MacBook Air: iTunes movie playback.

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  23. Not published by Apple (Apple states resolution: 720p FaceTime HD camera)

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  24. Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  25. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  26. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model · Apple’s figure · read 14 Sep 2026

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  27. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Air M5. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) - Tech Specs; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces the new MacBook Air with M5; Apple Support (UK) — macOS 27 Golden Gate is compatible with these computers, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Air. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart has no Metal score for this Mac (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — iMac receives major update featuring more powerful graphics, faster processors, Thunderbolt 3 and brighter displays, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my MacBook Air M5 (13-inch)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.