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MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) vs MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)

MacBook Air (13-inch, M5)1MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Air M5 against MacBook Air
FigureMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Price£1,2993Apple UK store£9994launch price
ChipM5chipCore i31.1GHz dual-core Intel
CPU10-coreCPU2-coreCPU
GPU8-coreGPUNot available5GPU
Memory16GBunified memory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage512GBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to18 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to12 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released11 March 20266ReleasedIn Apple Stores; pre-order from 4 March 2026.18 March 20207Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updatesNot available8Security updatesNot available8Security updates
Price
The MacBook Air M5 is £1,299 on Apple’s UK store; the MacBook Air is £999 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) · 304.1 × 215 mm footprintMacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) · 304.1 × 212.4 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 (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Dimensions11.3 x 304.1 x 215 mm4.1–16.1 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm
Weight1.23 kg1.29 kg
ColoursSky Blue, Silver, Starlight, MidnightGold, Space Gray, Silver
PortsTwo Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports922
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 4Thunderbolt 3
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.10No USB-A ports.11
HDMINo HDMI port.12No HDMI port.13
SD card slotNo SD card slot.12No SD card slot.13
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeYesNo MagSafe port.13
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch IDBacklit Magic Keyboard
Touch IDYesYes

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Display size13.6 in13.3 in
Resolution2560 x 16642560 x 1600
Pixel density224 ppi227 ppi
Display typeLiquid Retina displayRetina 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 (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
ChipApple M5 chip1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i3
Apple siliconYesIntel processor, not Apple silicon.11
CPU cores102
Super cores414Not available15
Efficiency cores614Not available15
GPU cores8Not available5
Graphics8-core GPU, 10-core GPU16Intel Iris Plus Graphics
Neural Engine cores16Not available17
Chip optionsM5 with 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU or 10-core GPU1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i3; 1.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5; 1.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Memory (base)16GB8GB
Memory (maximum)32GB16GB
Memory options16GB, 24GB or 32GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents18No, as Apple documents18
Memory bandwidth153 GB/sNot available19
Storage (base)512GB256GB
Storage (maximum)4TB2TB
Storage options512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAWvideo decode enginevideo encode engineProRes encode and decode engineAV1 decodeNot available17

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Battery capacity53.8 Wh49.9 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles201,000 cycles20
Video playback (claimed)2118 h12 h
Wireless web (claimed)15 h11 h
Included power adapterNo power adapter in the box.1230 W
Fast chargingYesNo fast charging.13

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Wi-FiWi‑Fi 7 (802.11be)802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth65.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.12No Ethernet port.13
External displays (base)22

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Camera12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View720p FaceTime HD camera
Camera resolution12 MPNot available22
SpeakersFour-speaker sound systemStereo speakers
MicrophonesThree-mic array with directional beamformingThree-mic array with directional beamforming

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Shipped withNot available23macOS Catalina24
Newest macOSmacOS 27 Golden Gate25macOS Sequoia26
Model identifierMac17,327MacBookAir9,126
Model year20262020

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
SpecificationMacBook Air M51MacBook Air2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)3,5762897228
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)17,062281,64728

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 (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) - 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 Newsroom (UK) — New MacBook Air has more to love and is now just £999 · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — New MacBook Air has more to love and is now just £999. 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) — New MacBook Air has more to love and is now just £999 · Apple’s figure · read 22 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. Different Thunderbolt generations. MacBook Air M5: Thunderbolt 4. MacBook Air: Thunderbolt 3.

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  10. 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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  11. MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020): No USB-A ports. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 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 (Retina, 13-inch, 2020): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No MagSafe port. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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  21. Two different Apple tests. MacBook Air M5: Video streaming. MacBook Air: Apple TV app movie playback.

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

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  23. Not published by Apple. 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

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  24. Apple Newsroom (UK) — New MacBook Air has more to love and is now just £999 · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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

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

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

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  28. 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. 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. 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 (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — New MacBook Air has more to love and is now just £999, 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 (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)?

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