Apple released new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models this week with the M5 chip, and the story isn't particularly exciting: they're faster, they cost more, and they look exactly the same as what came before. That's fine. It's exactly what we should expect from Apple at this point in the chip cycle.
The MacBook Air M5 achieved a multi-core CPU performance score of 17,073, compared to 14,731 on the M4 model, making the new model up to 15% faster than the previous generation. For the higher-end MacBook Pro models, the M5 Max achieved a multi-core CPU performance score of 29,233, making it up to 14-15% faster than the M4 Max chip. GPU performance is where things get more interesting. Real-world gaming tests showed the M5 MacBook Pro maintained approximately 100 fps, a 50% improvement over the M4's 70 fps. For general users grinding through email and documents, those gains will be invisible. For creators doing video work or 3D rendering, they matter.
Here's the practical problem Apple faces: the company's chips have become so fast that each generation needs to justify itself with real-world benefits, not just benchmark numbers. Reviewers note they couldn't tell the M5 and M4 apart visually, and while the M5 offers CPU/GPU performance boost along with extra storage and faster file transfer speeds, they questioned whether the extra $100 was justified. For everyday productivity, users likely won't notice a difference, but for pro-level workloads, the M5 chip inside the Air won't quite match the sustained performance of the Pro.
Where the real upgrades hide
The improvements that matter most aren't in the processor itself. Apple doubled the starting storage to 512GB and made it faster, with the new SSD delivering 2x faster read/write performance compared to the previous generation. This is substantial if you actually work with files. The M5's write speed is 97 percent faster than the M4 and the read speed is 131 percent faster, representing a big gain for video editors or data-heavy workflows. Apple claims the M5 MacBook Air offers up to 18 hours of battery life, matching the M4's endurance.
The M5 also brings Apple's N1 wireless chip, which delivers Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 for seamless connectivity, a generational step up from the M4's wireless solution. It's the kind of incremental improvement that accumulates—faster storage, better connectivity, marginally better performance—without any single component feeling revolutionary.
The upgrade calculus
Let's be honest: this is not a compelling upgrade for M4 owners. It's not worth jumping to the MacBook Air M5 if you've got the M4 unit already, but if you're working with an older model, then it may be worth the switch, especially if you're a professional. For M2 or M3 Max MacBook Pro users, the M5 is definitely worth consideration. If your machine is three or four years old, you'll notice the jump. If it's from last year, you won't.
Apple is clearly thinking about the upgrade cycle differently now. Apple has set the price of the 13-inch MacBook Air M5 at $1,099, a $100 increase over the M4's launch price, but is keeping the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 in the lineup for $999, making the M4 the effective entry-level standard while the M5 takes over as the premium choice. This strategy allows budget-conscious buyers to stay in the ecosystem without feeling forced to overspend, while professionals get the latest silicon if they need it.
The broader context matters here. Chip performance has plateaued at the point where everyday users don't need more speed. A 2021 M1 MacBook Air still runs everything most people throw at it without breaking a sweat. Apple knows this. The company is making these incremental updates to give early adopters and power users reasons to refresh, while quietly telling everyone else that their three-year-old machine is still plenty fast.
That's a mature position, and it's refreshing. Not every product needs to be revolutionary. Sometimes it's okay for a computer to just be a bit faster, a bit more efficient, and cost a bit more. The question isn't whether the M5 is good. It's whether you actually need it.