MacBook Air (Apple silicon)
2020–present laptops by Apple
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The MacBook Air is a line of Mac laptops made by Apple. In 2020, Apple stopped using Intel processors in the Air and switched to using their own Apple silicon M-series chips. In the current product line, the MacBook Air is Apple's mid-level laptop, situated above the MacBook Neo and below the MacBook Pro. It is currently sold with 13-inch and 15-inch screens.[3]
 | |
| Developer | Apple |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Foxconn[1] Pegatron[2] |
| Product family | MacBook |
| Type | Subnotebook |
| Released | November 17, 2020 |
| Operating system | macOS |
| System on a chip | Apple M series |
| Memory | 8–32 GB unified memory (on-package LPDDR4X, LPDDR5, LPDDR5X) |
| Storage | Soldered solid-state drive: 256 GB – 2 TB storage |
| Display | Previous: Retina Display (13.3") Current: Liquid Retina Display (13.6" and 15.3") |
| Graphics | Apple-designed integrated graphics |
| Camera | FaceTime 720p or 1080p |
| Touchpad | Force touch trackpad |
| Power | Up to 66.5 Wh battery and 70 W GaN power adapter |
| Online services | Optional on online configurations: Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro |
| Marketing target | Consumer use, lightweight use |
| Backward compatibility | Supports x86 software with Rosetta 2 |
| Predecessor | MacBook Air (Intel-based) 12-inch MacBook (indirect, fanless) |
| Related | |
| Website | apple |
Apple released the MacBook Air with the Apple M1 system on a chip in November 2020. A redesigned model based on the Apple M2 chip was released in July 2022, and the first 15-inch MacBook Air was released in June 2023.[4] In March 2024, Apple introduced M3 chip-equipped MacBook Airs in both their 13- and 15-inch sizes.[5]
M1 (2020)
On November 10, 2020, Apple announced an updated MacBook Air with an Apple-designed M1 system-on-a-chip (SoC), launched alongside an updated Mac Mini and 13-inch MacBook Pro as the first Macs with Apple's new line of custom ARM-based Apple silicon processors.[6] Apple released the device a week later, on November 17.
The computer uses a fanless design[7] and adds support for Wi-Fi 6, Thunderbolt 3/USB4 and Wide color (P3).[8] The M1 MacBook Air can only run one external display, compared to the previous Intel-based model which was capable of running two 4K displays.[9] The FaceTime camera remains 720p, drawing some criticism, but Apple advertises an improved image signal processor for higher quality video.[10] On March 4, 2024, the M1 MacBook Air was discontinued, with the M2 MacBook Air 13-inch replacing the M1 MacBook Air in the lineup.[11]
On March 15, 2024, Walmart announced they would continue to sell the 256 GB M1 MacBook Air under a partnership with Apple despite Apple's retail store discontinuation.[12]
Reception
The M1 MacBook Air received positive reviews, with much of the praise going to the capabilities of the M1 chip.
In his review for Engadget, Devindra Hardawar gave the MacBook Air a score of 94/100, praising the performance as "shockingly responsive" and highlighting the lack of fan noise and "excellent" keyboard and trackpad as among some of the pros. Other than that, he only lightly touched on the notebook's design and feel, citing the fact that it had not changed much since the early 2020 MacBook Air. He did, however, praise the case as feeling "sturdy as ever".[13]
Writing for Wired, Julian Chokkattu bemoaned the fact that the Air only came with 2 USB-C ports, but praised the keyboard and battery life. He also lauded the fanless design, saying it was something he found himself "appreciating over and over again".[14]
The M1 MacBook Air has suffered some problems during its lifetime. Some users reported alarmingly high solid-state drive usage and wear, which drew a lot of attention, as if the drive failed, it could not be replaced by the user. Some USB-C docks also caused Apple Silicon MacBooks to stop working.[15]
During tests, the battery life of the MacBook Air was many hours short of Apple's claims, leading to some questioning the veracity of the claims. However, when the same tests were repeated with a lower brightness setting, the MacBook exceeded Apple's claims. During initial testing, the battery performance of the MacBook was so phenomenal that Apple initially presumed the slow change of the battery meter to be a bug.[16]
Technical specifications
| Discontinued | Current |
| Model | 13-inch, M1, 2020 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Info | Hardware Strings | MacBookAir10,1 | ||||
| Model number | A2337 | |||||
| Part number | MGN63, MGN93, MGND3 | MGN73, MGNA3, MGNE3 | ||||
| Date | Announced | November 10, 2020 | ||||
| Released | November 17, 2020 | |||||
| Discontinued | March 4, 2024 | June 6, 2022 | ||||
| Unsupported | Supported | |||||
| Operating System | Initial | macOS Big Sur 11.0 | ||||
| Latest | macOS Tahoe 26.3.2 (a) | |||||
| MSRP(USD) | $999 | $1249 | ||||
| Colors | ||||||
| Dimensions | Height | 0.16 in (0.41 cm) to 0.63 in (1.6 cm) | ||||
| Width | 11.97 in (30.4 cm) | |||||
| Depth | 8.36 in (21.2 cm) | |||||
| Weight | 2.8 lb (1.27 kg) | |||||
| Secure Authentication | Touch ID | Yes | ||||
| Display | Size | Diagonal | 13.3 in (340 mm) | |||
| Vertical-by-Horizontal | 11.28 by 7.05 in (287 by 179 mm) | |||||
| Resolution | Vertical-by-Horizontal | 2560 × 1600 | ||||
| Density | 227 ppi | |||||
| Aspect Ratio | 16:10 | |||||
| Supported scaled resolutions |
| |||||
| Technology | Retina Display with IPS technology | |||||
| Backlight | LED-backlit | |||||
| Nano-texture configuration | No | |||||
| Refresh Rate | Minimum | 60 Hz | ||||
| Maximum | 60 Hz | |||||
| ProMotion Display | No | |||||
| Supported Fixed Refresh Rate | N/a | |||||
| Brightness and Contrast | SDR Max brightness | 400 nits | ||||
| XDR Max brightness | N/a | |||||
| Contrast ratio (typical) | 1,400:1 | |||||
| Color | Full sRGB | Yes | ||||
| Wide Color (P3) | Yes | |||||
| Color Depth | 8-bit (native) with millions of colors | |||||
| True Tone | Yes | |||||
| Night Shift | Yes | |||||
| Performance | Cooling System | Aluminum heat dissipator attached on processor, no fan included | ||||
| Chip | Chip Name | Apple M1 | ||||
| Technology Node | 5 nm (N5) | |||||
| Bit | 64-bit | |||||
| Total CPU Cores | 8 | |||||
| High-performance Cores | 4 × 3.20 GHz | |||||
| Energy-efficiency Cores | 4 × 2.06 GHz | |||||
| Online Configuration | N/a | |||||
| Graphics Processor | Apple G13G | |||||
| Total GPU Cores | 7 | 8 | ||||
| GPU Family | Apple GPU Family 7 | |||||
| Hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing | No | |||||
| Neural Accelerators in GPU | No | |||||
| Metal Support | Metal 4 | |||||
| Online Configuration | N/a | |||||
| Neural Engine | 16-core (11 TOPS FP16) | |||||
| Media Engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC | |||||
| Apple Intelligence | Yes (currently not available in China mainland) | |||||
| Unified Memory | Memory Type | LPDDR4X-4266 (2133 MHz) | ||||
| Memory Bus Width | 128-bit | |||||
| Memory Bandwidth | 68.3 GB/s | |||||
| Memory Size | 8 GB | |||||
| Online Configuration | 16 GB | |||||
| Storage | Storage Type | PCIe 4.0-based SSD | ||||
| Storage Speed | Up to 3.3 GB/s read speed | |||||
| Storage Size | 256 GB | 512 GB | ||||
| Online Configuration | 512 GB 1 TB 2 TB |
1 TB 2 TB | ||||
| Connector | HDMI | N/a | ||||
| SDXC card slot | N/a | |||||
| USB-C/Thunderbolt | Two Thunderbolt/USB4 USB-C ports supporting charging and DisplayPort protocols among others | |||||
| Transmission Speed | Up to 40 Gbit/s transmission speed (Thunderbolt 3 or USB4) | |||||
| External Display Support[17] [note 1] | Maximum display | 1 | ||||
| One external display |
| |||||
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) | ||||
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 | |||||
| Keyboard and Trackpad | Type | Backlit Magic Keyboard with (scissor-switch) mechanism and ambient light sensor | ||||
| Number of keys | 65 (U.S.) or 66 (ISO) | |||||
| Arrow keys | 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement | |||||
| Function keys | Yes | |||||
| Touch Bar | No | |||||
| Trackpad | Force Touch trackpad | |||||
| Camera | Resolution | 720p FaceTime HD | ||||
| Advanced image signal processor with computational video | Yes | |||||
| Center Stage and Desk View | No | |||||
| Audio | Speakers | Stereo speakers | ||||
| Force-cancelling woofers | No | |||||
| Wide stereo sound | Yes | |||||
| Dolby Atmos playback | Yes | |||||
| Dolby Atmos with built-in speakers | Yes | |||||
| Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking | Yes | |||||
| Microphone | Three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming | |||||
| 3.5 mm jack | Yes | |||||
| Audio output from HDMI | Yes | |||||
| Power | Battery | 11.4 V 49.9 W·h (4,379 mA·h)[18] | ||||
| Power adapter | 30 W USB-C | |||||
| Optional Configuration | N/a | |||||
| Charging method | USB-C ports | |||||
| Fast Charge Capability | N/a | |||||
M2 and later (2022–present)
On June 6, 2022, at WWDC 2022, Apple announced an updated MacBook Air based on the M2 system on a chip.[19] It incorporates several design elements from the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro models, such as a flat, slab-shaped design, full-sized function keys, and a Liquid Retina display with rounded corners and a notch for a 1080p webcam. It includes two combination Thunderbolt 3 / USB4 ports and adds MagSafe charging.[20] Along with retaining the Space Gray and Silver color options, the Gold color option has been discontinued and replaced by Starlight (a color mixture between natural silver and champagne gold) in addition to a new Midnight color option (a color mixture between dark blue and dark gray).
The 13-inch M2 MacBook Air started shipping on July 15, 2022. A 15-inch version was announced at Apple's WWDC event on June 5, 2023. Apart from the larger screen, the hardware specs are mostly identical to the other M2 Air models. Preorders for the new model began on June 6, 2023, with deliveries and retail availability beginning the following week on June 12. On the same date, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air received a price cut from $1199 to $1099.[21]
On March 4, 2024, Apple announced a refreshed M3 MacBook Air in both 13-inch and 15-inch sizes. This model retains the same design as the M2 MacBook Air, but adds support for two external displays when the lid is closed. On the same date, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air received a price cut from $1099 to $999 and the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air was discontinued.[22]
A new M4 MacBook Air was announced by Apple on March 5, 2025. The starting price for both sizes were dropped by $100, with the 13-inch model starting at $999 and $1199 for the 15-inch model. It supports three displays (2 external and the built-in screen) and raises the base memory configuration to 16GB. The webcam was upgraded to the same 12MP Center Stage camera present in the M4 MacBook Pro, and the Space Gray color option was replaced by a new Sky Blue color. Both the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air and all M3 MacBook Air models were discontinued following the announcement.[23]
Reception
The M2 MacBook Air was generally well received. Several reviewers praised the new design, as well as the improved display, performance, and webcam.[24] Dan Seifert of The Verge described it as "a success on virtually every level".[25] The price increase over the M1 model was noted, with most concluding that the M1 model was a better value.
Due to a lack of active cooling, the M2 can overheat on high workloads, leading to thermal throttling issues.[26]
In the 256 GB model of the M2 MacBook Air, there was only one NAND chip present. This resulted in a slower SSD, with read speeds 40 to 50% slower and write speeds 15 to 30% slower than the 256 GB M1 model.[27]
The M4 MacBook Air was positively received by critics, with Brenda Stolyar of Wired praising its great performance, bright display, updated webcam, long battery life, and double the base memory.[28] Mark Spoonauer of Tom's Guide called it "the best MacBook for most people and for me the top laptop for most people, period.[29]
Technical specifications
| Discontinued | Current |
M2 models
| Model | 13-inch, M2, 2022 | 15-inch, M2, 2023 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Info | Hardware Strings | Mac14,2 | Mac14,15 | ||||
| Model number | A2681 | A2941 | |||||
| Part number | MLY33, MLY13, MLXW3, MLXY3 | MC7X4, MC7W4, MC7U4, MC7V4 | MLY43, MLY23, MLXX3, MLY03 | MQKW3, MQKU3, MQKP3, MQKR3 | MQKX3, MQKV3, MQKQ3, MQKT3 | ||
| Date | Announced | June 6, 2022 | October 30, 2024 | June 6, 2022 | June 5, 2023 | ||
| Released | July 15, 2022 | November 8, 2024 | July 15, 2022 | June 13, 2023 | |||
| Discontinued | October 30, 2024 | March 5, 2025 | October 30, 2024 | March 4, 2024 | |||
| Unsupported | Supported | ||||||
| Operating System | Initial | macOS Monterey 12.4 | macOS Ventura 13.3 | ||||
| Latest | macOS Tahoe 26.3.2 (a) | ||||||
| MSRP (USD) | $999 [note 2] | $999 | $1199 [note 3] | $1299 | $1499 | ||
| Colors | |||||||
| Dimensions | Height | 0.44 in (1.1 cm) | 0.45 in (1.1 cm) | ||||
| Width | 11.97 in (30.4 cm) | 13.40 in (34.0 cm) | |||||
| Depth | 8.46 in (21.5 cm) | 9.35 in (23.7 cm) | |||||
| Weight | 2.7 lb (1.22 kg) | 3.3 lb (1.50 kg) | |||||
| Secure Authentication | Touch ID | Yes | |||||
| Display | Size | Diagonal | 13.6 in (350 mm) | 15.3 in (390 mm) | |||
| Vertical-by-Horizontal | 11.52 by 7.49 in (293 by 190 mm) | 12.94 by 8.38 in (329 by 213 mm) | |||||
| Resolution | Vertical-by-Horizontal | 2560 × 1664 | 2880 × 1864 | ||||
| Density | 224 ppi | ||||||
| Aspect Ratio | 9:5.85 16:10 without notch |
9:5.825 16:10 without notch | |||||
| Supported scaled resolutions |
|
| |||||
| Technology | Liquid Retina Display with IPS technology | ||||||
| Backlight | LED-backlit | ||||||
| Nano-texture configuration | No | ||||||
| Refresh Rate | Minimum | 60 Hz | |||||
| Maximum | 60 Hz | ||||||
| ProMotion Display | No | ||||||
| Supported Fixed Refresh Rate | N/a | ||||||
| Brightness and Contrast | SDR Max brightness | 500 nits | |||||
| XDR Max brightness | N/a | ||||||
| Contrast ratio (typical) | 1,400:1 | ||||||
| Color | Full sRGB | Yes | |||||
| Wide Color (P3) | Yes | ||||||
| Color Depth | 10-bit (FRC) with 1 billion colors | ||||||
| True Tone | Yes | ||||||
| Night Shift | Yes | ||||||
| Performance | Cooling System | Aluminum heat dissipator attached on processor, no fan included | |||||
| Chip | Chip Name | Apple M2 | |||||
| Technology Node | 5 nm (N5P) | ||||||
| Bit | 64-bit | ||||||
| Total CPU Cores | 8 | ||||||
| High-performance Cores | 4 × 3.49 GHz | ||||||
| Energy-efficiency Cores | 4 × 2.42 GHz | ||||||
| Online Configuration | N/a | ||||||
| Graphics Processor | Apple G14G | ||||||
| Total GPU Cores | 8 | 10 | |||||
| GPU Family | Apple GPU Family 8 | ||||||
| Hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing | No | ||||||
| Neural Accelerators in GPU | No | ||||||
| Metal Support | Metal 4 | ||||||
| Online Configuration | 10-core GPU | N/a | |||||
| Neural Engine | 16-core (15.8 TOPS FP16) | ||||||
| Media Engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW | ||||||
| Apple Intelligence | Yes (currently not available in China mainland) | ||||||
| Unified Memory | Memory Type | LPDDR5-6400 (3200 MHz) | |||||
| Memory Bus Width | 128-bit | ||||||
| Memory Bandwidth | 102.4 GB/s | ||||||
| Memory Size | 8 GB | 16 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB | |||
| Online Configuration | 16 GB 24 GB |
24 GB | 16 GB 24 GB |
16 GB 24 GB | |||
| Storage | Storage Type | PCIe 4.0-based SSD | |||||
| Storage Speed | Up to 3.3 GB/s read speed | ||||||
| Storage Size | 256 GB | 512 GB | 256 GB | 512 GB | |||
| Online Configuration | 512 GB 1 TB 2 TB |
1 TB 2 TB |
512 GB 1 TB 2 TB |
1 TB 2 TB | |||
| Connector | HDMI | N/a | |||||
| SDXC card slot | N/a | ||||||
| USB-C/Thunderbolt | Two Thunderbolt 3/USB4 USB-C ports supporting charging and DisplayPort protocols among others | ||||||
| Transmission Speed | Up to 40 Gbit/s transmission speed (Thunderbolt 3 or USB4) | ||||||
| External Display Support[17] [note 4] | Maximum display | 1 | |||||
| One external display |
| ||||||
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) | |||||
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 | ||||||
| Keyboard and Trackpad | Type | Backlit Magic Keyboard with (scissor-switch) mechanism and ambient light sensor | |||||
| Number of keys | 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) | ||||||
| Arrow keys | 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement | ||||||
| Function keys | With full-height | ||||||
| Touch Bar | No | ||||||
| Trackpad | Force Touch trackpad | ||||||
| Camera | Resolution | 1080p FaceTime HD | |||||
| Advanced image signal processor with computational video | Yes | ||||||
| Center Stage and Desk View | No | ||||||
| Audio | Speakers | Four-speakers | Six-speakers | ||||
| Force-cancelling woofers | No | Yes | |||||
| Wide stereo sound | Yes | ||||||
| Dolby Atmos playback | Yes | ||||||
| Dolby Atmos with built-in speakers | Yes | ||||||
| Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking | Yes | ||||||
| Microphone | Three-mic array with directional beamforming | ||||||
| 3.5 mm jack | With advanced support for high-impedance headphones | ||||||
| Audio output from HDMI | No | ||||||
| Power | Battery | 52.6 W·h | 66.5 W·h | ||||
| Power adapter | 30 W USB-C | 35 W Dual USB-C | |||||
| Optional Configuration | 35 W Dual USB-C 70 W USB-C |
70 W USB-C | |||||
| Charging method | MagSafe 3 or USB-C ports | ||||||
| Fast Charge Capability | 70 W USB-C through MagSafe 3 or USB-C ports | ||||||
M3 models
| Model | 13-inch, M3, 2024 | 15-inch, M3, 2024 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Info | Hardware Strings | Mac15,12 | Mac15,13 | |||||||||||||
| Model number | A3113 | A3114 | ||||||||||||||
| Part number | MRXV3, MRXT3, MRXN3, MRXQ3 | MC8K4, MC8J4, MC8G4, MC8H4 | MRXW3, MRXU3, MRXP3, MRXR3 | MXCV3, MXCU3, MXCR3, MXCT3 | MC8Q4, MC8P4, MC8M4, MC8N4 | MRYU3, MRYR3, MRYM3, MRYP3 | MC9G4, MC9F4, MC9D4, MC9E4 | MRYV3, MRYT3, MRYN3, MRYQ3 | MXD43, MXD33, MXD13, MXD23 | MC9L4, MC9K4, MC9H4, MC9J4 | ||||||
| Date | Announced | March 4, 2024 | October 30, 2024 | March 4, 2024 | October 30, 2024 | March 4, 2024 | October 30, 2024 | March 4, 2024 | ||||||||
| Released | March 8, 2024 | November 8, 2024 | March 8, 2024 | November 8, 2024 | March 8, 2024 | November 8, 2024 | March 8, 2024 | |||||||||
| Discontinued | October 30, 2024 | March 5, 2025 | October 30, 2024 | March 5, 2025 | October 30, 2024 | March 5, 2025 | October 30, 2024 | March 5, 2025 | ||||||||
| Unsupported | Supported | |||||||||||||||
| Operating System | Initial | macOS Sonoma 14.3 | ||||||||||||||
| Latest | macOS Tahoe 26.3.2 (a) | |||||||||||||||
| MSRP (USD) | $1099 | $1099 | $1299 | $1299 [note 5] | $1499 | $1299 | $1299 | $1499 | $1499 | $1699 | ||||||
| Colors | ||||||||||||||||
| Dimensions | Height | 0.44 in (1.1 cm) | 0.45 in (1.1 cm) | |||||||||||||
| Width | 11.97 in (30.4 cm) | 13.40 in (34.0 cm) | ||||||||||||||
| Depth | 8.46 in (21.5 cm) | 9.35 in (23.7 cm) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 2.7 lb (1.22 kg) | 3.3 lb (1.50 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Secure Authentication | Touch ID | Yes | ||||||||||||||
| Display | Size | Diagonal | 13.6 in (350 mm) | 15.3 in (390 mm) | ||||||||||||
| Vertical-by-Horizontal | 11.52 by 7.49 in (293 by 190 mm) | 12.94 by 8.38 in (329 by 213 mm) | ||||||||||||||
| Resolution | Vertical-by-Horizontal | 2560 × 1664 | 2880 × 1864 | |||||||||||||
| Density | 224 ppi | |||||||||||||||
| Aspect Ratio | 9:5.85 16:10 without notch |
9:5.825 16:10 without notch | ||||||||||||||
| Supported scaled resolutions |
|
| ||||||||||||||
| Technology | Liquid Retina Display with IPS technology | |||||||||||||||
| Backlight | LED-backlit | |||||||||||||||
| Nano-texture configuration | No | |||||||||||||||
| Refresh Rate | Minimum | 60 Hz | ||||||||||||||
| Maximum | 60 Hz | |||||||||||||||
| ProMotion Display | No | |||||||||||||||
| Supported Fixed Refresh Rate | N/a | |||||||||||||||
| Brightness and Contrast | SDR Max brightness | 500 nits | ||||||||||||||
| XDR Max brightness | N/a | |||||||||||||||
| Contrast ratio (typical) | 1,400:1 | |||||||||||||||
| Color | Full sRGB | Yes | ||||||||||||||
| Wide Color (P3) | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Color Depth | 10-bit (FRC) with 1 billion colors | |||||||||||||||
| True Tone | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Night Shift | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Performance | Cooling System | Aluminum heat dissipator attached on processor, no fan included | ||||||||||||||
| Chip | Chip Name | Apple M3 | ||||||||||||||
| Technology Node | 3 nm (N3B) | |||||||||||||||
| Bit | 64-bit | |||||||||||||||
| Total CPU Cores | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| High-performance Cores | 4 × 4.05 GHz | |||||||||||||||
| Energy-efficiency Cores | 4 × 2.75 GHz | |||||||||||||||
| Online Configuration | N/a | |||||||||||||||
| Graphics Processor | Apple G15G | |||||||||||||||
| Total GPU Cores | 8 | 10 | ||||||||||||||
| GPU Family | Apple GPU Family 9 | |||||||||||||||
| Hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Neural Accelerators in GPU | No | |||||||||||||||
| Metal Support | Metal 4 | |||||||||||||||
| Online Configuration | 10-core GPU | N/a | ||||||||||||||
| Neural Engine | 16-core (18 TOPS FP16) | |||||||||||||||
| Media Engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW AV1 decode | |||||||||||||||
| Apple Intelligence | Yes (currently not available in China mainland) | |||||||||||||||
| Unified Memory | Memory Type | LPDDR5-6400 (3200 MHz) | ||||||||||||||
| Memory Bus Width | 128-bit | |||||||||||||||
| Memory Bandwidth | 102.4 GB/s | |||||||||||||||
| Memory Size | 8 GB | 16 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB | 24 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB | 24 GB | ||||||
| Online Configuration | 16 GB 24 GB |
24 GB | 16 GB 24 GB |
24 GB | N/a | 16 GB 24 GB |
24 GB | 16 GB 24 GB |
24 GB | N/a | ||||||
| Storage | Storage Type | PCIe 4.0-based SSD | ||||||||||||||
| Storage Speed | Up to 3.3 GB/s read speed | |||||||||||||||
| Storage Size | 256 GB | 512 GB | 256 GB | 512 GB | ||||||||||||
| Online Configuration | 512 GB 1 TB 2 TB |
1 TB 2 TB |
512 GB 1 TB 2 TB |
1 TB 2 TB | ||||||||||||
| Connector | HDMI | N/a | ||||||||||||||
| SDXC card slot | N/a | |||||||||||||||
| USB-C/Thunderbolt | Two Thunderbolt 3/USB4 USB-C ports supporting charging and DisplayPort protocols among others | |||||||||||||||
| Transmission Speed | Up to 40 Gbit/s transmission speed (Thunderbolt 3 or USB4) | |||||||||||||||
| External Display Support[17] [note 6] | Maximum display | 1 2 (with laptop lid closed)[note 7] | ||||||||||||||
| One external display |
| |||||||||||||||
| Two external displays |
| |||||||||||||||
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) | ||||||||||||||
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 | |||||||||||||||
| Keyboard and Trackpad | Type | Backlit Magic Keyboard with (scissor-switch) mechanism and ambient light sensor | ||||||||||||||
| Number of keys | 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) | |||||||||||||||
| Arrow keys | 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement | |||||||||||||||
| Function keys | With full-height | |||||||||||||||
| Touch Bar | No | |||||||||||||||
| Trackpad | Force Touch trackpad | |||||||||||||||
| Camera | Resolution | 1080p FaceTime HD | ||||||||||||||
| Advanced image signal processor with computational video | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Center Stage and Desk View | No | |||||||||||||||
| Audio | Speakers | Four-speakers | Six-speakers | |||||||||||||
| Force-cancelling woofers | No | Yes | ||||||||||||||
| Wide stereo sound | No | |||||||||||||||
| Dolby Atmos playback | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Dolby Atmos with built-in speakers | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Microphone | Three-mic array with directional beamforming, Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes | |||||||||||||||
| 3.5 mm jack | With advanced support for high-impedance headphones | |||||||||||||||
| Audio output from HDMI | No | |||||||||||||||
| Power | Battery | 52.6 W·h | 66.5 W·h | |||||||||||||
| Power adapter | 30 W USB-C | 35 W Dual USB-C | ||||||||||||||
| Optional Configuration | 35 W Dual USB-C 70 W USB-C |
70 W USB-C | ||||||||||||||
| Charging method | MagSafe 3 or USB-C ports | |||||||||||||||
| Fast Charge Capability | 70 W USB-C through MagSafe 3 or USB-C ports | |||||||||||||||
M4 models
| Model | 13-inch, M4, 2025 | 15-inch, M4, 2025 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Info | Hardware Strings | Mac16,12 | Mac16,13 | |||||
| Model number | A3240 | A3241 | ||||||
| Part number | MW123, MW0Y3, MW0W3, MC6T4 | MW133, MW103, MW0X3, MC6U4 | MC6C4, MC6A4, MC654, MC6V4 | MW1L3, MW1J3, MW1G3, MC7A4 | MW1M3, MW1K3, MW1H3, MC7C4 | MC6L4, MC6K4, MC6J4, MC7D4 | ||
| Date | Announced | March 5, 2025 | ||||||
| Released | March 12, 2025 | |||||||
| Discontinued | March 3, 2026 | |||||||
| Unsupported | Supported | |||||||
| Operating System | Initial | macOS Sequoia 15.2 | ||||||
| Latest | macOS Tahoe 26.3.2 (a) | |||||||
| MRSP (USD) | $999 | $1199 | $1399 | $1199 | $1399 | $1599 | ||
| Colors | ||||||||
| Dimensions | Height | 0.44 in (1.1 cm) | 0.45 in (1.1 cm) | |||||
| Width | 11.97 in (30.4 cm) | 13.40 in (34.0 cm) | ||||||
| Depth | 8.46 in (21.5 cm) | 9.35 in (23.7 cm) | ||||||
| Weight | 2.7 lb (1.22 kg) | 3.3 lb (1.50 kg) | ||||||
| Secure Authentication | Touch ID | Yes | ||||||
| Display | Size | Diagonal | 13.6 in (350 mm) | 15.3 in (390 mm) | ||||
| Vertical-by-Horizontal | 11.52 by 7.49 in (293 by 190 mm) | 12.94 by 8.38 in (329 by 213 mm) | ||||||
| Resolution | Vertical-by-Horizontal | 2560 × 1664 | 2880 × 1864 | |||||
| Density | 224 ppi | |||||||
| Aspect Ratio | 9:5.85 16:10 without notch |
9:5.825 16:10 without notch | ||||||
| Supported scaled resolutions |
|
| ||||||
| Technology | Liquid Retina Display with IPS technology | |||||||
| Backlight | LED-backlit | |||||||
| Nano-texture configuration | No | |||||||
| Refresh Rate | Minimum | 60 Hz | ||||||
| Maximum | 60 Hz | |||||||
| ProMotion Display | No | |||||||
| Supported Fixed Refresh Rate | N/a | |||||||
| Brightness and Contrast | SDR Max brightness | 500 nits | ||||||
| XDR Max brightness | N/a | |||||||
| Contrast ratio (typical) | 1,400:1 | |||||||
| Color | Full sRGB | Yes | ||||||
| Wide Color (P3) | Yes | |||||||
| Color Depth | 10-bit (FRC) with 1 billion colors | |||||||
| True Tone | Yes | |||||||
| Night Shift | Yes | |||||||
| Performance | Cooling System | Aluminum heat dissipator attached on processor, no fan included | ||||||
| Chip | Chip Name | Apple M4 | ||||||
| Technology Node | 3 nm (N3E) | |||||||
| Bit | 64-bit | |||||||
| Total CPU Cores | 10 | |||||||
| High-performance Cores | 4 × 4.41 GHz | |||||||
| Energy-efficiency Cores | 6 × 2.89 GHz | |||||||
| Online Configuration | N/a | |||||||
| Graphics Processor | Apple G16G | |||||||
| Total GPU Cores | 8 | 10 | ||||||
| GPU Family | Apple GPU Family 9 | |||||||
| Hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing | Yes | |||||||
| Neural Accelerators in GPU | No | |||||||
| Metal Support | Metal 4 | |||||||
| Online Configuration | 10-core GPU | N/a | ||||||
| Neural Engine | 16-core (38 TOPS INT8) | |||||||
| Media Engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW AV1 decode | |||||||
| Apple Intelligence | Yes (currently not available in China mainland) | |||||||
| Unified Memory | Memory Type | LPDDR5X-7500 (3750 MHz) | ||||||
| Memory Bus Width | 128-bit | |||||||
| Memory Bandwidth | 120 GB/s | |||||||
| Memory Size | 16 GB | 24 GB | 16 GB | 24 GB | ||||
| Online Configuration | 24 GB 32 GB |
32 GB | 24 GB 32 GB |
32 GB | ||||
| Storage | Storage Type | PCIe 4.0-based SSD | ||||||
| Storage Speed | Up to 3.3 GB/s read speed | |||||||
| Storage Size | 256 GB | 512 GB | 256 GB | 512 GB | ||||
| Online Configuration | 512 GB 1 TB 2 TB |
1 TB 2 TB |
512 GB 1 TB 2 TB |
1 TB 2 TB | ||||
| Connector | HDMI | N/a | ||||||
| SDXC card slot | N/a | |||||||
| USB-C/Thunderbolt | Two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports supporting charging and DisplayPort protocols among others | |||||||
| Transmission Speed | Up to 40 Gbit/s transmission speed (Thunderbolt 4 or USB4) | |||||||
| External Display Support[17] [note 8] | Maximum display | 2 | ||||||
| One external display |
| |||||||
| Two external displays |
| |||||||
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) | ||||||
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 | |||||||
| Keyboard and Trackpad | Type | Backlit Magic Keyboard with (scissor-switch) mechanism and ambient light sensor | ||||||
| Number of keys | 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) | |||||||
| Arrow keys | 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement | |||||||
| Function keys | With full-height | |||||||
| Touch Bar | No | |||||||
| Trackpad | Force Touch trackpad | |||||||
| Camera | Resolution | 12 MP camera with 1080p FaceTime HD | ||||||
| Advanced image signal processor with computational video | Yes | |||||||
| Center Stage and Desk View | Yes | |||||||
| Audio | Speakers | Four-speakers | Six-speakers | |||||
| Force-cancelling woofers | No | Yes | ||||||
| Wide stereo sound | No | |||||||
| Dolby Atmos playback | Yes | |||||||
| Dolby Atmos with built-in speakers | Yes | |||||||
| Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking | Yes | |||||||
| Microphone | Three-mic array with directional beamforming, Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes | |||||||
| 3.5 mm jack | With advanced support for high-impedance headphones | |||||||
| Audio output from HDMI | No | |||||||
| Power | Battery | 53.8 W·h | 66.5 W·h | |||||
| Power adapter | 30 W USB-C | 35 W Dual USB-C | ||||||
| Optional Configuration | 35 W Dual USB-C 70 W USB-C |
70 W USB-C | ||||||
| Charging method | MagSafe 3 or USB-C ports | |||||||
| Fast Charge Capability | 70 W USB-C through MagSafe 3 or USB-C ports | |||||||
M5 models
| Model | 13-inch, M5 | 15-inch, M5 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Info | Hardware Strings | Mac17,3 | Mac17,4 | |||||
| Model number | A3449 | A3448 | ||||||
| Part number | MDHH4, MDH74, MDHA4, MDHE4 | MDHJ4, MDH84, MDHC4, MDHF4 | MDHK4, MDH94, MDHD4, MDHG4 | MDVQ4, MDV94, MDVD4, MDVH4 | MDVT4, MDVA4, MDVE4, MDVK4 | MDVU4, MDVC4, MDVF4, MDVN4 | ||
| Date | Announced | March 3, 2026 | ||||||
| Released | March 11, 2026 | |||||||
| Discontinued | In production | |||||||
| Unsupported | Supported | |||||||
| Operating System | Initial | macOS Tahoe 26.3 | ||||||
| Latest | macOS Tahoe 26.3.2 (a) | |||||||
| MRSP (USD) | $1099 | $1299 | $1499 | $1299 | $1499 | $1699 | ||
| Colors | ||||||||
| Dimensions | Height | 0.44 in (1.1 cm) | 0.45 in (1.1 cm) | |||||
| Width | 11.97 in (30.4 cm) | 13.40 in (34.0 cm) | ||||||
| Depth | 8.46 in (21.5 cm) | 9.35 in (23.7 cm) | ||||||
| Weight | 2.7 lb (1.22 kg) | 3.3 lb (1.50 kg) | ||||||
| Secure Authentication | Touch ID | Yes | ||||||
| Display | Size | Diagonal | 13.6 in (350 mm) | 15.3 in (390 mm) | ||||
| Vertical-by-Horizontal | 11.52 by 7.49 in (293 by 190 mm) | 12.94 by 8.38 in (329 by 213 mm) | ||||||
| Resolution | Vertical-by-Horizontal | 2560 × 1664 | 2880 × 1864 | |||||
| Density | 224 ppi | |||||||
| Aspect Ratio | 9:5.85 16:10 without notch |
9:5.825 16:10 without notch | ||||||
| Supported scaled resolutions |
|
| ||||||
| Technology | Liquid Retina Display with IPS technology | |||||||
| Backlight | LED-backlit | |||||||
| Nano-texture configuration | No | |||||||
| Refresh Rate | Minimum | 60 Hz | ||||||
| Maximum | 60 Hz | |||||||
| ProMotion Display | No | |||||||
| Supported Fixed Refresh Rate | N/a | |||||||
| Brightness and Contrast | SDR Max brightness | 500 nits | ||||||
| XDR Max brightness | N/a | |||||||
| Contrast ratio (typical) | 1,400:1 | |||||||
| Color | Full sRGB | Yes | ||||||
| Wide Color (P3) | Yes | |||||||
| Color Depth | 10-bit (FRC) with 1 billion colors | |||||||
| True Tone | Yes | |||||||
| Night Shift | Yes | |||||||
| Performance | Cooling System | Aluminum heat dissipator attached on processor, no fan included | ||||||
| Chip | Chip Name | Apple M5 | ||||||
| Technology Node | 3 nm (N3P) | |||||||
| Bit | 64-bit | |||||||
| Total CPU Cores | 10 | |||||||
| High-performance Cores | 4 × 4.61 GHz (Super cores) | |||||||
| Energy-efficiency Cores | 6 × 3.04 GHz | |||||||
| Online Configuration | N/a | |||||||
| Graphics Processor | Apple G17G | |||||||
| Total GPU Cores | 8 | 10 | ||||||
| GPU Family | Apple GPU Family 10 | |||||||
| Hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing | Yes | |||||||
| Neural Accelerators in GPU | Yes | |||||||
| Metal Support | Metal 4 | |||||||
| Online Configuration | 10-core GPU | N/a | ||||||
| Neural Engine | 16-core (38 TOPS INT8) | |||||||
| Media Engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW AV1 decode | |||||||
| Apple Intelligence | Yes (currently not available in China mainland) | |||||||
| Unified Memory | Memory Type | LPDDR5X-9600 (4800 MHz) | ||||||
| Memory Bus Width | 128-bit | |||||||
| Memory Bandwidth | 153.6 GB/s | |||||||
| Memory Size | 16 GB | 24 GB | 16 GB | 24 GB | ||||
| Online Configuration | 24 GB 32 GB |
32 GB | 24 GB 32 GB |
32 GB | ||||
| Storage | Storage Type | PCIe 5.0-based SSD | ||||||
| Storage Speed | Up to 6.6 GB/s read speed | |||||||
| Storage Size | 512 GB | 1 TB | 512 GB | 1 TB | ||||
| Online Configuration | 1 TB 2 TB 4 TB |
2 TB 4 TB |
1 TB 2 TB 4 TB |
2 TB 4 TB | ||||
| Connector | HDMI | N/a | ||||||
| SDXC card slot | N/a | |||||||
| USB-C/Thunderbolt | Two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports supporting charging and DisplayPort protocols among others | |||||||
| Transmission Speed | Up to 40 Gbit/s transmission speed (Thunderbolt 4 or USB4) | |||||||
| External Display Support[17] [note 9] | Maximum display | 2 | ||||||
| One external display |
| |||||||
| Two external displays |
| |||||||
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) | ||||||
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 6 | |||||||
| Keyboard and Trackpad | Type | Backlit Magic Keyboard with (scissor-switch) mechanism and ambient light sensor | ||||||
| Number of keys | 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) | |||||||
| Arrow keys | 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement | |||||||
| Function keys | With full-height | |||||||
| Touch Bar | No | |||||||
| Trackpad | Force Touch trackpad | |||||||
| Camera | Resolution | 12 MP camera with 1080p FaceTime HD | ||||||
| Advanced image signal processor with computational video | Yes | |||||||
| Center Stage and Desk View | Yes | |||||||
| Audio | Speakers | Four-speakers | Six-speakers | |||||
| Force-cancelling woofers | No | Yes | ||||||
| Wide stereo sound | No | |||||||
| Dolby Atmos playback | Yes | |||||||
| Dolby Atmos with built-in speakers | Yes | |||||||
| Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking | Yes | |||||||
| Microphone | Three-mic array with directional beamforming, Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes | |||||||
| 3.5 mm jack | With advanced support for high-impedance headphones | |||||||
| Audio output from HDMI | No | |||||||
| Power | Battery | 53.8 W·h | 66.5 W·h | |||||
| Power adapter | 40 W USB-C with 60 W Max Charger is not included in Europe | |||||||
| Optional Configuration | 40 W USB-C with 60 W Max (Europe) 35 W Dual USB-C 70 W USB-C | |||||||
| Charging method | MagSafe 3 or USB-C ports | |||||||
| Fast Charge Capability | 70 W USB-C through MagSafe 3 or USB-C ports | |||||||
Software and operating systems
The macOS operating system has been pre-installed on all Apple silicon MacBook Air computers since release, starting with version macOS Big Sur, which is the minimum required version of macOS that can run on and was made for Apple Silicon Macs.[30]
| OS release | M1, 2020 | M2, 2022 | M2, 2023 | M3, 2024 | M4, 2025 | M5, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Big Sur |  |
N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| 12 Monterey | |
|
N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| 13 Ventura | |
|
|
N/a | N/a | N/a |
| 14 Sonoma | |
|
|
|
N/a | N/a |
| 15 Sequoia | |
|
|
|
|
N/a |
| 26 Tahoe | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Timeline
| Timeline of portable Macintoshes |
|---|
 |
Notes
- 5K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 100Hz, 6K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 144Hz, 8K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 240Hz
- The MSRP was $1199 before June 13, 2023, and $1099 before March 4, 2024
- The MSRP was $1499 before June 13, 2023, and $1399 before March 4, 2024
- 5K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 100Hz, 6K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 144Hz, 8K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 240Hz
- The MSRP was $1499 before October 30, 2024
- 5K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 100Hz, 6K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 144Hz, 8K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 240Hz
- Requires macOS 14.3 and later
- 5K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 100Hz, 6K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 144Hz, 8K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 240Hz
- 5K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 100Hz, 6K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 144Hz, 8K at 60Hz is equivalent to 4K at 240Hz