Apple MacBook Air with M5 chip, WiFi 7 and double storage launched; Starts at Rs 1,19,900

Apple has refreshed the MacBook Air with its latest M5 chip, doubling the base storage to 512GB and adding WiFi 7 support—all while keeping the same slim, fanless design that’s made it the world’s most popular laptop.

Pre-orders are open, with availability starting March 11.The headline upgrade is the M5 silicon, which packs a 10-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU. Apple says AI tasks are now up to 4x faster compared to the M4 model, thanks to a Neural Accelerator built into each GPU core. In practical terms, the company claims up to 1.9x faster AI video enhancement in Topaz Video and 1.5x faster 3D rendering in Blender versus the M4 Air.

Memory bandwidth gets a 28 percent bump to 153GB/s, which should help with smoother multitasking. Battery life stays at up to 18 hours—unchanged from the M4 generation.

Double the storage, and a faster SSD to go with it

Perhaps the most consumer-friendly change: the base model now ships with 512GB storage instead of 256GB, and the SSD itself is 2x faster for read/write speeds. You can configure it up to 4TB for the first time, which is a big deal for creators juggling large photo or video libraries.

Apple’s new N1 wireless chip brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 to the Air lineup for the first time, promising better speeds and more reliable connections. Beyond that, the Air keeps what already worked—the Liquid Retina display in both 13- and 15-inch sizes, a 12MP Center Stage camera, MagSafe charging, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports with dual external display support.The new Air runs macOS Tahoe, which brings a refreshed Liquid Glass design and deeper Apple Intelligence integration.

How much does it cost in India

The 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 starts at Rs 1,19,900, while the 15-inch model begins at Rs 1,44,900. Apple is also offering No Cost EMI options starting at Rs 18,317 per month with instant cashback. For context, the previous M4 MacBook Air launched at Rs 99,900—so this is a notable price bump, though the doubled storage and chip upgrade partly justify the jump.