Apple launches MacBook Air and MacBook Pro powered by the new M5 chip

Apple introduced its latest lineup of laptops on Tuesday morning, including refreshed MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models built around the company’s new M5 chips. The Pro models arrived alongside the newly unveiled M5 Pro and M5 Max processors, which Apple says feature its most advanced CPU cores so far.

According to the company, the updated M5 family was designed with a strong emphasis on improving how the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro handle demanding AI workloads. This area is becoming increasingly central to Apple’s new hardware strategy. Apple says both the new Air and Pro models can process AI-related tasks up to 4x faster than comparable M4-based models.

For everyday users who are not trying to run computationally heavy AI agent networks or generate fast 3D renders, those AI-focused improvements may not be immediately obvious. Still, Apple says the benefits of the new chips extend beyond the laptop experience.

MacBook Air users, for example, get features such as up to 18 hours of battery life, which Apple says is a 6-hour improvement over its last Intel-based laptops from 2020. The new Air also includes a 12MP Centre Stage camera for video calls, a three-microphone array, and a speaker system that supports both Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. On the hardware side, the MacBook Air includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a MagSafe charging connection, and the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack.

The updated MacBook Air lineup includes a 13-inch model starting at $1,099 and a 15-inch model starting at $1,299. Colour options include sky blue, midnight, starlight, and silver. Apple also says the Air now starts with 512GB of storage, doubling the base storage offered on the previous generation.

As usual, the MacBook Pro is aimed more directly at technical users, especially developers and other professionals working with AI. Apple says the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips deliver up to 4x faster large language model prompt processing than the M4 Pro and M4 Max, and up to 8x faster AI image generation than the M1 Pro and M1 Max.

Apple says that the level of performance enables AI researchers and developers to train custom models directly on the device. It also states that creative professionals could benefit from faster 3D rendering, video editing, and music production workflows.

The MacBook Pro also delivers up to read 2x faster and write performance than the previous generation. Apple now lists storage starting at 1TB for the MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and 2TB for the MacBook Pro with M5 Max. The company adds that the new Pro models offer up to 24 hours of battery life, and when paired with a 96W or higher USB-C power adapter, the laptops can charge to 50% in 30 minutes. The new MacBook Pro models also support Thunderbolt 5 and include a six-speaker audio system.

The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro versions equipped with the M5 Pro start at $2,199 and $2,699, respectively. Models powered by the M5 Max start at $3,599 and $3,899. Buyers can choose between black and silver finishes.

Apple said all of the new laptops will be available for preorder on Tuesday, March 4, with full availability beginning Wednesday, March 11.