Apple announced the M5 MacBook Air on 3 March 2026, and it reached stores on 11 March. It replaced the M4 model, which arrived almost exactly a year earlier. If you're choosing between a refurbished M4 and a newer M5, this is what actually changed, and how much of it you'll notice.

Short answer: for everyday use, a refurbished MacBook Air M4 is the better value. The MacBook Air M5 is worth it if you do AI-heavy or creative work, want 512GB from the start, or plan to keep it for many years. If you already own an M4, there's little reason to upgrade.

M4 vs M5 MacBook Air: The Main Differences 

Here’s how the two models compare across performance, storage, connectivity, battery life and other key specifications.

The chip: faster, not different

Both chips have a 10-core CPU. Some write-ups say the M4 Air started with fewer cores, but Apple lists a 10-core CPU on every M4 Air. What changed is speed and how the GPU handles AI work.

The M5 puts a Neural Accelerator inside every GPU core. Apple says that makes AI tasks up to 4x faster than the M4 and up to 9.5x faster than the original M1 Air. That is where the gap is biggest.

Elsewhere the gains are smaller. In Apple's own tests against a top-spec M4 Air, the M5 was up to 1.5x faster in Blender 3D rendering and Affinity image processing, and up to 1.9x faster in Topaz Video AI enhancement. Those are demanding jobs. For browsing, email, documents, streaming and video calls, either chip is quick, and you're unlikely to feel a difference.

Memory and storage

Both start at 16GB of memory, so a refurbished M4 isn't short on RAM. The M5 has faster memory: 153GB/s of bandwidth against the M4's 120GB/s, which is 28% more. It helps most with heavy multitasking and memory-hungry creative apps.

Storage is the bigger practical change. The M5 starts at 512GB, double the M4's 256GB, and can go up to 4TB instead of 2TB. Its SSD is also twice as fast, according to Apple. If you'd otherwise pay to upgrade an M4 from 256GB, that narrows the price gap. Check the storage on each refurbished listing, since M4s were also sold with bigger drives.

Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6

The M5 uses Apple's N1 wireless chip, which brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. The M4 has Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. You only get the benefit if your router supports Wi-Fi 7, and most home broadband won't come close to maxing out either standard. It's a nice thing to have for later, not a reason to switch today.

What hasn't changed

• Design: identical. Same aluminium body, same fanless build, same four colours (sky blue, midnight, starlight and silver).

• Weight: essentially the same. The 13-inch M4 is 1.24kg and the M5 is 1.23kg.

• Battery: Apple rates both at up to 18 hours.

• Ports: two Thunderbolt 4 ports plus MagSafe on both, with support for up to two external displays.

Both models come in 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch sizes, so the choice between them is about the chip and storage, not the shape.

What they cost at launch

These are Apple's launch prices for new machines, not ours. The M4 13-inch started at £999. The M5 13-inch starts at £1,099, which is £100 more. The M5 makes up some of that with double the starting storage, so like for like the gap is smaller than it looks.

Which should you buy refurbished?

Go for the M4 if:

• You want the best value refurbished MacBook Air.

• Your work is everyday stuff: browsing, office apps, writing, video calls, light photo editing.

• You're happy with 256GB, or you can pick an M4 with more storage.

Go for the M5 if:

• You use on-device AI tools or Apple Intelligence a lot, or do 3D, video or heavy image work.

• You want 512GB as standard, or Wi-Fi 7.

• You want the newest chip because you'll keep the laptop for many years.

Already own an M4? Stay put. The design, battery and ports are the same, and the extra speed matters mainly for AI and creative work. If your M4 is running fine, you won't get much for the money.

13-inch or 15-inch?

The choice of chip is separate from the choice of size. The 13-inch is lighter and easier to carry. The 15-inch gives you more screen for side-by-side windows and spreadsheets. You can browse both sizes for each chip: 13-inch M4, 15-inch M4, 13-inch M5 and 15-inch M5.

Buying refurbished from us

Every MacBook Air we sell is tested and comes with a 12-month warranty and 30-day returns. Our grading guide explains what each condition tier means, so you know what you're getting.

Buying for a team? See our buying for business page.

The verdict

The M5 is a solid step up, mostly for AI, and it's nice to get 512GB and Wi-Fi 7. But it isn't a different laptop. For most people, a well-graded refurbished M4 does the same job for less. Choose the M5 if the AI and storage upgrades matter to you.

Ready to pick? Compare models and shop MacBook Air, or go straight to the M4 or M5 range.

M4 vs M5 MacBook Air: FAQs

1. Is the M5 MacBook Air much faster than the M4?

For everyday tasks, no. Apple's biggest claim is up to 4x faster AI performance. In creative apps it quotes gains of up to 1.5x to 1.9x against a top-spec M4.

2. Does the M4 MacBook Air have 16GB of RAM?

Yes. Both the M4 and M5 Air start with 16GB of unified memory, and both can be configured up to 32GB.

3. How much storage does each one start with?

The M4 starts at 256GB and the M5 starts at 512GB. Refurbished M4s vary, so check the listing.

4. Do the M4 and M5 MacBook Air look different?

No. The design, weight, size and four colours are the same.

5. Does the M4 MacBook Air have Wi-Fi 7?

No. It has Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 arrived with the M5.

Is a refurbished M4 better value than a new M5?

For most people, yes. It handles everyday work just as well, and you save money. The M5 is worth considering for heavy AI or creative use.