M4 vs M5 MacBook Air: Is the Upgrade Worth It?

Apple launched the M5 MacBook Air on 3 March 2026, with general availability from 11 March. It replaced the M4 model, which had launched almost exactly a year earlier, in March 2025. If you're weighing up a refurbished M4 against a newer M5, here's exactly what changed - and what actually matters for real-world use.

The chip: an evolution, not a redesign

While the M4 MacBook Air started with an 8-core CPU on base models (configurable to 10-core), the M5 standardises a 10-core CPU (4 performance cores + 6 efficiency cores) across all configurations. Both chips feature either 8-core or 10-core GPU options, but the M5 brings notable architecture updates under the hood:

• CPU performance: the M5 is up to 15% faster than the M4 in multi-threaded workloads, based on Geekbench 6 benchmark results (M5: ~17,073 multi-core vs M4: ~14,731 multi-core).
• GPU performance: up to 30% faster than the M4, according to Apple's own figures.
• Memory bandwidth: 153GB/s on the M5, versus 120GB/s on the M4 - a 28% increase, which mainly benefits demanding multitasking and memory-heavy creative work.
• AI performance: this is where the generational gap is largest. The M5 adds a Neural Accelerator inside every GPU core, on top of the same 16-core Neural Engine carried over from the M4. Apple claims up to 4x faster on-device AI performance compared to the M4, and up to 9.5x faster than the original M1.

What else changed

• Storage: the M5 MacBook Air starts at 512GB as standard, double the M4's 256GB starting point, and can be configured up to 4TB (versus 2TB max on the M4).
• Wireless: the M5 introduces Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 via Apple's new N1 wireless chip, replacing the M4's Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. In practice, most home broadband speeds won't come close to saturating either standard, so this matters more for future-proofing than day-to-day speed.
• External display support: the M5 offers improved external display flexibility over the M4's two-external-display, up-to-6K support.
• Design: unchanged. Visually, the M5 Air is indistinguishable from the M4 — same aluminium chassis, same weight, same colour options (Sky Blue, Midnight, Starlight, Silver).
• Battery life: only a marginal improvement. Both chips deliver excellent all-day battery life; this isn't a deciding factor either way.

Price at launch

The M5 launched £100 more expensive than the M4's original price (M4: from £999; M5: from £1,099 for the 13-inch), though the M5's doubled base storage partly offsets that gap in like-for-like value.

So which should you buy refurbished?

For most everyday use - browsing, office work, writing, video calls, light photo editing, the M4 is very likely the smarter refurbished buy. The real-world difference between the two chips is genuinely small outside of AI-heavy or memory-intensive workloads, and refurbished M4 stock is more widely available and typically better priced than the newer M5, which is still scarce on the used and refurbished market simply because it only just launched.

Consider the M5 instead if:

• You want the newest on-device AI features and expect Apple to keep expanding Apple Intelligence capabilities that specifically benefit from the M5's Neural Accelerators.
• You're maximising longevity and plan to keep the machine for many years.
• You need the larger 512GB+ storage as a baseline and don't want to pay extra for an M4 storage upgrade.

Stick with the M4 if:

• You want the best value-for-money refurbished MacBook Air right now.
• Your workload is everyday productivity rather than AI-heavy or memory-intensive creative tasks.
• You're comfortable with 256GB or are happy to select a higher storage M4 configuration, which is often still cheaper than an equivalent M5.

Both chips will comfortably handle Apple's current macOS releases and everyday computing for years to come. The M5 is a genuine refinement, not a reason to avoid a well-priced, well-graded M4.

Browse our current MacBook Air range to compare available M4 and M5 refurbished stock, or read our grading guide to understand condition tiers before you buy.