Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026) vs MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025): Which Laptop Is Better?

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Tested using Methodology v0.9.1

Updated Aug 04, 2026 12:45 PM

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Tested using Methodology v0.9.1

Updated Aug 25, 2026 08:14 PM

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Size 14"

Operating System macOS

Size 13.6"

Operating System macOS

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Our Verdict

Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025)

Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026)

Full comparison details regarding individual product score sets can be found in the section below

Variants

‎MacBook Pro 14 (‎MDE54LL/A) (Silver - M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU)/16GB/1TB)
‎MacBook Pro 14 (MDE44LL/A) (Silver - M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU)/16GB/512GB)

MacBook Air 13 (MDHF4LL/A) (Midnight - M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU)/16GB/1TB)
MacBook Air 13 (‎‎‎‎MDHG4LL/A) (Midnight - M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU)/24GB/1TB)

Review

See Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025) Review

See Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026) Review

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Main Differences for

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Multimedia

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Gaming

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Workstation

0.0

Design

Style

Style Photo

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Form Factor

Locked

Build Quality

N/A

Build Quality Photo

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Hinge

N/A

Hinge Photo

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Range

Lock°

Stability

Locked

One Finger Lift

Locked

Portability

N/A

Dimensions Photo

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Size

Lock"

Thickness

Lock" (Lock cm)

Width

Lock" (Lock cm)

N/A

Depth

Lock" (Lock cm)

Volume

Lock in³ (Lock cm³)

Weight

Lock lbs (Lock kg)

Charger Size

Lock in³ (Lock cm³)

Charger Weight

Lock lbs (Lock kg)

Serviceability

N/A

Internals Photo

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Ease Of Access

0.0

RAM Slots

Locked

Storage Slots

Locked

Replaceable Battery

Locked

Replaceable Wireless Adapter

Locked

In The Box

In The Box Photo

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Display

Screen Specs

Display Photo

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Resolution

Locked

Aspect Ratio

Locked

Pixel Density

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Panel Type

Locked

Touch Screen

Locked

Screen-To-Body Ratio

Lock%

Refresh Rate

N/A

Motion Blur

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Refresh Rate

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Variable Refresh Rate

Locked

Contrast

N/A

Contrast Photo

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Native Contrast

Lock : 1

Brightness

N/A

Maximum Brightness

Lock cd/m²

Minimum Brightness

Lock cd/m²

Reflections

N/A

Reflections Photo Off

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Reflections Photo Max

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Screen Finish

Locked

Total Reflections

Lock%

Indirect Reflections

Lock%

Calculated Direct Reflections

Lock%

Black Uniformity

N/A

Black Uniformity Photo

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Uniformity (Std. Dev.)

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Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy

N/A

White Balance Screencap

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Gamma Curve Screencap

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Color Screencap

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Avg. White Balance dE

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Avg. Gamma

Lock

Avg. Color dE

Lock

Avg. Color Temperature

Lock K

Color Gamut

N/A

Gamut SDR

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sRGB xy

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sRGB uv

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Adobe RGB xy

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Adobe RGB uv

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Gamut HDR

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DCI-P3 xy

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DCI-P3 uv

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Rec. 2020 xy

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Rec. 2020 uv

Lock%

Flicker

N/A

Flicker Graph

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Flicker-Free

Locked

Flicker Frequency

Locked

Flicker Active Below

Lock%

Interface

Keyboard

N/A

Keyboard Photo

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Typing Quality

0.0

Numpad

Locked

Backlighting

Locked

Key Switch Actuation Graph

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Operating Force

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Actuation Force

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Pre-Travel

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Total Travel

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Touchpad

N/A

Touchpad Photo

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Tracking Quality

0.0

Size

Lock in² (Lock cm²)

Material

Locked

Dedicated Buttons

Locked

Speakers

N/A

Frequency Response Plot

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Max Volume

Lock dB SPL

Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)

Lock dB

Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)

Lock

Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)

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Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)

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Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.

Lock dB

Webcam & Microphone

N/A

Webcam Video Sample

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Video Quality

0.0

Resolution

Locked

Position

Locked

Privacy Cover

Locked

Face Unlock

Locked

Connectivity

Ports

N/A

Ports Photo

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USB-A Ports

Locked

USB-C Ports

Locked

Thunderbolt

Locked

USB-C Charging

Locked

USB-C Display Out

Locked

HDMI

Locked

DisplayPort

Locked

3.5mm Jack

Locked

Card Reader

Locked

Ethernet

Locked

Proprietary Port

Locked

Security Lock

Locked

Wireless Communication

Wi-Fi

Locked

Bluetooth

Locked

Configuration

CPU

Brand

Locked

Model

Locked

Core Count

Lock

Thread Count

Lock

GPU

Brand

Locked

Model

Locked

Dedicated/Integrated

Locked

VRAM Size

N/A

GPU Total Graphics Power (TGP)

N/A

RAM

Capacity

Lock GB

Modules

Locked

Type

Locked

Speed

Lock MHz

Storage

Advertised Capacity

Lock GB

Usable Capacity

Lock GB

Drive 1

Locked

Drive 1 Type

Locked

Drive 2

Locked

Drive 2 Type

Locked

Performance

CPU/RAM Performance

N/A

Cinebench 2024 - Single Core

Lock points

Cinebench 2024 - Multi Core

Lock points

Geekbench 6 - Single Core

Lock

Geekbench 6 - Multi Core

Lock

Blender - CPU (Avg)

Lock samples/min

PassMark PT - CPU Mark

Lock

PassMark PT - Memory Mark

Lock

PassMark PT - Memory Mark (Android)

N/A

Mozilla Kraken

Lock ms

Low Tier Graphics

N/A

Geekbench 6 - GPU Compute

Lock

Basemark Web 3.0

Lock

PassMark PT - 2D Mark

N/A

PassMark PT - 2D Mark (Android)

N/A

PassMark PT - 3D Mark

N/A

PassMark PT - 3D Mark (Android)

N/A

Novabench 5 - GPU

Lock

mprep - Stress My GPU

Lock

High Tier Graphics

N/A

3DMark - Steel Nomad (DX12)

N/A

3DMark - Steel Nomad (Vulkan/Metal)

Lock

Basemark GPU (DX12)

N/A

Basemark GPU (Vulkan/Metal)

Lock

GFXBench - High Level Test (Vulkan/Metal)

Lock Frames

N/A

Professional 3D (GPU Accelerated)

N/A

Blender - GPU (Avg)

Lock samples/min

Cinebench 2024 - GPU

Lock points

CPU-Intensive Game Performance

N/A

Civilization VII - AI

Lock s/turn

Civilization VII - Graphics (Avg)

Lock fps

Civilization VII - Graphics (1% Low)

Lock fps

Total War: Warhammer III (Avg)

Lock fps

Baldur's Gate 3 (Avg)

Lock fps

Baldur's Gate 3 (1% Low)

Lock fps

Previous Methodology Score

N/A

Previous Methodology Score Converted

N/A

GPU-Intensive Game Performance

N/A

Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg)

Lock fps

Cyberpunk 2077 (Min)

Lock fps

Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg)

Lock fps

Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low)

Lock fps

GTA V (Avg)

N/A

GTA V (1% Low)

N/A

Black Myth: Wukong (Avg)

N/A

Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low)

N/A

Resident Evil 4 (Avg)

Lock fps

Resident Evil 4 (1% Low)

Lock fps

Previous Methodology Score

N/A

Previous Methodology Score Converted

N/A

Ray Tracing Performance

N/A

Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg)

Lock fps

Cyberpunk 2077 (Min)

Lock fps

Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg)

Lock fps

Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low)

Lock fps

Black Myth: Wukong (Avg)

N/A

Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low)

N/A

Storage Drive Performance

N/A

Sequential Write Speed

Lock MB/s

Sequential Read Speed

Lock MB/s

Random Write Speed

Lock MB/s

Random Read Speed

Lock MB/s

Battery

N/A

Capacity

Lock Wh

Battery Life (Web Browsing)

Lock hrs

Battery Life (Video Playback)

Lock hrs

Battery Life (Gaming)

Lock hrs

Charge Time

Lock hrs

Thermals And Noise

N/A

Keyboard Temps Picture

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Keyboard Temp While Idle

Lock °C (Lock °F)

Keyboard Temp Under Load

Lock °C (Lock °F)

Fan Noise While Idle

Lock dBA

N/A

Fan Noise Under Load

Lock dBA

N/A

Power & Fan Control App

Locked

Performance Over Time

N/A

Performance Over Time Graph

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CPU Temp (Cinebench)

Lock °C

CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)

Lock% loss

GPU Temp (Heaven)

Lock °C

GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)

Lock% loss

Additional Features And Software

Software

Operating System

Locked

Additional Software

Locked

Extra Features

Biometrics

Locked

RGB Illumination

Locked

Touch Pen Support

Locked

Secondary Display

Locked

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Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025)

Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026)

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Comparison

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Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025) vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026): Main Discussion

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Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025) vs MacBook Air 13 (M5, 2026)

Which Laptop Is Better?

Products

Our Verdict

Variants

Review

Check Price

Main Differences for General Productivity

Threshold

General Productivity

Full Comparison

General Productivity

Multimedia

Gaming

Workstation

Style

Style Photo

Form Factor

Build Quality

Build Quality Photo

Hinge

Hinge Photo

Range

Stability

One Finger Lift

Portability

Dimensions Photo

Size

Thickness

Width

Depth

Volume

Weight

Charger Size

Charger Weight

Serviceability

Internals Photo

Ease Of Access

RAM Slots

Storage Slots

Replaceable Battery

Replaceable Wireless Adapter

In The Box

In The Box Photo

Screen Specs

Display Photo

Resolution

Aspect Ratio

Pixel Density

Panel Type

Touch Screen

Screen-To-Body Ratio

Refresh Rate

Motion Blur

Refresh Rate

Variable Refresh Rate

Contrast

Contrast Photo

Native Contrast

Brightness

Maximum Brightness

Minimum Brightness

Reflections

Reflections Photo Off

Reflections Photo Max

Screen Finish

Total Reflections

Indirect Reflections

Calculated Direct Reflections

Black Uniformity

Black Uniformity Photo

Uniformity (Std. Dev.)

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy

White Balance Screencap

Gamma Curve Screencap

Color Screencap

Avg. White Balance dE

Avg. Gamma

Avg. Color dE

Avg. Color Temperature

Main Differences for

General Productivity