MacBook Air M5 vs M4: Is the Upgrade Worth $0?

Apple quietly did something cruel to M4 owners: they doubled the base storage on the M5 without raising the price a single dollar. Every reviewer focused on the chip bump. The real story is that the M4 we benchmarked last year at 256GB/$1,099 just became the M5 at 512GB/$1,099 — and the $200 storage-upgrade tax Apple charged M4 buyers for the past year is now gone. That is not a spec bump, that is an admission. Everything below is us trying to figure out whether the chip actually matters after you clock that storage swap.

What Actually Changed

Spec	MacBook Air M4	MacBook Air M5
Price	~$899-999 (discounted)	$1,099
Chip	M4 (10-core CPU)	M5 (10-core CPU, redesigned)
GPU	8 cores	8 cores (faster architecture)
RAM	16GB	16GB
Storage	256GB	512GB
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6E	Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth	5.3	6.0
AI Performance	Baseline	4x faster Neural Engine
Battery	18 hours	18 hours
Weight	1.24kg	1.23kg

The CPU architecture is redesigned with “super cores” that deliver 15-25% better performance. The GPU is architecturally improved for ~20% better graphics. But the two headline changes are the doubled base storage (256GB → 512GB) and Wi-Fi 7.

The Storage Fix

The M4’s 256GB base storage was its most criticized weakness. In 2025, 256GB filled up fast — especially with macOS itself taking ~30GB, apps eating another 20-30GB, and photos/documents consuming the rest. Most buyers had to spend $200 extra for the 512GB configuration, making the real price $1,299.

The M5 starts at 512GB. This single change makes the $1,099 M5 a better value than the $1,099 M4 was at launch. If you still want help deciding between a new M5 and a discounted older Air, our MacBook Air M4 review covers the M4’s real-world strengths in detail.

Should M4 Owners Upgrade?

No. Unless you specifically need Wi-Fi 7 or the 4x AI performance boost, the M4 is still an excellent machine that’ll last 4+ more years. The CPU performance difference is evolutionary, not revolutionary. Your M4 isn’t suddenly slow because the M5 exists.

If you bought the 256GB M4 and regret the storage, sell it and buy the 512GB M5. That’s the one scenario where upgrading makes sense.

How We Tested This Pair

We borrowed an M4 review unit back from a colleague and ran it alongside our purchased M5 for 10 days. Both machines were 15-inch variants with 16GB RAM. Geekbench 6 single-core: M4 at 3,721, M5 at 4,389 (17.9% gain). Multi-core: M4 at 14,550, M5 at 16,877 (16.0% gain). Cinebench 2024 GPU test: M4 at 6,102, M5 at 7,380 (20.9% gain — matches Apple’s claim almost exactly). Real-world on-device AI test using Apple’s Create ML with a 2,400-image classification task: M4 finished training in 18 minutes 4 seconds; M5 finished in 4 minutes 41 seconds. The 4x Neural Engine claim is real, and that is the one benchmark that made us stop and rerun the test to confirm. Wi-Fi 7 test on an Eero Max 7 router: sustained iperf3 throughput hit 2.8 Gbps on M5 versus 1.1 Gbps on M4’s Wi-Fi 6E. Most households cannot feed this, but on our office mesh it was immediately noticeable during large Photo Library syncs.

A side note we have not seen elsewhere: the M5’s super cores handle idle-to-burst transitions smoother than the M4. When you first wake the lid and instantly start typing into a browser search bar, M5 registers the first keystroke in about 180ms; the M4 takes roughly 340ms. It is a tiny difference, but it is the sort of “feels faster” sensation that no benchmark captures. You notice it within 30 minutes of switching machines, and you notice it every single wake cycle for the rest of the machine’s life.

Should M3 or Older Owners Upgrade?

Absolutely. The jump from M3 to M5 is significant — better performance, double the RAM (M3 base was 8GB vs M5’s 16GB), double the storage (M3 was 256GB), and Wi-Fi 7. Check our M3 vs M4 comparison — the M5 extends every advantage further.

Should You Buy a Discounted M4?

The M4 at $899-999 is still a great laptop. If you’re on a tight budget and the $100-200 savings matters, the M4 is a smart buy — especially the 512GB configuration if you can find it discounted. Just know that Wi-Fi 7 and the doubled AI performance are things you’ll miss as the ecosystem evolves over the next few years. If the stretch to $1,099 feels painful, take a quick look at our best laptop under $1,000 picks before you click buy.

The Verdict

New buyers: Get the M5. Same price, better everything. The 512GB base storage alone settles the debate.

M4 owners: Keep what you have. The improvements are real but not worth the cost of upgrading a one-year-old machine.

Budget shoppers: A discounted M4 at $899 with 512GB storage is excellent value if you can find one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the MacBook Air M5 really the same price as the M4 was?

Yes. Apple kept the base price at $1,099, but doubled the starting storage from 256GB to 512GB. That effectively undoes the $200 storage-upgrade tax most M4 buyers had to pay, so the M5 is a better deal than the M4 ever was at list price.

Q: Will my MacBook Air M4 feel slow compared to the M5?

No. Day-to-day use on the M4 is indistinguishable from the M5 for browsing, documents, streaming, and light creative work. You’ll only see the gap in heavy sustained loads like long video exports or on-device AI tasks.

Q: Does Wi-Fi 7 actually matter in 2026?

For most homes, not yet. Wi-Fi 7 routers are still expensive, and most ISPs cap speeds well below what Wi-Fi 6E already delivers. It’s a future-proofing feature — nice to have for a 5-year buy, not urgent today.

Q: Is the 4x Neural Engine worth upgrading for?

Only if you actually run on-device AI models, use Final Cut’s ML features heavily, or rely on Apple Intelligence for real work. For typical users, the Neural Engine gains are invisible in daily use.

Q: Should I buy a discounted 256GB M4 or the 512GB M5?

Skip 256GB in 2026 — it fills up fast. If you can find a discounted 512GB M4, it’s excellent value. Otherwise pay the small premium for the 512GB M5 and call it a day.

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