Is the M5 MacBook Air worth it over the M4 model?

If you already own an M4 Air, the jump is modest for everyday tasks. The M5 matters most for AI features, gaming with ray tracing and sustained creative work. At $1,089 at PC Richard & Son as of November 6, 2026, it is a strong entry price for a new Air.

How much battery life does it really get?

Apple rates it at up to 18 hours. Real-world mixed use, such as browsing, email and video, typically lands well short of that but still covers a full workday. Heavy editing or gaming drains it much faster.

What comes in the box?

The laptop, a color-matched MagSafe charging cable and a USB-C power adapter. No mouse or sleeve is included.

Can I connect a monitor and peripherals?

Yes, but through the USB-C ports. You will likely need a hub or dock for HDMI, SD cards or older USB-A accessories.

Is 13 inches big enough for schoolwork?

For writing, research and spreadsheets, yes, and the light weight helps on campus. If you regularly work in two windows side by side, consider the larger 15-inch Air.

MacBook Air prices tend to dip during back-to-school and holiday sales and when a new model is announced. The current $1,089 at PC Richard & Son as of November 6, 2026 is already below list, so compare across the 8 stores before waiting.

Where can I buy the Apple MacBook Air 13.6" with M5 Chip Early 2026?

8 stores we checked sell it, including PC Richard & Son, Best Buy, shopaztecs, Walmart, Abt Electronics & Appliances.

Apple MacBook Air 13.6" with M5 Chip Early 2026

Q: Where is the Apple MacBook Air 13.6" with M5 Chip Early 2026 cheapest?

At PC Richard & Son, for $1,089.00, as of our latest check.

Best price now

$1,089.00at PC Richard & SonObserved at 9:48 PM

Compared across 8 stores. Prices are checked against each store and labelled with when.

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About the Apple MacBook Air 13.6" with M5 Chip Early 2026

MacBook Air - Might takes flight. Now supercharged by M5.Design - Built to go places.MacBook Air is remarkably light at just 1.23 kilograms, and under 1.15 centimeters thin. It's designed to fit easily into your bag, so you can always take it with you. It's also made with over 50% recycled materials and has a durable recycled aluminum enclosure built to withstand daily use.Perfectly portable size.The 13" MacBook Air is the ultimate on-the-go laptop.Four beautiful colors will have you on cloud nine.And every MacBook Air comes with a color-matched MagSafe charging cable. With up to 18 hours of battery life, MacBook Air is built for the long haul The impressive display makes TV, movies and games look truly striking wherever you goPerformance - M5. The chip that zips.The M5 chip features a next-generation 10-core GPU with a powerful new Neural Accelerator in each core, and a 10-core CPU with faster multithreaded performance. It fuels all your demanding apps, including Microsoft 365 Copilot and Adobe Creative Cloud, making them run faster so you can be productive all day on a single charge.The M5 chip in MacBook Air makes graphics smoother and gaming look better than ever. With third-generation hardware-accelerated ray tracing, you get more realistic images for truly immersive gaming. And Dynamic Caching drives a huge performance boost for pro apps and games. So everything you do feels less like work and more like play.AI in the fast lane.MacBook Air delivers blazing-fast AI performance thanks to the powerful combination of the M5 chip's GPU, Neural Engine and unified memory. With a Neural Accelerator built into each GPU core, AI tasks run even more efficiently. From AI image upscaling, to running the latest large language models. You'll be more productive and creative than ever.Multitasker. Multifaster.The M5 chip brings even more speed and fluidity to everything you do, like seamless switching between loads of apps and tabs, editing 4K video or playing immersive games like InZOI. All with a silent, fanless design.Live a full battery life.MacBook Air has up to 18 hours of battery life. And it supports fast charging, getting up to 50% in just 30 minutes. So you can power through everything from work to class to your favorite movies without worrying about your battery.Built for AI. From the silicon up.For everyone from students to small business owners to creative professionals, MacBook Air with M5 is designed to leverage AI in everyday workflows while preserving your privacy. Whether using powerful Apple Intelligence features across apps and macOS, running LLMs on your Mac or vibe coding, you'll stay productive - and protected.AI apps on Mac.Born to run. Mac is optimized to handle AI apps - like ChatGPT, LM Studio, Msty Studio, Topaz Video and Topaz Photo - so you can learn faster, think in new ways and get more done.AI tools in apps. Mac makes magic.Use intelligent tools to unlock new levels of productivity and creativity - from editing images in Photoshop, to rendering 3D models in Shapr3D, to creating films in Final Cut Pro.Apple Intelligence. Do more. Effort less.Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you write, express yourself and get things done effortlessly. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data - not even Apple.Great powers come with great privacy.Apple Intelligence is designed to protect your privacy at every step. It's integrated into the core of your Mac through on-device processing. So it's aware of your personal information without collecting your personal information.And with groundbreaking Private Cloud Compute, Apple Intelligence can draw on larger server-based models, running on Apple silicon, to handle more complex requests for you while protecting your privacy.macOS - Powering possibility.macOS is designed to support the way you work, create and connect, with powerful apps and seamless multitasking.Spotlight helps you act fast.Perform hundreds of actions on your MacBook Air - from finding files and apps to quickly sending a message - all within Spotlight.Liquid Glass. Clearly inspired.The stunning new design with Liquid Glass brings even more clarity to navigation and controls, and unlocks more ways to personalize your experience. Take your icons from light to dark, or choose an alluring clear look.What you want, right where you want it.The controls you use most like window tiling, screenshots and accessing your favorite apps can be personalized in the Control Centre. A transparent design keeps your display open and uncluttered.Live Translation.Communicate effortlessly across languages. Instantly translate texts in Messages, display live translated captions in FaceTime and get real-time spoken translations in the Phone app. Available in selected languagesContinuity - Better together.Mac and iPhone are incredible on their own. But when you use them together, they work wonders. Thanks to Continuity features, you can move seamlessly across devices to share files and photos, hand off tasks and even control your iPhone from your Mac.Answer calls and textsYour calls and texts come right to your laptop, so there's no need to switch devices when you're in the zone.Universal ClipboardCopy images, video or text from an app on your iPhone or iPad. Then paste into another app on your nearby Mac - or vice versa.iPhone MirroringSee and use what's on your iPhone from your Mac - even if you're charging your phone in another room. And your iPhone stays locked, so no one else can access it or see what you're doing.Live ActivitiesYou don't have to reach for your phone to stay in the know. Live Activities from your iPhone now appear on your Mac - like when your Zomato order is about to arrive.Markup and SketchSign, annotate and sketch on iPad or iPhone - live updates appear instantly on your Mac, and you can easily insert them into any document.New to Mac?Setup is a breeze.Easily move files, apps an