Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) vs ASUS TUF Gaming 16 (2026)
65.5Performance68
29.8Display55
55.3Battery50.7
79.6Portability38.2
3 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5)5 spec wins — ASUS TUF Gaming 16 (2026)
InnoReviews verdict
This one is close to a dead heat: Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) scores 56.9 against 55.6 for ASUS TUF Gaming 16 (2026). Pick by the categories that matter to you — Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) edges ahead in portability and battery, or by price.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5)
- Stronger battery score: 55 vs 51
- Stronger portability score: 80 vs 38
- 57% lower thickness: 11.5 mm vs 26.9 mm
- 31% lower weight: 1.51 kg vs 2.2 kg
Reasons to pick the ASUS TUF Gaming 16 (2026)
- Stronger display score: 55 vs 30
- 300% higher storage: 2,048 GB vs 512 GB
- 175% higher Refresh rate: 165 Hz vs 60 Hz
- 150% higher charging: 150 W vs 60 W
- 100% higher RAM: 32 GB vs 16 GB
Display
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | ASUS TUF Gaming 16 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 15.3 ″ | 16 ″+5% |
| Panel type | IPS (Liquid Retina) | IPS-level, anti-glare, 100% sRGB |
| Resolution | 2880x1864 | 2560x1600 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 165 Hz+175% |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | — |
Performance
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | ASUS TUF Gaming 16 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M5 (10-core) | Intel Core i7-14650HX (up to 5.2GHz, 16C/24T) |
| Graphics | Apple M5 10-core GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU, 85W (8GB GDDR7) |
| RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB+100% |
| RAM type | LPDDR5X (unified) | DDR5-5600 SO-DIMM (2 slots, upgradeable to 64GB) |
| Storage | 512 GB | 2,048 GB+300% |
| Storage type | SSD | M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (2x M.2 slots) |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | ASUS TUF Gaming 16 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 4,195Top 11% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 16,995Top 38% | — |
Battery
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | ASUS TUF Gaming 16 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 67 Wh+6% | 63 Wh |
| Charging | 60 W | 150 W+150% |
Design
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | ASUS TUF Gaming 16 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.51 kg+31% | 2.2 kg |
| Thickness | 11.5 mm+57% | 26.9 mm |
| Material | Recycled Aluminum | All-black chassis with an anti-fingerprint coating, MIL-STD-810H tested |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | ASUS TUF Gaming 16 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm | 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (DisplayPort / Power Delivery), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x RJ45 LAN, 3.5mm combo audio jack |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) |
| Bluetooth | 6 | 5.4 |
| Webcam | 12MP Center Stage | 720p HD camera |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | — |
Software
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | ASUS TUF Gaming 16 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS Tahoe | Windows 11 Home |
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