Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition)
VS
65.5Performance44
29.8Display41.6
55.3Battery68
79.6Portability65.9
4 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5)3 spec wins — Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition)
InnoReviews verdict
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) wins this laptop face-off, 56.9 to 52.6, pulling ahead mainly in performance (+22) and portability (+14). Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5)
- Stronger performance score: 66 vs 44
- Stronger portability score: 80 vs 66
- 37% lower thickness: 11.5 mm vs 18.3 mm
- Lower launch price: $1,299 vs $1,550
Reasons to pick the Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition)
- Stronger display score: 42 vs 30
- Stronger battery score: 68 vs 55
- 100% higher Refresh rate: 120 Hz vs 60 Hz
- 20% higher Peak brightness: 600 nits vs 500 nits
Display
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 15.3 ″+2% | 15 ″ |
| Panel type | IPS (Liquid Retina) | HDR PixelSense LCD (touchscreen) |
| Resolution | 2880x1864 | 3270x2180 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 120 Hz+100% |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | 600 nits+20% |
Performance
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M5 (10-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus (10-core) or Snapdragon X2 Elite (12-core) |
| Graphics | Apple M5 10-core GPU | Qualcomm Adreno |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM type | LPDDR5X (unified) | LPDDR5x |
| Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Storage type | SSD | Gen 4 SSD (removable, M.2 2230) |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 4,195Top 11% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 16,995Top 38% | — |
Battery
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 67 Wh+1% | 66 Wh |
| Web browsing endurance | — | 14 h |
| Charging | 60 W | 65 W+8% |
Design
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.51 kg+9% | 1.66 kg |
| Thickness | 11.5 mm+37% | 18.3 mm |
| Material | Recycled Aluminum | Aluminum (100% recycled) |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm | 2x USB-C/USB4, USB-A 3.2, 3.5mm headphone jack, Surface Connect, microSD |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 6 | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Webcam | 12MP Center Stage | 1080p Full HD (Windows Studio Effects) |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | Facial recognition (Windows Hello) |
Software
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 15-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS Tahoe | Windows 11 Home (Arm) |
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