Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition)
VS
44Performance35.5
29.8Display27.3
94.7Battery69.5
85.7Portability82.8
4 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5)1 spec wins — Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition)
InnoReviews verdict
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) wins this laptop face-off, 59.1 to 49.5, pulling ahead mainly in battery (+25) and performance (+9). Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st 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 13 (M5)
- Stronger performance score: 44 vs 36
- Stronger battery score: 95 vs 70
- 100% higher storage: 512 GB vs 256 GB
- 18% higher Peak brightness: 500 nits vs 425 nits
- 13% higher Web browsing endurance: 18 h vs 16 h
Reasons to pick the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition)
- Lower launch price: $900 vs $1,099
Display
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 13.6 ″+5% | 13 ″ |
| Panel type | Liquid Retina IPS LCD | PixelSense IPS LCD (touchscreen) |
| Resolution | 2560x1664 | 1920x1280 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits+18% | 425 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M5 (10-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-42-100) |
| Graphics | Apple M5 (8-core GPU) | Qualcomm Adreno X1-45 |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM type | — | LPDDR5x |
| Storage | 512 GB+100% | 256 GB |
| Storage type | — | UFS 4.0 (removable) |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | — | 2,287Bottom 7% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | — | 11,125Bottom 18% |
Battery
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | — | 50 Wh |
| Web browsing endurance | 18 h+13% | 16 h |
| Charging | — | 45 W |
Design
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.24 kg | 1.22 kg+2% |
| Thickness | — | 15.6 mm |
| Material | Recycled Aluminum | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | — | 2x USB-C (USB 3.2, DisplayPort 1.4a), USB-A, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | — | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Webcam | — | 1080p Full HD |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | Fingerprint (Windows Hello, in power button) |
Software
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (1st Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS | Windows 11 Home (Arm) |
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