Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
VS
44Performance38.7
29.8Display29.8
94.7Battery94.7
85.7Portability80.1
2 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5)1 spec wins — Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
InnoReviews verdict
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) wins this laptop face-off, 59.1 to 56.2, pulling ahead mainly in portability (+6) and performance (+5). Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-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 13 (M5)
- Stronger performance score: 44 vs 39
- Stronger portability score: 86 vs 80
- 100% higher storage: 512 GB vs 256 GB
Reasons to pick the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition)
No decisive spec advantages — this side competes on price and preference.
Display
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 13.6 ″+5% | 13 ″ |
| Panel type | Liquid Retina IPS LCD | PixelSense LCD (touchscreen) |
| Resolution | 2560x1664 | 1920x1280 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M5 (10-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus (6-core) |
| Graphics | Apple M5 (8-core GPU) | Qualcomm Adreno |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM type | — | LPDDR5x |
| Storage | 512 GB+100% | 256 GB |
| Storage type | — | UFS (removable) |
Battery
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Web browsing endurance | 18 h | 18 h |
| Charging | — | 45 W |
Design
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.24 kg | 1.23 kg+1% |
| Thickness | — | 17.5 mm |
| Material | Recycled Aluminum | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | — | 2x USB-C/USB 3.2, USB-A 3.2, 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) |
Software
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) | Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS | Windows 11 Home (Arm) |
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