CUPERTINO, California, April 15, 2026, 09:08 PDT.
- Amazon promotions cut the 13-inch M5 MacBook Air with 16GB memory and 512GB storage to $949, or $150 below list.
- A 13-inch M4 MacBook Air with the same memory and storage is selling for $899, leaving only a $50 gap.
- A Guardian review published Wednesday said the M5 model runs about 10% to 20% faster than the M4 and lasts more than 17 hours in office work.
Apple’s new MacBook Air is already being discounted five weeks after launch. 9to5Toys said Amazon was listing the 13-inch M5 Air with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage from $949 this week, while a comparable M4 model was at $899.
That matters because the price gap between old and new has narrowed to $50, making the choice less about budget than about how much buyers value the newer chip and larger base storage. It also comes as the PC market remains under pressure from higher memory costs, which Reuters reported were expected to weigh on demand this year.
Apple announced the M5 MacBook Air on March 3 and began shipping it on March 11. The 13-inch version starts at $1,099 and the 15-inch at $1,299, with 512GB of base storage and newer Wi‑Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 wireless support.
The discounts run across the line. 9to5Toys said the 15-inch M5 Air with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage was available from $1,149, while 1TB models in both sizes were also $150 below list; 9to5Mac’s daily deals roundup flagged the same Amazon pricing.
The older machines are still cheaper, but not by much. 9to5Toys said a 13-inch M4 Air with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage was at $899, or $300 below its original price, while discounted 15-inch M4 models ranged from $999 to $1,299 depending on configuration.
Reviews published Wednesday gave the newer laptop another push. The Guardian said in its testing the M5 Air was about 10% to 20% faster than the M4 version and that its solid-state drive, or SSD — the storage that holds files and apps — was twice as fast as the previous model. It also said battery life stretched past 17 hours in office work and about 10 hours under heavier loads.
Apple leaned on the storage change at launch. John Ternus, the company’s hardware chief, said the machine brought “double the starting storage,” and Reuters reported that buyers in the previous generation had to spend $1,199 to get a 512GB MacBook Air, making the new $1,099 starting price effectively lower on a like-for-like storage basis. Apple
Apple’s wider laptop ladder may be giving it room to promote the Air. When Apple unveiled the $599 MacBook Neo last month, IDC vice president Francisco Jeronimo said the question was how Apple would balance “cost, performance and brand positioning” while keeping the Mac premium. With Neo now covering the low end of Apple’s lineup, the Air sits more clearly as the step-up machine. Reuters
The discount also stands out against rivals. Microsoft’s 13-inch Surface Laptop now starts at $1,149.99 on Microsoft’s U.S. store, above Apple’s list price for the 13-inch M5 Air and roughly $200 above Amazon’s current promotional price. Reuters reported in January that rising memory costs were expected to squeeze PC demand in 2026, and Morningstar analyst William Kerwin said Apple was “better-positioned” than smaller rivals because it buys components on contract. Microsoft
But the M5 Air is not a clean win for every buyer. The Guardian noted that the laptop still has only two USB-C ports, a 60Hz display and no way to upgrade memory or storage after purchase. If Amazon’s discounts fade, the case for paying more than the M4 gets harder for shoppers who mostly browse, stream and handle office work.
For now, though, the pricing looks awkward for the M4. A laptop Apple began shipping in March at $1,099 is already selling for $949, leaving buyers to decide whether $50 is enough compensation for choosing the older chip.
