Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 wins 9 of the 12 categories we compared, against 1 for Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 (2 tied) — including overall score (7/10 vs 5.6/10).
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: our verdict
MacBook Air is for anyone who wants the fastest performance, longest battery life, and a sharper 2560 x 1664 resolution display in a lightweight 1.23 kg package. If you care most about keyboard feel and input experience, you should skip MacBook Air. The one reason to hesitate: its keyboard and trackpad are less satisfying to use than the best in this class.
Surface Laptop is for those who care most about a comfortable, responsive typing experience and prioritize keyboard quality above all else.
Summarised from our video comparison of these two laptops.
Watch the video comparison
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Overall Score
| Spec |
 Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
|
 Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 7/10 | 5.6/10 |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Build & Design
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Portability score | 9.4/10 | 9.6/10 |
| Weight | 1.23 kg | 1.22 kg |
| Thickness | 11.3 mm | 15.6 mm |
| Fingerprint reader | Yes | Yes |
| Vapor chamber cooling | No | No |
| Numeric keypad | No | No |
| Windows Precision touchpad | No | Yes |
| Facial recognition | No | No |
| Build material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Available colors | Black, Silver, Gold, Blue | Silver, Gray, Purple |
| Keyboard | Backlit, Island | Backlit, Island |
| Key travel | 1 mm | 1.5 mm |
| Cooling system | Passive | Active |
| Dimensions | 304.1 x 215 x 11.3 mm | 285.65 x 214.14 x 15.6 mm |
| Footprint | 654 cm2 (101.3 inches2) | 612 cm2 (94.8 inches2) |
| Touchpad surface | Glass | Glass |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Benchmarks
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Performance score | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Cinebench (multi-core) | 1126 | 670 |
| Cinebench (single-core) | 199 | 101 |
| Geekbench (multi-core) | 16670 | 10824 |
| Geekbench (single-core) | 4091 | 2281 |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: CPU
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| CPU threads | 10 | 8 |
| CPU | Apple M5 (8-сore GPU) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus |
| CPU cores | 10 (4P + 6E) | 8 |
| CPU base frequency | 4.61 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| CPU turbo frequency | — | 3.4 GHz |
| CPU L3 cache | — | 6 MB |
| CPU manufacturing process | 3 nm | 4 nm |
| CPU configurations available | Apple M5 (8-сore GPU) Apple M5 (10-Core) | X1P-42-100 |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: GPU
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| GPU compute | 3.3 TFLOPS | 1.7 TFLOPS |
| GPU | Apple M5 GPU (8-Core) | Adreno X1-45 |
| GPU type | Integrated | Integrated |
| Integrated GPU | Apple M5 GPU (8-core) | Qualcomm Adreno X1-45 |
| GPU VRAM | System Shared | System Shared |
| GPU memory type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| GPU memory bus | 128 bit | — |
| GPU base clock | — | 280 MHz |
| GPU boost clock | 1620 MHz | 1107 MHz |
| GPU configurations available | Apple M5 GPU (8-Core) | Adreno X1-45 |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Memory
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM upgradable | No | No |
| RAM type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| RAM clock speed | 9600 MHz | 8448 MHz |
| RAM slots | — | 1 |
| RAM channels | 2x8 GB | 2x8 GB |
| RAM configurations available | 16GB|24GB|32GB | 16GB|32GB|64GB |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Storage
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB |
| NVMe storage | Yes | Yes |
| Storage upgradable | No | Yes |
| Storage type | SSD (M2) | SSD (M2) |
| Storage interface | Custom | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) |
| Storage configurations available | 512GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1 TB |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Display
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Display score | 5.3/10 | 4.1/10 |
| Display size | 13.6 in | 13 in |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 400 nits |
| Pixel density | 225 ppi | 178 ppi |
| Touchscreen | No | Yes |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Display type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1664 | 1920 x 1280 |
| Screen coating | Glossy | Glossy |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 3:2 |
| Contrast ratio | 1437:1 | 1000:1 |
| sRGB coverage | 100% | 97.6% |
| Response time | 20 ms | 37 ms |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~82% | ~82.3% |
| Side bezels | 5.6 mm | 5.5 mm |
| Maximum opening angle | 130° | 135° |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Battery
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Battery score | 8.4/10 | 7.7/10 |
| Battery capacity | 53.8 Wh | 50 Wh |
| Charging speed | 35 W | 45 W |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Charging port | USB-C | USB-C |
| Proprietary charging | Yes | No |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Full charge time | — | 2:10 hr |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Network & Connectivity
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 7.9/10 | 7.2/10 |
| Wi-Fi generation | 7 | 7 |
| Bluetooth version | 6 | 5.4 |
| Ethernet port | No | No |
| HDMI port | No | No |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| SD card reader | No | No |
| USB-A ports | No | 1x USB 3.2 |
| USB-C ports | 2x USB 4.0 | 2x USB 4.0 |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Audio
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| Speaker configuration | 2.2 (2 tweeters and 2 woofers) | 2.0 |
| Speaker loudness | ~82.1 dB | ~83.5 dB |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: OS & Software
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS | Windows 11 |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 13: Extras & Features
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
|
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
|
|---|---|---|
| 2-in-1 convertible | No | No |
| Webcam | 1080p FHD | 1080p FHD |
| Webcam position | Above the display | Above the display |
Where each laptop wins
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5
- Overall score: 7/10 (vs 5.6/10)
- Performance score: 8/10 (vs 6/10)
- Battery score: 8.4/10 (vs 7.7/10)
- Display score: 5.3/10 (vs 4.1/10)
- Connectivity score: 7.9/10 (vs 7.2/10)
- Cinebench (multi-core): 1126 (vs 670)
- Cinebench (single-core): 199 (vs 101)
- Geekbench (multi-core): 16670 (vs 10824)
- Geekbench (single-core): 4091 (vs 2281)
- CPU threads: 10 (vs 8)
- GPU compute: 3.3 TFLOPS (vs 1.7 TFLOPS)
- Storage: 512 GB (vs 256 GB)
- Display size: 13.6 in (vs 13 in)
- Brightness: 500 nits (vs 400 nits)
- Pixel density: 225 ppi (vs 178 ppi)
- Battery capacity: 53.8 Wh (vs 50 Wh)
- Thickness: 11.3 mm (vs 15.6 mm)
- Bluetooth version: 6 (vs 5.4)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13
- Portability score: 9.6/10 (vs 9.4/10)
- Storage upgradable
- Touchscreen
- Charging speed: 45 W (vs 35 W)
- Weight: 1.22 kg (vs 1.23 kg)
- Windows Precision touchpad
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, the Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13?
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 wins 9 of the 12 categories we compared, against 1 for Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 (2 tied) — including overall score (7/10 vs 5.6/10).
Which is cheaper, the Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13?
The Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 costs around $1099, $200 less than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 at around $1299.
What are the main differences between the Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13?
The biggest gaps are in overall score (7/10 on the Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs 5.6/10); performance score (8/10 on the Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs 6/10); battery score (8.4/10 on the Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 vs 7.7/10).