Apple unveils MacBook Air M5, Studio Display series

For the first time, MacBook Air with M5 now comes standard with 512GB of storage — double that of the previous generation — and can be configured up to 4TB.

After announcing the iPhone 17e and the iPad Air M4, Apple on Tuesday (March 3) unveiled the new line of MacBook Air with M5 silicon and next generation Studio Display for PCs.

The MacBook Air comes in two screen sizes-- 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch-- with Liquid Retina display, up 500 nits of peak brightness and support one billion colours, which ensures content on the screen look vivid with sharp detail, and text appears super crisp.

Under the hood, it houses Apple M5 silicon. It features a 10-core CPU touted to be the world’s fastest CPU core in a computer. Combined with an up-to-10-core GPU and a powerful Neural Accelerator in each core, MacBook Air with M5 promises to deliver up to 4x faster performance for AI tasks than MacBook Air with M4, and up to 9.5x faster than MacBook Air with M1.

It can handle any of the generative Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models, including Apple Intelligence, ChatGPT, Gemini and more across apps and system experiences.

With enhanced shader cores and a third-generation ray-tracing engine, M5 will ensure tasks like gaming and 3D rendering process run smoothly on the MacBook Air. M5 also features faster unified memory with 153GB/s of bandwidth, a 28 per cent improvement over M4 — enabling even smoother multitasking and faster app launches.

MacBook Air with M5 now comes standard with 512GB of storage — double that of the previous generation — and can be configured up to 4TB for the first time, providing ample space for large projects and games.

The new MacBook Air M5 features a 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View, which ensures users look great and enables more engaging video calls. It also features a three-mic array, which promises enhanced voice clarity. It also houses an advanced sound system to deliver an immersive experience with support for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos.

With a full charge, it can deliver all-day battery life of up to 18 hours under normal usage. It supports fast charging. It can reach up to 50% battery capacity in around 30 minutes.

Apple MacBook Air M5.

Like most of the Apple products, the MacBook Air M5 is eco-friendly. It is made with 55 per cent recycled content (in terms of weight), including 100 per cent recycled aluminium in the enclosure and 100 per cent recycled cobalt in the battery.

It is manufactured with 50 per cent renewable electricity, such as wind and solar, across the supply chain. The paper packaging is 100 per cent fibre-based and can be easily recycled.

The 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 starts at Rs 1,19,900 and Rs 1,08,900 for students and teachers (via education plan), and the 15-inch MacBook Air with M5 starts at Rs 1,44,900 and Rs 1,33,900 for students and teachers (via education plan). Both are available in sky blue, midnight, starlight, and silver.

Apple Studio Display (2026) series

It features a 27-inch 5K Retina display, supports over 14 million pixels, 600 nits of brightness, and P3 wide colour for rich, true-to-life imagery.

Apple Studio Display.

The display monitor also houses a 12MP Center Stage camera, with Desk View feature, a studio-quality three-microphone array; and a six-speaker sound system with four force-cancelling woofers that deliver 30 per cent deeper bass than the previous generation.

It also comes with two high-performance tweeters for immersive audio.

Studio Display also brings Thunderbolt 5 connectivity with two ports, so users can daisy-chain up to four Studio Display models. In addition, two USB-C ports can be used for peripherals and charging. With the included Thunderbolt 5 Pro cable, users get a convenient all-in-one connection that offers up to 96W of charging power — enough to fast-charge a 14-inch MacBook Pro.

The standard Studio Display is available with standard glass or optional nano-texture glass. It comes with a tilt-adjustable stand, or can be configured with a tilt- and height-adjustable stand or a VESA mount adapter for custom desk setups.

Apple also unveiled Studio Display XDR. It comes with a 27-inch 5K Retina XDR display and features an advanced mini-LED backlight with over 2,000 local dimming zones, up to 1000 nits of SDR brightness, and 2000 nits of peak HDR brightness, in addition to a wider colour gamut.

This ensures content comes on the screen with stunning contrast, vibrancy, and accuracy.

With its 120Hz refresh rate, Studio Display XDR will be even more responsive to content in motion, and Adaptive Sync dynamically adjusts frame rates for content like video playback or graphically intense games.

Apple Studio Display XDR.

Studio Display XDR offers the same advanced camera and audio system as Studio Display, as well as Thunderbolt 5 connectivity to simplify pro workflow setups. The new Studio Display with a tilt-adjustable stand starts at INR189900, and Studio Display XDR with a tilt- and height-adjustable stand starts at INR399900. Both are available in standard or nano-texture glass options

The new Studio Display features a 12MP Center Stage camera, now with improved image quality and support for Desk View; a studio-quality three-microphone array; and an immersive six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio. It also now includes powerful Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, providing more downstream connectivity for high-speed accessories or daisy-chaining displays.

With 2000 nits of peak HDR brightness, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, P3 and Adobe RGB wide colour gamuts, a 120Hz refresh rate, Adaptive Sync, a powerful combination of camera and audio, and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, Studio Display XDR is designed for workflows like HDR video editing and 3D rendering.

Both Studio Display models are made with recycled content, including 100 per cent recycled aluminium in the stand and 80 per cent recycled glass in the standard glass option. The paper packaging is 100 per cent fibre-based and was designed to collapse so it can be easily recycled.

Apple Studio Display starts at Rs 1,89,900 and Rs 1,77,900 for students and teachers (via education plan). Studio Display XDR replaces Pro Display XDR and starts at Rs 3,99,900 and Rs 3,87,900 for students and teachers (via education plan).

All the new MacBook Air M5 and the Studio Display models will be available for pre-order in India on March 4 and hit stores next week on March 11.

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