Apple’s next MacBook Air is several months away, but if you’ve been waiting for an upgrade, here’s why now might actually be a good time to buy it.
The Current Air is the best value mid-range Mac
The M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,299 following Apple’s recent $200 price hike, but Amazon has already slashed it by $100, bringing it down to $1,199. The base model’s 16GB of RAM means it’s no longer hamstrung right out of the box, and in terms of capacity for what you pay, nothing else in the Mac lineup comes close – not even the $699 MacBook Neo, whose A18 Pro chip, capped at 8GB of RAM, and lack of Thunderbolt 4 make it a completely different class of machine. Don’t forget: Apple also has MacBook Air M5 models in its refurbished store, with up to 15% off regular prices.
Prices are more likely to rise than fall
The $200 price hike Apple slapped on the MacBook Air in late June was a direct result of the ongoing global shortage of memory chips, and there’s no sign the pressure is easing. If component costs remain high until next year’s M6 refresh, there’s a good chance the next MacBook Air will launch at an even higher price than the current model. Getting an M5 Air now could therefore mean anticipating the next hike.
No air cooling is imminent
The next 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models aren’t expected until early next year at the earliest, and this will likely be an improvement to the M6 chip rather than a redesign – so that’s at least six months of waiting for a fairly modest spec sheet upgrade. The biggest change is an OLED display, but that’s even further down the road: Apple is said to have first introduced the OLED transition from the Mac line to the MacBook Pro (with a touchscreen), and the latest rumors suggest an OLED MacBook Air won’t arrive until 2028 or 2029. If you’re waiting for a touchscreen OLED panel, you’re really looking at a MacBook Pro, not an Air.
Timing could work in your favor
Apple’s back-to-school discounts, now available in the US, mean education discounts and gift card promotions can reduce the retail price of the device. With these discounts in hand, this could turn out to be the lowest price for the MacBook Air you can get before the next refresh (and who knows what price hikes that might lead to).
That’s already more Macs than most people need
Apple Silicon has long passed the point where the MacBook Air struggles to perform on a daily basis. The M5 chip handles photo editing, light to medium video work, and heavy browsing sessions without breaking a sweat. The chip architecture is designed for AI computing and it also operates silently, without a fan. Plus, it will benefit from macOS updates for years to come. For most buyers, the current Air won’t feel slow until they’re ready to replace it anyway.
Conclusion
Wait if you want an OLED or M6 equipped machine. But otherwise, the M5 MacBook Air you can buy today is better than waiting for a slightly faster model arriving in the first half of 2027.
