Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) vs MacBook Air (M5)
Verified 2026-10-03
A factual specification comparison between the Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) and the MacBook Air (M5).
Image: Apple Inc.
AppleMacBook Air (M5)
Fully verifiedLaptopReleased · 2026-03-11Announced 2026-03-04
Specs: source
View full specsKey differences
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1342 g (2.96 lbs) | 13-inch: 2.7 lb (1.23 kg), 15-inch: 3.3 lb (1.51 kg) |
| Display | 13.8-inch HDR PixelSense Touchscreen LCD, 120Hz | Liquid Retina, 500 nits brightness, True Tone, 1 billion colors (P3 wide color) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus (10-core) or Snapdragon X2 Elite (12-core); Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, up to 80 TOPS; Qualcomm Adreno GPU | Apple M5 (10-core CPU, up to 10-core GPU) |
| Storage type | Removable solid-state drive (Gen 4 SSD) | SSD, 512GB base (configurable to 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB) |
| Battery life | Up to 20 hours video playback | Up to 18 hours video streaming, up to 15 hours wireless web |
| Webcam | Full HD (1080p) front-facing Surface Studio Camera with Windows Studio Effects (automatic framing, portrait blur, creative filters, eye contact, portrait light, cinematic framing) | 12MP Center Stage camera, Desk View support, 1080p HD video |
| Wi-Fi | Wireless Wi-Fi card | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) via Apple N1 chip |
| Ports | 2x USB-C (USB4), 1x USB-A 3.2, 3.5mm audio jack, Surface Connect | 2× Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C, up to 40Gb/s), MagSafe 3, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Speakers | Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Audio, Dual Studio Mics with voice focus, Bluetooth LE Audio support | 13-inch: four-speaker sound system, 15-inch: six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers |
| Operating system at launch | Windows 11 | macOS |
Facts shown above are the specifications where both devices have a confirmed value and those values differ — not an indication that either device is better. Showing 10 of 19 differing facts, spread across categories — see the full specification table below for the rest.
Configurations
Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition)
- 512GB / 16GB RAM
MacBook Air (M5)
- 512GB
Cameras
Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition)
No camera data recorded.
MacBook Air (M5)
- Front · Center Stage: 12MP
Specifications
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Design & Build | ||
| Weight | 1342 g (2.96 lbs) | 13-inch: 2.7 lb (1.23 kg), 15-inch: 3.3 lb (1.51 kg) |
| Dimensions | 301 × 220 × 17.5 mm | 13-inch: 11.97 × 8.46 × 0.44 in, 15-inch: 13.40 × 9.35 × 0.45 in |
| Colors | Platinum, Black, Dune, Jade | Sky Blue, Midnight, Starlight, Silver |
| Build materials | Aluminum chassis | Recycled aluminum enclosure |
| Keyboard | — | Backlit Magic Keyboard with 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys, Touch ID, and Force Touch trackpad |
| Display | ||
| Display | 13.8-inch HDR PixelSense Touchscreen LCD, 120Hz | Liquid Retina, 500 nits brightness, True Tone, 1 billion colors (P3 wide color) |
| Resolution | 2304×1536 pixels | 13-inch: 2560×1664 (224 ppi), 15-inch: 2880×1864 (224 ppi) |
| Peak brightness | — | 500 nits |
| Performance | ||
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus (10-core) or Snapdragon X2 Elite (12-core); Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, up to 80 TOPS; Qualcomm Adreno GPU | Apple M5 (10-core CPU, up to 10-core GPU) |
| Graphics | Qualcomm Adreno GPU graphics | 8-core GPU |
| Memory & Storage | ||
| Storage type | Removable solid-state drive (Gen 4 SSD) | SSD, 512GB base (configurable to 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB) |
| Memory type | Up to 64GB RAM | Unified memory, 16GB base (configurable to 24GB or 32GB) |
| Battery & Charging | ||
| Battery life | Up to 20 hours video playback | Up to 18 hours video streaming, up to 15 hours wireless web |
| Charging | Surface 45W USB-C Wall Charger (select configurations); supports fast charging with a USB-C PD charger rated 60W or higher | MagSafe 3; both Thunderbolt 4 ports also support charging |
| Battery capacity (Wh) | — | 13-inch: 53.8, 15-inch: 66.5 |
| Camera | ||
| Webcam | Full HD (1080p) front-facing Surface Studio Camera with Windows Studio Effects (automatic framing, portrait blur, creative filters, eye contact, portrait light, cinematic framing) | 12MP Center Stage camera, Desk View support, 1080p HD video |
| Connectivity | ||
| Wi-Fi | Wireless Wi-Fi card | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) via Apple N1 chip |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.4 | Bluetooth 6 |
| Ports & Expansion | ||
| Ports | 2x USB-C (USB4), 1x USB-A 3.2, 3.5mm audio jack, Surface Connect | 2× Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C, up to 40Gb/s), MagSafe 3, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Audio | ||
| Speakers | Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Audio, Dual Studio Mics with voice focus, Bluetooth LE Audio support | 13-inch: four-speaker sound system, 15-inch: six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers |
| Software | ||
| Operating system at launch | Windows 11 | macOS |
| Security & Sensors | ||
| Biometric authentication | Windows Hello face authentication | Touch ID (integrated in keyboard) |
| Security features | Windows Hello (fingerprint) | — |
Sources & verification
Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition)
Verified 2026-10-02- Microsoft CorporationManufacturerTier 1
MacBook Air (M5)
Verified 2026-09-30- Apple Inc.Manufacturer newsroomTier 1
- Apple Inc.Manufacturer specificationsTier 1
- Apple Inc.ManufacturerTier 1
Tier 1 sources are the manufacturer's own product pages, technical specification sheets, or support documentation. Tier 2 sources are reputable independent technical references, used only for facts that couldn't be confirmed from official documentation.