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: Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft · LaptopSurface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition)
- Status
- Released
- Verification
- Verified
- Last checked
- Checked 2026-10-02
Image: Apple Inc.
Apple · LaptopMacBook Air (M5)
- Status
- Released · 2026-03-11
- Announced
- Announced 2026-03-04
- Verification
- Verified
- Last checked
- Checked 2026-09-30
Key differences
SpecificationSurface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition)MacBook Air (M5)
Design & Build
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight (differs) | 1342 g (2.96 lbs) | 13-inch: 2.7 lb (1.23 kg), 15-inch: 3.3 lb (1.51 kg) |
Display
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Display (differs) | 13.8-inch HDR PixelSense Touchscreen LCD, 120Hz | Liquid Retina, 500 nits brightness, True Tone, 1 billion colors (P3 wide color) |
Performance
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset (differs) | 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) |
Memory & Storage
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Storage options (differs) | 512GB / 16GB RAM | 512GB |
Battery & Charging
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life (differs) | Up to 20 hours video playback | Up to 18 hours video streaming, up to 15 hours wireless web |
Camera
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Webcam (differs) | 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
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi (differs) | Wireless Wi-Fi card | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) via Apple N1 chip |
Ports & Expansion
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports (differs) | 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
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Speakers (differs) | 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
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system at launch (differs) | Windows 11 | macOS |
These are specifications where both devices have a confirmed value and the values differ. A difference is not a judgement that either device is better. Showing 10 of 20 differences; the full specifications below include all of them.
Full specifications
differs · Not disclosed: not published by the manufacturer · —: not recorded
SpecificationSurface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition)MacBook Air (M5)
Design & Build
4 differences
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight (differs) | 1342 g (2.96 lbs) | 13-inch: 2.7 lb (1.23 kg), 15-inch: 3.3 lb (1.51 kg) |
| Dimensions (differs) | 301 × 220 × 17.5 mm | 13-inch: 11.97 × 8.46 × 0.44 in, 15-inch: 13.40 × 9.35 × 0.45 in |
| Colors (differs) | Platinum, Black, Dune, Jade | Sky Blue, Midnight, Starlight, Silver |
| Build materials (differs) | Aluminum chassis | Recycled aluminum enclosure |
| Keyboard | Not recorded | Backlit Magic Keyboard with 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys, Touch ID, and Force Touch trackpad |
Display
2 differences
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Display (differs) | 13.8-inch HDR PixelSense Touchscreen LCD, 120Hz | Liquid Retina, 500 nits brightness, True Tone, 1 billion colors (P3 wide color) |
| Resolution (differs) | 2304×1536 pixels | 13-inch: 2560×1664 (224 ppi), 15-inch: 2880×1864 (224 ppi) |
| Peak brightness | Not recorded | 500 nits |
Performance
2 differences
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset (differs) | 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 (differs) | Qualcomm Adreno GPU graphics | 8-core GPU |
Memory & Storage
3 differences
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Storage options (differs) | 512GB / 16GB RAM | 512GB |
| Storage type (differs) | Removable solid-state drive (Gen 4 SSD) | SSD, 512GB base (configurable to 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB) |
| Memory type (differs) | Up to 64GB RAM | Unified memory, 16GB base (configurable to 24GB or 32GB) |
Battery & Charging
2 differences
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life (differs) | Up to 20 hours video playback | Up to 18 hours video streaming, up to 15 hours wireless web |
| Charging (differs) | 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) | Not recorded | 13-inch: 53.8, 15-inch: 66.5 |
Camera
1 difference
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Front cameras | Not recorded | Center Stage 12MP |
| Webcam (differs) | 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
2 differences
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi (differs) | Wireless Wi-Fi card | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) via Apple N1 chip |
| Bluetooth (differs) | Bluetooth 5.4 | Bluetooth 6 |
Ports & Expansion
1 difference
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports (differs) | 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
1 difference
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Speakers (differs) | 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
1 difference
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system at launch (differs) | Windows 11 | macOS |
Security & Sensors
1 difference
| Specification | Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | MacBook Air (M5) |
|---|---|---|
| Biometric authentication (differs) | Windows Hello face authentication | Touch ID (integrated in keyboard) |
| Security features | Windows Hello (fingerprint) | Not recorded |
Terms used on this page (7)
- ppi
- Pixels per inch: how densely pixels are packed on the screen.
- Nits
- A unit of screen brightness (candela per square metre). Typical, HDR and outdoor peak figures are measured under different conditions.
- mAh and Wh
- Battery capacity. mAh is charge; Wh also accounts for voltage, so it is the more comparable energy figure across device types.
- Wi-Fi 6E / Wi-Fi 7
- Wi-Fi 6E adds the 6 GHz band to Wi-Fi 6; Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) adds wider channels and multi-link operation. Real speeds depend on the router and network.
- NPU and TOPS
- The NPU is the chip's AI accelerator; TOPS is the manufacturer's quoted peak throughput and is not directly comparable across chip makers.
- Qi2 / MagSafe
- Wireless charging standards with magnetic alignment; the quoted wattage is the maximum with a compatible charger.
- Thunderbolt / USB4
- USB-C connection standards for high-speed data, external displays and charging.
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.