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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Apple’s March 3, 2026 MacBook refresh raised U.S. entry prices, but it also increased the storage included at those prices. The 13-inch MacBook Air rose from $999 to $1,099 while moving from 256GB to 512GB. The comparable 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro rose from $1,999 to $2,199 while moving from 512GB to 1TB. Reported unified-memory upgrade prices for the M5 Pro remain the same as the equivalent M4 Pro options.
That makes the increase real at checkout, but not a simple $100 or $200 surcharge for identical hardware. The right choice depends on whether your workload needs more unified memory, more internal storage, or simply the lowest possible entry price.
Which MacBooks became more expensive?
The figures below are U.S. list prices before sales tax, with comparisons based on matching product tiers where the available sources establish them. Apple announced the M5 Air and the M5 Pro/M5 Max MacBook Pro models on March 3, 2026; preorders began March 4 and store availability began March 11.
| Model and comparison | Previous entry | New entry | Change | Standard storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13-inch MacBook Air, M4 to M5 | $999 | $1,099 | +$100 | 256GB to 512GB |
| 15-inch MacBook Air, M4 to M5 | Not established in the cited sources | $1,299 | Not established | 512GB on the M5 model; prior comparison not established |
| 14-inch MacBook Pro, M4 Pro to M5 Pro | $1,999 | $2,199 | +$200 | 512GB to 1TB |
| 14-inch MacBook Pro, standard M5 | $1,599 | $1,699 | +$100 | 512GB to 1TB |
| 16-inch MacBook Pro, M5 Pro | Comparable previous configuration not established | $2,699 | Not established | Current base storage is listed by Apple |
| 14-inch/16-inch MacBook Pro, M5 Max | Configuration-dependent | $3,599/$3,899 | Not established | Varies by configuration |
Apple’s announcement and current store pages provide the new configurations and prices: MacBook Air announcement, MacBook Pro announcement, 13-inch MacBook Air configurator, and MacBook Pro configurator.
#1 Best Overall
- AN AMAZING MAC AT A SURPRISING PRICE — With an incredibly portable and durable aluminum design, up to 16 hours of battery life,* and the A18 Pro chip, MacBook Neo is ready to go wherever school takes you.
- FOUR STUNNING COLORS. ONE DURABLE DESIGN — Choose from four beautiful colors — Silver, Blush, Citrus, or Indigo — each with a color-coordinated keyboard. And MacBook Neo is made with a durable recycled aluminum enclosure that helps it reach 60 percent recycled content by weight — the most ever in any Apple product.*
- FLY THROUGH EVERYDAY ASSIGNMENTS — Whether you’re cramming for finals, using Apple Intelligence* to summarize class notes, creating presentations, or even playing the latest Apple Arcade game,* MacBook Neo delivers the performance and AI capabilities you need to get things done.
- UP TO 16 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Neo delivers all day battery life, so you can power through from early morning classes to late night study sessions without worrying about plugging in.
- A VIBRANT 13-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Neo supports 1 billion colors, so photos and videos pop and text is crisp for easy reading.
The MacBook Air is $100 more—but the comparison is not like-for-like
The old entry configuration was $999 with a 256GB SSD. The new 13-inch M5 Air starts at $1,099 with 512GB, twice the standard capacity. A buyer who would have stayed with 256GB must now spend $100 more, even if external storage would have been acceptable. A buyer who would have upgraded the old machine to 512GB should compare the old configured total with the new $1,099 base price rather than comparing sticker prices alone.
Three prices answer different questions:
- Entry price: the minimum amount required to buy the model.
- Like-for-like price: the cost of matching chip, memory, storage, and screen configuration across generations.
- Included-upgrade value: how useful the extra storage is to your own workflow. Apple’s internal SSD price is not automatically the same as the market value of an external drive.
What happened to MacBook Pro pricing?
14-inch M5 Pro
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at $2,199, versus $1,999 for the comparable M4 Pro entry configuration. The $200 increase is paired with a move from 512GB to 1TB of standard storage. The M5 Pro is a different performance tier from the standard M5 MacBook Pro, so the two should not be treated as one product.
14-inch standard M5
The standard-M5 14-inch MacBook Pro launched in October 2025. Its listed configuration moved from $1,599 with 512GB to $1,699 with 1TB. That is a separate $100 price/configuration change, not simply another description of the March M5 Pro launch.
Rank #2
- AN AMAZING MAC AT A SURPRISING PRICE — With an incredibly portable and durable aluminum design, up to 16 hours of battery life,* and the A18 Pro chip, MacBook Neo is ready to go wherever school takes you.
- FOUR STUNNING COLORS. ONE DURABLE DESIGN — Choose from four beautiful colors — Silver, Blush, Citrus, or Indigo — each with a color-coordinated keyboard. And MacBook Neo is made with a durable recycled aluminum enclosure that helps it reach 60 percent recycled content by weight — the most ever in any Apple product.*
- FLY THROUGH EVERYDAY ASSIGNMENTS — Whether you’re cramming for finals, using Apple Intelligence* to summarize class notes, creating presentations, or even playing the latest Apple Arcade game,* MacBook Neo delivers the performance and AI capabilities you need to get things done.
- UP TO 16 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Neo delivers all day battery life, so you can power through from early morning classes to late night study sessions without worrying about plugging in.
- A VIBRANT 13-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Neo supports 1 billion colors, so photos and videos pop and text is crisp for easy reading.
16-inch and M5 Max models
Apple lists the 16-inch M5 Pro from $2,699, the 14-inch M5 Max from $3,599, and the 16-inch M5 Max from $3,899. The available sources do not establish matching previous entry configurations for each of those models, so a universal claim that every MacBook Pro rose by $200 would be misleading.
Did Apple raise unified-memory upgrade prices?
Reported M5 Pro configuration pricing shows no increase versus the equivalent M4 Pro matrix. 9to5Mac reported these increments:
| Unified-memory change | Reported upgrade price |
|---|---|
| 24GB to 48GB | +$400 |
| 48GB to 64GB | +$200 |
| 64GB to 128GB | +$1,000 |
Those are unchanged prices in the reported M5 Pro comparison, not inexpensive memory. Options depend on the selected chip and model; 128GB, for example, is not an Air option. Check Apple’s live configurator before ordering because availability can vary by chip, model, region, and date. The comparison was reported by 9to5Mac, while Apple’s current options are shown in its Air and Pro configurators.
Rank #3
- BUILT FOR COLLEGE. AND BEYOND — MacBook Air with the M5 chip packs blazing speed and powerful AI capabilities into an incredibly portable design. And with up to 18 hours of battery life,* this thin and light powerhouse is ready to take on almost any major, just about anywhere.
- TEAR THROUGH TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS — With its faster CPU and unified memory, the M5 chip delivers even more performance and fluidity across apps, making multitasking and creative workflows smooth and responsive. A powerful Neural Engine and next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators give you a powerful platform for AI.
- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Air delivers incredible battery life with amazing performance, so you can power through a full day of classes without worrying about plugging in.
- A BRILLIANT 13.6-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Air supports 1 billion colors, making photos and videos pop with rich contrast and sharp detail, and text appears supercrisp. So everything — from class presentations to movies to games — looks truly stunning.
Why memory matters more than storage for some buyers
Apple silicon uses unified memory that is fixed at purchase. You cannot safely plan to add capacity later. More memory helps when the computer must keep many applications and browser tabs active, run virtual machines or containers, compile large projects, handle high-resolution video timelines, load large audio libraries, process large datasets, or run local AI models. It does not automatically make ordinary browsing, office work, or streaming faster.
Storage solves a different problem. A larger internal SSD is useful for local photo catalogs, games, video projects, virtual-machine images, and offline files. An external SSD can add capacity at lower cost per terabyte, but it brings cables, portability, backup, and failure considerations and may be less suitable for active projects. More storage cannot compensate for insufficient unified memory.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWho should buy which configuration?
General users and students
The 13-inch Air is the sensible starting point for browsers, office apps, communications, programming tools, photo organization, light editing, and general productivity. Its $1,099 U.S. base price includes 512GB. The current configurator lists 16GB, 24GB, and 32GB memory choices; select at least 24GB if you regularly multitask heavily or expect a long service life. Eligible buyers should separately check Apple’s education store: the 13-inch Air is listed at $999 education pricing and the 15-inch at $1,199.
Rank #4
- BUILT FOR COLLEGE. AND BEYOND — MacBook Air with the M5 chip packs blazing speed and powerful AI capabilities into an incredibly portable design. And with up to 18 hours of battery life,* this thin and light powerhouse is ready to take on almost any major, just about anywhere.
- TEAR THROUGH TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS — With its faster CPU and unified memory, the M5 chip delivers even more performance and fluidity across apps, making multitasking and creative workflows smooth and responsive. A powerful Neural Engine and next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators give you a powerful platform for AI.
- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Air delivers incredible battery life with amazing performance, so you can power through a full day of classes without worrying about plugging in.
- A BRILLIANT 13.6-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Air supports 1 billion colors, making photos and videos pop with rich contrast and sharp detail, and text appears supercrisp. So everything — from class presentations to movies to games — looks truly stunning.
Developers and technical users
Choose memory according to simultaneous tools, build size, containers, and virtual machines. A developer who runs a browser, IDE, local services, and one or more virtual environments may benefit more from 24GB or 32GB than from moving to a larger SSD.
Creative professionals
Video editors, 3D artists, musicians with large sample libraries, and photographers with large catalogs should consider a 14-inch Pro for sustained performance, active cooling, display quality, ports, and higher memory ceilings. Choose internal storage based on how much active media must remain on the machine; archive material can live on a properly backed-up external drive.
Local-AI and virtualization users
Prioritize unified memory first. Model size, virtual-machine allocation, and the number of concurrent workloads can make the base configuration a false economy. Verify that the specific M5 Pro or M5 Max configuration supports the memory tier you need.
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Best Value
- BUILT FOR COLLEGE. AND BEYOND — MacBook Air with the M5 chip packs blazing speed and powerful AI capabilities into an incredibly portable design. And with up to 18 hours of battery life,* this thin and light powerhouse is ready to take on almost any major, just about anywhere.
- TEAR THROUGH TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS — With its faster CPU and unified memory, the M5 chip delivers even more performance and fluidity across apps, making multitasking and creative workflows smooth and responsive. A powerful Neural Engine and next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators give you a powerful platform for AI.
- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Air delivers incredible battery life with amazing performance, so you can power through a full day of classes without worrying about plugging in.
- A BRILLIANT 15.3-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Air supports 1 billion colors, making photos and videos pop with rich contrast and sharp detail, and text appears supercrisp. So everything — from class presentations to movies to games — looks truly stunning.
Long-term owners
Because memory cannot be upgraded, paying for additional unified memory at checkout can protect against future workload growth. Storage is easier to supplement later, although replacing an internal SSD with an external workflow is not equally convenient for everyone.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does the higher price represent better value?
For buyers who needed 512GB in the Air or 1TB in the relevant Pro configuration, the included-storage increase can offset much or all of the effective price difference. The newer machines also use newer M5-generation chips, but performance should be judged from Apple’s model-specific claims rather than assumed from the price.
For buyers who were satisfied with 256GB or 512GB and prefer external storage, the higher minimum payment is an unavoidable price increase. Apple has not publicly attributed each change to a particular component shortage, and the unchanged memory matrix does not prove how Apple’s costs or margins changed. The changes arrive amid broader pressure on memory and storage costs, but that is context rather than a confirmed Apple explanation.
Important comparison traps
- Do not compare a $999 256GB M4 Air directly with a $1,099 512GB M5 Air and call the entire difference an equivalent surcharge.
- Do not compare standard M5 and M5 Pro MacBook Pros solely by screen size or product name.
- Do not apply Pro memory tiers to the Air.
- Do not mix education prices with standard retail prices.
- Do not generalize U.S. pricing to other countries; taxes, exchange rates, and regional configurations differ.
- Retail discounts, trade-in offers, and remaining inventory can make an older model cheaper than Apple’s list-price comparison.
Bottom line
Apple did raise MacBook entry prices. The increase is partly accompanied by substantially more standard storage, and reported M5 Pro unified-memory upgrade prices remain unchanged. Buy the Air for mainstream portability and value, the Pro for sustained performance and expansion, prioritize memory when your workload needs it, and use external storage only when its convenience and performance limits fit your workflow.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
