Apple MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) vs Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M5)

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MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) compared with MacBook Air 13″ (M5)

	AppleMacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)	AppleMacBook Air 13″ (M5)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2017	March 2026
Display
Screen size
Screen size	12″	13.6″
Resolution
Resolution	2304 × 1440	2560 × 1664 (better)
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	–	60 Hz
Brightness
Brightness	–	500 nits
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Retina display; LED-backlit IPS; 16:10 aspect ratio; millions of colours	Liquid Retina display; LED-backlit with IPS technology
Pixel density
Pixel density	226 ppi	224 ppi
Colour range
Colour range	–	Wide colour (P3); 1 billion colours
Display features
Display features	Supported scaled resolutions of 1440 × 900, 1280 × 800 or 1024 × 640	True Tone
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core m3-7Y32, Intel Core i5-7Y54 or Intel Core i7-7Y75	Apple M5
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	10
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 615	8-core GPU or 10-core GPU
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB	16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 512 GB	512 GB to 4 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	Dual-core seventh-generation Intel Core m3 at Apple's specified 1.2 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.0 GHz, Core i5 at 1.3 GHz with up to 3.2 GHz, or Core i7 at 1.4 GHz with up to 3.6 GHz; all with 4 MB shared L3 cache. Exact m3-7Y32, i5-7Y54 and i7-7Y75 identifiers confirmed by TechRadar. Apple's configured clocks differ from Intel's nominal base frequencies of 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 GHz respectively.	10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency cores
GPU
GPU	Intel HD Graphics 615	Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Media Engine with H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW acceleration and AV1 decode
AI engine
AI engine	–	16-core Neural Engine
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 1866 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory; configurable to 16 GB	Unified memory
Memory bandwidth
Memory bandwidth	–	153 GB/s
Storage type
Storage type	PCIe-based onboard SSD; 256 GB with the 1.2 GHz Core m3 base or 512 GB with the 1.3 GHz Core i5 base. The 256 GB base can be configured with Core i5 or i7; the 512 GB base can be configured with Core i7.	SSD, configurable up to 4 TB
Cooling
Cooling	Fanless design (TechRadar)	Fanless
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 12 hours	Up to 18 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	41.4 Wh	53.8 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	0.92 kg (better)	1.23 kg
Thickness
Thickness	13.1 mm	11.3 mm (better)
Width × depth
Width × depth	280.5 × 196.5 mm	304.1 × 215 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Lithium-polymer battery; up to 10 hours wireless web, 12 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby. Apple's tests used the 1.3 GHz Core i5, 8 GB memory and 512 GB storage. Chassis tapers from 3.5 to 13.1 mm; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.	Up to 15 hours wireless web; lithium-polymer battery
Charger
Charger	30 W USB-C Power Adapter, as listed in Apple's current technical specifications	Sold separately in the UK (30 W, 35 W dual-port or 70 W Apple USB-C adapters offered); needs at least 30 W over USB PD
Fast charging
Fast charging	–	With a 70 W or higher USB PD power source
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure	100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 55% recycled content overall
Colours
Colours	Silver, Gold, Space Grey, Rose Gold	Sky Blue, Silver, Starlight, Midnight
Connections
Ports
Ports	USB-C, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5	Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.2	6
Webcam
Webcam	480p FaceTime	12MP Center Stage
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	One USB-C port supporting charging, USB 3.1 Gen 1 up to 5 Gb/s and native DisplayPort 1.2; VGA and HDMI through separate USB-C multiport adaptors. 3.5 mm headphone jack.	2 × Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) with charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 (up to 40 Gb/s); MagSafe 3; 3.5 mm headphone jack with high-impedance headphone support
External displays
External displays	One external display up to 4096 × 2304 at 60 Hz alongside the built-in screen, at millions of colours	Up to two at 6K 60 Hz or 4K 144 Hz, or one at up to 8K 60 Hz, 5K 120 Hz or 4K 240 Hz, alongside the built-in display
Keyboard
Keyboard	Second-generation butterfly switches (TechRadar); full-size keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, individual LED backlighting, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and ambient light sensor	Backlit Magic Keyboard, 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys
Trackpad
Trackpad	Force Touch trackpad with pressure sensing, Force clicks and Multi-Touch gestures	Force Touch trackpad
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Four-speaker sound system; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Three-mic array with directional beamforming; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes
Biometrics
Biometrics	–	Touch ID
In the box
In the box	MacBook; 30 W USB-C Power Adapter; USB-C Charge Cable (2 m), as listed in Apple's current technical specifications	13-inch MacBook Air, USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m); power adapter sold separately