Considering that Apple also now includes Wi-Fi 7 and doubled the storage of the base model to 512 GB with faster PCIe 4.0 drives, the new base model for $1,099 is the most interesting version for the majority of users and it is almost impossible to beat the price-performance ratio of the new MacBook Air 13 M5. Considering the price development of the previous M4 version, it will not be long before you can get this machine for under $1,000.
There are still drawbacks, of course, including the limited number of ports, the lack of Face-ID, soldered RAM and SSDs as well as the 60 Hz screen. We don’t mind the IPS panel since it is not affected by PWM flickering, but a higher refresh rate would be nice. Looking at the MacBook Pro 14 M5, however, we do not think Apple is really interested in selling a MacBook Air with a better screen, since it would probably cannibalize the sales figures of the entry-level MacBook Pro.