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MacBook Air 15-inch M5: how much memory?

Apple's starting price is €1.729 (NL, incl. VAT) / $1,499 (US, before tax), with 16 GB. As of 2026-10-20, from apple.com.

Each size covers a different demand.

  • 16 GBCovers up to 12.8 GB€1.729 / $1,499
  • 24 GBCovers up to 19.2 GBPrice in Apple's configurator
  • 32 GBCovers up to 25.6 GBPrice in Apple's configurator
Solid: the busy-hours demand a size covers. Pale: the 20% kept free.

Larger memory is priced inside Apple's configurator, so no number is shown where we cannot source one. Open the Apple store page.

What the tool says at 16 GB.

If your two weeks on a 16 GB MacBook Air 15-inch M5 look like this, the tool says:
  • Busy hours use 7.2 GB (comfortable), red pressure in 0% of capturesRight-sized
  • Busy hours use 12.8 GB (at the planning line), red pressure in 0% of capturesRight-sized
  • Busy hours use 12.8 GB (pressured), red pressure in 8% of capturesUpgrade to 24 GB
  • Busy hours use 19.2 GB (pressured, heavier), red pressure in 8% of capturesUpgrade to 24 GB

Price against the other MacBooks.

€1.429€5.749

At €1.729 the MacBook Air 15-inch M5 is the 3rd cheapest of the 11 current MacBook variants, and the dearest of the MacBook Air models, which run from €1.429 to €1.729.

When the chip, not the memory, is the limit.

Chip maxed out

20%

Graphics 80% or processor 90%, in 20% of readings.

The MacBook Air 15-inch M5 has a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. When the chip is the limit, more memory will not help. Next class up: the MacBook Pro 14-inch M5 Pro, from €2.949 / $2,499.

The three nearest variants by price.

MacBookGPUMemoryFromAgainst the MacBook Air 15-inch M5
MacBook Air 13-inch M5 (8-core GPU)8-core GPU16/24/32 GB€1.429 / $1,299€300 less
MacBook Air 13-inch M5 (10-core GPU)10-core GPU16/24/32 GB€1.539 / $1,399€190 less
MacBook Pro 14-inch M510-core GPU16/24/32 GB€2.229 / $1,999€500 more

Questions about this model.

Is 16 GB enough on the MacBook Air 15-inch M5?

16 GB serves busy-hours demand up to 12.8 GB with 20% of memory free. If this Mac's memory pressure reaches red in 5% of captures or more, it is not enough. Reference: busy hours use 12.8 GB, red pressure in 8% of captures: "Upgrade to 24 GB".

What does the 32 GB option on the MacBook Air 15-inch M5 cost?

Apple prices 32 GB inside its configurator and does not publish it on the store page, so we show no figure. The MacBook Air 15-inch M5 starts at €1.729 (NL, incl. VAT) / $1,499 (US, before tax) as of 2026-10-20.

Which size should I buy instead of 16 GB?

Measure first. Two weeks of captures on your own Mac name the smallest size that clears your demand; for the MacBook Air 15-inch M5 the sizes on offer are 16 GB, 24 GB, 32 GB.

Source: apple.com, checked 2026-10-20. NL prices include VAT, US prices are before sales tax, and both change. Buy from Apple (NL store). No affiliate links.

Measure your own MacBook Air for two weeks, then get one verdict.

Get SizeMyLaptop

  1. Open Terminal

    Press Command and Space, type Terminal, press Return.

  2. Paste it and press Return

    One command installs the tool, checks its checksum, then starts recording. No password, no admin rights.

    curl -fsSL https://sizemylaptop.com/install.sh | bash -s -- --start

    Rather read it first? Download it, read it, then run it:

    curl -fsSLO https://sizemylaptop.com/install.sh && less install.sh && bash install.sh --start

  3. Done. Keep working as usual.

    After one to two weeks, run baseline report in Terminal (the installer prints the exact command). It stops recording by itself after 14 days and the report opens in your browser.

Free. Nothing leaves your Mac unless you click Share. No password, no admin rights. Needs Python 3 (a Mac without it shows Apple's one-time install window); installs nothing else.