For business travel, nothing quite beats the MacBook Air 13-inch in our experience, Thin, lightweight, beautifully designed and performance driven, our Apple expert Lance called it "still the best ultraportable I've ever used."
• Best for: Business professionals, creators, and students on prioritize portability without sacrificing performance.
• The deal: The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) is now $1099 (was $1299) at Amazon. In the UK, the MacBook Air M5 is down to £1199 (was £1299) for Prime Day.
• Why we like it: Awarding it 4.5 stars and a in our review, this 16GB/512GB laptop is one of the best ultraportable business laptops around. Powered by the M5 chip, it easily tackles productivity tasks, photo editing, and social media video editing.
Why we recommend it
In his 4.5-star review, TR Editor-at-Large Lance praised the M5-powered MacBook Air as "the best mix of winning design, near-pro-level performance, and battery life you can find in an ultraportable. It's an exquisite, lightweight yet durable laptop that fits perfectly into your work, play, home life, and the Apple ecosystem."
The laptop sailed through his photo editing, video editing, and productivity tests. He even managed gaming. So, despite its tablet-thin stylings, it's capable of some pretty heavy-duty workloads.
Price context & historical value
This is the cheapest the MacBook Air has been since Apple announced its series of price hikes due to the on-going component cost crisis, which has seen anything with memory and storage increase in price. The last time it was this price was back in October 2025 for Prime Day.
For more tech sales, I'm live-tracking the best October Prime Day home office deals.
Should you buy it?
✅ Buy the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) if...
You regularly travel for work and want a speedy performer that'll tackle most jobs on the move.
❌ Skip the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) if...
You have intensive workloads like 4K video editing where the MacBook Pro is better suited - especially with the M5 Max and M5 Pro chips.
Also consider
Steve is B2B Editor for Creative & Hardware at , helping business professionals equip their workspace with the right tools. He tests and reviews the software, hardware, and office furniture that modern workspaces depend on, cutting through the hype to zero in on the real-world performance you won't find on a spec sheet. He is a relentless champion of the Oxford comma.