Air or Pro M5 for photo editing & light/medium gaming?
I'm looking to retire my 2020 MBA M1 and debating between the MBA M5 or the Pro M5.
Currently I mostly use my MBA M1 it for regular web browsing, streaming video, Microsoft office, etc. and it's been incredible for that. However, up until now I've also had a PC that I used for photo editing (never video editing) and light- to medium-heavy gaming (no FPS, I think the heaviest game was Baldur's Gate 3, if that gives you an idea). I no longer have that PC, so I want my replacement laptop to be able to handle those things as well. I have absolutely zero interest in using it for AI.
Based on that, do you think the MBA M5 would suffice, or would I be better off splurging for the Pro? The big Pro draws for me aside from the added storage are: the additional ports, better display, and increased brightness (side note, if I do go for the Pro, is the nano texture upgrade worth it?). The big plus on the Air side, aside from the lower price and weight, is that I absolutely LOVE the fanless design of the MBA M1 and would be sad to go back.
TIA for any insight!
Posted Aug 12, 2026, 2:05 PM UTC