Best Laptops · head-to-head

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024)

A sourced, side-by-side comparison. Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) is cheaper at $1099. Every spec and price links to its source.

Which is better: the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) or Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024)?

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) wins 3 of the 4 specs we compare head to head; the other wins 1. The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) is the cheaper at $1099. Get the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) for the stronger spec sheet, the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) to spend less.

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Key specs, head to head

The numbers that decide it, drawn to scale — longer bar wins, the accent bar is the stronger figure.

RAM (GB)
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) 16
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) 32
Storage (GB)
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) 512
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) 1000
Battery (Wh)
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) 53.8
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) 75

Full spec sheet

marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.

Spec Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024)
US price $1099 $1399
BrandAppleAsus
Released2026-032024-01
Display (in) 13.6 14
Resolution 2560x1664 2880x1800
CPU Apple M5 (10-core, 4 super + 6 efficiency) Intel Core Ultra 9 285H (Meteor Lake, 6P+8E+2LPE, up to 5.1 GHz)
GPU Apple M5 integrated (8-core or 10-core) Intel Arc Graphics (integrated)
RAM (GB) 16 32
Storage (GB) 512 1000
Weight (kg) 1.23 1.24
Battery (Wh) 53.8 75
OS macOS 26 Windows 11 Pro
Ports MagSafe 3, 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 1x USB-A 10Gbps, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm headphone jack
Release 2026-03 2024-01

Sources — Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026): apple.com (verified 2026-06-15). Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024): en.wikipedia.org (verified 2026-06-15).

What's the difference between the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) and Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024)?

Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (10 of 10). Matching specs are omitted.

  • Display (in): Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) 13.6 vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) 14
  • Resolution: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) 2560x1664 vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) 2880x1800
  • CPU: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) Apple M5 (10-core, 4 super + 6 efficiency) vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) Intel Core Ultra 9 285H (Meteor Lake, 6P+8E+2LPE, up to 5.1 GHz)
  • GPU: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) Apple M5 integrated (8-core or 10-core) vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) Intel Arc Graphics (integrated)
  • RAM (GB): Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) 16 vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) 32
  • Storage (GB): Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) 512 vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) 1000
  • Weight (kg): Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) 1.23 vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) 1.24
  • Battery (Wh): Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) 53.8 vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) 75
  • OS: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) macOS 26 vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) Windows 11 Pro
  • Ports: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026) MagSafe 3, 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024) 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 1x USB-A 10Gbps, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm headphone jack

What reviewers say

Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026)

Three whitelisted testers lab-reviewed the 13-inch MacBook Air (M5) (Tom's Hardware, TechRadar, Tom's Guide); all rate it the best mainstream ultraportable, praising fast M5 performance, roughly 15.5-hour battery life, and the doubled 512GB base storage with a much faster SSD. Shared gripes: a $100 price hike (no longer $999), an incremental update over the M4, and — noted by Tom's Hardware — the fanless chassis throttling under sustained load. (3 sourced reviews, 3 lab-tested.)

Praised: Fast M5 performance that handles everyday and heavier creative workloads; All-day battery life (~15.5 hours in web testing); Doubled 512GB base storage plus much faster SSD.

Flagged: $100 price increase over the M4 (no longer starts at $999); Only an incremental upgrade over the M4, especially for M4 owners; Display notch remains and there is still no touchscreen.

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, 2024)

Three whitelisted lab testers (Tom's Hardware, Notebookcheck, PCWorld) rate the 2024 Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405, Core Ultra 7 155H) a superb-screen, well-priced ultraportable with strong bursty performance and long light-load battery, undercut by Meteor Lake throttling and near-constant fan/electronic noise. All three tested the same UX3405MA config; every quote and measured value was confirmed verbatim in the fetched text. (3 sourced reviews, 3 lab-tested.)

Praised: Vivid, sharp, bright 120Hz 2880x1800 OLED display with accurate colors; Thin, light (~1.2kg / 2.82lb), premium metal build; Good value for the specs (32GB RAM / 1TB SSD).

Flagged: CPU throttles hard under sustained load (Meteor Lake power drop); Noisy/near-constant fan plus electronic coil-whine noise; Soldered, non-upgradeable RAM.

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