Will 8GB unified memory be enough on the new 5-inch MacBook Air

If you are doing video editing I would suggest getting 16GB since it cannot be changed later. When I use intensive apps like iMovie or Devinci and I look at the activity monitor it uses over 12GB memory. Otherwise it needs to use swap memory.

I think 8GB of memory these days should not be an option especially for Macs which cannot have their memory upgraded later on after purchase. Even web browsing can eat up lots of memory depending on the sites and how many windows/tabs are left open. People almost always regret skimping on things later on. It isn't very often people complain of too much memory or the TV screen is too big.

If you're editing very large spreadsheets and editing video using tools like DaVinci Resolve, I would suggest at least 16 GB of RAM, maybe more.

From the BlackMagic Design site, the minimum requirements for the macOS version of DaVinci Resolve 18.6.2 (the free version of the software) are:

• macOS 12 Monterey
• 8 GB of system memory. 16 GB when using Fusion
• Blackmagic Design Desktop Video version 12.0 or later
• Integrated GPU or discrete GPU with at least 2 GB of VRAM.
• GPU which supports Metal or OpenCL 1.2.

Note that the 15" M2 MacBook Air, and the version of the 14" MacBook Pro that uses the 'base' M3 chip, support only a single external display. (The versions of the 14"/16" MacBook Pros that use the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips support more; see specifications for details.)

My advice would be to go with at LEAST 16GB of RAM...24GB if it's in your budget. Video editing uses a lot of RAM, as do large spreadsheets.

And, as Servant of Cats mentioned, if you think you might want to use dual external monitors, then a MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro or M3 Max processor would be the way to go, since the MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Pro only support one external monitor.