Which Apple laptop should you buy?

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Which Apple laptop should you buy?

At its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, Apple announced updates coming to its various operating systems, most of which focus on its own version of AI, dubbed Apple Intelligence. MacBooks will get macOS 15, aka Sequoia, that will support Image Playground, Apple’s image generation tool, and AI composition features that can rewrite, proofread and summarize text in Mail, Notes, Pages and more. But the AI smarts will only be available to Apple laptops with an M1 chip or newer. So if you have an older model (pre-2020), or want the latest chips to get the most out of macOS 15, you might want a new MacBook. This guide will help you pick which one makes the most sense for you.

After testing every model Apple makes, we think the 13-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip and 16GB of RAM is the best choice for most people. But there are definitely reasons to consider the cheaper M2 Air and the fully featured Pro laptops. We’ve broken down all the options to help you decide which is the best MacBook for you.

Factors to consider when buying a MacBook

Compared to PCs, Apple computers tend to have more streamlined specifications. The company has long been known for this simplicity, and the M-series “system-on-a-chip” condenses things even further. It started with the M1 chip, which has since been retired in all models. The M2 and M3 chips can be found in current-generation MacBooks, but the latest Apple silicon, the M4 chip, is only housed in the new iPad Pro. All M-series chips combine, among other technologies, the CPU, graphics card and unified memory (RAM). Apple’s Neural Engine is included too, which is a specialized group of processor cores that handles machine learning tasks such as image analysis and voice recognition.

While a unified chip means you have fewer decisions to make when picking a MacBook, there are still a few factors to consider, including specs like the number of CPU cores, amount of RAM, storage capacity, screen size, and, obviously, price. The finish color may be a minor consideration, but it’s worth pointing out that the Pro come in just two colors (Silver or Space Gray) but the Air adds two additional hues (Midnight and Starlight).

CPU cores

Currently the lowest-specced chip in a MacBook is the M2 in the 13-inch MacBook Air. It comes with an 8-core CPU and either an 8- or 10-core GPU. At the other end of the spectrum, the M3 Max chip is built with up to a 16-core CPU and a 40-core GPU. Cores are, in essence, smaller processing units that can handle different tasks simultaneously. Having more of them translates to the computer being able to run multiple programs and applications at once, while also smoothly processing demanding tasks like video editing and high-level gaming. In short, more cores allow for more advanced computing and better performance. But if your processing power needs fall below professional-level gaming and cinematic video and audio editing, getting the highest number of cores is likely overkill — and after all, more cores equals higher cost and more power usage.

RAM

Your options for RAM, or in Apple’s terminology, Unified memory, varies depending on the chip you choose. The M2 and M3 chips can be paired with 8, 16 or 24GB of RAM. The M3 Pro chip has 18 or 36GB memory options, while the most powerful M3 Max chip supports 48, 64 or a whopping 128GB of RAM.

You’ve likely heard the analogy comparing memory to the amount of workspace available on a literal desktop surface, whereas storage is the amount of drawers you have to store projects to work on later. The larger the worktop surface, the more projects you can work on at once. The bigger the drawers, the more you can save for later.

More RAM is ideal for people who plan to work in multiple apps at once. And the more demanding each program is, the more RAM will be required. Extra memory can also come in handy if you’re the type who likes to have infinite numbers of tabs open on your browser. If your daily workflow doesn’t involve simultaneously using a vast number of memory-intensive programs, you can save yourself money and buy the RAM configuration that you’re most likely to actually use.

For casual users, 8GB may be enough, however, if you can afford an upgrade to 16GB of RAM, we recommend going doing so, as modern browsers tend to be pretty memory-hungry. Investing in more RAM now will give your new MacBook a longer lifespan of reliable use. It’s also important to keep in mind that, unlike most PCs, the RAM in current-model MacBooks is not user-upgradable, so you’ll want to get what you plan on needing at the outset.

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Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Storage capacity (SSD)

Storage options range from 256GB of SSD for the M2 MacBook Air and 8TB of storage for the MacBook Pros with the M3 Max chip. If you want to rotate between a long roster of game titles or keep lots of high-res videos on hand, you’ll want more storage. If you’re mostly working with browser- and cloud-based applications, you can get away with a smaller-capacity configuration. That said, we recommend springing for 512GB of storage or more, if it’s within your budget. You’ll quickly feel the limits of a 256GB machine as it ages since the operating system alone takes up a good portion of that space. Having 1TB will feel even roomier and allow for more data storage over the life of your laptop.

When Apple announced the iPhone 15, the company also announced new iCloud+ storage storage plans, with subscriptions that allow up to 12TB of storage. You could also transfer files to an external storage device. But if you don’t want to pay for a monthly subscription and prefer the convenience of having immediate access to your files, it’s best to get the highest amount of storage space your budget allows for at the outset.

Screen size

MacBooks come in 13-, 14-, 15- and 16-inch sizes. That might not seem like a huge difference, but, as Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham noted when he reviewed the now-retired 15-inch M2-powered MacBook Air, a larger screen “makes a surprising difference.” That’s especially true if you plan to use your laptop as an all-day productivity machine and won’t be using an external monitor. More space means you can more clearly view side-by-side windows and have a more immersive experience when watching shows or gaming.

But screen size is the main factor influencing weight. The 13-inch MacBook Air M2 weighs 2.7 pounds, whereas the top-end 16-inch MacBook Pro weighs 4.8 pounds. If you plan to travel a lot or swap your work locations regularly, a smaller screen will make life easier in the long run.

All MacBooks feature IPS LCD panels (in-plane switching, liquid crystal display), which Apple markets as Retina displays. The MacBook Air M1 has a Retina display. A Liquid Retina display comes with the M2 MacBook Air and the Liquid Retina XDR display comes with the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros. “Liquid” refers to the way the lighted portion of the display “flows” within the contours of the screen, filling the rounded corners and curving around the camera notch. “XDR” is what Apple calls HDR (high dynamic range).

Compared to most other laptops, MacBook displays are notably bright, sharp and lush. But one feature worth pointing out is another Apple marketing term: ProMotion. It’s the company’s term to describe a screen with a higher, 120Hz refresh rate, which results in smoother scrolling and more fluid-looking graphics. Only the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros offer ProMotion; the other models max out at 60Hz, which is perfectly fine for everyday browsing and typical workdays. But if you want buttery-smooth motion from your display, you’ll have to shell out more money for an upgrade.

Price

When the MacBook Air M3 came out, Apple dropped the price of the base-model, 13-inch, M2-powered Air with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. With a $999 starting price, it’s now the least expensive new MacBook you can get. Alternatively, you can spend up to $7,199 for the 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max with 128GB of RAM and 8TB of storage. Chip type, screen size, memory and storage capacity all influence the final price, which is why guides like this can help you determine just what you need (and what you don’t) so you can get the most cost-effective machine for you.

We recommend the MacBook Air M3 for most people, the MacBook Air M2 for students and those on a budget, and the 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pros for professionals. If you have extra money to spare once you’ve picked your machine, we recommend upgrading to at least 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage to make your machine as future-proof as possible.

Best MacBooks

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Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget

Read our full Apple MacBook Air (M3, 2024) review

Our former pick for the best laptop in this buying guide was the Apple MacBook Air with the M2 chip. The new M3-enabled MacBook Air isn’t a huge change from its predecessor — and that’s a good thing. Our laptop expert Devindra Hardawar reviewed the new MacBook Air and confirmed that the latest MacBook Air builds on everything the M2 got right: it has a great screen and full sound in a thin and lightweight aluminum unibody that feels premium.

With the addition of the M3 chip, the performance is now more impressive, achieving even higher scores in our benchmark testing. There’s also support for Wi-Fi 6E in the new model, plus the Air can now handle two external displays instead of one, but only with the laptop lid closed. You’ll connect the extra screen via one of the two USB-C ports (both of which support the Thunderbolt/USB4 standard). Only the Pro models have an HDMI port.

The latest Air maintains the overall design of the previous model, with a uniformly thin profile (the wedge shape is officially gone from Apple’s lineup now that the M1 MacBook Air has been discontinued). Apple claims a long battery life with 18 hours of video playback and 15 hours of web browsing, and we can confirm that you’ll get significantly more than a single workday before you need to grab your charger. In Devindra’s tests, the machine dropped to 40 percent after ten straight hours playing fullscreen 4K video at full brightness.

Apple released both the M3-powered 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air simultaneously. We think the 13-inch model has the best combination of portability and performance. It weighs just 2.7 pounds and easily slips into a bag to take on the road. However, the 15-inch version may be worth it for those who constantly have dozens of windows open at once or dabble in media editing — though editing pros should probably opt for a MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro chip. The 15-inch model is also ideal for anyone dealing with visual impairment and would like an easier-to-read screen.

As for the screen itself, the 13-inch option has a Liquid Retina display with 2,560 x 1,664 resolution at 224 pixels per inch. That’s exactly the same as the M2 Air — but again, Apple didn’t mess with a good thing, sticking with a great-looking display that’s bright enough to use outside in sunlight. It still doesn’t have ProMotion, which means the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz. If you need that silky-smooth scrolling, you’ll have to bump up to a MacBook Pro.

To get the most out of the new chip, we recommend upgrading to 16GB of RAM. That will enable not just a full day of productivity, it’ll also let you play more serious games. Devindra was able to play both Lies of P in 1080p+ and the director’s cut of Death Stranding with smooth graphics at good resolutions — though he did note that you can’t crank up the graphics settings too high. The speakers are best-in-class and the webcam is great for video conferencing — particularly with Apple’s background blurring and brightness adjustments. Finally, the responsive keyboard and smooth trackpad are the ideal interface for what adds up to be a great computer.

Pros

Lightweight yet sturdy design
Fast performance from the M3 chip
Excellent speakers, keyboard and trackpac
Bright and clear screen

Cons

No USB-C on the right side
Limited to 60Hz refresh rate

$898 at Amazon

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Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget

Processor: M2 chip, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine | Storage capacity (SSD): 256GB | Memory: 8GB | Battery life: Up to 18 hours | Ports: MagSafe 3 charging, 3.5 mm jack, 2 x Thunderbolt/USB 4 | Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3

Read our full Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) review

Before the release of the M3-enabled MacBook Air, the MacBook Air M2 was our pick for the best Apple laptop you can buy. Now it’s an extremely capable budget pick starting at $999 — the same list price as the now-retired M1 MacBook Air. In his original M2 Air review, Devindra called it a “near-perfect Mac,” awarding it a high score of 96. This model received a complete refresh in 2022, and since the M3 is largely the same as the M2 from a design perspective, Engadget’s Dan Cooper says that the best thing about the new M3 Air may be the price drop it ushered in for the M2 model.

The M2’s gorgeous 13.6-inch Liquid Retina screen can hit up to 500 nits of brightness, making it easy to use outside. The 60Hz refresh rate doesn’t deliver the butter-smooth scrolling you get on MacBook Pro models, but it’s still lovely. The quad speaker array pumps out great sound, filling a room at max volume without distortion, and the three-mic array does a good job of picking up your voice for video calls. The 1080p webcam is an improvement over previous generations, and it even beats our top Windows laptop, Dell’s XPS 13 Plus, which still sports a 720p camera.

The M2 Air hangs on to its 3.5mm headphone jack and includes two USB-C Thunderbolt ports, for accessories like an external display, plus a MagSafe connector. The battery life is ample, lasting 16 hours and 30 minutes in our rundown test, which should be more than sufficient for a day (or two) of work.

The M2 processor finally gave the Air enough speed to play games, particularly those from Apple Arcade. Streaming and cloud gaming work well through Safari, and you’ll find a handful of compatible titles on Steam. However, if gaming is your main goal, you may want to upgrade to an M3 model, or go outside Apple’s offerings all together as not every AAA release is natively compatible with macOS. Our review unit performed well in benchmark tests, beating the Air M1 and nearly matching the performance of the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2. It’s a fanless system which means it’s quiet, but to keep things cool, the CPU does have to be throttled occasionally.

Overall, it’s an excellent choice for everyday use and can handle most tasks. Of course, if you’re planning on doing intensive video editing, you’ll likely want something more powerful, such as the MacBook Pro M3, but the Air is an affordable, multipurpose, ultraportable laptop.

For $999 you get the M2 chip with an 8-Core GPU, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. We did notice better performance when the RAM was upped to 16GB, but if you’re trying to keep things under $1,000, the base model is still plenty capable for everyday productivity. You can also look into a refurbished model, which you can buy directly from Apple with a year-long warranty.

The 15-inch MacBook Air M2 is no longer officially part of Apple’s lineup, but many retailers still have some backstock of the larger model, and again, taking advantage of refurbished offers is a good way to go in this case. In his review, Engadget’s Nate Ingraham said the extra couple inches on the 15-inch screen made a surprising difference.

Pros

Bright and colorful screen
Clear and full sound
Thin and light design
Speedy performance for everyday use

Cons

Refresh rate only 60Hz
Webcam image is drab

$749 at Amazon

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Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget

Read our 14-inch and 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro (M4, 2024) review

Apple’s latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros may not look any different, but under the hood they’re entirely new beasts thanks to Apple’s M4 chips. The $1,599 14-inch model is a far better deal than before too, since it now includes 16GB of RAM standard and it has three USB-C connections instead of just two. While the M4 chip is a decent step up from the M3, the M4 Pro wowed us with Geekbench and Cinebench scores that we’ve never seen before. The Pro model’s multithreaded performance is practically the same as two competing Windows laptops put together! (We didn’t test the M4 Max, but it’s most likely another stunner.)

Beyond the new chips, the MacBook Pros sport slightly brighter screens for SDR content (helpful for working in sunlight), as well as a big webcam upgrade to 12MP, instead of just 1080p. So, for the first time, the MacBook Pros can use Apple’s Center Stage to keep you in frame during video chats, as well as Desk View.

These MacBook Pros also deliver the same excellent keyboard and super smooth trackpad that we’ve loved over the last few years. They also have all the ports you need, including three USB-C, HDMI, 3.5mm jack and an SD card reader. The M4 Pro and M4 Max chips also bring along Thunderbolt 5 for faster connections to external accessories. As for battery life, both systems lasted over 30 hours in our video rundown test, and they could easily run for multiple workdays without a recharge. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Reporter

Pros

Fast M4 chips
Brighter display
Sharp 12MP Center Stage webcam
Thunderbolt 5 with M4 Pro/Max
Long battery life

$1,549 at Amazon

MacBook FAQs

What’s the difference between MacBook Air and Pro?

The MacBook Air comes with a standard M3 or M2 chip. MacBook Pro models have the option of more powerful M3 Pro or M3 Max chips. The Pro has a higher resolution screen with a higher peak brightness that supports XDR (extreme dynamic range). The battery life on most Pro models is longer than on the Air models. Pro models also have more ports and more speakers. In short, the MacBook Air is aimed at everyday users looking for good productivity and entertainment capabilities, while Pro models are aimed at professionals who need a high-performance computer.

What’s the difference between macOS and Windows?

MacOS is the operating system developed by Apple and used in all of its desktop and laptop computers. It can only be found in hardware made by Apple including MacBooks and iMacs. Microsoft’s Windows operating system can be found in the company’s own Surface laptops as well as computers made by a wide array of manufacturers, like Acer, Asus, Dell and Razer.

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