Now that there are different Apple offerings on hand, fans can now choose the best MacBook and Mac that's most ideal for them. Better yet, they'll have more options and configurations to choose from, especially if they have their mind set on a laptop from Apple.
Best Macbook Laptop To Buy
Whether you want the best laptop for photographers, the best MacBook for students, or the most affordable MacBook for your productivity needs, we're here to help. We've tested and reviewed every single MacBook Pro that hit the shelves, and we've gathered our recommendations for every user.
Of course, if you are looking for excellent desktop options, one of the best Macs might suit you better. Otherwise, our best MacBook Pro guide below, complete all the best MacBook deals available to help you save money.
The breathtakingly powerful MacBook Pro 14-inch is the laptop for creative professionals, especially the jet setting and nomadic types. It has all the power of a proper workstation without being as big and bulky thanks to those M1 Pro and M1 Max chips that power its configurations. During our testing, we found these boosted specs of the MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) to be ideal for doing heavy-duty creative work, including 3D animation and music production. They should see you through the most involved 8K editing workflows, the most elaborate music score productions, and the most complex coding tasks.
Michelle Rae Uy is the Buying Guides Editor here at TechRadar. She's a Los Angeles-based tech, travel and lifestyle writer covering a wide range of topics, from computing to the latest in green commutes to the best hiking trails. She's an ambivert who enjoys communing with nature and traveling for months at a time just as much as watching movies and playing sim games at home. That also means that she has a lot more avenues to explore in terms of understanding how tech can improve the different aspects of our lives. "}; var triggerHydrate = function() window.sliceComponents.authorBio.hydrate(data, componentContainer); var triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate = function() var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = ' -8-2/authorBio.js'; script.async = true; script.id = 'vanilla-slice-authorBio-component-script'; script.onload = () => window.sliceComponents.authorBio = authorBio; triggerHydrate(); ; document.head.append(script); if (window.lazyObserveElement) window.lazyObserveElement(componentContainer, triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate); else triggerHydrate(); } }).catch(err => console.log('Hydration Script has failed for authorBio Slice', err)); }).catch(err => console.log('Externals script failed to load', err));Michelle Rae UySocial Links NavigationBuying Guides EditorMichelle Rae Uy is the Buying Guides Editor here at TechRadar. She's a Los Angeles-based tech, travel and lifestyle writer covering a wide range of topics, from computing to the latest in green commutes to the best hiking trails. She's an ambivert who enjoys communing with nature and traveling for months at a time just as much as watching movies and playing sim games at home. That also means that she has a lot more avenues to explore in terms of understanding how tech can improve the different aspects of our lives.
The $999 MacBook Air uses Apple's original M1 processor, which promises speedy performance on everyday tasks. Meanwhile, the most current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops come with your choice of M1 Pro or M1 Max chips for serious content creation needs. Finally, the latest MacBook Air (2022) and 13-inch MacBook Pro (2022) come with the newest M2 processor.
Below are our choices for the best MacBooks for each user, from the generalist to the power-hungry creative professional. Each laptop has gone through the full PCMag testing process, and following our picks is a detailed buyer's guide that answers common questions.
Apple's smallest laptop is the MacBook Air, newly redesigned for 2022. It's a slim, sleek machine that measures just 0.44 inches across and weighs just 2.7 pounds. The latest MacBook Air heavily adopts the newest MacBook Pro design, with uniform thinness, an improved Magic Keyboard, a larger 16:10 screen (thanks to the display notch), MagSafe charging, and more.
But the 13-inch MacBook Pro does have that extreme battery life. Although all Mac laptops last for a long time away from an outlet, the 13-inch Pro lasts for nearly 22 hours in our video rundown test. That qualifies it as the longest-lasting MacBook Pro, though the 2020 MacBook Air has it beat at 29 hours.
The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops are also obvious choices for professionals who plan to connect peripherals like external monitors or transfer data using SD cards. Both include a full-size HDMI port and an SD card reader, setting them apart from the USB-C/Thunderbolt-only MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Apple frequently releases new Mac laptop models and updates old ones. Several new models could hit before the end of 2022, so if you're fine waiting for the latest and greatest, it might be worth delaying your purchase until the typical fall announcements happen. And if you're not sure if a MacBook Air or Pro is your thing, also take a look at our roundup of the best laptops overall.
The best MacBook should offer the right level of performance, long battery life, and a comfortable keyboard and trackpad at a reasonable price. Remaining Cyber Monday deals and running holiday discounts should help that "reasonable price" bit come into play.
For most Apple fans, the M1-powered MacBook Air is the number one at meeting this criteria for the least amount of money possible. Apple's new processor increases battery life to what will likely be the longest we've ever seen in a laptop, as well as boosts performance in a major way.
The newly-released 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models now include Apple's brand-new M1 Pro and M1 Max processors inside. With this, there are no more Intel-powered laptops available directly from Apple. We look forward to testing these models in earnest for full reviews and consideration for this guide.
The end of 2019 brought us the first entirely new MacBook Pro size in years: a 16-inch version that replaces the long-standing 15.4-inch model. It was also the first laptop to get Apple's superior new Magic Keyboard.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro has plenty to offer when it comes to performance and configuration options. Although it doesn't run on Apple's new M1 chip, Apple's biggest laptop does come with up to an eight-core Intel processor, up to 64GB of memory, up to 8TB of storage, and up to 11 hours of battery life.
Those are the highest configuration options for memory and storage across Apple's laptop lineup. Compared to the other laptops Apple sells, the 16-inch Pro also has the most selection when it comes to graphics, with the option to configure it with a variety of AMD Radeon Pro GPUs.
But it's not just the broader configuration options and larger size that makes this the best choice for pros. The 16-inch MacBook Pro comes with a three-microphone array and is the only Apple laptop with a six-speaker audio system, making it a better choice for media professionals that may need high-quality audio playback. The speakers can also come in handy if you're on a lot of Zoom calls throughout the day and need a system that's a bit louder and clearer.
All told, the 16-inch MacBook Pro's bigger size, variety of configuration options, and high quality speakers are ideal for those shopping for something that isn't quite as large and powerful as a desktop, but is closer to the desktop experience than any of Apple's other laptops.
The MacBook Air is powerful enough for everyday tasks. But the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 is better-suited for those who need more power in a laptop that's not as big as the 16-inch. It shares many similarities with the MacBook Air; they both come in nearly identical configuration options, include the same number of ports, and have very similar screens.
Unlike the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1, the Intel version offers up to 32GB of memory, up to 4TB of storage, and four USB-C ports. The M1 model, by comparison, tops out at 16GB of memory, 2TB of storage, and two USB-C ports. It's great for those who need more connectivity and storage than the M1-powered MacBook Pro allows for, but don't want a laptop that's as large and expensive as the 16-inch model.
Those extra ports alone could make this model worth it for college students, who may need to charge their laptop, plug in their iPhone, and connect a hard drive containing large video projects for class all at the same time. Plus, the Intel-powered MacBook Pro may be a safer option if you rely on specific software for classwork since Apple's M1 architecture is still new and app makers are still updating their programs for it.
The Intel-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro comes in models that run on a Core i5 or Core i7 chip, which should be more than capable of managing hefty workloads. It has the same Retina display as Apple's M1 laptops, and also has Apple's Magic Keyboard. Like its M1-powered sibling, the Intel-based 13-inch Pro also has speakers with high dynamic range.
Although the Intel-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro offers the right balance of performance, portability, and flexible choices that make it ideal for the college experience, there are reasons students should consider Apple's M1 laptops, too.
Even if you don't need that much memory, a MacBook Pro model is still the best pick if performance is your top priority. For example, although the M1 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are very similar, the MacBook Pro has a slight edge when it comes to performance since it has a fan-powered cooling system and an extra graphics core in its processor at the base level.
If battery life matters the most, go for the M1 MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. Apple's custom chip brings unprecedented battery life to its laptops, with the MacBook Air lasting for up to 18 hours according to Apple's estimates, and the MacBook Pro lasting for 20 hours. Apple's Intel-powered laptops, by comparison, are only estimated to get between 10-12 hours of battery life. 2ff7e9595c
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