Which Apple laptop computer must you purchase?

There are simply two fashions of Apple laptops: the MacBook Air and the MacBook Professional. In a nutshell, those that want a pc for productiveness, work and on a regular basis use — in different phrases, most individuals — can be pleased with a MacBook Air. Individuals who do intense video and audio enhancing and different high-demand duties could wish to spring for a Professional mannequin. Throughout the Air and Professional classes, there are a couple of different selections to make, together with display screen dimension, chip kind and reminiscence capability. This information recaps our opinions and explains the specs to assist decide the most effective MacBook for you.

Desk of contents

Greatest MacBooks for 2025

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

Display screen dimension: 13” | Processor: M3 chip, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine | Storage capability (SSD): 256GB | Reminiscence: 8GB | Battery life: As much as 18 hours | Ports: MagSafe 3 charging, 3.5mm jack, 2 x Thunderbolt/USB4 | Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 | Apple MacBook product line: Air

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

With the arrival of the M4 MacBook Air, Apple’s M3 MacBook Air is now not a part of the official laptop computer lineup. That’s a departure from what the corporate has carried out prior to now, which is to maintain the earlier mannequin as an unofficial finances choice. But it surely seems to be as if Apple goes all-in on the M4 chip for its desktop and laptop computer computer systems, doubtless as a option to absolutely help Apple Intelligence on its extra highly effective machines.

When you can’t get the M3 MacBook Air instantly from Apple, loads of third-party retailers like Amazon and B&H Photo have the older machine, and infrequently at a major low cost. Which is why we advocate this mannequin for college students or anybody in search of a fantastic ultraportable on a finances.

In Devindra’s March 2024 overview of the M3 model, he confirmed that it constructed on all the pieces the M2 obtained proper: a fantastic display screen and full sound in a skinny and light-weight aluminum unibody that feels premium. It wasn’t an enormous change from its predecessor however that is factor. The final main updates for the M-series Air fashions got here with the brand new chip within the M1 MacBook Air and the M2’s physique redesign, which ditched the wedge.  

The M3 chip makes the efficiency spectacular and, as anticipated, measured larger than the M2 mannequin in our benchmark testing. The mannequin added help for Wi-Fi 6E and it may deal with two exterior shows with the laptop computer lid closed. You will join the additional display screen through one of many two USB-C Thunderbolt/USB4 ports. (Solely the Professional fashions have an HDMI port.)

Apple claims the identical 18-hour battery life for the older mannequin because the it does on the newest Air, and our checks affirm you’ll get considerably greater than a single workday earlier than you’ll want to seize your charger. In Devindra’s checks, the machine dropped to 40 p.c after ten straight hours taking part in fullscreen 4K video at full brightness.

Apple launched each the M3-powered 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air concurrently. We predict the 13-inch mannequin has the most effective mixture of portability and efficiency. It weighs simply 2.7 kilos and simply slips right into a bag to tackle the highway. Nonetheless, the 15-inch version could also be value it for many who consistently have dozens of home windows open directly or dabble in media enhancing — although enhancing execs ought to in all probability go for a MacBook Professional. The 15-inch mannequin can be preferrred for anybody coping with visible impairment and would love an easier-to-read display screen.

As for the display screen itself, the 13-inch choice has a Liquid Retina show with 2,560 x 1,664 decision at 224 pixels per inch. That’s precisely the identical because the M2 Air — however once more, Apple didn’t mess with factor, sticking with a great-looking show that’s brilliant sufficient to make use of outdoors in daylight. It doesn’t have ProMotion, which implies the refresh charge is restricted to 60Hz. In case you want that silky-smooth scrolling, you’ll must bump as much as a MacBook Professional.

To get probably the most out of the M3 chip, we advocate upgrading to 16GB of RAM. The brand new MacBook Air M4 begins out at 16GB of reminiscence, however the older M3 mannequin will allow you to go together with simply 8GB. That’s not fairly sufficient for extra intense productiveness and actually doesn’t work nicely for enjoying video games. With the spec bump to 16GB, Devindra was capable of play each Lies of P in 1080p+ and the director’s reduce of Dying Stranding with {smooth} graphics at good resolutions — although he did notice you could’t crank up the graphics settings too excessive.

The audio system are best-in-class and the webcam is nice for video conferencing — significantly with Apple’s background blurring and brightness changes. Lastly, the responsive keyboard and {smooth} trackpad are the best interface for what provides as much as be not only a nice finances pc, however a fantastic laptop computer in itself.

Professionals

• Light-weight but sturdy design
• Quick efficiency from the M3 chip
• Wonderful audio system, keyboard and trackpac
• Shiny and clear display screen

Cons

• No USB-C on the fitting aspect
• Restricted to 60Hz refresh charge

$1,099 at Amazon

Picture by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget

Processor: M4 chip | Storage capability (SSD): As much as 8TB | Reminiscence: As much as 128GB | Battery life: As much as 24 hours | Ports: HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3, 3x Thunderbolt 5, SDXC card slo | Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 | Apple MacBook product line: Professional

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

Apple’s newest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros could not look any totally different, however beneath the hood they’re fully new beasts because of Apple’s M4 chips. The $1,599 14-inch mannequin is a much better deal than earlier than too, because it now consists of 16GB of RAM customary and it has three USB-C connections as an alternative of simply two. Whereas the M4 chip is a good step up from the M3, the M4 Professional wowed us with Geekbench and Cinebench scores that we have by no means seen earlier than. The Professional mannequin’s multithreaded efficiency is virtually the identical as two competing Home windows laptops put collectively! (We didn’t check the M4 Max, however it’s almost certainly one other stunner.)

Past the brand new chips, the M4 MacBook Professionals sport barely brighter screens for SDR content material (useful for working in daylight), in addition to an enormous webcam improve to 12MP, as an alternative of simply 1080p. So, for the primary time, the MacBook Professionals can use Apple’s Heart Stage to maintain you in body throughout video chats, in addition to Desk View.

These MacBook Professionals additionally ship the identical wonderful keyboard and tremendous {smooth} trackpad that we’ve liked over the previous few years. Additionally they have all of the ports you want, together with three USB-C, HDMI, 3.5mm jack and an SD card reader. The M4 Professional and M4 Max chips additionally deliver alongside Thunderbolt 5 for quicker connections to exterior equipment. As for battery life, each programs lasted over 30 hours in our video rundown check, they usually might simply run for a number of workdays with no recharge. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Reporter

Professionals

• Quick M4 chips
• Brighter show
• Sharp 12MP Heart Stage webcam
• Thunderbolt 5 with M4 Professional/Max
• Lengthy battery life

$1,449 at Amazon

Components to think about when shopping for a MacBook

In comparison with PCs, Apple computer systems are likely to have extra streamlined specs. The corporate has lengthy been identified for this simplicity, and the M-series “system-on-a-chip” condenses issues even additional. Previous to the M1 chip, Apple used Intel chips in its laptop computer and desktop computer systems. The M2 and M3 generations adopted that first chip and at present sells MacBooks geared up with M4-series chips. You’ll discover the usual M4 processor within the Air and the base-model Professional and the upgraded M4 Max and M4 Professional chips as choices for the MacBook Professional (at present there isn’t any M4 Extremely chip, as there was with the M3 series within the Mac Studio). All M-series chips mix, amongst different applied sciences, the CPU, graphics card and unified reminiscence (RAM). Apple’s Neural Engine is included too, which is a specialised group of processor cores that handles machine studying duties reminiscent of picture evaluation and voice recognition.

Whereas a unified chip means you’ve fewer choices to make when choosing a MacBook, there are nonetheless a couple of components to think about, together with specs just like the variety of CPU cores, quantity of RAM, storage capability, display screen dimension, and, clearly, worth. The end coloration could also be a minor consideration, however it’s value mentioning that the Professional is available in simply two colours (Silver or House Black) however the Air is available in 4 hues (Midnight, Starlight, Sky Blue and Silver).

CPU cores

Presently the lowest-specced chip in a MacBook is the M4, which is available in all fashions of the MacBook Air and the bottom mannequin, MacBook Professional 14-inch. That chip homes a 10-core CPU and both an 8- or 10-core GPU. The burliest chip, the M4 Max is constructed with both a 14- or 16-core CPU and a 32- or 40-core GPU. Cores are, in essence, smaller processing models that may deal with totally different duties concurrently. Having extra of them interprets to the pc having the ability to run a number of applications and functions directly, whereas additionally easily processing demanding duties like video enhancing and high-level gaming. Briefly, extra cores enable for extra superior computing and higher efficiency. But when your processing energy wants fall beneath professional-level gaming and cinematic video and audio enhancing, getting the best variety of cores is probably going overkill — and in any case, extra cores equals larger price and extra energy utilization.

RAM

Your choices for RAM, or in Apple’s terminology, unified reminiscence, varies, however with the change to the M4 chip in all laptops, the bottom quantity of RAM you will get is now 16GB. That’s a essential spec-bump to accommodate the tech world’s favourite characteristic of the second: AI or, on this case, Apple Intelligence (nonetheless AI, however Cupertino’s model). The M4 Professional chip has 24 or 48GB reminiscence choices, whereas the M4 Max chip helps 48, 64 or a whopping 128GB of RAM.

You’ve doubtless heard the analogy evaluating reminiscence to the quantity of workspace obtainable on a literal desktop floor, whereas storage is the quantity of drawers you must retailer tasks to work on later. The bigger the worktop floor, the extra tasks you possibly can work on directly. The larger the drawers, the extra it can save you for later.

Along with supporting Apple Intelligence, extra RAM is right for individuals who plan to work in a number of apps directly. And the extra demanding every program is, the extra RAM can be required. Further reminiscence also can come in useful in case you’re the kind who likes to have infinite numbers of tabs open in your browser. In case your each day workflow doesn’t contain concurrently utilizing an unlimited variety of memory-intensive applications, it can save you your self cash and purchase the RAM configuration that you simply’re almost certainly to truly use.

For a very long time, Apple continued to supply MacBooks with simply 8GB of RAM, and we beneficial upgrading to not less than 16GB of RAM. With this being the usual as we speak, grabbing a base mannequin needs to be superb for many non-pro-level customers. One factor to notice is that, in contrast to most PCs, the RAM in a MacBook isn’t user-upgradable because it’s tied into the system-on-a-chip. In case you suppose you may find yourself needing extra reminiscence, you need to go for the spec improve up entrance.

Storage capability (SSD)

Storage choices vary from 256GB of SSD for the base-model MacBook Air and 8TB of storage for the MacBook Professionals with the M4 Max chip. If you wish to rotate between a protracted roster of recreation titles or maintain a number of high-res movies available, you’ll need extra storage. In case you’re largely working with browser- and cloud-based functions, you will get away with a smaller-capacity configuration. That mentioned, we advocate springing for 512GB of storage or extra, if it’s inside your finances. You’ll rapidly really feel the boundaries of a 256GB machine because it ages for the reason that working system alone takes up portion of that house. Having 1TB will really feel even roomier and permit for extra information storage over the lifetime of your laptop computer.

When Apple introduced the iPhone 15, the corporate additionally introduced new iCloud+ storage storage plans, with subscriptions that enable as much as 12TB of storage shared amongst your iOS and MacOS units. You possibly can additionally switch information to an exterior storage machine. However in case you don’t wish to pay for a month-to-month subscription and like the comfort of getting instant entry to your information, it’s greatest to get the best quantity of cupboard space your finances permits for on the outset.

Display screen dimension

The MacBook Air is available in 13- or 15-inch sizes. Professional fashions have both 14- or 16-inch screens. A two-inch delta could not look like a lot however, as Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham famous when he reviewed the then-new 15-inch M2-powered MacBook Air, a bigger display screen “makes a stunning distinction.” That’s very true in case you plan to make use of your laptop computer as an all-day productiveness machine and received’t be utilizing an exterior monitor. Extra space means you possibly can extra clearly view side-by-side home windows and have a extra immersive expertise when watching exhibits or gaming.

However display screen dimension is among the fundamental components influencing weight. The 13-inch MacBook Air M4 weighs 2.7 kilos, whereas the top-end 16-inch MacBook Professional with the Max chip weighs 4.7 kilos. In case you plan to journey rather a lot or swap your work places usually, a smaller display screen will make life simpler in the long term.

All MacBooks characteristic IPS LCD panels (in-plane switching, liquid crystal show), which Apple markets as Retina shows. The MacBook Air M4 has a Liquid Retina show and the Professional fashions have Liquid Retina XDR shows. “Liquid” refers back to the manner the lighted portion of the show “flows” throughout the contours of the display screen, filling the rounded corners and curving across the digicam notch. “XDR” is what Apple calls HDR (excessive dynamic vary).

You additionally get the choice of a normal or nano-texture show on the MacBook Professional. The glass, which reduces glare and can be obtainable on the Studio Show, iMac and iPad Professional, comes with a $150 worth enhance, however in case you actually don’t like reflections in your display screen, it might be value it.

In comparison with most different laptops, MacBook shows are notably brilliant, sharp and luxurious. However one characteristic value mentioning is one other Apple advertising and marketing time period: ProMotion. It’s the corporate’s time period to explain a display screen with a better, 120Hz refresh charge, which ends up in smoother scrolling and extra fluid-looking graphics. Solely MacBook Professionals provide ProMotion; the Air maxes out at 60Hz, which is completely superb for on a regular basis looking and typical workdays. However if you’d like buttery-smooth movement out of your show, you’ll must shell out more cash for an improve.

Value

When Apple introduced the MacBook Air M4, it additionally delivered a little bit of refreshing information: The newest mannequin would begin $100 cheaper than the earlier era. So now, the least costly MacBook is the 13-inch, M4-powered Air with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $999. Alternatively, you possibly can spend as much as $7,349 for the 16-inch MacBook Professional M4 Max with the nano-texture glass, 128GB of RAM and 8TB of storage. Chip kind, display screen dimension, reminiscence and storage capability all affect the ultimate worth, which is why guides like this will help you identify simply what you want (and what you don’t) so you will get probably the most cost-effective machine for you.

We advocate the MacBook Air M4 for most individuals, the MacBook Air M3 for college students and people on a finances, and the 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pros for professionals. You probably have more money to spare when you’ve picked your machine, we advocate upgrading to not less than 512GB of storage to make your machine as future-proof as doable.

Greatest MacBook FAQs

What is the distinction between MacBook Air and Professional?

Each the MacBook Air and Professional fashions include the M4 chip. MacBook Professional fashions have the choice of extra highly effective M4 Professional or M4 Max chips. The Professional has a better decision display screen with a better peak brightness that helps as much as 120Hz adaptive refresh charges and XDR (excessive dynamic vary). The battery life on most Professional fashions is longer than on the Air fashions as nicely. Professional fashions even have extra ports and extra audio system. Briefly, the MacBook Air is geared toward on a regular basis customers in search of good productiveness and leisure capabilities, whereas Professional fashions are geared toward professionals who want a high-performance pc.

What is the distinction between macOS and Home windows?

MacOS is the working system developed by Apple and utilized in all of its desktop and laptop computers. It might probably solely be present in {hardware} made by Apple together with MacBooks and iMacs. Microsoft’s Home windows working system could be discovered within the firm’s personal Surface laptops in addition to computer systems made by a wide selection of producers, like Acer, Asus, Dell and Razer.