Which Apple laptop computer do you have to purchase?

There wasn’t a lot Mac-related information at Apple’s latest to-do (to be anticipated at an iPhone occasion), other than the announcement that macOS 26 could be accessible to the general public on September 15. Traditionally, we’ve seen new Mac {hardware} in October after which once more in spring. However as of proper now, there are simply two MacBooks in Apple’s lineup: MacBook Air fashions with the M4 chip and MacBook Professional fashions with the M4 chip. Inside these two choices lie a handful of decisions, together with chip kind, display measurement, storage capability and extra. This information will aid you suss out the Apple terminology and clarify the choices so you possibly can decide the very best MacBook configuration on your wants.

Desk of contents

Greatest MacBooks for 2025

Photograph 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 might not look any completely different, however below the hood they’re completely 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 commonplace and it has three USB-C connections as a substitute 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 take a look at the M4 Max, but it surely’s more than likely one other stunner.)

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

These MacBook Execs additionally ship the identical glorious keyboard and tremendous {smooth} trackpad that we’ve liked over the previous couple of 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 techniques lasted over 30 hours in our video rundown take a look at, and so they might simply run for a number of workdays with out a recharge. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Reporter

Execs

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

$1,389 at Amazon

What about finances MacBooks?

Traditionally, Apple saved the earlier yr’s MacBook Air in its lineup as a form of finances possibility. However the firm took a special method with the discharge of the M4 MacBook Air. As a substitute of continuous to promote the older mannequin, Apple discontinued the M3 Air and gave its latest pc a $100 value minimize.

Now, in case you may even discover a model new M3 MacBook Air (sometimes from retailers like Amazon or B&H), it’s typically costlier than the M4 model. Throughout gross sales like Amazon Prime Day, we’ve seen the latest M4 Air go for as little as $799. That successfully makes our general decide a finances decide as nicely.

In fact, $800 isn’t precisely a small funding both for school college students or others on a finances. Particularly when you could find some decent PCs for under $500. If you happen to’re seeking to save much more on a MacBook, we advocate testing refurbished options directly from Apple, and even third social gathering sellers like BackMarket. There are a number of tips to remember, which we go over in our refurbished guide, however primarily, you’ll need to store from a good supply that has a said course of and affords at the least a year-long guarantee. Utilizing your outdated gear as a trade-in will deliver down your remaining value as nicely.

Elements to contemplate when shopping for a MacBook

In comparison with PCs, Apple computer systems are inclined to have extra streamlined specs. The corporate has lengthy been recognized 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 presently 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 (presently there isn’t a 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 equivalent to picture evaluation and voice recognition.

Whereas a unified chip means you may have fewer choices to make when choosing a MacBook, there are nonetheless a number of components to contemplate, together with specs just like the variety of CPU cores, quantity of RAM, storage capability, display measurement, and, clearly, value. The end colour could also be a minor consideration, but it surely’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

The bottom-specced chip in a current-lineup MacBook is the usual M4 chip, which is present 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. In complete, there are three variations of the M4 chip: commonplace M4, M4 Professional and M4 Max (that are every a step up from their predecessors, the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips). 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 completely different duties concurrently. Having extra of them interprets to the pc with the ability to run a number of packages and purposes directly, whereas additionally easily processing demanding duties like video and photograph enhancing and high-level gaming. Briefly, extra cores permit 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 spite of everything, extra cores equals greater value and extra energy utilization.

RAM

Your choices for RAM, or in Apple’s terminology, unified reminiscence, varies, however with the swap to the M4 chip in all laptops, the bottom quantity of RAM you may get is now 16GB. That’s a obligatory spec-bump to accommodate the tech world’s favourite function 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 accessible on a literal desktop floor, whereas storage is the quantity of drawers it’s a must to 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 good for individuals who plan to work in a number of apps directly. And the extra demanding every program is, the extra RAM will likely be required. Further reminiscence may also come in useful in case you’re the sort who likes to have infinite numbers of tabs open in your browser. In case your day by day workflow doesn’t contain concurrently utilizing an unlimited variety of memory-intensive packages, it can save you your self cash and purchase the RAM configuration that you simply’re more than likely to truly use.

For a very long time, Apple continued to supply MacBooks with simply 8GB of RAM, and we really helpful upgrading to at the least 16GB of RAM. With this being the usual right this moment, grabbing a base mannequin must be nice for many non-pro-level customers. One factor to notice is that, not like most PCs, the RAM in a MacBook just isn’t user-upgradable because it’s tied into the system-on-a-chip. If you happen to assume you may find yourself needing extra reminiscence, it’s best 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 Execs with the M4 Max chip. If you wish to rotate between an extended roster of sport titles or preserve plenty of high-res movies readily available, you’ll need extra storage. If you happen to’re largely working with browser- and cloud-based purposes, you may 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 bounds 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 permit as much as 12TB of storage shared amongst your iOS and MacOS units. You can additionally switch information to an exterior storage system. However in case you don’t need to pay for a month-to-month subscription and like the comfort of getting rapid entry to your information, it’s greatest to get the best quantity of cupboard space your finances permits for on the outset.

Display measurement

The MacBook Air is available in 13- or 15-inch sizes. Professional fashions have both 14- or 16-inch screens. A two-inch delta might not seem to be a lot however, as Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham famous when he reviewed the then-new 15-inch M2-powered MacBook Air, a bigger display “makes a shocking 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 reveals or gaming.

However display measurement is without doubt one of the primary 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. If you happen to plan to journey loads or swap your work areas often, a smaller display will make life simpler in the long term.

All MacBooks function 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 means the lighted portion of the show “flows” inside the contours of the display, 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 accessible on the Studio Show, iMac and iPad Professional, comes with a $150 value enhance, however in case you actually don’t like reflections in your display, it may very well be value it.

In comparison with most different laptops, MacBook shows are notably vibrant, sharp and plush. However one function value mentioning is one other Apple advertising and marketing time period: ProMotion. It’s the corporate’s time period to explain a display with a better, 120Hz refresh charge, which leads to smoother scrolling and extra fluid-looking graphics. Solely MacBook Execs supply ProMotion; the Air maxes out at 60Hz, which is completely nice for on a regular basis shopping and typical workdays. However in order for you buttery-smooth movement out of your show, you’ll should shell out more cash for an improve.

Working techniques

Software program concerns received’t make a lot of a distinction when deciding between MacBook fashions — all include macOS put in. However if you’re switching from, say, a Home windows PC, the working system could also be one thing to issue into your choice — although it’s in all probability much less of a difficulty than it as soon as was. Now that a lot of the work we do on our computer systems is browser- and cloud-based, the training curve between the 2 platforms isn’t as steep. Apps and packages like Gmail carry out equally no matter what pc you’re utilizing. Apple machines have traditionally had extra restricted assist of AAA gaming titles, however even that’s altering with extra AAA video games and better graphics coming to Macs.

As for macOS, it’s getting higher too. With macOS Tahoe 26, the Highlight operate is extra superior, making it simpler to search out apps and carry out duties straight out of your keyboard. The software program additionally implements Apple’s unifying Liquid Glass design for a contemporary look that appears constant throughout iOS and iPad units. New enhanced iPhone continuity options additionally make MacBooks and the handset work higher collectively. A revamped Shortcuts app is extra highly effective as nicely, giving customers customized automations that leverage Apple Intelligence (the corporate’s personal AI).

Worth

When Apple introduced the MacBook Air M4, it additionally delivered a little bit of refreshing information: The newest mannequin now begins $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 measurement, reminiscence and storage capability all affect the ultimate value, which is why guides like this may help you establish simply what you want (and what you don’t) so you may get essentially the most cost-effective machine for you. AppleCare is one other value to contemplate. The prolonged guarantee plan from Apple covers repairs from accidents and affords free battery substitute and begins at $3.50 per 30 days or $35 per yr for MacBooks.

We advocate the MacBook Air M4 for most individuals, and due to that $100 value minimize, it’s additionally finances possibility. If you would like one thing even cheaper, we advocate refurbished M-series fashions from Apple. We predict the 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pros are greatest for professionals. In case you have more money to spare when you’ve picked your machine, we advocate upgrading to at the least 512GB of storage to make your machine as future-proof as doable. In fact, in case you’re simply after the M4 chip and wish the most affordable path to get it, you may contemplate the M4 Mac mini, which begins at $599 (although you may have to provide the display, mouse and keyboard).

Greatest MacBooks spec comparability chart

Greatest MacBook FAQs

What is the distinction between MacBook Air and Professional?

Each the MacBook Air and Professional fashions include the M4 chip. MBP fashions have the choice of extra highly effective M4 Professional or M4 Max chips. The Professional has a better decision display 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 on the lookout for 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 computer computer systems. It might probably solely be present in {hardware} made by Apple together with MacBooks and iMacs. Microsoft’s Home windows working system may 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.