Best MacBook for you: Our easy guide to picking the perfect laptop
If you've gotten curious about Apple MacBooks, we're here with good news: Apple really does make a laptop for anyone and everyone. No matter if you're a student who just needs to do homework; a creative who needs to see work in vivid display; a business pro in need of a ton of memory storage; or just somebody who needs to shop for a new air fryer on Amazon, we've found the perfect Apple MacBook laptop for you.
Top products in this article:
Best 13-inch MacBook Pro deal: 13" Apple MacBook Pro, $1,279 (reduced from $1,830)
Best MacBook Air deal: Apple MacBook Air, $1,148 (reduced from $1,249)
Great 16-inch MacBook Pro deal: 16" Apple MacBook Pro, $2,429 (reduced from $2,499)
Apple is well-known for combining computing power with sleek, almost iconic physical designs. Apple laptops are built to last, thanks to their solid aluminum body. Inside the device, the macOS offers a seamless environment for smooth, time-efficient workflows.
The rumored 2022 versions of the MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro didn't make an appearance at the Apple Spring Event, but there are still amazing models available now.
The good news is, whether you're a casual user or a professional, you can find an Apple MacBook that's a good fit for your needs. And you have us to steer you in the right direction. To help, we have rounded up the newest MacBook models for comparison as well as found the best MacBook deals available right now.
Apple MacBook Air: $999 and up
The Apple MacBook Air, the Cupertino company's entry-level MacBook, is a great option for a basic, day-to-day laptop computer. With a 13.3-inch Retina display and a weight of 2.8 pounds, it's also happens to be the lightest and most portable of the MacBooks. Yet it still retains a premium feel, with an aluminum body (in silver and space gray) and backlit keyboard. It's powered by Apple's snappy M1 chip, so it will see you through basic photo editing and light video editing. Its battery also lasts up to 18 hours.
If need a laptop to simply browse the web, edit spreadsheets, take notes in class, watch YouTube or meet on Zoom, the base configuration with 8 GB of memory and 256 GB of SSD storage is more than enough to meet your needs.
Apple MacBook Air (Apple M1, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD), $999
Are you a graphic designer? Do you work most often in a visual medium? Apple also sells an upgraded version of the MacBook Air with an 8-Core GPU (as opposed to a 7-Core GPU) and 512 GB of SSD storage. This is slightly better suited for more graphics-intensive tasks such as photo editing and graphic design, but if you're considering it at that price, know you'll likely be better off upgrading to the often-identically-priced MacBook Pro 13-inch.
Apple MacBook Air (Apple M1, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD), $1,148 (reduced from $1,249)
13" MacBook Pro: $1,220 and up
A step up from the MacBook Air, the slightly weightier (3.0 pound) 13-inch MacBook Pro comes with some nice additional features. It boasts a powerful active cooling system, which helps keep the 8-Core GPU running fast, plus up to 20 hours of battery life on a single charge, and a brighter Retina display. And instead of physical function keys at the top of the backlit keyboard, the 13-inch MacBook Pro has a sleek Touch Bar that changes based on what program you're using.
Like the MacBook Air, the 13-inch MacBook Pro comes with 8 GB of memory and 256 GB SSD storage. It's a more powerful machine than the MacBook Air, so it's better suited for photo and video editing on the go, as well as some light gaming.
13" Apple MacBook Pro (Apple M1, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD), $1,279 and up (reduced from $1,299)
If you need a MacBook Pro with more storage space, Apple also sells a version with a 512 GB SSD drive.
13" Apple MacBook Pro (Apple M1 Chip, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD), $1,450
14" MacBook Pro: $1,749 and up
The latest model to join the MacBook Pro line, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is a couple of levels above the 13-inch model. This is where the line cements its pro status, with either an M1 Pro or an M1 Max powering it, as well as a variety of ports that creative professionals rely on (including an SDXC card slot) and a 3024 x 1964 Liquid Retina XDR display.
Speaking of the display, it boasts 1,600 nits peak brightness, a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, and P3 wide color gamut -- features that a video editor would greatly appreciate.
A 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro powered by an M1 Pro chip with 8‑core CPU and 14‑core GPU is the current base configuration, and it comes with 16 GB of memory and 512 GB of storage space. This should offer plenty of power for creative professionals looking for a portable machine that can handle their lighter workloads while on-the-go.
14" Apple MacBook Pro (Apple M1 Pro, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD), $1,949
Need something with more processing and graphical power as well as more storage space for large files? The 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro with 10‑core CPU and 16‑core GPU, 16 GB of memory and 1 TB SSD storage may be better suited for you. And it's current being offered at an impressive discount.
14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (Apple M1 Pro, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD), $2,299 (reduced by $200)
16" MacBook Pro: $2,450 and up
The 16-inch MacBook Pro's bigger form factor allows it to have a bigger Liquid Retina XDR display, which is a boon for content creators who want to simplify their workflow. Having more screen real estate means you can spread out and have your tools more readily accessible. This premium MacBook Pro comes with a lot of power, with either an M1 Pro or an M1 Max, and up to 64 GB of memory. That's more than enough power to edit 8K videos. You also get three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port and a SDXC card slot -- another benefit of its larger size.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro, with its larger screen and more powerful guts, is aimed at professionals who need a seriously powerful laptop that can handle graphics-intensive applications such as video rendering and CAD with ease. Just bear in mind that it also has a professional-level price tag.
16-inch Apple MacBook Pro (Apple M1 Pro, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD), $2,429 (reduced from $2,499)
If you want an even more premium MacBook experience, you can upgrade to an Apple M1 Pro chip with 10‑core CPU and 16‑core GPU, 32 GB of RAM, 512 GB of SSD storage for a few hundred more.
16-inch Apple MacBook Pro (Apple M1 Pro, 32 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD), $2,835
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