Questioning which sort of MacBook to purchase? This shopping for information will assist you determine which Apple laptop computer is finest for you.
Apple makes two kinds of laptops, the MacBook Air and the MacBook Professional. Inside these two classes of Mac is a variety of capabilities, the hole between the entry-level MacBook Air and the high-end 16in MacBook Professional is huge, however even inside the MacBook Professional class one can find big variations. Now we have extra info on the variations between the MacBook Air and Professional in one other article.
Whereas there are three MacBook Air fashions and eight MacBook Professional fashions bought as commonplace, in actuality, there are a number of combos if you happen to consider all of the build-to-order choices that you would be able to add similar to further RAM, extra storage, or a sooner processor, with which you’ll be able to construct an much more highly effective Mac, ought to you want to.
Selecting which of the 11 MacBooks to purchase is usually a robust choice, happily, we’re right here to assist.
When you’re unsure but if you would like a laptop computer or desktop Mac, you must also learn our Mac shopping for information, which covers each MacBooks and Apple’s desktop Macs. We additionally examine all of the MacBook Professional fashions right here: Which MacBook Professional: 13, 14, 16-inch in contrast.
There are numerous sections on this article. When you aren’t positive which Mac laptop computer you need then learn on, in case you have a imprecise thought however are selecting between two comparable fashions, or in case your wants are extra skilled than private, then you definately would possibly discover the fashions additional down this text extra related. In that case, we recommend that you just soar to the part that’s most related to your wants. See the Desk of Contents above.
MacBook launch dates
One consideration to make when purchasing for a MacBook is how just lately Apple up to date the laptop computer and whether or not it’s more likely to be updating it once more quickly. Here’s a fast have a look at when the laptops Apple is promoting have been launched.
- 13-inch MacBook Air (M1): November 2020
- 13-inch MacBook Air (M2): July 2022
- 13-inch MacBook Professional (M2): June 2022
- 14-inch MacBook Professional (M2 Professional & M2 Max): January 2023
- 16-inch MacBook Professional (M2 Professional & M2 Max): January 2023
- 15-inch MacBook Air (M2): June 2023
For extra details about the 2023 MacBook Professional learn: our information to the M2 Professional & M2 Max MacBook Professional fashions. We even have a evaluation of the 16in MacBook Professional with M2 Professional.
For particulars concerning the latest MacBook learn our information to the 15-inch MacBook Air and our evaluation of the 15-inch MacBook Air.
What MacBooks does Apple promote?
There are two kinds of Mac laptops, however a grand complete of 13 MacBooks to select from, together with 5 MacBook Air fashions and eight MacBook Professional fashions bought as commonplace, and plenty of extra combos if you happen to consider all of the build-to-order choices. Nevertheless, it actually breaks down to 6 laptops: the 13.3-inch MacBook Air, 13.6-inch MacBook Air, and the 15-inch MacBook Air, or the 13-inch MacBook Professional, 14-inch MacBook Professional, and 16-inch MacBook Professional.
We’ll begin with an outline of the laptops Apple sells, earlier than operating by means of how completely different fashions within the lineup examine.
MacBook Air
The MacBook Air is the most cost effective option to get a Mac laptop computer. Beginning at $999/£999 for the older M1 mannequin, or $1,199/£1,249 for the M2 mannequin.
There are 5 commonplace MacBook Air to contemplate–one options an M1 chip, the others function M2 chips:
- 13.3-inch, M1, 8-Core CPU, 7-Core GPU, 8GB Unified Reminiscence, 256GB SSD Storage: $999 / £999
- 13.6-inch, M2, 8-Core CPU, 8-Core GPU, 8GB Unified Reminiscence, 256GB SSD Storage: $1,099 / £1,149
- 13.6-inch, M2, 8-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU, 8GB Unified Reminiscence, 512GB SSD Storage: $1,399 / £1,449
- 15.3-inch, M2, 8-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU, 8GB Unified Reminiscence, 256GB SSD Storage: $1,299 / £1,399
- 15.3-inch, M2, 8-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU, 8GB Unified Reminiscence, 512GB SSD Storage: $1,499 / £1,599
13-inch MacBook Professional
The 13-inch MacBook Professional is akin to the MacBook Air, with comparable specs and an identical worth. We expect the principle distinction is that the cooling is a bit higher within the Professional, so you’ll be able to push it a bit additional. There are two commonplace 13-inch MacBook Professional to contemplate. The one actual distinction is storage right here although:
- M2, 8-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU, 8GB Unified Reminiscence, 256GB SSD Storage: $1,299 / £1,349
- M2, 8-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU, 8GB Unified Reminiscence, 512GB SSD Storage: $1,499 / £1,549
14-inch MacBook Professional
Apple up to date the 14-inch MacBook Professional in January 2023. It now comes with a M2 Professional or M2 Max chip. It’s a strong machine, and also you don’t need to compromise if you happen to’d choose the smaller and cheaper 14-inch mannequin. There are three 14-inch MacBook Professional to contemplate with fairly a leap from the entry-level to the mid-range:
- M2 Professional, 10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Reminiscence, 512GB SSD Storage: $1,999 / £2,149
- M2 Professional, 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Reminiscence, 1TB SSD Storage: $2,499 / £2,699
- M2 Max, 12-Core CPU, 30-Core GPU, 32GB Unified Reminiscence, 1TB SSD Storage: $3,099 / £3,349
16-inch MacBook Professional
With an even bigger display and higher battery life, the 16-inch MacBook Professional is the last word Mac laptop computer with a worth to match. There are three commonplace 16-inch MacBook Professional to contemplate:
- M2 Professional, 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Reminiscence, 512GB SSD Storage: $2,499 / £2,699
- M2 Professional, 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU, 16GB Unified Reminiscence, 1TB SSD Storage: $2,699 / £2,899
- M2 Max, 12-Core CPU, 38-Core GPU, 32GB Unified Reminiscence, 1TB SSD Storage: $3,499 / £3,749
There may be much more to contemplate than the above although. You may not be deciding between the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional, however quite between the M2 Professional and M2 Max fashions, or possibly you might be contemplating how the 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Air compares to the 13-inch MacBook Professional. Now we have tried to check each comparable MacBook laptop computer under that will help you determine which MacBook is best for you.
Which 13-inch MacBook Air ought to I purchase?
It’s straightforward to suppose that the most cost effective Mac laptop computer would be the one that’s the finest worth, however that’s not essentially the case. We’ll begin off with that $999/£999 M1 mannequin although, assessing the way it matches as much as the newer M2 MacBook Air that prices $1,099/£1,149 (decreased from it’s authentic $1,199/£1,249.)
The $999/£999 MacBook Air (learn our M1 MacBook Air evaluation) is an attention-grabbing proposition. The entry-level MacBook Air has seen a couple of worth cuts over the previous few years, with a $100/£100 worth reduce earlier in 2020 on high of a $100/£100 worth reduce in 2019. At $999/£999 it’s the most cost effective Mac laptop computer you should purchase proper now, which makes it seems like a sexy possibility however is it?
In your £999/$999 you get an Apple M1 Chip with 8‑Core CPU and seven‑Core GPU, 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. One clear distinction between this mannequin and its costlier sibling is that the costlier mannequin gives the next-generation M2 chip (from 2022), quite than the M1 (from 2020). The variety of CPU cores is identical, however there’s an 8‑Core GPU quite than a 7-core GPU. Each fashions supply the identical quantity of storage 256GB and the identical 8GB RAM as commonplace. With reference to storage, which may be a cause to keep away from the entry-level fashions, which benchmarks recommend have slower SSDs.
Is the newer M2 chip cause sufficient to spend the additional $100/£150? Completely! It was sufficient to spend the additional $200/£250 earlier than Apple decreased the worth. The M1 continues to be a strong chip and could also be greater than sufficient on your wants. Nevertheless, there’s one other huge distinction between these two MacBook Air fashions: the M2 MacBook Air additionally gives a model new design with an excellent greater and brighter display and extra colour decisions. The design of the brand new mannequin could also be cause sufficient so that you can pay the additional cash. Learn: M1 MacBook Air vs M2 MacBook Air for extra details about the variations.
In case your cause for getting the 8-core GPU-equipped Air is that you just really feel you could profit from the additional graphics core, you could need to think about the 13-inch MacBook Professional which comes as commonplace with a 10-core GPU and in addition advantages from an inner fan to assist preserve issues cool when the Mac is working exhausting. The MacBook Air additionally has a 10-core GPU possibility – we’ll have a look at the comparability between these two fashions subsequent.
Greatest costs for the 13.6-inch MacBook Air, M2 (MSRP: $1,099/£1,149, WAS $1,199/£1,249):
$1,095.96
$1099.00
$1099.00
$1099.00
Greatest costs for the 13.3-inch MacBook Air, M1 (MSRP: $999/£999):
$849.00
$869.00
$999.00
$999.99
Which M2 MacBook Air ought to I purchase? 13-inch v 15-inch MacBook Air
Petter Ahrnstedt
Having disregarded the M1 MacBook Air there are nonetheless two different MacBook Air fashions to contemplate: the 13.6-inch MacBook Air and the newer 15.3-inch mannequin.
There isn’t an enormous distinction within the specs of those machines, aside from the distinction in display dimension and higher audio capabilities on the bigger mannequin (six audio system, quite than 4). If you’d like an even bigger display then it’s a simple choice. Beginning at $1,299/£1,399 is the most cost effective large-screen MacBook you should purchase: the 14-inch MacBook Professional begins at $1,999/£2,149.
One other consideration is that whereas the 13.6-inch MacBook Air begins at $1,099/£1,149, that mannequin gives an eight-core GPU, whereas the entry-level 15-inch Air gives a 10-core GPU. So it’s value contemplating paying the additional $200/£250 simply to get the higher GPU (alternatively you possibly can add that GPU as a build-to-order possibility on the smaller Air for an extra $100/£100).
The value hole is so small that it’s positively value getting the bigger mannequin if you would like a bigger display.
Greatest costs for the 15-inch MacBook Air, M2 (MSRP: $1,299/£1,399):
$1,249.99
$1299
Ought to I purchase MacBook Air or 13-inch MacBook Professional?
That’s the MacBook Air lined, however there’s one other M2-powered Mac laptop computer that’s value contemplating. The 13-inch MacBook Professional has the identical 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU as all however the $1,099/£1,149 MacBook Air. The truth is, you should purchase a MacBook Air and a MacBook Professional with equivalent specs: the MacBook Air for $1,199/£1,249 and the MacBook Professional for $1,299/£1,349. (That’s with the 10-core GPU and 256GB SSD in each fashions, a build-to-order possibility for the MacBook Air).
With simply $100/£100 in it, is it value choosing the MacBook Professional as a substitute of the Air? The Air has lots going for it, the lighter, slimmer case, an even bigger display (13.6-inches vs. 13.3-inches), and a significantly better FaceTime digicam being a couple of factors in its favor. However the MacBook Professional has an enormous profit in comparison with the Air: the inclusion of a fan as a substitute of counting on an aluminum warmth spreader to attract warmth away. The shortage of a fan could effectively imply that the MacBook Air struggles when performing extra strenuous duties. As a result of the MacBook Professional has a fan it is ready to preserve cool, which implies that it isn’t obligatory for the Mac to decelerate to cease overheating in processor-intensive functions. It’s in all probability the important thing distinction between these Mac laptops and the rationale why the Professional is best suited to extra demanding functions. This sort of factor might make an enormous distinction to you if you happen to do this type of work.
You additionally get a few hours extra battery life from the MacBook Professional (20 hours in comparison with the Air’s 18 hours) and the Contact Bar. We don’t suppose the Contact Bar is a deal breaker, particularly since one of the best bit (Contact ID) is out there on the Air anyway. There may be additionally the choice of a gold and Midnight (black) end for the Air, whereas the Professional solely is available in silver or House Grey.
You would possibly assume that the Air can be lots lighter and smaller than the Professional, however that’s not the case, the Air is barely lighter, however the Professional can be slim and light-weight. There may be simply 160g between them (0.3 kilos). You may additionally assume that the Professional mannequin would supply extra superior options than the Air, however truly, the Air has an even bigger and higher display – a Liquid Retina show at 13.6-inch as a substitute of a Retina show at 13.3-inch. And now the MacBook Air additionally has the 15-inch display possibility. If you’d like a MacBook Professional with an even bigger display you’ll be paying an ideal deal extra for it.
Whereas the MacBook Air is an effective selection, if you happen to want extra energy we might suggest the MacBook Professional over the equally priced MacBook Air as a result of we expect that, regardless of trying comparable by way of specs, the dearth of fan within the Air will hamper that mannequin. When you want the additional energy the Professional is the mannequin for you.
Greatest costs for the 13-inch MacBook Professional, M2 (MSRP: $1,299/£1,349):
$1149.00
$1,267.94
$1299.00
$1299.00
Ought to I purchase 13-inch MacBook Professional or 14-inch MacBook Professional?
Apple
There are quite a lot of spectacular options within the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Professional with M2 Professional, however it prices $500/£600 greater than the costliest 13-inch MacBook Professional with M2 chip. Is it value spending the additional cash?
The factor is that these two Macs aren’t actually comparable. They could share the identical MacBook Professional title, however the 13-inch MacBook Professional, as nice as it’s, can be higher described as a MacBook when positioned side-by-side with the true Professional. And that’s the factor, the 14-inch MacBook Professional is constructed for professionals. The 13-inch MacBook Professional can be ample for the common consumer, however if you happen to use actually graphically intensive apps then the 14-inch Professional is the Mac you need to be taking a look at.
The entry-level 14-inch MacBook Professional gives a M2 Professional with 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD. As compared, the closest 13-inch MacBook Professional gives a 8‑core CPU/10‑core GPU model of the M2, 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD. The M2 Professional is an enhanced model of the M2 with extra cores and help for extra RAM.
There are a selection of key variations between the 2 fashions. The 14-inch gives extra RAM (all the best way as much as 32GB quite than the 24GB supplied by the M2) and extra graphics cores. You’ll additionally discover a greater and significantly better show – a 14.2in Liquid Retina XDR show, which gives XDR (Excessive Dynamic Vary) for a million-to-one distinction ratio and 1000 nits commonplace brightness (1600 peak). These are the kinds of issues that matter to professionals.
Does this imply that the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Professional can be ample for essentially the most demanding consumer? Apple clearly doesn’t suppose so as a result of there are one other 5 MacBook Professional fashions above it.
Greatest costs for the 14in MacBook Professional (MSRP: $1,999/£2,149, the earlier technology was £1,899)
$1799.00
$1,947.50
$1999.00
$1999.00
Ought to I purchase the 15-inch MacBook Air or the 14-inch MacBook Professional?
Earlier than we transfer on to the remainder of the MacBook Professional vary, we’ve got a brand new addition right here to contemplate. Will probably be obvious that the MacBook Air and 14-inch MacBook Professional are leagues aside by way of the ability on supply, but when your solely cause to purchase a 14-inch MacBook Professional is to get a bigger display, you now have a brand new possibility: the 15-inch MacBook Air.
The 15-inch MacBook Air begins at $1,299/£1,399 in comparison with the 14-inch MacBook Professional’s $1,999/£2,149. That’s an enormous saving of $700/£750 – sufficient to purchase a Mac mini too – with change. These are very completely different machines although. The M2 Professional is leagues forward of the M2. It’s a machine for energy customers.
If you’d like an even bigger display don’t purchase the 14-inch MacBook Professional for that cause alone. Go for the 15-inch MacBook Air, or simply purchase a show and use that. See our spherical up of one of the best Mac displays.
Greatest costs for the 15-inch MacBook Air, M2, 512GB SSD (MSRP: $1,499/£1,599):
$1,449.99
$1499
Which 14-inch MacBook Professional with M2 Professional?
When you thought that the leap from the 13-inch MacBook Professional to the 14-inch MacBook Professional was giant, the worth hole between the 2 14-inch MacBook Professional fashions is even greater. The 12-Core CPU/19-Core GPU 14-inch MacBook Professional with 1TB SSD at $2,499/£2,699 prices $500/£550 greater than the 10-Core CPU/16-Core GPU mannequin with 512GB SSD at $1,999/£2,149.
That’s lots to spend to get a 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU, as a substitute of the 10-core/16-core M2 Professional, however these further cores make an enormous distinction.
There’s additionally a 1TB SSD as a substitute of a 512GB SSD, and a 96W energy adapter quite than a 67W adapter. When you don’t want that 1TB SSD there are less expensive methods to get the additional cores if you happen to have a look at the build-to-order choices: you’ll be able to pay $300/£350 further for a similar chip and simply stick to the 512GB storage.
Greatest costs for the 14in MacBook Professional (MSRP: $2,499/£2,699, the earlier technology was £2,399)
$2,199.00
$2299.00
$2399.00
$2499.00
$2499
Ought to I purchase the 14-inch MacBook Professional or 16-inch MacBook Professional?
Apple
We’ve simply been discussing how the 10-core CPU/16-core GPU M2 Professional outfitted MacBook Professional compares to the 12-core CPU/19-core GPU M2 Professional mannequin. In case you are contemplating spending that further $500/£550 to get your fingers on these further cores there’s another choice you need to think about.
The 14-inch MacBook Professional M2 Professional with 12-Core CPU/19-Core GPU prices the identical because the 16-inch MacBook Professional M2 Professional with 12-Core CPU/19-Core GPU. There are some variations, for instance, the 16-inch mannequin gives 512GB in comparison with the 14-inch’s 1TB, however we expect that the truth that you get a 16in display greater than makes up for that. The 16-inch fashions additionally get a 140W energy adapter.
The choice could effectively come right down to display dimension, however don’t neglect you’ll be able to all the time plug in an exterior show when at your desk. One other good thing about the 16-inch mannequin is the extraordinarily lengthy battery life at 22 hours in comparison with 18 hours. The 16-inch mannequin is certainly constructed for individuals who are away from their desk lots (and don’t thoughts if their Mac is a bit bit heavy).
Greatest costs for the 16in MacBook Professional (MSRP: $2,499/£2,699, earlier technology was £2,399)
$2,249.00
$2299.00
$2499.00
$2499.00
$2499
Ought to I purchase the 16-inch MacBook Professional with 1TB SSD?
When you really need that 1TB SSD within the 16-inch MacBook Professional it should price you an additional £200/$200. The 1TB model prices £2,599/$2,699. This mannequin primarily gives the identical specs because the top-of-the-range 14-inch MacBook Professional for simply £200/$200 extra, which to be truthful doesn’t appear to be a nasty deal given the bigger display and elevated battery life.
Greatest costs for the 16in MacBook Professional (MSRP: $2,699/£2,899, earlier technology was £2,599)
$2,449.00
$2499.00
$2699.00
$2699.00
$2699
Ought to I purchase the 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Professional with M2 Max?
Our remaining MacBook Professional comparability to contemplate is the 14-inch MacBook Professional with an M2 Max powered 12-Core CPU and 30-Core GPU, 32GB unified reminiscence and 1TB SSD versus the 16-inch MacBook Professional with an M2 Max powered 12-Core CPU and 38-Core GPU, 32GB unified reminiscence and 1TB SSD.
Each Macs have actually excessive costs, the 14-inch is $3,099/£3,349 and the 16-inch is $3,499/£3,749. That’s a $400/£400 leap in worth to get a bigger display, higher battery life, and eight extra cores within the 38-core GPU. If it’s the 38-core GPU you might be after you don’t need to get the 16-inch MacBook, you’ll be able to select that M2 Max system on chip on the level of sale, it’s an additional $200/£200. So the query right here is whether or not the larger display and higher battery life are value one other $200/£200 to you.
The opposite vital query is whether or not you really want the M2 Max. The M2 Professional could be ample, by which case you possibly can save some huge cash.
And if you happen to actually do want the additional energy of the M2 Max then maybe quite than contemplating the MacBook Professional you ought to be trying on the Mac Studio, which gives an M1 Max with 10-core CPU and 24-core GPU for $1,999/£1,999. It’s a variant of the M1 chip, however nonetheless an ideal possibility if you would like worth for cash.
Greatest costs for the 14in MacBook Professional, M2 Max (MSRP: $3,099/£3,349)
$2899.00
$3099.00
$3099.00
$3099
Greatest costs for the 16in MacBook Professional, M2 Max (MSRP: $3,499/£3,749, earlier technology was £3,299)
$3,249.00
$3299.00
$3499.00
$3499.00
$3499
Verdict
So, the selection is fairly clear by way of what you get on your cash:
Shopping for an entry-level M1 MacBook Air for £999/$999 will get you an honest Mac laptop computer for lower than a grand, however it solely prices $100/£150 extra to get an M2 MacBook Air with a model new design, an even bigger display, and the subsequent technology of Apple chips. The M1 will in all probability be sufficient for many MacBook Air customers, however we suggest you get extra on your cash.
The M2 MacBook Professional pales compared to the M2 MacBook Air, due to the Air’s higher show and new design, however it’s nonetheless hampered a bit by the dearth of fan for cooling.
The 15-inch MacBook Air has shaken up the vary, you not must spend practically $2,000 to get a bigger display in your Mac laptop computer. It doesn’t price much more to get the bigger display on the Air both, making it an replace value contemplating.
The hole between the 13-inch MacBook Professional and 14-inch MacBook Professional fashions isn’t maybe as giant because it was now that the M2 within the 13-inch mannequin can help as much as 24GB reminiscence, plus the 14-inch mannequin is much more costly than the 13-inch MacBook Professional. However the display on the 14-inch MacBook Professional is a good distance forward of that on the 13-inch, so if that’s the type of factor that issues in your line of labor you need to think about it.
It’s nice that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional supply the identical specs. It was that the fashions with the bigger display supplied higher specs, however that’s not the case. Now you’ll be able to simply select the display dimension that works for you and a 16-inch show doesn’t price much more than the 14-inch show. The 16-inch mannequin does supply one of the best battery lifetime of all MacBooks although, which could swing it for you.
The one actual cause to not purchase a 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional is if you happen to discover a good low cost on the earlier technology fashions with M1 Professional and M1 Max, that are nonetheless nice machines. For the most recent MacBook Professional reductions, together with discontinued fashions, take a look at our round-up of the Greatest MacBook Professional offers.
