MacBooks, like iPhones, have only gotten better over the years. In fact, since Apple switched over to its own silicon, MacBooks and even iPads have had an awakening in both performance and battery life. The MacBooks of today are vastly improved from even a few years ago.
As per the norm, you have two flavors of MacBook to choose from: the Pro and the Air. The Air is less expensive but also has lower specs. Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro is Apple’s top dog in terms of laptops. However, with iPads using M-series chips, the popular tablets can do a lot of the same things as MacBooks. So, for our list of the best MacBooks, we sprinkled in a few iPads as well, since, for many, they’re a viable laptop alternative.
Best MacBook laptops: Our favorite models
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M2, 2023)
1. Best MacBook overall
The MacBook standard
The MacBook Air 15 is an excellent everyday laptop at a price a lot more people can afford. It gets Apple’s great silicon while having enough spec power to perform most tasks without problems. You can upgrade the specs but be forewarned that it does get rather expensive.
- Solid and premium design
- Excellent large display
- Superb performance
- No Face ID
- Battery life not as good as 13-inch Air
Sitting at the top of our best MacBook list is the latest MacBook Air 15-inch (M2, 2023). Newest doesn’t always mean best, but in this case, this laptop is superb, so it’s the one we are recommending for the majority of users, including students.
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M2, 2023): Bigger is better
I’ve switched to working on the 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip that launched at WWDC. Is bigger better? Here are my thoughts.
There’s plenty of power under the hood thanks to the M2 chipset, the battery life is great, and the design is lovely and portable. Despite its large 15-inch display, it measures 13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches and only weighs 3.3 pounds, which is lighter than the 14-inch MacBook Pro and only slightly heavier than the MacBook Air 13-inch.
The MacBook Air 15-inch (M2, 2023) doesn’t offer the same power that you’ll find in the 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro models, both of which are also superb, but it does deliver great performance, a solid battery life and a portable design for a decent price. It’s a fantastic MacBook and our top pick for the best MacBook overall.
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3 Pro, 2023)
2. Best MacBook for professionals
Powerhouse great for older upgrades
The MacBook Pro (M3 Pro/Max, 2023) may not break barriers when it comes to design, but it has serious power under the hood for those that need it. Owners of an M2, or even M1, MacBook Pro can probably hold fire on upgrading, but if you’re running an older MacBook Pro — especially one not on Apple Silicon — you’re in for a treat.
- Premium design that is small enough to travel with
- Outstanding performance
- Improved battery life from the M2 variant
- The laptop starts at $2,000
- Any non-storage upgrade will push you to the M3 Max, which is even more expensive
Apple refreshed its MacBook Pro lineup in late 2023, and they now come with the M3 chip. For a fee, you can upgrade to the M3 Pro chip, which also saddles this laptop with 512GB of storage, 18GB of unified RAM, and a $1,999 price tag. For the price, though, this MacBook strikes a great balance between being powerful enough to do whatever you need to do without rising to the level of a maxed-out MacBook Pro, which can cost upwards of $4,000.
Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Pro/Max, 2023): Is Space Black worth the upgrade?
The MacBook Pro is more powerful than ever, and looks better than ever in striking Space Black. Should you buy it though?
The privilege will cost you, though, as the MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro doesn’t come cheap. What you get is Apple’s masterful design in a package that is reasonably easy to transport. Plus, that Liquid Retina XDR display is gorgeous. This laptop will leave you wanting nothing, and it’ll hold up on those long work days.
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2, 2022)
3. Best MacBook for value
Light and budget-oriented
The Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) is a superb machine with a fabulous lightweight design, excellent and fluid performance and very, very little (basically nothing) to complain about. If you are after an all-rounder laptop with a smaller display than the one above, you are looking right at it.
- Super slim and light
- Excellent performance
- Superb battery life
- Speaker performance is not amazing
- No Face ID
- More expensive than previous models
The Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) was top of our best MacBook list until recently when its bigger brother stole the top spot. This model is still brilliant though, with a slightly smaller but great 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display within its 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44-inch body.
Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022): Mac of all trades
The 2022 MacBook Air ticks all the boxes: it’s light, features a robust design and now comes packed with the M2 processor. Here’s our review.
It weighs just 2.7 pounds, making it lovely and portable — even more so than the 15-inch model due to its size, whilst under the hood, you’ll find the very powerful M2 chip. The MacBook Air has a design very similar to the MacBook Pro, though with a couple fewer ports, offering MagSafe charging, along with two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports and a 3.5mm audio jack.
This model promises a battery life of up to 18 hours, though we’ve managed plenty more hours than that performing various tasks during our day-to-day use. To put that into real-world usage terms, we worked on it for an entire 11-hour flight with Wi-Fi on and came off with a charge level of 43 percent, which was slightly higher than a similar test with the 15-inch model. Its battery life is superb and while the speakers aren’t as powerful as the MacBook Pro models or the latest 15-inch model, the MacBook Air (M2, 2022) is a truly fantastic machine overall.
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3, 2023)
4. Best MacBook for the display
You can stare at it all day
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is a serious machine for serious work. The 16-inch display is the largest you can get on a MacBook currently, so if you want the bigger screen, this is your choice.
- Slim and light for its size
- M3 Pro delivers outstanding performance
- Excellent battery life
- Pricing starts at $2,499
- Upgrades are very expensive
The MacBook Pro 16 is currently the largest MacBook you can buy. It features the same great M3 Pro chip you can get in the MacBook Pro 14 listed above, but you get an extra two inches of Liquid Retina XDR goodness with this one. It’s large enough and powerful enough to do whatever work you need to do, and it’s great for folks who need larger displays to see their work properly.
Apple doesn’t let you have it for cheap, though, as this upgrade is $500 more expensive than a similarly equipped 14-inch MacBook Pro. Adding more RAM or storage will only increase the price further. Other than its high cost, this laptop is just about the best MacBook you can buy.
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M1, 2020)
5. Best budget MacBook
The only sub-$1,000 MacBook
If you’re looking for an excuse to upgrade and you can’t quite justify the extra cost for the newer Air models with their new design and M2 chip, the M1 MacBook Air still offers excellent performance and great battery life for a good price.
- Not a bank-breaker
- Great performance
- Excellent keyboard
- Maximum memory of 16GB
- Large bezels a little dated
The Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020) is the cheapest way to get your hands on a MacBook, and while it offers an older design compared to the 2022 MacBook Air model and the newer 15-inch model, it’s still a great design (if you ignore the large bezels around the display).
Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020): Still worth considering?
The MacBook Air (M1, 2020) runs the Apple Silicon M1 chip and sits alongside the newer Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022). Should you still consider it?
Speaking of displays, there’s a 13.3-inch screen within its 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.63-inch body and the M1 MacBook Air weighs just 2.8 pounds, which although makes it heavier than the 2022 equivalent, it’s still very light and portable. There are two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports (one of which you’ll need for charging as there’s no MagSafe here) and a 3.5mm audio jack, while the battery promise is 15 hours, and it’s solid in its performance in our experience.
The M1 chip brings plenty of power too, with 8GB of RAM in the base model, configurable up to 16GB, and 256GB SSD, configurable up to 512GB, 1TB or 2TB. Students, teachers and professionals who don’t have task-heavy apps and platforms to work on will be very well catered for with this model. It’s the best MacBook for those on a budget and a great option.
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3, 2023)
6. Best MacBook for power and price
Right in the middle of the MacBook lineup
The cheapest MacBook is still a powerful machine, and it fits pretty well within Apple’s product lineup. You get the power of the M3 chip in a portable, stylish design without spending north of $2,000 on higher specs or a bigger screen.
- Sleek and stylish design
- The M3 chip is excellent with good battery life
- $500 less than the M3 Pro version of the MacBook Pro 14
- While it is the least expensive M3 MacBook Pro, it’s still quite expensive
- Only 8GB of unified RAM
We’ve talked about the MacBook Pro 14-inch with the M3 Pro, but there is still a place for the MacBook Pro 14-inch with the regular M3. It costs $500 less than the M3 Pro version of the MacBook Pro, and those savings don’t go unnoticed when talking about expensive laptops. The M3 is still a very powerful chip capable of doing almost anything, and you get the benefit of Apple’s sleek design, excellent display tech, and more.
The only nitpick we have with this one is that it comes with 8GB of unified RAM, which feels a bit short-changed for a laptop released in late 2023. You can upgrade to 16GB for an additional $200 and still keep the price under $2,000. However, at that point, you’re a stone’s throw away from the M3 Pro MacBook Pro. Even so, if you must have a MacBook, this is still an engaging starting point.
MacBook Pro 16 inch (M3 Max, 2023)
7. Best premium MacBook
Apple literally can’t go any further than this
Well, here it is. A completely maxed-out MacBook Pro in the largest possible size. For those of you who want the absolute best MacBook that money can buy, here you go.
- Lacks nothing.
- Big, beautiful display, maximum performance, 48GB of RAM
- No upgrades from this point, so the price is firm
- A maxed-out MacBook Pro costs $3,999
- Price to performance ratio is not as good as other MacBooks
There are few, if any, nitpicks about this one. We could be a broken record and talk about the price, but folks looking for something like this powerful, might not mind the price tag. If it can be done on a MacBook, this one can do it, regardless of the task.
The bottom line: What is the best MacBook?
Based on our testing, the 2023 iteration of the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch, equipped with the M2 chip is the best overall. It’s beautiful, lightweight, and the M2 chip is still powerful enough to do almost any type of work. Plus, it doesn’t break the bank, making it accessible to more consumers than some of Apple’s newer products.
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2, 2023)
Editor’s Choice
$999 $1299 Save $300
How did we choose the best MacBook?
We have reviewed or seen all the MacBook options within our best MacBook list above, and we have ordered them based on what we felt offered the best value and performance for most people. It will depend on what you are planning to do with your MacBook as to which model is right for you, but all the models on our list offer great performance, great designs, and very good battery life for a laptop.
How should I decide which MacBook to buy?
It depends on what you plan to use it for. Professionals with heavier workloads will have the best experience with a MacBook Pro featuring the new M3, M3 Pro, or M3 Max chips. Students can get their work done on the less expensive, but still quite powerful MacBook Air models on the list. You’ll have to gauge your workload versus performance and then factor in price.
However, for the vast majority of tasks, any MacBook on the list above will work for you. If one is close but isn’t quite there, you can upgrade it with slightly better specs. It’s pricey, but worth it for a machine you can keep for years without feeling bad about it.
Should I buy an older MacBook model?
While Apple typically discontinues older models of its MacBooks when the newer devices come out, you can typically still find them through other retailers. With that said, at this point, buying an older MacBook model is perfectly fine provided that you stick with Apple Silicon. It’s such a big improvement over Intel-powered MacBooks in terms of performance and battery, and Apple still sells M1 MacBooks as of this writing.
Should you choose a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?
The answer to whether you should buy a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro very much depends on what you are planning to use your MacBook for, as we mentioned above. There are now several options in each of the categories, with the MacBook Air (M1) being the cheapest MacBook available, and a great pick for most everyday users. It’s not the most powerful model available, but it is compact and highly portable. There’s also the MacBook Air (M2) and MacBook Air 15-inch (M2) though, which have a different design and more power. Both are fantastic devices with exceptional battery performance, though they are also more expensive than the M1 model, naturally.
The MacBook Pro range is a more substantial MacBook compared to the MacBook Air and will suit those who require more performance, such as content creators and video editors. The MacBook Pro 14-inch and MacBook Pro 16-inch, both of which can come with the upgraded M3 Pro or M3 Max chips, offer some serious horsepower but have price tags to match.
What are some good MacBook alternatives?
Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (2022)
Best with Apple silicon
MacBook performance in an iPad body
Apple doesn’t just use their silicon in MacBooks. The iPad Pro, both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch variants, come with an M2 processor as well. They are almost just as powerful as MacBooks at a lower cost and in a smaller form factor.
- Comes with the same M2 chip found in MacBooks
- Even smaller and more portable form factor
- iPadOS is still very functional for everyday tasks
- May not replace MacBook for all tasks
- Accessories and upgrades can drive up the price
Razer Blade 14 (2023)
Best Windows alternative
It even looks a little bit like a MacBook
The Razer Blade 14 and 16 are very similar in terms of size and design to a MacBook Pro. Razer did a good job packing in a lot of tech while keeping the laptop thin, light, and easy to transport. Like MacBooks, upgrades to the Razer Blade 14 will cost a pretty penny, but it’s as close as you can get to a MacBook with Windows.
- Premium design that is lightweight and portable
- Comes with more RAM and storage out of the box
- Ryzen 9 and Nvidia graphics offer excellent performance
- Just as expensive as a MacBook
- Battery life isn’t as good as a MacBook
Dell XPS 15 9530
Second best MacBook alternative
Looks and feels good
$1399 $1500 Save $101
The Dell XPS series of laptops are thin, light, well-designed, and are great for most types of work. Plus, Dell put very nice screens on these laptops so they’re pleasant to look at.
- Thin and light design
- Good enough performance for most work tasks
- Very nice screen for a Windows laptop
- Still quite expensive
- Not great for gaming
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