The quiz, which you can start above, will ask you about the way you want to use the Mac notebook. Using this we will find the perfect MacBook for you. We provide you with a short multiple choice quiz, and use your answers to work out which type of MacBook you need.
This comparison quiz will help you to decide on many factors including if you should get the MacBook Air or Pro. We want to make sure that you get the right Mac notebook for you. The questions we ask will help us to determine the different internal and external factors you require. From this we will find which MacBook you should buy.
Which Mac Is Right For Me
The M1 chip is in the MacBook Air models. The Pro models have the M1 Max or M1 Pro versions, which are powerful and more power hungry. To manage this extra power they have fans built in to cool the processor, the Air is fan-less. The fans allow the Pro to be used for higher processing applications, where the Air may well thermal throttle.
Our notebook database has the latest MacBooks. Combining this with our algorithm, which sifts through the database to find the best one from your answers. Our quiz works out which Apple laptop is best suited to your needs. The quiz is regularly updated to make sure that only the most up to date models are in the comparison quiz.
The new M1 Pro chip is about 70% faster than the old M1 (if we compare similar chips with 8 cores). If you need more power, then you can upgrade to 10 core M1 Max which also comes with a 32-core GPU for better graphics performance.
With the Mac lineup boasting improved performance nearly across the board, it can be hard to figure out which Mac is right for you. Below I'll break down Apple's current Mac lineup as well as detail who each model is best suited for.
Apple sells three different models of the MacBook Pro, all of which are powered by some form of an Apple Silicon processor. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is powered by the base M2 processor, while you can configure the 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro with either the M2 Pro or M2 Max Apple Silicon processor. The days of an Intel-powered MacBook Pro are long gone.
Apple has developed color-matching keyboards for the new iMac, which have built-in Touch ID sensors. Meaning, you can log into your Mac on the included keyboard using your fingerprint. Right now, these keyboards are only available with the new iMac and can't be purchased on their own.
Before spending your hard-earned cash on an expensive computer from Apple, you need to consider what you'll use it for and the specs you need. If you are a lightweight user who merely browses the web, then perhaps the MacBook Air is best for you. If you are a video producer who needs a lot of power, then consider one of Apple's more brawny machines such as the Mac Studio, which you can get with the external Studio Display.
We've tested and owned several Mac models over the years and therefore know Apple's computer range like the back of our hands. But we're also familiar with the specs and hardware powering each model and are aware of how old they are, whether an update is incoming, and just know in general which ones are worth buying.
The original (13-inch) M1 MacBook was solid, but with a maximum 16GB of RAM, it could never be an effective image-editing machine. However, with the latest 2023 MacBook Pro, Apple has corrected that mistake. It has the M2 Pro/Max chip and up to 96GB RAM. It also comes with a 16-inch screen size, which is better than a 13-inch panel for viewing edits.
The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models offer a huge number of features for students. They're packed with power, boast bright displays, have batteries that last a long time between charges, and they're stylish. If you buy one of these for the student in your life, they won't be disappointed.
Apple is still offering education deals on MacBooks: Normally, the Apple Store is (ironically) not the best place to buy an Apple laptop (really, almost any Apple product) because sales are all but nonexistent. The big exception to the rule is Apple's education sales, which usually include MacBook deals. If you're a student or teacher, that can mean $100 off a MacBook Air and a free pair of AirPods, plus a 20% discount on the AppleCare Plus extended warranty (which I have mixed feelings about). On the other hand, we've also found Apple laptop deals through Best Buy's Student Deals page.
The TouchBar is (mostly) dead: Despite being announced with great fanfare in 2016, the TouchBar, a slim secondary touchscreen that sits above the keyboard, is now only available on one model, the M2 13-inch MacBook Pro, which retains its dated design, despite having Apple's latest chip.
Almost all Macs have transitioned to Apple's own M1 and M2 chips: Since late 2020, the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, 24-inch iMac, 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro now all run either M1, M2, M1 Pro or M1 Max/Ultra chips, which include both CPU and GPU cores. Based on our testing so far, the Apple M1/M2 line has largely delivered on Apple's promises of better battery life and faster performance. You can still find one old Mac Mini and the really old Mac Pro desktop with an Intel chip.
The key question is how to make sure you're not buying too little MacBook -- or too much. What is the best MacBook for your needs? For most people, the 13-inch Air remains the default choice and rightly so. The new 14-inch and 16-inch Pro models are more powerful, but in a way that only people who need heavy GPU support will appreciate. Yes, you get a better display, new camera and more ports with those, but if you're buying a new Pro just for that, be aware that you're essentially making a vanity purchase.
Compared to the 13-inch Pro, the screen size here jumps from 13.3 to 14.2 inches. It's what Apple calls a Liquid Retina XDR display, which is basically a mini LED screen, like in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It also has the same HDMI, SD card and MagSafe ports as the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and the same 1080 webcam.
Both this and the 14-inch version add the same resurrected ports, new Mini-LED display, MagSafe power connection and improved webcam. Both are available with either the M1 Pro or M1 Max chip, which are precisely what a slice of the creative pro market has been waiting for. These new chips offer up to 36 GPU cores (and up to 10 CPU cores) and replace the need for both an Intel CPU and discrete AMD graphics, a combo previously found in only a few high-end Macs. In other words, after a long wait, professional video editors and 3D modelers have a MacBook aimed squarely at them.
Apple has five MacBook computers to choose from, which might be a little daunting if you're in the market for a new laptop as we hit back-to-school season. There's the new MacBook Air, for example, but Apple also sells its older 2020 MacBook Air. Then there are three different MacBook Pro computers to pick from.
The new MacBook Pro is a little confusing. It's a step up from the MacBook Air. But it has the newest M2 processor, which isn't as powerful as the older M1 Pro or M1 Max processors found in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.
It uses MagSafe charging, like the 2022 MacBook Air, but it has a feature called Active Cooling that uses a pair of fans, which is an improvement over the Air. That helps it handle heavier tasks such as more advanced video editing.
The most common way to right-click on Mac is by using a mouse. This option is especially popular among iMac users, while those who have MacBooks mostly enjoy the functionality of the highly-sensitive and responsive touchpad.
Although you can right-click on Force Touch Trackpad the same way you do on any other trackpad, you can also right-click here by applying a certain pressure on the trackpad (press and hold), which might feel more natural than the other approaches.
The list of upgrades also includes a brighter display, a quad-speaker array and the new 1080p webcam. That first will be particularly welcome to those that are using the Air M2 on the go and may be faced with less than optimal lighting conditions.
The biggest consideration with the Air M2 is the price if you need to upgrade much from the $1,199 base model. As I mentioned the Air M1 stuck around at $999, so you are paying a premium for the M2 model. If you find yourself cresting the $1,499 mark for your configuration then you may want to consider the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, which I cover later in this list and can now be regularly found for $1,799.
The MacBook Pro M2 may not get the fancy redesign of the new MacBook Air, but the internal upgrade gives it a more significant performance boost than many expected, which keeps it well ahead of the Windows 11 competition at this price point and well beyond.
And despite cramming so much power into such a slim and sleek chassis, the Pro lasted for an almost unbelievable 18 hours and 20 minutes on our battery test, which simulates real-world testing. That was enough to land it atop our list of laptops with the best battery life.
We use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and DCI-P3 color gamut of a laptop's display. For performance benchmarking, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 5.4 and 3DMark professional graphics tests.
We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. We consider everything over roughly 10 hours to be a good result. Of course, these tests are complemented with hands-on testing from our reviewers.
To enable right-clicking with Magic Mouse:On your Mac, go to the Apple menu.Select System Preferences.Click Mouse.Navigate to the Point & Click pane.Check the checkbox next to the Secondary Click option.Choose the most comfortable way to right-click on your Mac mouse from the options listed in the drop-down menu:
All Mac with trackpad have the option to enable Right-Click with two fingers, or with a literal right click if they enable that option. You can also hold CONTROL key and click for a right click on Mac. 2ff7e9595c