Which apple laptop to buy

The best MacBook in 2021

In 2020, Apple’s M1 chip in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13 became the biggest improvement to the MacBook range in years, making them top laptops for 2021. Now, Apple has topped the M1 with its brand-new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, which can be found inside the MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 that were launched at Apple’s Unleashed event in October. These chips are some of the most powerful on the market, but there’s no doubting they’re very expensive.

If you are in the market for a new MacBook, that means you have a lot to think about. Are the new MacBook Pro models worth the cost? Should you consider the older models, like the M1-equipped MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13? And if you do go for a MacBook, what are the features and benefits, and which is the best choice? That is what our guide will explain. We have examined all of Apple’s current Mac laptops to find the best MacBook for your money.

Your MacBook options

How much does a MacBook cost? That depends on the model, and there are three main ones currently available from Apple:

• MacBook Air — $999
• MacBook Pro 13 — $1,199
• MacBook Pro 14 — $1,999
• MacBook Pro 16 — $2,499

The MacBook Pro 14 offers massive raw power

Rumors had swirled for months that Apple was working on a 14-inch MacBook Pro, but when the laptop finally launched at Apple’s Unleashed event in October, we were still blown away by the power and performance it offers. That’s thanks to its two new chip options: The M1 Pro and the M1 Max. The M1 Pro, on the one hand, doubles the GPU cores of the M1, while the M1 Max comes with four times the graphics cores. Both chips have double the high-performance CPU cores of the M1, support more memory and Thunderbolt ports, and pack in many times more transistors. In other words, they’re orders of magnitude better than the M1, which itself is already a superb Mac chip.

Buying a MacBook is about more than just the chip powering it, though. The good news here is that the MacBook Pro 14 offers a lot more than just blistering performance. Its external chassis is a little thicker than the MacBook Pro 13, but that allows it to fit a chunky HDMI port into the side of the machine. You’ll also find an SD card slot and an old favorite in the form of MagSafe, in addition to three Thunderbolt 4 ports. That port variety is great news for anyone who is sick of the dongle nightmare that USB-C MacBooks have faced in the past.

At the top of the keyboard, the Touch Bar has been replaced by a row of full-height function keys. The Touch Bar was divisive during its five-year tenure, and while it always seemed to have a lot of potential, it never turned into the killer feature that Apple imagined it would be. Now, the MacBook Pro 13 is the only Mac laptop that contains it.

The display has also had an upgrade, and now boasts a mini-LED panel (dubbed Liquid Retina XDR by Apple) that brings 1,000 nits of sustained brightness (and a frankly ridiculous 1,600 nits of peak brightness) better HDR performance with deeper blacks and more vivid colors, and improved contrast. It also includes ProMotion, which dynamically adjusts the screen refresh rate up to 120Hz, depending on what you’re doing.

Around the display, the bezels have been massively shrunk down, giving a much more immersive view of your work on-screen. Interestingly, the webcam cutout still exists, meaning the MacBook Pro 14 has a notch like the latest iPhone 13. On a large screen like this, it probably won’t be as noticeable for you as it might be on an iPhone, but it’s something to consider. The webcam itself has been upgraded to 1080p, too.

Not everything is great, though. For one thing, the MacBook Pro 14 is a pricey machine. It starts at $1,999 and scales all the way up to $5,899 if you max out every option (in case you’re curious, that will get you a 10-core M1 Max chip with a 32-core GPU, 64GB of RAM, and a super-fast 8TB SSD). You get a laptop that will absolutely steamroll almost any task in return, but this device is expensive.

The other drawback is the battery life — sort of. The M1 completely revolutionized the MacBook Pro’s battery performance because it was so efficient, and the M1 Pro and M1 Max still hold a lot of water here. But you’ll actually get slightly less juice out of the MacBook Pro 14 than the MacBook Pro 13. While the latter offers 17 hours of web browsing and 20 hours of video playback (or 16 hours and 21 hours in our review), Apple says the MacBook Pro 14 can “only” manage 11 hours of web browsing and 17 hours of video watching. That’s still good, but it’s a shame that the battery can’t keep up with the extra performance of the new chips.

The MacBook Air is a superb choice

Apple’s MacBook Air has always been the laptop to go for if you want a lightweight, portable machine. That used to mean you had to sacrifice performance for portability, but the M1 chip has changed all that in a huge way.

Who is the MacBook Air right for? Interestingly, the M1 chip means many of the same people who want a MacBook Pro will love the MacBook Air. That’s because when we reviewed the M1 MacBook Air, we found its performance was on par with the MacBook Pro 13 (also outfitted with the M1). In HandBrake, it was 12 seconds behind the Pro, while still posting a very speedy score in its own right. It finished slightly behind the Pro in the Cinebench R23 benchmark but beat it in our Geekbench 5 test — in fact, the MacBook Air’s single-core score was one of the highest Geekbench 5 results we have ever seen, with only the M1 Mac Mini and the 24-inch iMac pushing ahead.

What is even more remarkable is that the MacBook Air does all this without a fan. The M1 chip is so power-efficient that Apple has been able to cool this Mac entirely passively, while still enabling it to post some truly beefy performance numbers. If you love your laptops to be absolutely silent, this is a major draw. All that extra power efficiency means the Air lasted 18.5 hours in our video-playback test and 15.5 hours with light web usage. That is incredible longevity.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Elsewhere, you get classic Apple design with the MacBook Air, including a rock-solid aluminum body and top-notch build quality. The keyboard is Apple’s Magic Keyboard, which boasts improved travel and reliability over the butterfly keyboard. There is no Touch Bar — you instead get a row of function keys and a Touch ID button on the right-hand side for logging in and confirming purchases.

As for the Air’s Retina display, Apple rates it for 400 nits (although our testing set it slightly lower, at 389 nits). It has strong ratings for both color accuracy and contrast (1.39 and 1130:1, respectively, both of which are better than average). It hits 100% of the sRGB gamut and 79% of Adobe RGB — that is a little higher than most Windows laptops, but below the MacBook Pro’s rating. If you need a laptop for color-sensitive work, you should consider the Pro over the Air.

What about storage? And how much does the MacBook Air cost? Well, you will get 256GB of SSD storage in the $999 entry-level MacBook Air. The 512GB model is $1,199, the 1TB version costs $1,399, and the model with 2TB of SSD storage is $1,799. You can choose between 8GB or 16GB of memory, although this uses a unified memory architecture (UMA), which makes it much more efficient than standard laptops at using its onboard RAM. In almost all consumer use cases, 8GB of UMA memory will be plenty.

Now that the MacBook Pro 14 is out, the MacBook Air can’t hope to top the Mac performance charts. But its M1 chip is still brilliant for all but the most heavy-duty work, and for most people, it’s more than enough.

What about the MacBook Pro 16?

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 got the same treatment as the MacBook Pro 14 at Apple’s Unleashed show, meaning it saw a big overhaul inside and out. Like its smaller Mac sibling, you’ll get a redesigned chassis with HDMI, SD card, and MagSafe ports. There’s no Touch Bar, but you do get slimline bezels (complete with notch), and an expansive 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display that will be one of the best on the market.

The MacBook Pro 16 never got the Apple M1 chip and instead has the same chip options as the MacBook Pro 14: The M1 Pro and the M1 Max. There’s no distinction in the number of cores on offer in either machine. We haven’t yet reviewed them yet, but we suspect you will actually get better performance from the MacBook Pro 16 than from the MacBook Pro 14. That’s because the larger chassis allows for a greater cooling system, which might do a better job of keeping the incredibly performant chips under control and running at peak performance. We’ll update this guide once our reviews are in.

There are other reasons to consider the MacBook Pro 16. While the MacBook Pro 14’s battery performance decreased slightly compared to the MacBook Pro 13, the MacBook Pro 16’s battery life has actually seen a huge increase. When we reviewed the 2019 model, its battery lasted for five and a half hours of normal usage, which included web browsing, Spotify, and Slack. That’s not great, and far from the 11 hours Apple said you should get (for both web browsing and video playback). The 2021 MacBook Pro 16, on the other hand, will give you 14 hours of web browsing and 21 hours of video watching, according to Apple. That’s much more than the previous generation, and more still than the MacBook Pro 14, thanks to the larger chassis holding larger batteries.

The problem with the MacBook Pro 16 is the cost. It starts at $2,499, which is $100 more than the 2019 model began at. It’s also $500 more than the MacBook Pro 14, yet probably the most noticeable difference is just the size. You’ll get comparable performance in the MacBook Pro 14 because you can equip it with exactly the same chip, memory configuration, SSD storage, and more. That makes the MacBook Pro 16 quite a niche machine, and definitely more than what most consumers need.

Where does this leave the MacBook Pro 13?

Last year, the phenomenal upgrade the M1 chip brought to the MacBook Air put the MacBook Pro in something of an awkward spot, as the difference between the two was no longer so pronounced. Now, the new MacBook Pro 14 makes the MacBook Pro 13 an even tougher sell for Apple.

Compared to the M1 MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro 13’s performance lead is non-existent thanks to both laptops using the same chip. It still pulled ahead in some areas during our testing, but it’s not a clear lead, and it’s a long way behind the M1 Pro and M1 Max you can get in the new MacBook Pro 14.

Still, it’s now the only Apple laptop that comes with the Touch Bar. That’s not a huge selling point, but plenty of people like it. If you want it, the MacBook Pro 13 is your only choice. Compared to the MacBook Air, it also has a better, brighter display, improved speakers, and an extra GPU core as part of its M1 chip.

Other than that, though, there’s not much reason to get the MacBook Pro 13 over the MacBook Air. Keep an eye open for deals and you might be able to justify it if you find a really good discount.

Which MacBook should you buy?

This one is a real toss-up between two well-matched competitors. The MacBook Pro 14 offers incredible power, an all-new design full of great features, and even the return of some old favorites like MagSafe and the HDMI port. It’s an absolutely brilliant machine if you need huge amounts of power in a compact form. It is very expensive, though.

The MacBook Air , on the other hand, still comes out swinging in 2021. Its M1 chip might be a year old and doesn’t hold a candle to the M1 Pro or M1 Max, but for most people, it brings more than enough power. You also get the benefit of a super-lightweight laptop that stays whisper quiet in all circumstances thanks to its fanless design. For most people, it’s the right choice.

The MacBook Pro 16 is undoubtedly an absolutely top-end machine and will be ideal if you need something that can perform your most demanding workloads wherever you end up being. It prices itself out of contention for most people, though.

Finally, the MacBook Pro 13 is probably the last MacBook you should consider. There’s nothing objectively wrong with it — in fact, it’s still a really good device — it’s just that it’s difficult to find a place for it in Apple’s MacBook lineup. For most people, the MacBook Air will be the better choice due to having almost identical performance for $300 less. If you need more performance, you’ll find that in spades with the MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16. The main time you should consider the MacBook Pro 13 is if you can find some hefty savings.

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Which MacBook Should I Buy: Easy Guide and Quiz 2021

Apple has three choices when it comes to MacBooks:

• MacBook Air 13-inch (M1)
• MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1)
• MacBook Pro 14-inch (M1 Pro)
• MacBook Pro 16-inch (M1 Pro and M1 Max)

But when I consider a variety of options for CPU, RAM, and disk storage, the number of choices increases exponentially.

So, how do you choose?

How do you make sure that you will not regret your decision in a month or two?

Today I will help you to make the best decision you can do based on your unique needs and resources. In case if you don’t want to read all this stuff, feel free to scroll all the way down to the quiz section.

We will consider three approaches to MacBook selection:

But let’s first familiarize ourselves with the differences between Apple laptops.

MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro 13-inch

Here is a table of differences between all MacBooks:

Characteristic	MBA	MBP 13″	MBP14″	MBP 16″
Starting Price	$999	$1,299	$1,999	$2,499
Display	13.3 in	13.3in	14.2in	16.2in
Max Storage	2TB SSD	4TB SSD	8TB SSD	8TB SSD
CPU choice	M1	M1	M1 Pro, M1 Max	M1 Pro, M1 Max
Max RAM	16GB	16GB	64GB	64GB
Weight, lb	2.8	3.1	3.5	4.7 (Pro), 4.8 (Max)
Size, inches	11.97 x 8.36 x 0.16-0.63	11.97 x 8.36 x 0.61	12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61	14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66
Battery time	15 hours	17 hours	17 hours	14 hours
Touch ID	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Touch Bar	No	Yes	No	No
Colors	Gold, Silver, Space Gray	Silver, Space Gray	Silver, Space Gray	Silver, Space Gray

As you can see from the table, the main differences between MacBook Air (MBA) and MacBook Pro (MBP) are:

• Choice of processors. MacBook Air and 13″ MacBook Pro are older models and they only come with Apple M1 processor. MacBook Pro 14″ and MacBook Pro 16″ are new models and they allow selecting between M1 Pro and more advanced M1 Max processors.
• Starting Price. Entry-level MBA is $300 less than entry-level MBP.
• Battery time. MBP lasts for 2 hours longer under the same load as an MBA.
• Touch Bar. Only old MacBook Pro (M1 chip) has Touch Bar. All other models only support Touch ID.
• Weight. MBA is slightly lighter than MBP 13″ and MBP 13″ is slightly lighter than MBP 14″.
• Fan. MBA does not have a fan.
• Colors. Only Air has a Gold option.
• Price. MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13″ are much more affordable. New models start at $2000 and may be too expensive for most people.

MBP 13-inch vs. MBP 14-inch vs. MBP 16-inch

Apple released new MacBook Pro models in October 2021. New models are equipped with the second generation of Apple’s own processor chips. They call them M1 Pro and M1 Max.

At the same time, they still selling an older version of MacBook Pro 13″ (I guess not for long) which had 1st generation of M1 chip.

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.

Charging and Expansion

Users have been complaining for years about the things the company did in last years: keyboard issues, lack of ports, bizarre Touch Bar, and so on.

And finally, it seems that Apple listened and address almost all complaints. In fact, the new MacBooks look and feel exactly like the old 2015 models.

First, they brought back MagSafe port. So, now you don’t need to plug in the charger to the USB-C port and laptops are safe again. If you trip over the charger, your laptop will not fall on the floor.

Second, they added back HDMI port and SDXC card slot. No more additional dongles!

And you still get three USB-C ports. By the way, you can still charge via USB-C port, but MagSafe is way faster.

Video, Camera, and Sound

As with any new model, MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″ get better video and sound. Another nice bonus is a slight camera upgrade. The old 720p camera was in MacBooks for the last 7-8 years, and they finally upgraded it to 1080p camera.

MacBook Pro 14″ or MacBook Pro 16″

MacBook Pro 16-inch is bigger than 14-inch cousin in all regards: weight, size, storage, RAM, CPU, and of course, price.

There is no point in comparing them. The question is rather – do you need such a beast or not? In some cases, you do.

Functional Approach

With this approach you need to answer the following questions:

• Why do you need a MacBook?
• Will you use MacBook for work, school, or home?
• Why MacBook and not a PC laptop, such as Surface?

To help you answer these questions, let’s consider several use cases.

MacBook for data science student

Yap X. reached out to me with the following question:

“Hi, I’m a data scientist and freelance web developer. For data science stuff i can use google colab in a browser. For develop a web, i just need a text editor. Currently, I’m considering picking a MBA or MBP.”

First, I steered him to my article on choosing a MacBook for a college student, which covers this topic in-depth.

Then, the question was whether he needs more space or RAM. I know that data science projects need a lot of memory, but web developers benefit from more storage (for code, assets).

In the end, he went with MBP, 128GB with 2TB external drive.

MacBook for a law student

Hassan H. asked me “I am a law student in UK. I have come across your article of macbook storage size. I want to buy macbook (latest) but i am not sure which one would be better for me. Either macbook air or macbook pro.”

Hassan didn’t need a lot of power. He needed a light laptop that can hold as much battery as possible. So, he chose the MacBook Air.

MacBook for a programmer

I had the same approach for the last two MacBooks I ordered at work. They both 15-inch (now it would be 16-inch) MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and at least 512GB storage.

I opted for the least powerful processor available because, for coding, it is more important to have more on-board storage and RAM than CPU. Besides, even the least powerful CPU in the big MBP is way better than the one in 13-inch Pro.

Also, I wanted to have a bigger display so I could work at home without an external monitor.

So, what does it mean for you?

If you know exactly how are you planning to use the laptop, then the decision is simple.

Go for MacBook Pro 16-inch if you need a bigger display and for more CPU, RAM, and disk.

Go for MacBook Air if you want a lighter laptop, and you travel a lot. Also, the MBA makes sense if you don’t expect to do anything other than work with documents, send emails, and browse the internet.

When in doubt, go for MacBook 13-inch. It’s a perfect balance of power and usability.

Budget Driven Approach

In the perfect world, we would just buy the biggest, the baddest and not worry. However, all of us have budgets. And often, our budgets don’t align with our needs and wants.

If you are short on money, here are my observations and/or suggestions.

MacBook Air is a good laptop

In most cases, the MBA would be enough for most people. Even for web developers. If you are just starting studying web design or software development, it will take a while until you outgrow MBA resources.

When you become a professional, you most likely be able to afford a more powerful machine.

MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro 13″

There was always a clear-cut choice between Air and Pro, but with the introduction of the Apple M1, the MacBook Pro 13″ lost its appeal. Currently, both the MacBook Air 13″ and MacBook Pro 13″ have absolutely the same CPU.

The difference is that MacBook Pro has a fan and Air does not.

This means that they both launch apps at the same speed.

The Pro has an advantage when you need sustained CPU work, e.g. when working with graphics or playing games.

When you are playing games for a long time then MacBook Air tries to slow down the CPU to avoid overheating and Pro kicks in the fan and continues running at full speed.

However, the new processor is so much more powerful than any other laptop CPU on the market, so you have to try very hard to make Pro turn the fan or MBA to slow down the CPU.

MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro 14″

While M1 MBA and MBP were comparable in most regards, it would not be fair to compare MacBook Air and new MacBook Pro 14″. The latter beats the former in all categories: speed, size, RAM, storage, video, audio, charging, expansion.

However, there is a catch. The new MacBook Pro 14″ is twice more expensive as MacBook Air.

So, if you can afford two grand on the new laptop, go with the new one. If not, then MBA is still a good laptop.

Consider used or refurbished

If you really need a 15″ or 16″ inch MBP, but can’t afford it, then consider used or refurbished options.

I wrote a whole article on how to choose a used MacBook and which Apple laptop is the best in terms of price to performance ratio.

Don’t pay retail

I never buy Apple products in the Apple store. I always shop online, and I always save at least $100. You can do it too with some tips from me.

Also, don’t forget that you can get credit to pay for the device, which makes it easier.

Want Based Approach

Three months ago, Daniel S. sent me the email:

“I can’t decide what to buy for my girlfriend as a gift. MBP 128 gb or MBA 256 gb. They come at the same price. MBP wins on all parameters except memory. Although my girlfriend needs nothing but a browser, easy photo editing, office work and movie watching. I want my computer to last longer and given the trends in application development, it may be more profitable to take on more power, as the power consumption of applications increases every year.”

After some back and forth, we finally figured that his girlfriend already made up her mind. She liked the TouchBar option, and she was Ok with smaller disk as she didn’t plan to store a lot of photos, documents, or videos.

Bottom line: if you can’t choose between the two, go with what you like. Whether it’s a look, a color, or TouchBar.

Final Tips

Now, when you decide on a type of MacBook, the next step is to know whether it is worth spending on additional storage and memory, or a faster CPU. Over time, I’ve built a bunch of resources to help you with upgrade questions.

Is extra storage worth it? My post “Is 128GB Enough for MacBook Pro/Air? Storage Guide” will help you to understand your options when it comes to disk space.

Similarly, this link will guide you through RAM questions.

Following resources will help you to choose proper specs for used MacBooks:

This post will help to decide which CPU do you need for MacBook Pro. If you remember, Apple has 2 CPUs to choose from for MBPs.

Since Apple introduced 4 CPU choices (Apple M1, i5, i7, i9) choosing the right one got tougher. I touched on this topic here.

And finally, you will have to make a decision on the warranty. My post about AppleCare+ for Mac lists the pros and cons of AppleCare.

Which MacBook To Buy Quiz

As promised, here is a short quiz that can help you decide which MacBook should you buy.

Hi, I am Al. I’ve been working with computers for more than 20 years and I am passionate about Apple products. You can reach me at [email protected]

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About Me

Hi, I am Al. I’ve been working with computers for more than 20 years and I am passionate about Apple products. You can reach me at [email protected]

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