Our new pick is the 13-inch MacBook Pro (2019, two Thunderbolt 3 ports), and the MacBook Air (2019) is our new budget pick.
Your guide
The good news is Apple just refreshed the MacBook Air lineup with a new $1,200 13-inch Retina model, which we now consider the leading candidate for a first-time Mac buyer. The money that separates the two 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro models is a hefty chunk of change; the $2,799 MacBook Pro is the top-of-the-line Mac laptop, offering the strongest performance. The best Mac laptop for most people is the 2018 MacBook Air. It’s fast enough for the things that most people use a computer for—Web browsing, working on documents, even light photo editing—and it has an excellent high-resolution screen, a great trackpad, enough battery life to get most people through a day of work, and a (relatively.
The best Mac laptop for most people is the 13-inch MacBook Pro (2019, two Thunderbolt 3 ports). It’s more than fast enough for the things that most people use a computer for—Web browsing, working on documents, and photo and video editing—and it has an excellent high-resolution screen, a great trackpad, enough battery life to get most people through a day of work, and a (relatively) reasonable price.
Our pickApple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
The entry-level MacBook Pro has a fantastic screen, a fast quad-core processor, and a reasonable price, though we wish it came with more ports and more storage.
Buying Options
The entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro includes a quad-core processor and much faster integrated graphics than in the Air, both of which will make your work go significantly faster—2019’s 13-inch Pro is almost as fast as 15-inch models from past years. The laptop does have some shortcomings, but they’re almost all shared by other modern Apple laptops: the low-travel keyboard, a small number of homogenous ports (in this case, two Thunderbolt 3 ports) that may require the use of USB-C hubs or new cables, and a high price relative to Windows laptops with similar performance and features, especially if you need more than 128 GB of storage. But the Pro’s light weight, solid construction, and industry-leading support make it a good laptop, especially if you also own an iPhone or other Apple devices.
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Budget pickApple MacBook Air (2019)
The Air includes most of the good stuff from the Pro, such as the great screen, the solid construction, and the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, for a bit less money. But its dual-core processor is noticeably slower.
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*At the time of publishing, the price was $1,100.
The 2019 MacBook Air is a couple hundred dollars cheaper and a quarter-pound lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Pro. It also has slightly better battery life, and it’s functionally an identical laptop in most of the important ways: screen, memory and storage, ports, keyboard and touchpad, construction. But its dual-core processor and slower integrated graphics make it a worse choice if you plan on doing much photo and video editing or programming, or if you plan on connecting it to high-resolution external monitors. It also skips the Touch Bar in favor of a row of physical function keys and a standalone Touch ID fingerprint sensor, though depending on how you feel about the flashy but superfluous Touch Bar, you might prefer this.
Upgrade pickApple MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (15-inch, 2019)
The 15-inch MacBook Pro has a larger screen and the fastest, most powerful components Apple ships in a laptop, and it’s still relatively thin and light. But you pay a lot for that extra speed. Writing app for mac.
Buying Options
The 15-inch MacBook Pro is our top Mac pick in our guide to laptops for video and photo editing. You won’t notice a huge speed boost in everyday computing tasks, but our recommended configuration’s six-core Intel Core processor can give it a speed boost of around 30 percent over the 13-inch Pro when rendering video or compiling code, and its discrete AMD Radeon GPUs provide better performance when running 3D drafting programs or games.
Because you can’t upgrade Apple’s current laptops later—the memory, storage, and processors are all built in—you need to make sure to buy the right configuration. We’ve listed our recommended configuration for each of our picks in the sections below.
If you aren’t wedded to macOS, we have a separate guide dedicated to helping you find the right laptop.
Everything we recommendOur pickApple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
The entry-level MacBook Pro has a fantastic screen, a fast quad-core processor, and a reasonable price, though we wish it came with more ports and more storage.
Buying OptionsBudget pickApple MacBook Air (2019)
The Air includes most of the good stuff from the Pro, such as the great screen, the solid construction, and the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, for a bit less money. But its dual-core processor is noticeably slower.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $1,100.
Upgrade pickApple MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (15-inch, 2019)
The 15-inch MacBook Pro has a larger screen and the fastest, most powerful components Apple ships in a laptop, and it’s still relatively thin and light. But you pay a lot for that extra speed.
Buying OptionsWhy you should trust us
Andrew Cunningham spent more than six years testing, reviewing, and otherwise writing about PCs, Macs, and other gadgets for AnandTech and Ars Technica. He has been building, upgrading, and fixing PCs for more than 15 years, and he spent five of those years in IT departments buying and repairing laptops and desktops as well as helping people buy the best tech for their needs. He has also used just about every Mac laptop that Apple has released in the past two decades.
Who this is for, and when to buy![]()
The best reason to buy a MacBook is if you need or prefer macOS instead of Windows. The operating system is stable and easy to use, but more important, it integrates well with iPhones and iPads—iMessages and SMS messages sent from your Mac also appear on your iPhone and vice versa, and features such as AirDrop and iCloud make it easy to share notes, pictures, videos, reminders, contacts, passwords, bookmarks, and other data between your devices.
Macs are also a good choice if you want great support. Apple’s tech support is routinely rated above that of all other PC and phone makers, and Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers offer accessible in-person tech support and repairs in many locations.
Macs aren’t a great choice if you have less than $1,000 to spend on a laptop, if you want to get the most performance for your money, or if you want to run high-end games. Windows ultrabooks provide as good or better performance, more kinds of ports, and more storage at or below the price Apple charges for the MacBook Air. Budget Chrome OS and Windows laptops are a better choice if you have only $500 to spend. And Windows gaming notebooks, while larger and bulkier than any MacBook, usually have newer and faster dedicated graphics processors than Apple’s laptops do (and you can buy some of them for less than half of what a 15-inch MacBook Pro costs).
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If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re thinking about buying a new Mac computer and may be in need of a little guidance. Fortunately, we’re quite familiar with Apple’s Macs, and we’re happy to help you choose the right Mac for you.
This buying guide provides an overview of all the Mac models available, and what each model is best suited for. To get more details, you can read the full review by clicking the product name in the product boxes that have mouse ratings.
MacBook Air
Models for sale were originally released October 2018.
What is it? The MacBook Air is Apple’s affordable line of laptops. Apple currently offers two 13-inch models.
Who’s it for? The MacBook Air is ideal for the budget conscious. It’s also for anyone who is always on the go, doesn’t want to be bogged down by a regular-size laptop, and needs a computer that’s more versatile than an iPad.
What are the specifications? The two MacBook Air models have the same 1.6GHz dual-core Core i5 (eighth-generation) processor and 8GB of RAM. Best flowchart app for mac. All MacBook Air models come with integrated Intel UHD Graphics 617 technology. Apple claims 12 hours of battery life for both wireless web and 13 hours iTunes movie playback.
The main difference between the laptops is storage. The $1,099 model has 128GB of flash storage, while the $1,299 model has 256GB.
Apple used to offer the older version of the MacBook Air for $999. It had a 1.8GHz dual-core Core i5 (fifth-generation) processor, 8GB of RAM, and integrated Intel HD Graphics 6000. The company discontinued this model in July 2019, though you may find it for a limited time in Apple’s Refurbished and Clearance Store.
How do I connect stuff? The MacBook Air has built-in Wi-Fi for connecting to a network. It also provides built-in Bluetooth for wirelessly connecting a mouse or other peripheral. If you want to connect to an ethernet network, you’ll need an adapter.
The $1,099 and $1,299 Models have only a pair of Thunderbolt 3/USB-C connectors. https://energygrab696.weebly.com/blog/best-survival-games-for-mac. If you want to connect USB-A devices, you need either a USB-C to USB adapter, like Apple’s $19 one, or a USB-C hub that has USB-A ports.
How fast is it? The MacBook Air is quite capable of handling everyday tasks, such as sending and receiving email, browsing the web, and using office applications. You can even use it for editing short videos, or for working with JPEGs from your iPhone or point-and-shoot camera.
Macworld’s buying advice: The MacBook Air is a great affordable laptop for someone who does general-purpose work and moves around a lot, such as a student or a self-employed person. You can’t easily upgrade the storage after purchase, so you should buy the model with the largest amount of storage you can afford.
Ready to buy a MacBook Air? Go to the Apple Store
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Apple discontinued its 12-inch laptop in July 2019. You may be able to buy one in Apple’s Refurbished and Clearance Store, but supplies won’t last long.
MacBook Pro
Models without Touch Bar were discontinued July 2019 and replaced with new models. Other Touch Bar models were released July 2018.
What is it? The MacBook Pro features a high-density display with so many pixels that images and text look especially smooth and clean. At normal viewing distances, you can’t discern individual pixels.
Who’s it for? The MacBook Pro is for the demanding user who wants a portable computer that also performs well. MacBook Pro models sit at the top of the performance chart of Mac laptops.
What are the specifications? The MacBook Pro is available in screen sizes of 13 inches and 15 inches. All laptops include the Touch Bar interface at the top of the keyboard.
There are four 13-inch models:
Apple has two 15-inch MacBook Pros:
The 13-inch Retina display has a native resolution of 2560x1600, and OS X offers a scaled resolution up to 1680x1050. The 15-inch Retina display has a native resolution of 2880x1800, and OS X’s highest scaled resolution on those laptops is 1920x1200. These high-scale resolutions can accommodate the workspace of a larger-screen standard Mac laptop on a smaller Retina MacBook Pro if you can tolerate the smaller icons, text, and other graphics on the screen. If you use a third-party app such as QuickRes, you can set the Retina screen to use resolutions higher than the scaled settings OS X offers, including the native resolution.
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The MacBook Pro does not have a SuperDrive, so if you need one, you’ll have to buy an external USB optical drive.
What is the Touch Bar that’s mentioned in the specs above? The Touch Bar is a new input device. It sits on top of the keyboard, and it’s basically a narrow touchscreen. The button and controls available on the Touch Bar change depending on the software you are using. Learn more about the Touch Bar.
How do I connect stuff? No need to worry about wireless connectivity: The MacBook Pro has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
It’s the wired connectivity you need to be concerned with. The MacBook Pro has only Thunderbolt 3 ports, which are compatible with USB-C. The $1,299 and $1,499 13-inch MacBook Pro models have two ports, while every other MacBook model has four.
If you have a Thunderbolt 3 device, you can plug it directly into the laptop. The same goes for any USB-C device. However, if you have wired devices that aren’t USB-C or Thunderbolt 3, you’ll need an adapter. We have a separate MacBook Pro Thunderbolt 3 adapter guide to help you decide which ones you’ll need. Unfortunately, be prepared to shell out a good amount of extra cash.
How fast is it? The MacBook Pro models are, to no surprise, the fastest laptops Apple has ever released. If it’s processing power you seek, it’s the MacBook Pro you want.
Best Mac To Buy
Macworld’s buying advice: For the most demanding mobile Mac user—someone whose work requires a lot of processing power—the MacBook Pro is the ticket. If you’re looking at a 13-inch model, the $1,799 Retina MacBook Pro hits a sweet spot for price and performance. The money that separates the two 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro models is a hefty chunk of change; the $2,799 MacBook Pro is the top-of-the-line Mac laptop, offering the strongest performance. If your work mostly involves internet access and other productivity tasks, however, go for a MacBook Air.
Ready to buy a MacBook Pro? Go to the Apple Store
Apple has refurbished MacBook Pro models available in the company’s Refurbished and Clearance Store. Refurbs offer a modest savings over new models, though the inventory for 2018 refurbs runs out quickly. You may find only older models, so check back at a later date to see if there are any 2018 laptops available.
Best 3rd party application for streaming mac hd pvr. Apple tests and certifies all products in the Refurbished store. Supply is limited, so Apple could run out of refurb stock, and you’ll have to check back if you missed your opportunity to buy. But once Apple receives your payment, the company guarantees your purchase.
Best Mac Laptop For The Money
Refurb products come with a one-year warranty.
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