With so many options available in 2024, it can be difficult to find a MacBook that suits your needs. But that’s where our team of experts at Trusted Reviews comes in.
We take the time to thoroughly evaluate Apple’s latest MacBook offerings, ranging from the lightweight MacBook Air to the high-performance MacBook Pro, to provide you with well-informed choices that align with your needs and preferences.
Every MacBook in our list has undergone a range of rigorous tests, looking past the spec sheet to see what the laptops have to offer. We delve into crucial aspects like processing power, design aesthetics, and battery endurance to ensure that you’re well-acquainted with what to expect.
Recognising that budget considerations play a huge role in the decision-making process, we’ve also taken different price ranges into account. Additionally, we provide insights into the types of tasks and workloads that each laptop is best suited for. After all, not everyone requires the heavyweight capabilities of a MacBook Pro for everyday tasks like checking emails or browsing the web.
Or if you’re tempted to switch over to Windows or ChromeOS, then you can also check out our best laptop and best Chromebook articles.
At a glance
- Best for creatives: Apple MacBook Pro M3 Max – check price
- Best mid-range option: Apple MacBook Air M2 – check price
- Best value: Apple MacBook Air M1 – check price
How we test
Every laptop we review goes through a series of uniform checks designed to gauge key things including build quality, performance, screen quality and battery life.
These include formal synthetic benchmarks and scripted tests, plus a series of real world checks, such as how well it runs the most frequently used apps.
We also make sure to use every laptop we review as our primary device for at least a week to ensure our review is as accurate as possible.
- Fantastic performance
- Sleek, updated design
- Excellent keyboard and trackpad
- Long battery life
- Expensive starting price and upgrades
- More colours would have been nice
- The M1 version remains an excellent buy for less
- It’s so fast thanks to M1
- Exceptional battery life
- Strong app support
- Great keyboard
- Poor webcam
- Same design as before
- Poorly positioned (and only two) USB ports
- Exceptional performance
- Stunning display and keyboard
- The price builds up very quickly
- No Face ID
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch M3 Max
Best for content creation
Pros
- Exceptional performance
- Stunning display and keyboard
Cons
- The price builds up very quickly
- No Face ID
The MacBook Pro 16-inch with the M3 Max chip is designed specifically for those who need additional graphics power for complex tasks such as high-end video editing and even animation.
Our benchmark tests show it’s one of the most powerful laptops you can buy, making it overkill for the average office worker, especially considering the high price.
This isn’t a huge upgrade on the previous versions of the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, especially the M2 versions which remain excellent, but the M3 Max chips represent modest improvements. These machines aren’t really for those who upgraded to the last model, but for those who want a massive boost on an older Intel machine.
Two sizes are available, and whether you go for the 14-inch or the 16-inch the Mini LED screen is very impressive. Compared to your standard LED or LCDs, the Mini LED panel here has a more vivid and vibrant image than almost any other laptop we’ve tested including the cheaper MacBook Air.
While we’ve tested plenty of other laptops that are great for content creation, such as the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, they don’t offer the same high quality for both performance and design as the MacBook Pro. If you want an ultra-powerful laptop for creation with lots of ports for added versatility, this is our top recommendation. There are MacBook Pro versions with the M3 Pro chip, and a single 14-inch version with the M3 chip.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) review
Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022)
Best mid-range MacBook
Pros
- Fantastic performance
- Sleek, updated design
- Excellent keyboard and trackpad
- Long battery life
Cons
- Expensive starting price and upgrades
- More colours would have been nice
- The M1 version remains an excellent buy for less
If the MacBook Pro 14 and 16 is overkill for your needs yet you still need some graphics firepower, we recommend you go for the MacBook Air M2. This is Apple’s best mid-range laptop, inheriting a lot of the features from the flagship machine just in a thinner, lighter and cheaper body.
This model is the only MacBook on this list to be powered by the new M2 chip. Don’t think this means it’ll offer more power either in CPU or GPU than the M1 Max or M1 Pro – but it does bump up performance slightly compared to MacBook Air M1. In our tests, the M2 impresses across the board and remains one of the fastest, most capable laptops of this size.
Memory starts at 8GB and can be configured to 24GB, while storage options range from 256GB to 2TB. We tested the 512GB model with 8GB memory and we think this is the best choice for most people – 256GB just isn’t enough storage for most.
Like the updated 14-inch and 16-inch Pro, this MacBook Air M2 (2022) has a boxy look with a notch dipping into the display. The 13.6-inch screen is really nice, colourful and bright – though it lacks the Mini LED tech of its pricier siblings so you won’t get true HDR support.
MagSafe makes a return – you won’t find the magnetic charging tech on the MacBook Air M1 – and the webcam and speakers are notably better than the older model. So if you’re looking for a laptop that’s both portable and can handle GPU-intensive workloads, this is the MacBook to go for.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) review
MacBook Air (M1)
Best value MacBook
Pros
- It’s so fast thanks to M1
- Exceptional battery life
- Strong app support
- Great keyboard
Cons
- Poor webcam
- Same design as before
- Poorly positioned (and only two) USB ports
Apple may have released a newer iteration of the MacBook Air, but the 2020 model with the M1 chip is still available to buy from its store, and arguably represents the best value, especially if you want to stick to basic tasks.
During testing, we found it to be small and light enough to easily carry around. We did note that the screen bezel looks a little too chunky compared to modern Windows laptops, but it’s a small grievance when you consider it offers the classic Apple quality.
It’s the performance where this laptop truly excels, as our benchmark tests showed it to one of the fastest laptop at its price point due to the power of the M1 chip. We even found it to be capable of entry-level content creation thanks to the firepower that its GPU provides.
We were highly impressed with the 13-inch screen, which has a 2560 x 1600 resolution to ensure images look detailed and sharp. Our tests show it’s not quite as vivid as the OLED panel on the Dell XPS 13 OLED, but it’s still nevertheless an excellent display.
The MacBook Air is one of the best ultra-portable laptops that we’ve ever reviewed. So if you want an ultra-portable machine at a relatively affordable price, this is a superb option.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: MacBook Air M1 review
We also considered…
We’ve reviewed
See all reviewsFAQs
The MacBook Air is currently the cheapest MacBook that Apple has to offer.
Neither is better, as they cater to different audiences. The MacBook Pro is very powerful and aimed towards professional creators, while the MacBook Air is more portable and optimised for the likes of office and university work.
The MacBook Air is the best option for students, unless they need to work with 8K video or 3D animation on their course.
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Specs compared
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
