How to Pick the Right MacBook for You

in 2020, Apple’s MacBooks entered a new era. The company announced it was moving away from the Intel chips it had been using since 2006; in their place, it rolled out the first Macs with the Apple-designed M1. Cut to 2024 and the company now offers the choice between 14 custom processors, the latest of which is the M4 lineup powering the latest MacBook Pro.
Like with Apple’s iPhones, the chips run on the ARM architecture and afford the company greater control over its hardware and software. These processors make Apple laptops more powerful and power-efficient, meaning greatly improved performance and battery life. You get other perks, like the ability to run mobile apps originally made for iOS. Despite all these advances, choosing a MacBook is still a task. Here’s what you should spend your hard-earned money on.
Updated November 2024: We’ve added information on the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and the new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.
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Apple’s latest MacBook Air (7/10, WIRED Recommends) with M3 isn’t dramatically different from the MacBook Air with M2. It has the same boxy chassis (instead of the old wedge design), a 13.6-inch LCD screen (with a 60-Hz refresh rate and a max brightness of 500 nits), plus a notch that cuts into the display housing a 1080p webcam.
It comes in the same four colors: Starlight, Midnight, Space Gray, and Silver. However, the Midnight color now has an anodization seal to reduce fingerprints, which works pretty well—you can still see smudges (especially in direct sunlight), but I didn’t find myself using a cloth to wipe it down as much as the Starlight version. It is easy to see dust in such a dark shade though.
Apple kept the same port selection. There are two USB 4/Thunderbolt ports, a 3.5-mm headphone jack, and a MagSafe port for charging. Speaking of, there’s support for fast charging if you purchase the 70-watt USB-C power adapter, which Apple claims can juice up the laptop up to 50 percent in 30 minutes (if you opt for one of the higher storage configurations, Apple will include it in your purchase). As for battery life, Apple claims the same 15 hours of wireless web browsing as its predecessor. In reality, I hit 29 percent after eight hours during the workday. It’s better than the M2-powered MacBook Air, which had to be plugged into the charger after the same amount of time, but it’s not a big leap ahead.
Under the hood is Apple’s M3 chip. It offers a nice boost in performance over the original M1 processor—Apple says it’s up to 60 times faster, but it’s only 20 percent faster than the M2 chipset, so don’t upgrade if you have that model. With the M3, you get an 8-core CPU with the option to choose between an 8-core or 10-core GPU. I tested the model with an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16 GB of unified memory. Performance was super smooth on standard workdays when I had apps like Slack, iMessage, Spotify, and Telegram running simultaneously, along with about 60 tabs open in Google Chrome.
When I opened up about 10 more tabs, it started to struggle. Still, it wasn’t enough to trigger the infamous rainbow wheel or make me close any tabs or force-quit apps. I attribute this to the higher unified memory configuration. If it’s in your budget, I highly recommend opting for anything above the base 8 GB model for a smoother experience. However, it’s worth noting that as of October 2024, Apple has decided to equip the base MacBook Air with 16 GB of unified memory and brought the price down to the original 8 GB variant (which no longer exists). You’ll find the 8 GB model at third-party retailers, so be careful when shopping and try to avoid it.
This MacBook Air now supports two external displays, with support for one display with up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz and another with up to 5K resolution at 60 Hz. This is a welcome change since the M1 and M2 chipsets natively support only one monitor. There’s a caveat: You have to keep the MacBook Air closed. (Technically it still only supports two displays.) One of the external displays will go completely dark whenever you open the lid.
The M3-powered Air is ideal for anyone who needs a reliable laptop for everyday tasks and a little more. If your workload is graphics-intensive, I suggest snagging one of the 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro models below.
The 15-inch MacBook Air is the first large-screen option within the Air lineup. You finally don’t need to splurge on a 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro just to get a big screen. It packs all the same features as its smaller sibling (see above) and remains thin and lightweight at 3.3 pounds—around a half-pound heavier than the 13-inch MacBook Air and slightly lighter than the 14-inch MacBook Pro. It supports Wi-Fi 6E connectivity for download speeds that are twice as fast as its predecessor, but you’ll need a Wi-Fi 6E router to take advantage.
Unlike the smaller MacBook Air, the base model has a 10-core GPU instead of the 8-core GPU. Apple sent me the 15-inch MacBook Air with 16 GB of memory, and it handled 41 Chrome tabs, three separate windows, and multiple apps without any hiccups. As usual, I recommend upgrading to at least 16 GB of unified memory, which ensures the machine won’t sputter when you push it with dozens of browser tabs and apps running simultaneously. As with the 13-inch model, it’s worth noting the base model M2 and M3-powered MacBook Air now comes with 16 GB of unified memory instead of 8 GB (starting at $999). If you’re buying it through Apple, you won’t have to worry about anything; for third-party retailers, make sure you opt for the 16-GB version.
One other difference is the speaker system. The quad-speakers on the 13-inch MacBook Air are upgraded here to a six-speaker system, which includes two tweeters and two sets of force-canceling woofers. The difference is noticeable. It delivers better sound clarity, and I don’t have to crank it to max volume whenever I watch a movie. Battery life is also better. Apple claims the 13-inch and 15-inch have up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing, but I saw better results with the larger MacBook. I’d have to plug in the 13-inch MacBook after seven or eight hours of use, but the 15 incher hit 54 percent after the same amount of time with similar workloads.
I generally never felt the need to connect this 15-inch laptop to an external monitor, which was more of a necessity with the 13-inch MacBook Air. If you find these smaller screens to be a little too cramped, then go for the 15-inch MacBook Air.
This is the latest version of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, powered by Apple’s entire lineup of M4 chips. In addition to the M4 Pro and M4 Max, you can once again configure the 14-inch model with the entry-level M4 chip (as you could with the M3 version). The 16-inch can be paired with the M4 Pro or M4 Max.
It retains many of the same features as its predecessor, including a Mini-LED screen, 120-Hz refresh rate, 1080p webcam, and a six-speaker sound system. But now, for an additional $150, you can add nano-texture glass on all configurations. It’s helpful if you work outdoors or by a window and want to reduce glare. The 12-megapixel camera also comes with Center Stage. Previously only available on iPads and Apple’s Apple’s Studio Display, this feature keeps you in frame during video calls.
It has more ports than before. The base MacBook Pro now comes with three USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 (that’s one extra port than on the M3 version), while the M4 Pro or M4 Max models come with three USB-C Thunderbolt 5 ports—which means you’ll get faster data transfer speeds. All still come with an HDMI out, an SD card slot, a high-impedance headphone jack, and a MagSafe charging port. You also get support for Wi-Fi 6E along with Bluetooth 5.3.
Apple finally upgraded the memory on the base models to 16 gigabytes. In the past, we always recommended it over 8 GB to ensure the smoothest experience while multitasking, so it’s nice to see the company nix it completely. This increase in RAM will also help to create a better experience with Apple Intelligence, available with MacOS Sequoia 15.1. The artificial intelligence features are available on all M-series Macs, giving you access to various features like Writing Tools, an overhauled Siri, and Smart Reply in Messages.
These models are more or less spec bumps, with few hardware upgrades. We still have to put both models through their paces to see just how powerful the new M4 chips are, but as always, they’re only a worthy upgrade if you’re looking to invest in your first MacBook Pro or are coming from a much older model. Stay tuned for our review.
The MacBook Air (9/10, WIRED Recommends) from 2020 with the original M1 chip is still a pretty powerful laptop for the money (especially since the price has come down since its launch). My unit is still going strong despite daily, rigorous use. It’s not the snazziest Apple laptop, but it lasts more than a full workday, with the battery hitting 22 percent after I ran it almost nonstop from 9 am to 7 pm using Safari and work apps like Slack. (I had to plug in the old Intel model by 4 pm.)
Unlike older MacBooks you might still find available with Intel chips, this one can instantly wake up from sleep whenever you tap the keyboard or trackpad or lift the screen, just like when you tap your iPhone or iPad to wake it up. There’s no fan here, so it remains whisper-quiet even under the heaviest loads. There is a thermal heat spreader to dissipate heat and it never gets too warm.
You can only buy the base model with 8 GB of unified memory and 256 GB of storage, which should be sufficient for general-purpose tasks. Just keep in mind that while this M1 chip supports Apple Intelligence, it may struggle with some tasks due to the limited memory. Also, if you push it with too many browser tabs and apps running simultaneously, you may run into some slowdowns. Other downsides? The 720p webcam isn’t great. and the M1 only supports one external monitor.
Apple releases new MacBooks at a quick pace so you might feel inclined to buy the latest and greatest. These slightly older models are still good options, as long as you find them on sale for the right price. Apple no longer sells them directly (aside from the M2-powered 13-inch MacBook Air), but we recommend checking third-party retailers (like Amazon, Best Buy, or B&H). Just cross-check the price with the latest models and make sure you’re spending less.
We recommend only buying an M-series MacBook. Older MacBooks with Intel chips and butterfly keyboards are simply not worth the price and will not be supported for much longer.