Best Of 2023

From Pro to Air – We Countdown The Top 3 MacBooks On The Market

Reliable, Trusted and Stylish – We Review The Best Rated MacBooks

Apple’s multiple additions to the laptop market, including the ever popular MacBook Pro, provide you with plenty of options to choose from. Given that you’ll likely pay more for a MacBook than a competing model from HP, Dell, or even Microsoft, it’s important to weigh up your options. You should also think about what you plan to use your Macbook for. If you looking for the best laptops for college students, then you might wish to consider the lighter Mac Air range. If you need your Mac for business, there is nothing more powerful than the Mac Pro. Pair it with a laptop stand, and you can work on it just as easily as any desktop pc, and with much more connvenience. Just ask anyone in your local Apple store!

Here, we’re going to break it down for you, so that you get the right machine for your requirements.

Apple essentially now has a range laptops to choose from: MacBook, regular, Air and Pro. They generally come with a minimum of 10 hours WiFi web browsing and/or iTunes video streaming, and as always, it pays to buy as much processor and RAM, preferably 16GB and up, as you can afford.

MacBook

First introduced in 2015 and re-released in 2017, this is Apple’s core Mac laptop. There are three base models to choose from:

1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m3
1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i7

You then have the option of 8GB or 16GB memory, and a hard drive of either 256GB or 512GB. All the models are nicely slimline and light, making this an ideal choice for students.

MacBook Air

Cheaper than the MacBook, it has a 13’’ screen, and is exceptionally light, whilst still possessing the durability that Apple is known for.

There are two core models available:

1.8GHz, 128GB
1.8GHz, 256GB

This device, due to sticking with the 2015 processor, isn’t suitable for gamers, or anyone who needs a high performance Mac. But perfectly fulfills the requirements of students who want a cheaper Mac for studying, unless you are taking a computing, games or video course.

MacBook Pro

Ideal for professionals, gamers, developers and designers, the Pro is the workhorse of the Apple stables. There are several options with this laptop:

MacBook Pro – 13.3-inch – 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
MacBook Pro – 13.3-inch – 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i7
MacBook Pro – 15.4-inch – 2.2GHz, 2.5GHz
MacBook Pro – 15.4-inch – 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7

Memory sizes range from 128GB to 1TB for the 13 inch, and 256GB to 1TB in the 15 inch version. Since the Pro processor is a quad-core, it’s significantly more powerful than the others – not that the others aren’t powerful, they just aren’t as powerful as a top-of-the range Pro.

Considering all of this, it’s no wonder that a Macbook is often regarded as the best laptop you can buy. So, here is our take on the best selling MacBooks around.

 

1) Apple MacBook Pro

Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Previous Model, 16GB RAM, 256GB Storage) - Space Gray

Overview

With Retina display, and Touch ID security options, this 15’’ MacBook Pro is a top-of-the-range machine. Four Thunderbolt 3 ports provide an awesome range of possibilities. True Tone technology, 32GB and Apple’s 8th Generation Intel 6-core make this a force to be reckoned with. It also has a jaw-dropping SSD speed of 3.2GB/s, Touch Bar, and Radeon Pro discrete GPU for impressive graphics.

What We Like

This is a super impressive Mac. With unrivaled image quality, and the ability to render in ultra-fluid, real-time performances, it’s a must for designers, developers, and, of course, gamers. Apple have stepped their already admirable security up a notch by adding their T2 chip – which includes a secure enclave co-processor and brings the ever helpful, and always delightful, Siri along for the ride. With Apple’s usual thoughtfulness, everything here is customizable, allowing greater productivity.

We can’t rate this machine highly enough – it has everything we could ever want, and more!

What Needs Improving

For some reason best known to themselves, Apple doesn’t include the extension cord for the power adapter anymore. We bought one for next to nothing, so it hasn’t stopped us.

9.8Expert Score
The Final Verdict

Impressively powerful, unbelievably fast and invincibly secure!

$2,399.00  in stock
Amazon.com
as of March 18, 2024 3:18 pm

2) Apple MacBook Air

New Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage) - Silver

Overview

This Air comes with a 1.6 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, and an SSD storage of 128GB. The display is 13’’ of LED-backlit with a pretty decent 1440-by-900 resolution. With an improved battery life of 13 hours, this is an ideal machine for students.

What We Like

The Air is never going to beat the Pro on performance or power, but we like this machine for its sheer versatility and usefulness. Great for carrying around and for working on the go, the battery life is excellent for a Mac. It syncs like a dream and keeps steady connectivity. The screen, despite not having Retina technology, is great – the colors are true to life and beautifully crisp, with smoothly efficient scrolling.

What Needs Improving

The keys can be a little loud for using in the all-encompassing silence of a college library, but it’s not a deal-breaker.

9.5Expert Score
The Final Verdict

The Apple Air is a great machine at a decent price. Ideal for students and commuters, it’s definitely one worth considering if you need to work on the move.

 check latest price
Amazon.com
as of March 18, 2024 12:29 am

3) Apple MacBook Rose Gold

Apple MacBook (12", 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Rose Gold

Overview

This is the latest model of the old favorite – the trustworthy and ultra reliable MacBook.
Beautifully slimline, it’s deceptively powerful with Apple cramming every piece of technology into its svelte frame. Intel Core m3, i5 and i7 processors and a 14 nanometer process combines pure energy efficiency with a powerful performance.

What We Like

This MacBook doesn’t need a fan to keep cool as it runs on a tiny, but perfect, 5w of power, making it virtually silent. With an onboard memory of 16GB, 512GB of SSD storage and a full size keyboard, this is a really useful machine, capable of anything you could throw at it. Apple’s Retina display provides over 3 million pixels, and with edge to edge glass, images leap off the screen in glorious detail. A Force Touch trackpad allows almost intuitive customization and commands – an impressive thing to behold. It’s fair to say we like this MacBook rather a lot.

What Needs Improving

It could do with a couple more ports, but it’s perfectly adequate as it stands, and with Thunderbolts decreasing in price every day, this isn’t a deal breaker.

9.6Expert Score
The Final Verdict

Solidly reliable, there’s a reason why MacBooks are still top of the game, and this one demonstrates it admirably. Highly recommended.

 check latest price
Amazon.com
as of March 18, 2024 6:23 am

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