BACK IN FOCUS MAC REVIEW UPGRADE
BACK IN FOCUS MAC REVIEW PORTABLE
BACK IN FOCUS MAC REVIEW PRO

So why buy the MacBook Air instead of the Pro? While the Pro has better-sustained performance, the MacBook Air is cheaper and is pin-drop silent because it doesn't have a fan. For any typical computing tasks, the MacBook Air M1 is more than equal to the challenge and will outlast its successor on a single charge. The performance still outclasses every comparably priced thin-and-light Windows laptop and it manages to deliver 14 hours and 41 minutes of battery life in our testing. What about the MacBook Air M2? It's a fantastic laptop that we'll cover next on this list, but the reality is that for the majority of users the upgrades aren't necessary and the M1 model maintains that sub-$1,000 starting price and is often discounted to $900 or less. The MacBook Air M1 remains the best MacBook for most people. Unless you need the extra screen real estate or frequently are using demanding software for video work, 3D modeling, animation or engineering tasks, the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros are beyond what most people need.

BACK IN FOCUS MAC REVIEW UPGRADE

Our advice? If you do basic productivity work even with a smattering of more taxing software, stick to the M1 or M2 Air and use the savings to upgrade your storage or RAM. Starting at $1,999 you are paying a premium for Apple's top-tier laptops, but if you need all this power or hate some of the hardware changes they are worth it. The gorgeous 120Hz displays are the best Apple has ever offered in its laptops. These laptops walk back some of the controversial decisions Apple made with the MacBook Pro in 2016 with the return of an SD card slot, HDMI, MagSafe charging and still boast three Thunderbolt 4 ports. Either option is overkill for most users, but they feature other tantalizing upgrades. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros are powered by the M1 Pro or M1 Max processor.

BACK IN FOCUS MAC REVIEW PORTABLE

While the M1 model is sticking around at its $999 price point, the redesigned MacBook Air M2 gives slightly more performance-hungry portable MacBook fans another option. Along with speed and endurance boosts, the M1 chip brings iOS and iPadOS apps to Mac for the first time ever. It turbocharges that familiar design with record-setting performance and all-day battery life. Transforming its once underpowered laptop to one of the fastest thin-and-lights on the market, the MacBook Air with M1 is the best Mac for most people.

While you still aren't going to want to pick an Apple laptop for your gaming laptop, they are an outstanding choice for virtually any other use case, including as college laptops or business laptops. The M2 MacBook AIr and Pro aren't likely to see any deals yet, but if you are in the market for any of the rest of Apple's laptops keep an eye on the best Amazon Prime Day MacBook deals for likely the lowest prices we'll see until Black Friday this fall. Now joined by the M1 Pro, M1 Max and M2, Apple has you covered regardless of your needs.

Back in focus mac review