Mac

MacBook Air models start with a 256GB SSD, and MacBook Pros offer a 512GB SSD at minimum. The M4 MacBook Air starts at $999, and the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air starts at $1,199. CNET's expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

Refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro Apple M3 Pro Chip with 12‑Core CPU and 18‑Core GPU – Silver

Use Apple Intelligence to proofread your text and rewrite different versions until the tone and wording are just right, and summarise selected text with a click. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.1 And it supports fast charge, getting up to 50% in around 30 minutes.6 So you can power through anything you’re working on without worrying about your battery. With up to 18 hours of battery life,2 you can get work done anywhere you go. The 13″ MacBook Air is the ultimate on-the-go laptop, and the 15″ MacBook Air gives you even more space onscreen for multitasking.3

According to Apple, graphics are 30 percent faster than the M1 Max. You'll find it in the MacBook Pro (14-inch and 16-inch) from early 2023 and the Mac Mini (2023). It's a marginal upgrade compared to the M1 Pro, but it's the best option for those who want a more future-proof processor. It has up to 12 cores in the CPU and up to a 19-core GPU, with up to 32 GB of unified memory.

M4 compared to a PC laptop with Intel Core Ultra 7.

The fantastic Liquid Retina XDR display is detailed and bright enough for use outdoors, and it has better speakers and more ports than a MacBook Air. The Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) is a little better than the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air in every way. Like the M3 MacBook Air, this new version can also power two external displays, whereas previous generations were limited to one.

We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming. Laptop Mag reviews over a hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. It comes in at $999 while offering a blend of performance, efficiency, and portability that is the envy of most of its Windows counterparts in this price range. The MacBook Air 13-inch M4 is an easy choice for most people. See our full 16-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Pro, 2024) review. Like the 14-inch model, the design has remained unchanged since the 2021 refresh, but unless the notch is truly unacceptable for you (it shouldn't be; trust me, you get used to it), this isn't really a concern.

• Models with the M5 chip feature Thunderbolt 4.
• In our testing, the laptop endured for an incredible 18 hours and 14 minutes!
• In our testing, battery life was almost otherworldly at 20 hours and 46 minutes, almost three hours longer than the previous generation.
• But if you’re itching for a bit more power to code, to run demanding creative apps, or even to play indie games that have come to the Mac, we recommend the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip.
• Whether you are a professional, a student, or just someone who wants an outstanding laptop for around the house, the 13-inch Air M4 will juggle apps and browser tabs without a stutter.
• It’s not as good a deal, as the performance difference between the M3 Pro and M2 Pro isn’t as big as you might hope.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro is priced starting at $2,499 with M4 Max models starting at $3,499. The 14-inch MacBook Pro is priced starting at $1,599, with M4 Pro models starting at $1,999. Models with the M4 Max chip get up to 21 hours while streaming video and up to 14 hours while browsing the web. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 chip lasts for up to 24 hours when watching movies and 16 hours when browsing the web. There are fast SSDs macbook inside the MacBook Pro models, which are configurable with up to 8TB storage space, though the MacBook Pro models with M5 or M4 Pro chip are limited to 4TB.

• With Apple dropping the price by $100 for the M4 MacBook Air models, the price gap between MacBook Air and MacBook Pro is even bigger than it was before.
• MacBook Pro packs an array of ports for connecting high-speed peripherals, driving high-resolution displays or directly offloading SDXC cards.
• That’s a welcome change since the M1 and M2 chipsets natively support only one monitor.
• The Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) is the best MacBook for most people.

Tens of thousands of apps are optimised for Apple silicon — from your go-to productivity apps to your favourite games and hardest working pro apps. The 14‑inch MacBook Pro with M5 brings serious speed and advanced on-device AI to the personal, professional and creative work you do every day. I also review higher-powered laptops, such as business laptops and laptops for photo and video editing. Laptops based on the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips are still extremely competitive, but you’d get diminishing returns for your money on M1 machines, which Apple still prices quite high.

Even if you’re charging your phone in another room, you can still access all your favorite apps.10 Mac is optimized to handle the world’s most advanced AI apps. Faster Neural Filter and function performance in Adobe Photoshop46 Faster basecalling performance in Oxford Nanopore MinKNOW42 Faster Neural Filter and function performance in Adobe Photoshop39 Faster basecalling performance in Oxford Nanopore MinKNOW35