Update: We last updated this article with 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 on October 16, 2025
Apple likes to keep its product lineup simple. There are only two MacBook models, and each has a couple of variants based on the configuration you are looking for. Selecting the best MacBook for your use case can be confusing since these variants with different configurations often overlap with each other. To help clear your confusion, we have created this list of the best MacBooks you can buy based on price and use case in 2025.
Table of Contents
Breaking Down Apple’s MacBook Lineup
Currently, Apple offers two laptops in the MacBook series:
- MacBook Air: The MacBook Air is the company’s entry model, catering to users with a thin and lightweight build. Available in 13-inch and 15-inch variants, it is the cheapest offering from Apple and has decent power and portability performance.
- MacBook Pro: The MacBook Pro, as the name suggests, is made for “Pro” users such as content creators, editors, and multitaskers. It is loaded with hardware prowess and is available in 14-inch and 16-inch display variants.
To sum it up, MacBook Air is for 90 percent of the users, while MacBook Pro caters to power users and content creators.
Key Features of MacBook Air And Pro
Here’s a look at the key features of the MacBook Air as well as the MacBook Pro:
| MacBook Air | MacBook Pro |
|---|---|
| Made for casual users: The MacBook Air caters to students, working professionals, and those looking to purchase their first MacBook. | Stunning Displays: Feature high-resolution Liquid Retina XDR displays with ProMotion technology for a superior visual experience. You can also purchase them in a NanoTexture coating option for glare free experience. |
| Affordability: Generally more affordable than MacBook Pros, making them a good option for budget-conscious users. | High Performance: Designed for professionals and power users who perform demanding tasks like video editing, 3D rendering, and professional software |
| Everyday Hero: While not as powerful as MacBook Pros, they offer impressive performance for everyday tasks and even some creative workflows in a very light chassis. | Versatile Connectivity: Offer a wider array of ports compared to MacBook Air, making it easier to connect to external displays and peripherals. |
| All-Day Battery: You get an impressive all-day battery life in a light and compact design. | Thick and Heavy: The Pro models are slightly thicker with many ports and hardware specs going in. It is also heavier than Airs which is known for its light fanless design. |
Best MacBook Based on Budget and Use Case
Best Overall MacBook for Everyone: 13-inch MacBook Air M4 ($999)
Why We Recommend It:
The latest MacBook Air M4 is perfect for the majority of users. Powered by the new M4 chip, it is powerful enough to handle most tasks you throw at it. This updated MacBook Air brings great performance at a $100 cheaper price tag. The 13-inch screen is bright enough for most users, and it’s lightweight enough to carry in a backpack. Apart from the upgraded chipset, there’s also a new Sky Blue color that makes it stand out.
Who Should Buy It:
The MacBook Air M4 is the go-to MacBook for 90 per cent of people. Whether you want a Mac to casually surf the web or to edit videos on it, it’s an easy recommendation. Also, the 18 hours of battery backup mean you shouldn’t need a charger anytime soon. There’s also a new Neural Engine that is 3 times faster than the M1, so you can also perform AI tasks. You get two Thunderbolt USB-C ports, which means for the first time in an Air, you can connect up to two external displays to your Mac M4 Air. Quite useful for multitasking.
Who Shouldn’t Buy It:
Despite the upgrades, the M4 MacBook Air has certain limitations. Power users will notice that the fanless architecture suffers under heavy workloads. This can lead to performance bottlenecks in heavy workloads. Furthermore, the 60Hz refresh rate might be disappointing for those switching from a higher refresh rate. Lastly, professionals with demanding connectivity needs will find the two Thunderbolt/USB-C port configuration restrictive
| Reasons to Buy | Reasons to Skip |
|---|---|
| Latest M4 series processor | The base variant has 30W charging compared to 35W/70W on other models |
| Improved 12MP center-stage camera | Fewer ports than in the Pro models |
| Support for two displays apart from its screen | The base model has two fewer cores than the 512GB model, need to pay extra for additional cores |
| $100 cheaper than last year | |
| New Sky Blue color to stand out from the crowd |
Also Read:
- MacBook Air M4 vs M3: 8 Big Differences to Help You Decide
- MacBook Air M4 Unveiled: 7 Things You Should Know
Best MacBook for Power Users and Creators: 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 ($1499)
Why We Recommend It:
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip delivers a major leap in performance. It offers up to 3.5 times faster AI processing and 1.6 times better graphics compared to the M4. With higher memory bandwidth, faster SSD speeds, and up to 24 hours of battery life. It can be configured with up to 4TB of storage and has faster and more neural accelerators, making it great for AI-related tasks. It can handle demanding workloads like video editing, coding, and AI modeling with ease. Apple has kept the same sleek design and price, making it a strong internal upgrade for professionals.
Who Should Buy This:
This model is perfect for creators, developers, and professionals who run heavy apps or multitask across several programs. If you rely on intensive workflows such as rendering, compiling, or training AI models, the M5 offers serious performance gains. It’s also great for users who want top-tier performance without sacrificing portability or battery life.
Who Shouldn’t Buy This:
If you mainly browse, stream, or work on basic productivity tasks, the M5 MacBook Pro is overkill. The more affordable MacBook Air or M4 Pro models will serve you better. It’s also not ideal for users needing more than 32 GB of unified memory or those who prefer a larger 16-inch screen. Waiting for the M5 Pro or Max versions may be smarter if you want more power or customization.
| Reasons to Buy | Reasons to Skip |
|---|---|
| New M5 chip with faster AI and GPU performance | Smaller display size means it isn’t the best for consuming content |
| Same display as the 16-inch model in a more compact form factor | |
| Plenty of ports | |
| More affordable than the 16-inch variant | |
| Better battery backup compared to the 16-inch variant |
Best MacBook With Big Screen: 15-inch MacBook Air M4 ($1199)
Why We Recommend It:
The 15-inch MacBook Air M4 offers the benefits of a large screen while still helping you stick to your budget. The 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display is sharp enough for watching content or browsing through web pages. Offering a significant leap over the 13-inch model, this bigger model isn’t as bulky as its 16-inch Pro counterpart.
Who Should Buy It:
If you mainly use a MacBook for watching content, the 15-inch MacBook Air M4 is a solid pick. While the M4 Pro has an OLED display, it’s pricier, and the Air still delivers an excellent viewing experience with a 500-nit display, P3 color gamut, and True Tone support. Its larger screen offers more space without adding bulk, and battery life remains impressive at up to 18 hours of video playback. Plus, it shares the same M4 performance as the 13-inch model, with only a slight price increase. Overall, it’s the best MacBook for streaming TV shows, anime, and movies.
Who Shouldn’t Buy It:
Those looking for the best display on a MacBook or the fastest performance should avoid the 15-inch Air. The 15-inch Air shares the same fanless design and will thermal throttle under sustained heavy workloads like video rendering or compiling code. Similarly, if you want a better display, the Pro models will serve you better with their OLED panels. Lastly, budget-conscious buyers must consider the price premium. At a starting price $200 higher than the 13-inch model, that extra cost is solely for the larger screen and better speakers
| Reasons to Buy | Reasons to Skip |
|---|---|
| Large 15.3-inch model on a budget | More expensive than the 13-inch model |
| New M4 chipset for smooth performance | |
| 500 nits of brightness and P3 color gamut | No anti-glare coating option |
| 18 hours of battery backup |
Best Budget MacBook: 13-inch MacBook Air M1
Why We Recommend It:
Want the cheapest MacBook possible? The MacBook Air M1 is the one for you. Launched 5 years ago, it is officially discontinued, but can be purchased via third-party retailers. It’s a great option for those looking to get a MacBook for the first time. Running on the latest macOS Tahoe, it will receive updates until 2027 and security updates after that. The only cons are the 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD, although you can connect external storage to solve the latter.
Who Should Buy It:
The MacBook Air M1, despite its age, remains the most affordable MacBook. Students with a strict budget will appreciate the snappy performance for basic tasks like browsing and attending online classes.M1 solves the battery life woes found in Intel-powered MacBooks while still offering enough performance for day-to-day tasks. The 13-inch form factor means you won’t have to struggle to fit it inside your backpack. Overall, it’s a great buy, especially if you can get it at a massive discount.
Who Shouldn’t Buy It:
The MacBook Air M1 isn’t a device without compromises, and there are plenty of them. For starters, the 8GB of RAM means it doesn’t support Apple Intelligence and can slow down if you open multiple tabs in Chrome. With just two years of updates left, it’s reaching its end of life soon. The chunky bezels and low-res 720p webcam is also a letdown compared to the latest MacBook out there.
| Reasons to Buy | Reasons to Skip |
|---|---|
| The most affordable MacBook available | M1 is outdated in 2025 |
| Great battery life (up to 18 hours) | Only two years of updates left |
| Good performance for day-to-day usage | 8GB of RAM means you run out of memory quickly |
| Portable and lightweight compared to other Windows laptops | No Apple Intelligence support |
| Officially discontinued by Apple (only available in third-party retailers) |
Also Read:
- Apple MacBook Lineup Explained: Which Model Is Right for You
- 14 Ways to Optimize MacBook’s Battery Life
Best MacBook for Gaming/Streaming: 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Max ($3999)
Why We Recommend It:
Wondering what happens when you completely spec out a MacBook? You get a monstrous beast called the 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Max. Starting at $3999, it is the most expensive MacBook that you can currently purchase. However, the price you pay for it is well worth the money, as you get the best performance possible in a MacBook.It is engineered for a single purpose: to deliver the absolute maximum performance possible in a portable Mac.
Who Should Buy It:
The MacBook Pro M4 Max is built for those who want the best possible performance without sacrificing portability. Professional video editors dealing with 8K RAW footage will appreciate the processing power of the M4 Max. The 128GB RAM and 120Hz Liquid Retina display are perfect for those looking to color grade their videos. 3D artists, animators, and even AAA video game developers. If you want a big-screen MacBook for content consumption, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is the top choice. Its 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, with optional Nano Texture coating, hits 1600 nits in XDR and 1000 nits in SDR for great visibility. ProMotion enables a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, making it ideal for watching content, multitasking, and productivity
MacBooks aren’t exactly popular for gaming. Still, MacBooks are constantly getting new games, and here’s an overview of the gaming performance:
| Games | FPS (Frames per second) |
|---|---|
| Resident Evil 4 4K High | 50 FPS |
| Minecraft 1440p Photon Shaders High | 1088 FPS |
| Grid Legends 4K Ultra High | 96 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Crossover) 1080p Ultra | 40 FPS |
| Firmament 1440p Epic | 59 FPS |
| WarThunder 1440p Maximum | 113 FPS |
| CounterStrike 2 1080p Medium | 150 FPS |
| Uncharted (RCPCS 3) | 28 FPS |
| Diablo 4 1440p Ultra | 90 FPS |
| Black Myth Wukong (Crossover+FSR 3 65 percent) | 45 FPS |
Who Shouldn’t Buy It:
The MacBook Air M4 Max is an overkill for most users out there. The 15-inch screen size and larger form factor The 1.62 kg weight also makes it difficult to carry around. Budget constraint users will find the eye-watering $3999 of the M4 Max expensive. Lastly, while it is the most powerful Mac for gaming, dedicated gamers will get better performance, access to a vastly larger library of games, and far greater value for their money from a high-end Windows gaming laptop
| Reasons to Buy | Reasons to Skip |
|---|---|
| The most powerful MacBook that you can purchase | Overkill for most users |
| Whopping 40-core GPU and 16-core CPU | Windows laptops offer way better gaming performance |
| The only MacBook worth buying for gaming | MacOS doesn’t support all games natively |
| Only MacBook with 128GB RAM and 4TB SSD |
Best MacBooks for Specific Tasks – Summary
- Video Editing: MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024)
- Coding/Programming: MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024)
- Office Work: MacBook Air 13-inch (M4, 2025)
- Photo Editing: MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Max, 2024)
- Graphic Design: MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro, 2024)
- Music Production: MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024)
- Students: MacBook Air 13-inch (M1, 2020)
Refurbished and Second-Hand MacBook
For those on the lookout for refurbished and second-hand MacBooks, you can purchase the M1 MacBook Air, M2 MacBook Air, or even M3 MacBook Air. The best deals are often available on Apple’s own refurbished website as well as Amazon. These are the price ranges that you will typically find renewed MacBooks for. Make sure to go through all the terms and conditions and the physical condition of the Mac mentioned on the website. If you are purchasing from eBay or another website, double-check everything before making the payment.
- M1 MacBook Air: $400-$500
- M2 MacBook Air: $800-$900
- M3 MacBook Air: $900-$1000
- M1 MacBook Pro: $500-$600
- M2 MacBook Pro: $700-$800
- M3 MacBook Pro: $1200-$1300
Discontinued MacBooks: MacBooks No Longer Officially Available But Still…
Apple has officially discontinued the M1, M2, and M3 MacBook Air. This means that you can only purchase the new M4 MacBook Air from the official website. Similarly, the M1, M2, and M3 MacBook Pro variants have also been phased out. This means that you only purchase the M4 MacBook in both Air and Pro variants. If you can grab these older MacBooks at a lower price, they are still a great deal.
Upcoming MacBooks You Should Wait For
1.MacBook Pro M6 (Expected: End Of 2026)
Cupertino is saving the best for last as MacBook Pro M6 would be the biggest update in recent years. The company will unveil its first OLED MacBook next year, switching from mini-LEDs. This will result in better brightness, contrast with deeper blacks, and an even better battery. Furthermore, it will also get a new design that will be thinner than the existing model. Another interesting bump would be the chipset refresh, as the MacBook Pro will use the M6 Pro and M6 Max chips. Apple could drop the ugly notch on the MacBook in favour of a hole-punch cutout. It will also have a built-in modem, allowing you to browse on the go without relying on your iPhone’s hotspot. If you have been waiting to purchase a new MacBook, this upgrade is certainly worth the wait.
Also Read:
- Hold Your Horses! New M5 Powered MacBook Pro Is Coming This Year
- Amazon Prime Day 2025: Buy M4 MacBook Pro or Wait For M5?
Specifications of All MacBook Models Mentioned Above
| Feature | 13-inch MacBook Air M4 | 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro | 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 | 13-inch MacBook Air M1 | 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Max |
| Processor | Apple M4 chip | Apple M4 Pro chip | Apple M5 chip | Apple M1 chip | Apple M4 Max chip |
| Display Size | 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display | 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display | 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display | 13.3-inch Retina display | 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display |
| RAM | Up to 24GB unified memory | Up to 48GB unified memory | Up to 48GB unified memory | 8GB, 16GB unified memory | Up to 128GB unified memory |
| Storage | Up to 2TB SSD | Up to 8TB SSD | Up to 4TB SSD | Up to 2TB SSD | Up to 8TB SSD |
| Battery Life | Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback or wireless web | Up to 22 hours Apple TV app movie playback or wireless web | Up to 24 hours Apple TV app movie playback or wireless web | Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback or wireless web | Up to 22 hours Apple TV app movie playback or wireless web |
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5 mm headphone jack | 3x Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5 mm headphone jack | 3x Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5 mm headphone jack | 2x Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack | 3x Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Weight | 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg) | 4.7 pounds (2.14 kg) | 3.5 pounds (1.60 kg) | 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg) | 4.8 pounds (2.16 kg) |
| Starting Price | $999 | $2,499 | $1,499 | $999 | $3,999 |
