Even hardcore Windows fans might admit that the best MacBooks are the cream of the crop in the laptop world. These portable machines are not just beautifully-designed but also extremely robust and are fitted with stunning displays, the best keyboards seen on laptops, and more besides.
On top of that, they deliver a smoother, more streamlined, and more stable experience than Windows laptops offer. Powered by Apple’s own SoCs (system on chip), these Macs are brilliant performers that will see you through your creative workloads – especially those based on Apple’s M3 series of chips (the latest versions in its Macs).
Despite their best efforts, the best Windows laptops simply can’t live up to the experience you get when you’re photo or video editing on the best Mac or MacBook. So, while these Apple devices may be more expensive than many people would ideally want to pay, they’re worth the money if you want the best computer or the best laptop for work, school, or even play.
We’ve tested and reviewed every single Mac and MacBook from Apple, and we’re the experts to help you find the most ideal model for your specific needs and budget. The MacBooks and Macs below are our top picks, and include the brand-new MacBook Air models that Apple recently launched (and MacBook Pros that were ushered in late in 2023).
One thing to note is that with the launch of those newer MacBook Pro versions, Apple has stopped selling the early 2023 models of the 14-inch and the 16-inch laptops. However, other retailers still have them in stock and could even offer tempting MacBook deals on the older models, which is why we’ve kept one of these on the list.
The best MacBook and Macs 2024
Apple’s new MacBook Air for 2024 was pepped up with the addition of the M3 chip, bringing this nicely portable 13-inch laptop even closer to the level of performance you might expect from the MacBook Pro range. While the latter remains the choice for power users and content creators, the MacBook Air (M3, 2024) closes the gap more than ever.
Okay, so this laptop didn’t do much in terms of design, essentially being much the same as its predecessor, the MacBook Air (M2, 2022). But that was already a great notebook, and there was no real need to change the formula in this respect – what Apple did instead was give us better performance, at a better price.
The MacBook Air (M3, 2024) is a top-notch performer for everyday computing, and impressive for more demanding tasks like content creation – or even dabbling in playing some games. It provides a great multi-tasking experience, running multiple apps comfortably, and outperforms the already strong MacBook Air M2 as noted, and still benefits from that fan-less design (so it’s practically silent).
Boasting plenty of battery life – 14 hours on a single charge in our tests – and a new lower price point, the M3-toting version of the MacBook Air pushes this device to fresh heights, and is an excellent buy overall. There’s just one sticking point here, namely that Apple’s baseline spec feels weak by contemporary laptop standards, sticking with the same 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage the M2 version had – which now looks rather shaky at this price point.
Read our in-depth MacBook Air (M3, 2024) review
For those seeking a powerful performer in a highly portable form-factor, but not wanting to fork out for the new M3 version of the MacBook Air, its predecessor with the M2 chip remains an excellent laptop – and considerably more keenly priced since the M3 version hit the shelves.
If you recall, when the MacBook Air M2 first emerged in 2022, Apple bumped up its entry-level price to $1,199 / £1,249 / AU$1,899, a good deal more than the M1-toting Air which was released at $999 / £999 / AU$1,599. Well, the good news on the pricing front is that the MacBook Air M2 now costs exactly the same as the M1 at launch, so you can pick it up for $999 / £999 / AU$1,599 – with sales events making that recommended price even more attractive at times.
You’re still getting sterling performance levels from the M2 – and the power to take on, say, 4K video editing, and other relatively intense workloads – a ton of battery life (16 hours on a charge), and the same top-notch design and chassis as seen with the newer MacBook Air M3. If you want the best value proposition in the MacBook world, well, this is it.
Read our in-depth MacBook Air (M2, 2022) review
The Mac mini got a surprise upgrade in 2023, and the compact PC now comes with a choice of the powerful M2 chip – or the even more powerful M2 Pro. We reviewed the M2 Pro model and were really impressed with its performance, just as we were with its sleek and compact design.
Despite its small size, this is an extremely capable Mac that can run macOS Sonoma and any app or game with ease. It also performed brilliantly when we ran similar tests as we did with the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023), including editing 8K movie files, making projects in Ableton Live 11 using a MIDI keyboard, and synthetic benchmarks such as Cinebench.
The M2 model is also worth considering. It comes with the same M2 chip that the 2022 models of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13-inch feature, and offers a similar level of performance but without the high price tag. Speaking of which, the Mac mini (2023) launched at a new, lower, asking price, making it even better value for money.
Read the in-depth Mac mini (M2, 2023) review
After releasing the M2 Pro and M2 Max-powered MacBook Pro 14-inch early in 2023, Apple replaced it with a brand-new model later in the year, coming with a choice of M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips. Those new Apple CPUs offered further performance gains over the M2 series, meaning the M3-toting 14-inch MacBook Pro stole the title of the best MacBook for creatives.
The MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3/M3 Pro/M3 Max) handled everything we threw at it during testing, whether we were editing videos in 8K, recording numerous instruments at the same time, or editing multi-track audio projects in Ableton Live 11. Of course, it fared well tackling a range of use cases for day-to-day workloads as well. And, its Liquid Retina XDR and mini-LED technology display with ProMotion adaptive refresh rates of up to 120Hz delivered vibrant colors and rich, deep contrast, making our creative experience incredibly immersive.
The laptop keeps the same design as the 2021 and early 2023 models, but that’s no bad thing given the brilliant screen and solid build quality. It is, as with many creative mobile workstations, eye-wateringly expensive, however. There is some good news, however, as Apple introduced a more affordable base model of the MacBook Pro 14-inch with the standard M3 chip. While it lacks the sheer performance of the M3 Pro and M3 Max versions, this is a great way for more people to enjoy an absolutely fantastic laptop.
Read our in-depth Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3 Max) review
If you think the iMac that Apple released at the close of 2023 couldn’t possibly be as good as it looks, you’d be wrong. Featuring the same bold design introduced in 2021 with the M1 version, the latest iMac remains a stunning bit of kit.
It rocks Apple’s M3 chip which makes it much more powerful than the previous Intel iMacs, and the two-year-old M1 model. Loading up Final Cut Pro to do some editing on an 8K video, it performed very well during testing, smoothly scrubbing through 8K content. If you’re a pro, you may be best served by a more powerful Mac or MacBook Pro, but this one should more than suffice for hobbyists and streamers looking to edit their videos.
You’ll also be happy to know that you’re getting great value here, as the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse are included – in matching colors, we might add – though we wish Apple would give the Magic Mouse a redesign and get rid of the Lightning charging port at the bottom, which makes the mouse impossible to use when plugged in.
And, while the port selection could be better, the upgraded 1080p FaceTime camera delivers better low-light performance and amazing image quality. The iMac 24-inch (M3) is the best all-in-one PC we’ve ever tested, and has certainly earned its place in our best Macs list.
Read our in-depth iMac 24-inch (M3) review
Apple’s MacBook Air 15-inch which was refreshed with the M3 chip in 2024 remains much the same story as its predecessor, in the respect that it’s basically a bigger version of the MacBook Air 13-inch M3 that gives you two extra inches of display real-estate.
There are other nuances, mind, such as better speakers in the larger MacBook Air, and also that the 15-inch model boasts larger palm rests (all the better to type with). But mostly, you’re getting the same MacBook with a larger screen, and of course a heftier price tag.
The MacBook Air 15-inch M3 is an excellent performer, and benefits from all the strengths of its top-quality 13-inch sibling, including matching the latter’s excellent battery life (though we feel it should do slightly better than the smaller Air, really, considering the roomier chassis). If you want a great MacBook that’s still plenty portable and relatively light, but offers more screen space and a couple of other boons due to the larger form-factor, look no further than this MacBook Air 15-inch.
Read our full Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) review
The latest MacBook Pro 16-inch is hands-down the best laptop for creative professionals we’ve ever tested, being powered by a choice of the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips, Apple’s latest and most powerful laptop hardware.
There wasn’t a task the 16-inch MacBook Pro couldn’t handle during our review, even when editing footage with multiple 4K and 8K video files, and it also did an impressive job of running the latest games. That’s right: with the 16-inch MacBook Pro (and the MacBook Pro 14-inch model), Apple has arguably given us the first gaming MacBook.
In our own independent benchmark tests, we saw a good leap in performance with the M3 Max compared to the M1 Max MacBook Pro 16-inch model, with a 35% increase in Geekbench 6 single-core CPU performance, and a huge 69% increase in multi-core performance.
Read our in-depth MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3 Pro/M3 Max) review
It seems that Apple is making a habit of ensuring new models of the MacBook Pro 14-inch are a lot more powerful than expected. Its 2021 predecessor may have been an almost perfect laptop, but this early 2023 version of the MacBook Pro 14-inch blew it out of the water in terms of power, cementing the line’s status as a mobile workstation that’s reserved for users who can maximize its sheer performance.
However, the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M2 Pro/M2 Max) is no longer the latest model. It launched in January 2023, only to be swiftly superseded by the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3/M3 Pro/M3 Max) later in the year, a laptop which can be found higher up on this list.
Even so, this last-gen incarnation is still a great laptop, and with the newer M3 models having been out for a while, you may be able to find these M2 models for cheaper – though not from Apple, which has now stopped selling these (slightly) older 14-inch MacBook Pros.
Read our full in-depth Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023) review
The Mac Studio is like a supercharged Mac mini for creative professionals. It’s an impressively compact computer that comes packing some serious power in its latest incarnation, thanks to a choice of the M2 Max or M2 Ultra chips (which have taken over from the original Mac Studio PCs with M1 silicon inside).
The Mac Studio is a formidable machine when it comes to video editing, coding and 3D modeling. The M1 version was already plenty powerful, and our testing underlined how the M2 chip has pushed things forward considerably. In our review, the Mac Studio with M2 Ultra proved to be 40% faster in synthetic benchmarks and up to 80% better in gaming performance than the M1 Ultra (admittedly with more GPU cores on offer: 76 versus 64 with the M1).
The level of performance available here will be overkill for many people, but if you’re looking for a workstation PC for heavy creative workloads, such as editing 8K footage or rendering complex 3D scenes and animations, then the Mac Studio will be a great choice. It’s expensive, but worth the investment.
Read our in-depth Mac Studio review
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Whether it’s the heavyweight 16-inch MacBook Pro or the dinky little Mac mini, it’s not hard to see why the best Macs and MacBooks are the weapons of choice of creative professionals.
These Apple machines come in different shapes, sizes and prices, so whether you want the cheapest MacBook you can find, a professional workhorse that breezes through all your demanding workloads like a pro, or an all-in-one PC that saves you space, there’s a Mac on the market for you. Often there are older models still on sale for more affordable prices, too, if your budget is a bit tighter.
How we test the best MacBooks
Testing the best MacBooks and Macs is more intensive than you might think, especially because most of these devices are meant to be used by creative professionals with more taxing workloads.
Aside from putting any given Mac’s build, display (if it has one), keyboard, trackpad, and webcam through their paces, we also perform creative benchmark tests like Handbrake, as well as run demanding workflows like editing an 8K video in Final Cut Pro and doing real-time 3D modeling and animation to see how every device fares in real-world situations. We also test battery life and take a look at heat management performance when running such intensive tasks.
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