The best MacBooks we tested
Best MacBook: Apple MacBook Air M3
Best budget MacBook: Apple MacBook Air M1
The upgrade pick: Apple 14-Inch MacBook Pro M3
If you need a new Apple laptop, it’s a really good time to buy one. The newest MacBooks are faster and longer-lasting than ever, and they offer a range of options depending on how much power you need. The MacBook Air M3 is the best laptop for most people, thanks to its blazing speed, slim design and reasonable price, while the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros provide lots of ports, more advanced displays and even more power for creative professionals. And if you’re on a budget, the 2020 MacBook Air is still a great buy today. After testing all Apple’s current MacBooks, here are our picks for the ones you should buy right now.
With excellent performance, a travel-friendly design, long battery life and a handful of Pro-level extras, the MacBook Air M3 is the best MacBook for most people.
Best MacBook: Apple MacBook Air M3
The MacBook Air M3 isn’t a big leap over what came before; it simply makes our longtime pick for the best MacBook even better. With a tried-and-true design combined with the best laptop performance you can get at this price range (not to mention some handy new perks), the latest entry-level MacBook is an easy recommendation for the vast majority of people.
In terms of look and feel, this is the same MacBook Air that first launched back in 2022. That means you’re getting a snappy Magic Keyboard with satisfying full-size function keys, a crisp full HD webcam, loud speakers, an excellent display and that ever-handy MagSafe charger that attaches and detaches with a quick magnetic snap. Both the 13-inch and 15-inch models are only half an inch thin and weigh just over 3.3 pounds at most, making them easy to throw in a bag. The new Air looks as slick as ever in Silver, Space Gray, Starlight and the bluish Midnight, the latter of which is mercifully less fingerprint prone than its predecessor, thanks to a new anodized finish.
There isn’t a lot to say about MacBook performance these days. Apple’s laptops consistently land at the top of our charts in benchmark testing, and everything from tab-heavy web browsing to resource-intensive photo editing just works the way you want it to without any annoying slowdown. The laptop’s M3 chip showed some impressive 20% to 25% gains over the M2 model on performance tests, and while it’s not quite as gaming-capable as the latest MacBook Pro (or its Windows rivals with dedicated graphics chips), it can still handle a modern blockbuster like Baldur’s Gate 3 as long as you keep your settings modest. That’s not too bad for an “entry-level” Mac.
New for the MacBook Air M3 is support for two external monitors, which can be a real boon for multitasking and worked well across two Apple Studio Displays in our testing (there’s just one annoying catch: Your MacBook Air lid has to be closed for this setup to work, so don’t expect to bounce between three screens). There’s also Wi-Fi 6E support for those who have a compatible Wi-Fi router.
If you’ve got a recent MacBook Air — namely an M1 or M2 model, you can probably skip this one for now. But if you’re coming from an aging Intel-powered MacBook or are looking for your first Apple laptop, the MacBook Air M3 is the one to get.
Other MacBooks we recommend
The older MacBook Air M1 remains a great option for those on a budget. You’ll be sacrificing the newer model’s larger screen, better webcam and useful MagSafe charger, but you’ll still be getting a sleek and powerful laptop that’s faster than virtually anything at this price. While it’s been phased out of Apple’s official lineup, you can still find this MacBook for cheap at some third-party retailers.
The new MacBook Pro is available with three versions of Apple’s new M3 chip family, including a standard M3 model that’s more affordable than before. This laptop is an ideal upgrade for anyone coming from an Intel model or those curious about life in the Mac lane.
How our picks compare
| Display | 13.6-in., 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina display |
|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M3 |
| Memory | 8GB / 16GB / 24GB |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB SSD |
| Camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 4 (2), MagSafe charging port, headphone jack |
| Battery life (rated) | Up to 18 hrs, |
| Size and weight | 12 x 8.5 x 0.4 in., 2.7 lbs. |
| Color options | Silver, Space Gray, Midnight, Starlight |
| Price | $1,099 |
| Display | 13.3-in., 2560 x 1600 Retina display |
|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M1 |
| Memory | 8GB / 16GB |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB SSD |
| Camera | 720p FaceTime HD camera |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 4 USB-C (2), headphone jack |
| Battery life (rated) | Up to 18 hrs. |
| Size and weight | 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.16-0.63 in., 2.8 lbs |
| Color options | Silver, Space Gray, Gold |
| Price | $699 |
| Display | 14.2-in., 3024 x 1964 Liquid Retina XDR display |
|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M3 / M3 Pro / M3 Max |
| Memory | 8GB / 16GB / 24GB / 36GB / 48GB / 64GB / 96GB / 128GB |
| Storage | 512GB / 1TB / 2TB / 4TB / 8TB SSD |
| Camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera |
| Ports | Thunderbolt / USB 4 (2) (M3) / Thunderbolt 4 USB-C (3) (M3 Pro and Max), SDXC card slot, HDMI port, MagSafe charging port, headphone jack |
| Battery life (rated) | Up to 18 hrs. |
| Size and weight | 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 in.; 3.4 pounds (M3), 3.5 lbs (M3 Pro), 3.6 lbs (M3 Max) |
| Color options | M3: Silver, Space Gray / M3 Pro & M3 Max: Silver, Space Black |
| Price | $1,599 |
How we tested
As with every CNN Underscored review, we rigorously test devices both quantitatively and qualitatively. For laptops, we made the decision to benchmark first to get a standard for quantitative performance. If you’ve read our stand-alone laptop, tablet or mobile phone reviews, these tests will be familiar.
We performed Geekbench 6 tests. These run the laptops through a series of workflows and application processes, many of which you’d find yourselves completing on a daily basis. We also run the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark, which runs the demanding computer game at 1080p with all settings cranked up to see how well a system can handle gaming and graphically intensive tasks.
We put each MacBook through our standard battery test, which involves charging the laptop to 100%, setting brightness to 50% and engaging airplane mode to ensure connectivity is off. We then loop a 4K video file with the sound set to 15% until the battery dies and the machine turns off.
The combination of battery and benchmark testing gives us a quantitative feel for the devices and a hard number for each that can be used for comparisons. We then used each laptop as our daily driver for work, play and entertainment, testing the battery to see if it could last through a full day of tasks, watching a movie to get a feel for the display and, of course, running a bunch of different applications.
Other MacBooks we tested
Apple 13-Inch MacBook Air M2
$999 From $899 at BH Photo Video or from $999 at Apple
Our previous pick for the best overall MacBook, the MacBook Air M2 has the same great design as the M3 model and is still powerful enough to handle most workloads for years to come. The 13-inch M2 model is still in the lineup, and is an especially great value at its new starting price of less than $1,000. While the discounted MacBook Air M1 is a better bargain right now, those willing to spend a little extra for the M2’s superior display, webcam and ports will find a lot to love.
Apple MacBook Pro M2
$914 $904 (renewed) at Amazon
The MacBook Pro M2 offers some of the fastest performance of any laptop we’ve tested, but its design is frustratingly dated. You still get an older Retina display with thick bezels, a 720p webcam and the Touch Bar, which we don’t find nearly as useful as a good set of physical function keys. The MacBook Pro M2 has been phased out of Apple’s official lineup, so unless you can find one used for a great price (and really want a Touch Bar), you’ll get virtually the same performance from the affordable and more modern MacBook Air M2.
Apple 16-Inch MacBook Pro M3
From $2,499 at Apple
The 16-inch MacBook Pro takes everything we love about our upgrade pick in the 14-inch model and gives it a larger screen — not to mention an even more beastly choice of processor options in the M3 Pro and M3 Max. These faster chips are a big step up over the standard M3, particularly for folks who plan on doing intensive creative work or playing the growing library of modern Mac games. However, we think the 14-inch MacBook Pro’s lower starting price, more portable design and still-bonkers everyday performance make it the better pick for most power users.