Best Mac Book In 2021 – Confused about the best mac book to get in 2021? We’ll that’s why this article has been written, to give you a guide in making your choice. Considering the fact that the latest MacBooks which moved from the Intel Processors to Apple Silicon made selecting a little bit difficult. Read on and find out which works better for you than the other. Yes, the Apple M1 chip is changing the MacBook as we know it, as our MacBook Air with M1 review shows
It’s not possible for all to have a particular size, checking out the best MacBook closely you’ll find out that there are good reasons to put into consideration in paying more for the M1-bases MacBook pro. For people that’ll go for Intel-based MacBook Pros, and the 16-inch model which only comes with Intel for now, it’s totally fine.
Our top recommendation for the best MacBook overall will be the MacBook Air 2020. The Apple’s new M1 chip beat our expectations by making the Air faster than we ever expected it to be and it’s power efficiency allowed a much longer battery life that lasts over 14 good hours on a charge.
However, if you require more than 16GB of Ram or if you want 4 Thunderbolt USB-C ports (not only 2), then you’ll have to keep an eye on the Intel-based MacBook although it’s a bit complicated.
Apparently, the patient once will definitely benefit from the MacBook Pro 2021 which rumors tells that the MacBook is going to do away with the touch bar bringing back MagSafe and the SD memory reader. The new on the return of HDMI could be heard. The MacBook Pro might be getting a mini-LED which won’t come to the MacBook Air till 2022.
Rumors have also got it that the MacBook Air 2021 looks higher end version of the M1 model released last year. There’s a heads up on the smaller bezel and MagSafe charging, at the least.
1. MacBook Air with M1
The best MacBook for most people
Display: 13.3 inches; 2,560 x 1,600 | CPU: Apple M1 | GPU: Integrated 8-core GPU | RAM: 8GB-16GB | Storage: 256GB-2TB SSD | Weight: 2.8 pounds
- Super-fast performance
- Incredibly long battery life
- Comfortable keyboard
- Still has thick bezels
- Light on ports
The MacBook has always been one of a kind to most people but with the latest updates, it’s now even more catchy than before. Apple has been replaced with it’s own Apple Silicon beginning with the M1 chip in the MacBook Air. It’s reaping a lot of rewards. The best for a MacBook Air ever will be this laptop’s 14 hours and 41 minutes of battery life. In addition, the M1 delivers crazy-fast performance, enough to run serious games at ease.
The clarity and color accuracy has been improved due to the provision of Signal processing tricks by the M1 which totally led to an upgrade in MacBook Air’s webcam. The Magic keyboard is still intact which provides a smooth typing experience. With the Dolby Atmos audio support, movies and TV shows will sound better than the usual. Now we can refer to it as not just the best MacBook for your average Apple user but it’s closer to the title the “king of the laptops” than it’s been in years.
2. 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1
Best MacBook for long battery life
Display: 13.3 inches, 2560 x 1600-pixel | CPU: Apple M1 8-core CPU | GPU: Apple M1 8-core GPU | RAM: 8GB to 16GB | Storage: 256GB to 2TB SSD | Weight: 3.0 pounds
- Stellar overall and gaming performance
- Excellent battery life
- Lightning-fast SSD
- Not enough ports
- Thick bezels
What other MacBook gets what we like and find catchy about the M1-based MacBook Air and goes a step or two higher? It’s the MacBook Pro alright. For instance, the MacBook Pro lasted 16 hours and 32 minutes on the Tom’s Guide battery test, exceeding M1 (14:41) by close to 2 whole hours. Not just that, the MacBook Pro’s 434.8-nit display is brighter than the Air’s 365.8-nit panel. The Handbrake video transcoding test, changed a 4k movie to 1080p in just 7 minutes and 42 seconds passing the already speedy MacBook Air’s 9:15.
More features are the Dolby Atmos sound, with the M1’s new signal-processing chip the webcam video quality is improved, the Magic Keyboard (which has a way of giving you total satisfaction when typing and also the sharp 2560×1600-pixel Retain display and iOS/ipadOS app support.
3. 16-inch MacBook Pro
Best MacBook for editing video
Display: 16 inches, 3072 x 1920 pixels | CPU: Intel Core i7 or i9 | GPU: AMD Radeon 5300M or 5500M | RAM: 8GB – 32GB | Storage: 512GB – 2TB SSD | Weight: 4.3 pounds
- Magic Keyboard feels great
- Best sound ever in a laptop
- Epic battery life of nearly 11 hours
- Display not 4K
- Heavier than 15-inch MacBook Pro
It’s the biggest MacBook (16-inch MacBook Pro), yet to be change to Apple’sM1 chip yet and for a lot of video editor and streamer, truth been told it’s worth the wait. Though Apple’s Final Cut Pro has been updated for Apple Silicon, there are other video editing application in the game not it. The Adobe Premiere Pro possible the dominant choice of the industry, is still an intel- based application running through Rosetta 2, the technology that Apple uses to allow backwards compatibility.
Exactly the reason we’ll recommend the Intel-based 16-inch MacBook Pro for those creators that require rock-solid reliable performance that it’s Intel Core i9 processor delivers in spades. It’s the best MacBook for demanding professionals for its speed, it’s 16-inch Panel is great for reviewing your project with it’s 429- screen delivering a bright and colorful picture. With close to 12 hours of battery life and you’re also free to head anywhere to get work done at anywhere of your choice.
4.13-inch MacBook Pro (Intel, 2020)
Best MacBook for native applications
Display: 13-inch Retina Display (2560 x 1600) | CPU: 1.4GHz quad core 8th gen to 2.3GHz 10th gen Core i7 | GPU: Intel Iris Plus 645, Intel Iris Plus | RAM: 8GB to 32GB | Storage: 256GB to 4TB SSD | Weight: 3.1 pounds
- Great performance
- Fantastic Magic Keyboard
- Long battery life
- Bezels too thick
- Pricey to get 10th gen power
It’s a bit difficult to recommend the remaining Intel-based 13-inch MacBook Pro. Although, some people still go for it. Probably you’re using demanding apps i.e., video editing suites and you’re not so sure if the time is right to go for the M1- base hardware yet so you want to make sure your application is running with no error. Eventually, those applications will likely get Universal versions at a point since not all are available yet.
Go Intel if you’re in for the four Thunderbolt 3 ports and not the two you normally get with M1 MacBook. It’s just the 13-inch Intel MacBook Pro that’s the only version that can be customized alongside 32GB of memory or 4TB of storage and that’s 16GB RAM limit for the 23-inch M1 MacBook Air. Though it may be a cause for compliant for those using higher-end applications. The raw performance will actually take time. The Intel MacBook Pro’s Geekbench 5 score of 4,399 falls down trying to catch up with the newer MacBook Pro’s 5,882 scores. And while the Intel-based MacBook Pro transcoded a 4K video in 12 minutes and 43 seconds, the M1-based Pro (7:44) finished almost 5 minutes earlier.
How to choose the best MacBook for you
It’s Performance: the MacBook Air / the entry-level model is the best for you if you don’t push your laptops to the extreme. You’ll actually be surprised at the speed of Its 8-core M1 chip and 8GBof RAM. The Ram should be upgraded to 16GB if you keep a lot of applications open at once. If you’re among those that work with a more demanding application will go for the MacBook Pro (check with your favorite applications to see if they’re updated for Apple silicon) with 16GB of RAM, or consider getting an Intel-based MacBook with 32GB of RAM. Storage is fast up and down the lineup.
Graphics and gaming: get a 7-core or 8-core integrated GPU for the M1-based MacBook though we’ve seen great results on the 8-core version. Upgrade to game on your Mac. It’s mind-blowing because you can actually play serious video games on the Mac now.
Size and weight: The 13-inch MacBook Air and Pro differs by the Air’s wedge shape and it’s a bit lighter in weight. The MacBook Pro (3.0 pounds for M1, 3.1 pounds for Intel) is 0.2 – 0.3 pounds heavier than the 2.8-pound MacBook Air. The fact that the 16-inch MacBook Pro — which is a heavier 4.3 pounds — is best for those who either don’t mind the heft in their bag or don’t move around as often isn’t surprising.
Battery life: The M1 MacBook Pro is the longest-lasting MacBook there is, battery test time of 16:32. This beats the M1 Air (14:41), Intel-based 13-inch Pro (10:21) and the 16-inch Pro (10:55).
How We Test the Best MacBooks
Each MacBook is being run through the gauntlet of benchmarks and real-world tests which would be used as the main computer for some time. That’s how we recommend the purchase of any or give a heads up that a particular one of them might not really suit you.
The Klein K-10A is used to test each MacBook’s screen to get it’s average brightness and color quality to avoid assumptions. The Geekbench 5 is used in general performance (CPU performance) benchmark then times how long it’ll take for the Macs to transcode a 4k video to 1080p.
The Blackmagic storage speed test is also running to find out how fast these MacBook’s SSDs are (hears a heads up: they are super fast). Next up, a custom battery test is done to know how long each MacBook (at 159 boys of brightness) can last browsing the web over Wi-Fi until it’s out of juice.
A lot of different computer games have been tested on MacBooks, with Civilization VI being one of our current favorites to run.
Round up of today’s best
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2020 Apple MacBook Air with…
Apple Macbook Air (M1 2020)
Amazon
$999
$969
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New Apple MacBook Pro with…
Apple Macbook Pro 13” (M1 2020)
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$1,299
$1,199
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New Apple MacBook Pro…
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2019)
Amazon
$2,399
$2,199
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Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, …
Apple Macbook Pro 13” (2020)
Amazon
$1,299
$1,099
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