Which MacBook is right for you

**Apple's Latest Laptops: A Comparative Analysis**

The latest laptops from Apple have been generating significant buzz among tech enthusiasts and professionals alike. With their sleek designs, impressive performance, and innovative features, these machines are sure to meet the needs of users across various categories. In this article, we'll delve into a detailed comparison of the 13-inch MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and 15-inch MacBook Pro, exploring their key features, pros, and cons.

**Design and Portability**

One of the most notable aspects of Apple's latest laptops is their compact design. The 12-inch MacBook is the smallest and lightest among the three, making it an excellent choice for users who prioritize portability. The 13-inch MacBook Air is also impressively thin and lightweight, while the 15-inch MacBook Pro is more substantial due to its larger screen size.

The random MacBook is the smallest and lightest of the bunch and also the only machine that is fanless due to its lower power core M processor. In contrast, the other two laptops feature a traditional cooling system, which may not be as effective in terms of heat dissipation.

**Ports**

Another key aspect of these laptops is their port selection. The MacBook Air features standard USB ports and Thunderbolt 2, as well as an SD card reader, making it an excellent choice for users who require Legacy ports. The random MacBook has only one USBC Port, which means that charging and transferring data at the same time will require an adapter.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro base model comes with two USBC ports, while the 13-inch touch bar model offers four ports, making it a popular choice for users who need multiple ports. The 15-inch MacBook Pros feature ten gigabit per second USB and forty gigabit per second Thunderbolt 3, which are almost capable of anything.

**Keyboard and Trackpad**

The keyboards on these laptops share the same low-profile butterfly keys, but with a twist: the Pro models are more clicky, improving the typing experience. The trackpads use magnets to simulate clicks, providing a consistent click feel and allowing for Force Touch controls. In contrast, the MacBook Air uses an older-style keyboard that many users love, but which requires more pressure at the top.

The 15-inch MacBook features the touch bar and Touch ID sensor, which are extremely useful for logging in and using Apple Pay. The 13-inch MacBook Pro can be upgraded to the touch bar model, offering additional ports, Touch ID, and a more responsive keyboard experience.

**Displays**

One area where the MacBook Air falls behind its competitors is in display quality. With lower color accuracy and resolution compared to the other two laptops, it may not be the best choice for users who require high-quality visuals for photo or video editing.

The 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros feature DCI P3 color accuracy with 500 nits of brightness, making them excellent choices for professionals. The retina MacBook is the only one with a poor webcam due to its thin display.

**Battery Life**

In terms of battery life, the 12-inch MacBook takes the lead at an impressive twelve hours of rated web usage and video playback. The 15-inch MacBook Pro comes in close second, while the other two laptops offer slightly shorter battery lives of ten hours each.

**Performance**

When it comes to performance, the retina MacBook is the least powerful due to its fanless core and processor. In contrast, the 13-inch MacBook Air and Pro are relatively close in terms of performance, with the latter taking a slight lead thanks to its Iris GPU. The 15-inch MacBook Pro is the most powerful, thanks to its quad-core i7 processor and dedicated Radeon Pro graphics card.

**Conclusion**

So, which laptop is right for you? Our favorite overall pick is the 13-inch MacBook Pro, offering a great balance of price, performance, and features in a surprisingly small footprint. The touch bar option provides additional flexibility, making it an excellent choice for professionals and power users. For those who want a little more performance without breaking the bank, upgrading to the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is highly recommended.

Ultimately, the best laptop for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. We recommend exploring each model in more detail before making a decision. With their impressive features, compact designs, and robust performance, Apple's latest laptops are sure to meet the demands of users across various categories.

**Recommended Laptop**

* 13-inch MacBook Pro (Starting at $1,299) - Our top pick for its balance of price, performance, and features.

* 15-inch MacBook Pro (Starting at $2,399) - A more powerful option for professionals and power users.

* 12-inch MacBook (Starting at $999) - The smallest and lightest laptop in Apple's lineup.

**Apple Buyers Guide**

For a comprehensive guide to buying an Apple laptop, check out our exclusive resource. With expert advice, detailed comparisons, and insider tips, you'll be equipped to make the right choice for your needs and budget.

By considering these factors and exploring each model in more detail, you'll be well on your way to finding the perfect Apple laptop for your specific requirements.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enif you're looking to buy a new Macbook but aren't sure which one to get we're here to help we're comparing the full lineup of Apple's latest laptops there are some variations of these machines as well as some older generation laptops that are still for sale but we'll be focusing on the current lineup in the base configurations we have the 12 inch retina MacBook 13 inch MacBook Air 13-inch MacBook Pro without touch bar and a 15-inch MacBook Pro the Prices range from 9.99 for the air to 23.99 for the 15-inch MacBook Pro for the best deals on any of these machines make sure to check out our buyer's guide using the link in the video description starting off with design you'll notice that three of these machines are almost identical including the space gray color this is Apple's latest design and the look and build quality is very impressive the MacBook Air is the only current machine that hasn't been updated with the design from 2010 that's not a bad thing but it does have larger bezels and a more dated look the other Macs have sharper edges smaller bezels and a metal hinge resulting in a premium feel this new design affords a more compact size as well allowing the 13-inch MacBook Pro to be smaller and thinner overall than the MacBook Air even though they have the same screen size the random MacBook is the smallest and lightest of the bunch and also the only machine that is fanless due to its lower power core M processor moving on to Ports the MacBook Air is the only one with standard USB as well as Thunderbolt 2 and SD card reader and Mac safe this means that all your standard devices will work without adapters and Max safe will protect your machine if your charging cable is prone to being yanked Apple's latest machines use only USB C port words for both charging and data transfer the random MacBook has one USBC Port this means you'll need an adapter if you want to charge and transfer data at the same time the single port is a USB 3.1 5 gigabits per second so it won't support Thunderbolt the 13-inch MacBook Pro base model has two USBC ports with four being offered on the 13-inch touch bar and 15-inch MacBook Pros these ports are really powerful featuring 10 gigabit per second USB and 40 gigabit per second Thunderbolt 3. they could do almost anything like daisy chaining Thunderbolt devices while charging and sending audio and video signals to a display USBC is definitely the future but will require you to use some adapters or buy a few new USB a to c cables for your current devices they share the same low profile butterfly keys but the pros are more clicky which improve the typing experience the trackpads use magnets to simulate clicks this provides a consistent click feel and the ability to use Force touch controls the MacBook Air uses the older style keyboard that many love in a standard trackpad that requires more pressure at the top and omits force touch controls all of the keyboards are backlit but the air has quite a bit of backlight bleed compared to the new machines our 15-inch MacBook features the touch bar and touch ID which are really useful for logging in and using Apple pay the touch bar adapts to the program you're using offering useful shortcuts the 13-inch MacBook Pro can be upgraded to the touch bar model which will include Touch ID and two extra ports moving on to displays the only screen that isn't class leading is the airs it's one of the few parts that hasn't been updated throughout the years and has low color accuracy and resolution compared to the others if you work with a lot of text do photo or video editing or watch movies the newer displays are much better the MacBook Pros feature the best displays both offering DCI P3 color accuracy with 500 nits of brightness the retina MacBook is the only one with a poor webcam due to how thin its display is compared to 720p on the other years the MacBook Air has the best battery life with 12 hours of rated web usage and video playback compared to 10 hours on the other machines some users report even better results with their MacBook airs while some MacBook Pro users report lower than rated battery life moving on to Performance the retina MacBook is the least powerful because of its fanless core and processor the 13-inch MacBook Air and pro are fairly close in performance since they are both I5 dual cores with the pro taking the lead in graphics because of its Iris GPU the 15-inch is the most powerful because of its quad-core i7 processor and a dedicated Radeon Pro graphics card all of these machines are great in their own ways the MacBook Air is a good choice if you want a machine with Legacy ports and fantastic battery life if you need the thinnest lightest machine and use it mainly for surfing the web and email the 12-inch MacBook fits that need perfectly the MacBook Pros are the most powerful and flexible machines if you need lots of performance and a larger screen size for heavy photo or video editing along with other and intensive tasks the 15-inch MacBook Pro is the right machine for you our favorite overall pick is the 13-inch MacBook Pro it starts at a middle price point and offers flexible ports great trackpad amazing display and a good mix of battery life and performance in a surprisingly small footprint we think the 13-inch base MacBook Pro will be the best option for most people if you want a little bit more performance we suggest upgrading to the 13-inch MacBook Pro with touch bar instead of upgrading the base non-touchbar model to the i7 processor the touch bar i5 processor is about as fast as a non-touchbar i7 and for the same money you'll also gain faster Graphics two more USBC ports and the touch bar with Touch ID sensor for the best deals on any of these laptops make sure to check out our Mac buyers guide using the link in the video description this has been Max with apple Insider and for more news reviews and how to's check out appleinsider.com and subscribe to Apple Insider on YouTubeif you're looking to buy a new Macbook but aren't sure which one to get we're here to help we're comparing the full lineup of Apple's latest laptops there are some variations of these machines as well as some older generation laptops that are still for sale but we'll be focusing on the current lineup in the base configurations we have the 12 inch retina MacBook 13 inch MacBook Air 13-inch MacBook Pro without touch bar and a 15-inch MacBook Pro the Prices range from 9.99 for the air to 23.99 for the 15-inch MacBook Pro for the best deals on any of these machines make sure to check out our buyer's guide using the link in the video description starting off with design you'll notice that three of these machines are almost identical including the space gray color this is Apple's latest design and the look and build quality is very impressive the MacBook Air is the only current machine that hasn't been updated with the design from 2010 that's not a bad thing but it does have larger bezels and a more dated look the other Macs have sharper edges smaller bezels and a metal hinge resulting in a premium feel this new design affords a more compact size as well allowing the 13-inch MacBook Pro to be smaller and thinner overall than the MacBook Air even though they have the same screen size the random MacBook is the smallest and lightest of the bunch and also the only machine that is fanless due to its lower power core M processor moving on to Ports the MacBook Air is the only one with standard USB as well as Thunderbolt 2 and SD card reader and Mac safe this means that all your standard devices will work without adapters and Max safe will protect your machine if your charging cable is prone to being yanked Apple's latest machines use only USB C port words for both charging and data transfer the random MacBook has one USBC Port this means you'll need an adapter if you want to charge and transfer data at the same time the single port is a USB 3.1 5 gigabits per second so it won't support Thunderbolt the 13-inch MacBook Pro base model has two USBC ports with four being offered on the 13-inch touch bar and 15-inch MacBook Pros these ports are really powerful featuring 10 gigabit per second USB and 40 gigabit per second Thunderbolt 3. they could do almost anything like daisy chaining Thunderbolt devices while charging and sending audio and video signals to a display USBC is definitely the future but will require you to use some adapters or buy a few new USB a to c cables for your current devices they share the same low profile butterfly keys but the pros are more clicky which improve the typing experience the trackpads use magnets to simulate clicks this provides a consistent click feel and the ability to use Force touch controls the MacBook Air uses the older style keyboard that many love in a standard trackpad that requires more pressure at the top and omits force touch controls all of the keyboards are backlit but the air has quite a bit of backlight bleed compared to the new machines our 15-inch MacBook features the touch bar and touch ID which are really useful for logging in and using Apple pay the touch bar adapts to the program you're using offering useful shortcuts the 13-inch MacBook Pro can be upgraded to the touch bar model which will include Touch ID and two extra ports moving on to displays the only screen that isn't class leading is the airs it's one of the few parts that hasn't been updated throughout the years and has low color accuracy and resolution compared to the others if you work with a lot of text do photo or video editing or watch movies the newer displays are much better the MacBook Pros feature the best displays both offering DCI P3 color accuracy with 500 nits of brightness the retina MacBook is the only one with a poor webcam due to how thin its display is compared to 720p on the other years the MacBook Air has the best battery life with 12 hours of rated web usage and video playback compared to 10 hours on the other machines some users report even better results with their MacBook airs while some MacBook Pro users report lower than rated battery life moving on to Performance the retina MacBook is the least powerful because of its fanless core and processor the 13-inch MacBook Air and pro are fairly close in performance since they are both I5 dual cores with the pro taking the lead in graphics because of its Iris GPU the 15-inch is the most powerful because of its quad-core i7 processor and a dedicated Radeon Pro graphics card all of these machines are great in their own ways the MacBook Air is a good choice if you want a machine with Legacy ports and fantastic battery life if you need the thinnest lightest machine and use it mainly for surfing the web and email the 12-inch MacBook fits that need perfectly the MacBook Pros are the most powerful and flexible machines if you need lots of performance and a larger screen size for heavy photo or video editing along with other and intensive tasks the 15-inch MacBook Pro is the right machine for you our favorite overall pick is the 13-inch MacBook Pro it starts at a middle price point and offers flexible ports great trackpad amazing display and a good mix of battery life and performance in a surprisingly small footprint we think the 13-inch base MacBook Pro will be the best option for most people if you want a little bit more performance we suggest upgrading to the 13-inch MacBook Pro with touch bar instead of upgrading the base non-touchbar model to the i7 processor the touch bar i5 processor is about as fast as a non-touchbar i7 and for the same money you'll also gain faster Graphics two more USBC ports and the touch bar with Touch ID sensor for the best deals on any of these laptops make sure to check out our Mac buyers guide using the link in the video description this has been Max with apple Insider and for more news reviews and how to's check out appleinsider.com and subscribe to Apple Insider on YouTube\n"