MacBooks are great computers, but there’s a number of different varieties to think about. Between last gen hardware and all of the current models available now, it can feel like there’s a lot of options. Today, we’ll be breaking down which MacBook is right for you, depending on your budget and what you need it for.
At the most basic level, Apple offers two MacBook models: the MacBook Air, and the MacBook Pro. Both come in smaller and larger sizes (13-inch and 15-inch for MacBook Air, 14-inch and 16-inch for MacBook Pro).
MacBook Airs always ship with the baseline Apple Silicon, which is currently an M4 chip. If you’re looking at deals on last gen models, you might see an M2 or M3 chip. MacBook Pros, on the other hand, come with three different Apple Silicon variants: M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max. On top of that, 16-inch MacBook Pros don’t offer the baseline M4 chip.
Apple Silicon breakdown
You may ask: whats the difference between a baseline M4 chip, an M4 Pro chip, and an M4 Max chip? Great question.
To sum it up quickly, the baseline chip is the most efficient, and the Max is most powerful. When you buy the baseline M4 chip, you are getting the weakest chip in a Mac, but that also comes with some top-notch battery life. Plus, the performance should still be plenty for the vast majority of people. It packs a 10 core CPU and 10 core GPU.
If you step up a notch to the M4 Pro, you get up to a 14 core CPU and 20 core GPU. There’s also a second variant of the M4 Pro chip, with a 12 core CPU and 16 core GPU. Either way, you take a huge leap forward in both CPU and GPU performance. With M4 Max, you take an even bigger leap up to a 16 core CPU and 40 core GPU – providing a huge leap in the GPU department.
That’s a very basic rundown, but to put it even simpler: If you don’t know the benefits of having faster CPU and GPU performance, you’re likely fine with a baseline M4. It’s really only high-end intensive workflows where M4 Pro and M4 Max truly shine.
Since this article will run over last-gen MacBook deals as well, I’ll quickly mention that the M4 line is roughly 10-20% faster than previous generation M3 chips.
M3 vs M4 MacBook Air
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