We also liked long-lasting batteries, as long as 13 hours of continuous use on a single charge, and plenty of RAM, with a minimum of 8GB and upgradeable to 64GB in most instances. We preferred light and compact laptops, though we also knew that maximum power does come with a trade off in the weight department. Each and every product on our list also features a gorgeous Retina display, at varying sizes, and built-in SSD storage, up to 8TB in the case of our number three pick. We also made sure to include a couple of products that include the somewhat controversial Touch Bar and some that do not, to suit the tastes of a variety of Apple fans. We picked models for power users, college students and all-around average consumers that are already tied into the Apple ecosystem. Once we were certain each of the latest models were up to snuff, we began forming the list with various types of consumers in mind. To help narrow down to the above list and discover the Best Macbooks available, we first tested out all of the recently released 2020 MacBook models, ensuring they continued the company’s adherence to quality and high standards. Additionally, this is on the heavier side, clocking in at over four pounds.
This model does include the somewhat controversial Touch Bar, though we found it to be useful in certain scenarios, thanks to recent software updates. It also has a stunning 15.4” Retina display and plenty of built-in SSD storage, upgradeable to 512GB. It features an extremely speedy Intel processor, which can be overclocked to 4.8GHz and configured from core i7 to core i9.
This Apple MacBook Pro 15” is the 2018 model, meaning it still has plenty of power, making it a great choice for college students.
Can upgrade to 32GB of RAM, but it is costly.
Additionally, this is a heavy laptop, at around 4.5 pounds. Though the battery can get up to 11 hours of use on a single charge in a best case scenario, we found that it actually averaged around six or seven hours, as we tended to use this computer for intensive applications. We also loved the newly designed thermal dispersion technology, which helps to keep applications running smoothly even when the computer is running hot. The Retina display is gorgeous and the newly designed keyboard boasts plenty of room for multi-touch gestures and, thankfully, features a physical ESC key.
The newly updated Apple MacBook Pro 16” model is a beast, with a best-in-class Intel core processor, available in 6 or 8 cores, and four Thunderbolt 3 ports, making this the perfect choice for power users, such as professional video editors.
Though the weight, at three pounds, is still relatively light for the amount of power on offer, this laptop is still heavier than the MacBook Air. Related: Check out our best Mackbook for college students. We also found the audio on this Macbook Pro 13-inch to be loud and crisp, particularly for a laptop. It boasts a fantastic SSD drive, upgradeable to 2TB, and a long-lasting battery that will get you more than ten hours of use on a single charge, which is enough for all-day use. This Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro features a 13” Retina display, which is upgradeable to 15”, and a speedy 2.4 GHz 8th-Generation quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, upgradeable to 2.8 GHz, which we found to be plenty capable of running multiple intensive applications at once.