Which one should you buy?

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UPDATE: 11/01/2023 16:00 EST BY ROLAND UDVARLAKI

We regularly update posts to ensure they’re up-do-date. We included the recently unveiled new Apple MacBook Pro laptops and the refreshed 24-inch iMac, and made several other changes to the entire list to provide more relevant and useful information.


Apple has recently finished the transition from Intel-based chips to its own M-series of silicon. The new M3 series of chips include many new advancements and new features that enable faster AI/ML processing, faster GPU performance, and greater efficiency, resulting in an extended battery life. The new Mac lineup is more powerful than ever before, and we have a simple list of the best devices that you can get your hands on today!


You’ve come to the right place if you’re in the market for a new Mac, iMac, or MacBook computer and laptop. We’ve collected the best Apple-made laptops and desktops that money can buy, and give you a quick and easy-to-understand breakdown of all the different devices. Whatever your price range is, there’s a Mac for everyone.

These are the best MacBook accessories in 2023

These are the best MacBook, iMac, and Mac computers you can buy right now

  • Apple MacBook Air 15 Transparent Background

    Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2, 2023)

    Best for Students

    $1050 $1299 Save $249

    The latest 15-inch MacBook Air from Apple comes with a highly capable M2 chipset, up to 24GB of unified memory, 18 hours of battery life, a six-speaker system, and a stunning 15.3-inch display with 500 nits of peak brightness.

  • MacBook Air M2 2022

    MacBook Air M2

    Best for Students

    $949 $1099 Save $150

    The latest MacBook Air is powered by the M2 Apple Silicon, offering even better performance than the M1 series of chips. It comes with an all-new design similar to the new MacBook Pro models, fast internal memory, excellent battery life, and an Apple M2 chipset that provides all the performance you need for multitasking, editing, and working on-the-go.ย 

The MacBook Air with the M2 chip is one of the best MacBooks for most users, and they’re perfect for students and those who require slightly more power than the standard M1-equipped 13-inch MacBook Air from 2020. The M2 series of MacBook Air laptops come in two sizes, 13-inch and 15-inch. While the smaller model is excellent for those looking for a powerful and lightweight, compact laptop, the 15-inch is perfect for those who want a larger screen estate in the same slim chassis.

Both MacBooks are equipped with the M2 series of chips and provide adequate power and efficiency to make them some of the longest-lasting and most powerful lightweight machines on the market. They’re excellent for light gaming, multitasking, and even some more demanding workflows, assuming it’s not for extended periods, as both machines lack a dedicated fan.

The standard 13-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip starts at $1,099, while the one with a 15-inch display retails from $1,299. The standard 13-inch model will get you the 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage, while the 15-inch’s base configuration will provide you with an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of SSD.

If you’re a student and want a device that’s future-proof and offers a great overall package, the 13 and 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 chips are some of the best devices. However, if you want to save money, and you don’t believe you’d benefit from the additional power, the standard M1-equipped 13-inch MacBook Air might be an even better option.

PBI M1 MacBook Air

Apple MacBook Air

Best for Most People

$750 $999 Save $249

Appleโ€™s 2020 MacBook Air is still one of Cupertinoโ€™s best laptops. It features an M1 chip, a fan-less thin design, a 13.3-inch Retina Display, all-day battery life, and other great features.

The Apple MacBook Air equipped with the M1 chip is undoubtedly the best Apple laptop for most people, and itโ€™s an excellent machine for students, and, generally, anyone looking for a decent machine that gets the job done. The MacBook Air with M1 starts at just $899 for students, and $999 for everyone else. It’s the cheapest MacBook in the lineup. It comes with an 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of base storage. It’s fast, reliable, and it can be configured with up to 16GB of RAM and 2TB of storage โ€“ although we would strongly advise you to consider a more powerful Mac if you require more memory and storage.

The 13-inch MacBook Air comes with a 13.3-inch Retina display, and it weighs just 2.8 pounds (1.29kg). It’s portable, lightweight, and easily fits in any backpack and tight spaces. Whether you’re after a device that’s great for studying, editing content, and even some light tasks, it’s the perfect machine. The Air can also last for up to 15 hours on a single charge by browsing the web, and most people will be able to use it for 8 hours, making it great for work.

Related: Is the M1 MacBook Air still worth buying today?

If youโ€™re in the market for something affordable that nails all the fundamentals, the MacBook Air with the M1 is still a perfect choice in 2023.

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24-inch iMac (M3, 2023)

Best iMac

The refreshed 24-inch iMac received a small but mighty upgrade in 2023. It’s now equipped with the powerful new M3 chip, bringing massive performance and efficiency upgrades to the table. It has a bright and accurate display, great sound, and all the accessories you need to get started.

Apple refreshed the 24-inch iMac during its October 30, “Scary Fast” evening event, and the machine is now equipped with the M3 chip. The standard base model starts at $1,299, although we would recommend going for the $1,499 model as it’s available in more colors and offers better future proofing and more ports, as well as an ethernet port. The 24-inch iMac is available in seven colors (for the $1,499 configuration and up), Blue, Green, Pink, Silver, Yellow, Orange, and Purple.

The iMac comes with a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, two Thunderbolt USB 4 ports, two USB 3 ports, gigabit ethernet, as well as the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and the Magic Mouse. It’s an excellent all-in-one (AIO), and it’s perfect for those who work in the office, from home, and even students who require a stationary and powerful Mac at home. It’s more than capable of handling graphics-intensive tasks, multitasking, and even gaming and editing. It’s ideal for all sorts of work, and it can be paired up with a secondary monitor for even more features.

Despite Apple not shrinking down the bezels and making any feature updates to the iMac, it’s still a beautiful machine with plenty of capabilities and power. The new M3 chip makes it more efficient and powerful, ready to take on any task you throw at it. If you’re after a great AIO, there aren’t many other devices that can do what the iMac can.

  • pbi-mac-mini

    Mac mini with M2

    Best for Working from Home

    $546 $599 Save $53

    This variant of the Mac mini features the M2 chipset, which is an 8-core CPU with four high-performance and four high-efficiency cores. It also features a 10-core GPU, up to 24GB of RAM with 100GB/s of bandwidth, and a 16-core Neural Engine.

  • pbi-mac-mini

    Mac mini with M2 Pro

    Best for Working from Home

    This variant of the Mac mini comes with the M2 Pro chipset, which features up to 12-core CPU with eight high-performance and four high-efficiency cores. It also features a 19-core GPU, up to 32GB of RAM with 200GB/s of bandwidth, and a 16-core Neural Engine.ย 
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If you’ve invested in your own peripherals, such as a mouse, keyboard, and monitor, you might want to consider the Mac mini. The compact and portable desktop takes up little to no space on or off the desk, and it’s perfect if you want a device that’s reliable and has plenty of power. The Mac mini is recommended for anyone working from home, as it’s an excellent powerhouse with enough features and capability to get any work done, and even some light gaming.

The Mac mini is budget-friendly, and it comes with its own power cable. It’s available with the standard M2 and M2 Pro chips, offering plenty of features and options for you to customize it to your liking. The base model costs only $599, and it comes with an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. It has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet, and a headphone jack.

The M2 Pro model provides you with a 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD and ups the ports from two to four Thunderbolt 4 ports. The M2 Pro model is available from $1,299 and it’s perfect for those who require a more powerful home desktop, making it great value for work and entertainment.

Depending on the model you choose, the Mac mini can easily handle photo and video editing and even some gaming. It supports one external display with up to 6K resolution, while the M2 Pro-powered device can handle up to three displays up to 6K resolution. If you don’t want to buy your own accessories, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro will remain viable alternatives, while the 24-inch iMac will offer even better performance and all the must-have accessories that you need to get started.

  • pbi-Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (2023)

    Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (2023)

    Best Compact Workhorse

    The 14-inch MacBook Pro has the M3 and M3 Pro chips, a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, and up to 36GB of RAM. It’s the perfect compact powerhouse that can enable you to do all demanding tasks, whether that’s video editing, 3D modeling, or gaming on the go.

  • pbi-Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro (2023)

    Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro (2023)

    Best Workhorse

    The 16-inch MacBook Pro has the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips. It’s a great laptop for power users who demand more in a small and compact form factor. The MacBook can last for up to 22 hours on a single charge, and it’s up to any task with the new chips that provide up to 50% faster speeds of the M1 series of devices.

The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops come with the new M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips, depending on the model you decide to buy. The standard 14-inch model with the M3 chip received a lower price and a design refresh that now features the same modern looks as the standard 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro chip. This retails for $1,599 and it’s a decent value for those who require less power, but want a laptop with better cooling and 8GB of RAM and 512GB SSD.

When it comes to the M3 Pro powered machines, the 14-inch base model starts at $1,999, while the 16-inch base variant retails from $2,499. Both devices are excellent for professionals and those who require all the power in a compact and light form factor. We recommend the 14-inch for those who travel a lot and require a professional workstation with enough power to plow through raw cuts and edits, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro is perfect for those who require larger displays and even more sustained power for longer periods.

Both the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are available with the M3 Max chip, and the 16-inch model offers up to a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and up to 128GB of unified memory and 8TB of SSD storage. The new M3 series of chips benefit from the improved AI/ML capabilities, and support for Ray Tracing, and AV1 encoding.

Apple Mac Studio

Mac Studio

Best for Professionals

Appleโ€™s Mac Studio is a remarkably compact powerhouse that will take on anything you may want to throw at it. It comes with an Apple M1 Max or an M1 Ultra chip, making it one of the most potent Macs on the market.

The Apple Mac Studio looks like a bigger version of the Mac mini. It has a similar form factor, but it’s far more capable thanks to one of the most advanced chips, the M2 Max or the M2 Ultra. While Apple hasn’t updated the Studio with M3 series of chips just yet, the M2 Pro and M2 Ultra remain the most powerful and efficient desktop-level chips from the company in this form factor.

Before we jump into the details, it’s worth noting that the Apple Mac Studio isn’t intended for general users, although the standard model with the M1 Max chip can be ideal for some for $2000. That maxed-out M2 Ultra model has up to a 24-core CPU, 76-core GPU, and 40% faster Neural Engine compared to the M1 series. It has up to 192GB of unified memory with up to 800GB/s memory bandwidth, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and up to 8TB storage.

It can be connected with 8K monitors, and it’s hands down one of the most affordable workstations and desktops that you can buy right now. The Mac Pro is also a great alternative. However, it could cost you a lot more, and it doesn’t seem like even Apple can take advantage of the better airflow and larger real estate as of today.

It’s also worth mentioning that if you’re looking for a powerhouse for professional work and editing, the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 Max chip is also an excellent alternative. It has a faster CPU and GPU, and while it doesn’t come cheap, it could save you a lot of time when composing audio, or editing large and complex files.

Which Mac computer should you buy?

li-best-apple-mac-macbook-imac-computers

If you’re looking for the best Mac desktop, you should consider the Mac mini, or the 24-inch iMac. Both of these are excellent machines, and the Mac mini could save you hundreds of dollars, assuming you already have your own peripherals, accessories and displays. The iMac is perfect if you want a powerful AIO that works perfectly with the Apple ecosystem. The system also comes with the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse, making it easier to get started with an Apple computer.

If you’re a student, or you’re after an affordable and budget-friendly laptop, the 13-inch MacBook Air with M1 remains the cheapest laptop in Apple’s arsenal. The M2-powered 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops are perfect for those who are keen on having more power and greater efficiency, and they’ll also provide a better experience, albeit, at a higher price tag.

The 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro are the real powerhouses, offering the ultimate power, efficiency, and connectivity. The new M3-powered machines are some of the best and most powerful devices in Apple’s lineup, offering console-level gaming, extensive power, and lots of connectivity options to get started. If you’re a professional with heavy requirements and the need for plenty of power, the 16-inch MacBook Pro will be your best option.

For those who do even more demanding tasks, such as 3D modeling, graphics design, editing, and composing audio, the Mac Studio and Mac Pro will be the ultimate machines. The 16-inch MacBook Pro equipped with the maxed-out version of the M3 Max also offers a competitive performance in a small, light, and compact chassis with an excellent keyboard and mouse.

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