Which MacBook to Buy in 2018? Apple Laptop Guide!

So you’re interested in buying an Apple laptop. Congratulations, a laptop is a big purchase so it’s very important to choose the right one. In this video I’ll explain which MacBook model is best for you in 2018.

Currently there are 3 MacBook models: MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro
(All MacBook models come standard with an SSD and at least 8GB RAM)

MacBook

  • Apple’s 12″ screen laptop; Base model starts at $1299
  • Only MacBook available in 4 different colors: rose gold, space gray, gold, and silver
  • Base model has 7th-Gen 1.2GHz Intel Core m3 mobile processor; configurable to dual-core i5 or i7
  • 8GB RAM (up to 16GB) and 256GB SSD (up to 512GB)

Get MacBook if you

  • Care about looks more than performance (sexy; IPS Retina display with 226 ppi; colors)
  • Want something ultra portable and mobile; Apple’s thinnest lightest laptop (2 lbs and up to 10 hours battery life)
  • Want the smallest screen of any Apple laptop (12″ diagonal)
  • Mainly run basic applications, nothing too CPU dependent (base model has mobile processor)
  • Don’t need a lot of ports (only 1 USB-C port for charging/input/output)
  • Don’t mind having a crappy webcam (only 480p)

MacBook Air

  • Base model starts at $999
  • 13.3″ screen; 8GB RAM; 128GB SSD (configurable to 256GB or 512GB)
  • 5th-Gen Intel dual-core i5 processor (can be upgraded to 2.2GHz Core i7)

Get MacBook Air if you

  • Have the lowest budget (Apple’s most affordable laptop)
  • Care about battery life more than anything (up to 12 hours; longest battery life of any Apple laptop)
  • Want a small lightweight laptop like the MacBook but with more ports (great for students and travelers)
  • Don’t mind having a mediocre display (it’s not an IPS Retina display; 1440×900 not even Full HD)
  • Don’t mind having silver bezels (has fairly large bezels relative to its size)
  • Run the same basic applications that the MacBook is good for and if you know you don’t need more than 8GB RAM (this is Apple’s only laptop that is limited to 8GB)
  • Need an HD webcam (720p)
  • Don’t need a lot of storage space on the laptop and you utilize Cloud storage or external drives (base model only has 128GB storage)

MacBook Pro

  • Comes in silver or space gray and 2 screen sizes: 13.3″ starting at $1299 (non-TouchBar) & $1799 w/ TouchBar. 15.4″ starts at $1999 (2015 non-TouchBar model) & $2399 w/ TouchBar
  • All MacBook Pro models have IPS Retina displays (13″ has 227ppi; 15″ has 220ppi) and all MBP models can expect 9-10 hours battery life
  • 13″ comes with 8GB RAM (configurable to 16GB); 15″ comes with 16GB RAM
  • 13″ starts at 128GB SSD (configurable up to 1TB); 15″ starts at 256GB SSD (configurable to 2TB)
  • 13″ starts with Intel 7th-Gen Kaby Lake dual-core i5 (configurable to dual-core i7)
  • 15″ 2015 non-TouchBar comes with 4th-gen quad-core; 15″ TouchBar comes with 7th-Gen Kaby Lake quad-core i7

Get 2015 15″ MacBook Pro if you

  • Want an awesome laptop for under $2,000 (some say it’s the best laptop ever made)
  • Want Mag-Safe
  • Want all the other ports besides USB-C (HDMI, SD slot, USB-A, Thunderbolt 2)
  • Don’t mind having an older processor (4th-gen)
  • Want 15″ size but no Touch Bar

Get newest MacBook Pro if you

  • Want the best performance and fastest speed of all the Apple laptops (for professional work; 15″ Touch Bar has the best specs out of all MBPs)
  • Need the most internal storage (only Apple laptop to be configured for 1-2TB of storage)
  • Want the best/brightest display out of all Apple laptops (The newest 13″ and 15″ MBPs have 25% more colors than sRGB and 500 nits of brightness; 2015 MBP has sRGB and 300 nits; 13″ has the most ppi)
  • Run CPU-intensive or graphics-intensive applications like gaming, HD video editing, 3D modeling, CAD, virtual machines, hardcore Photoshop (For best graphics performance get 15″ which has dedicated Radeon Pro GPU with up to 4GB memory)
  • Don’t mind having a slightly bigger laptop compared to the other MacBook models (having said that, the 13″ is a very compact and portable laptop)
  • Absolutely want TouchBar/TouchID (even though 13″ MBP doesn’t have it)
  • Are okay with having USB-C ports (USB-C to USB-A adapters are a must-have)
  • Have a large budget (expensive; can go over $4,000 for certain configurations)