Best MacBook for students: our recommendations for the best

The finest MacBook for students for back-to-school can help kids succeed in their academic objectives and tests. Here are our top recommendations, including one you should absolutely avoid.

You’ll need a MacBook for students that can manage your homework and fit with your lifestyle. You should consider the size and weight of your notebook, the amount of memory and storage you want, and the price range you are comfortable with.

How much you can view on your notebook and how portable it is will depend on the screen size. If you have to travel far on your campus or study in confined areas, you might choose a smaller screen MacBook for students. Your laptop’s ability to manage various tasks and programs will depend on the CPU speed. If you often use and move between demanding software programs, for instance, you could want a speedier CPU.

At AppleInsider, we have evaluated a large number of MacBook for students and know which ones are the best buys. Here are our top suggestions to help you succeed in your academics, along with one you should avoid.

Best MacBook for students for back-to-school — portability and screen size

At WWDC 2023, Apple unveiled the 15-inch MacBook for students with an M2 processor. It is a stylish Mac that flawlessly balances size, mobility, and power.

For regular duties like reading emails, chatting, and web surfing, the M2 has more than enough power. When put to the test, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro CPU scored significantly higher than the 15-inch MacBook for students in the single-core test.

The 256GB version we tested wrote and read to disc at around 1,450 megabytes per second, while the 512GB version writes to disc at roughly 3,100 megabytes per second and reads at about 2,800 megabytes per second. The entry-level market can easily handle the quick speed.

The 15-inch MacBook for students is only 0.45 inches thick while having all this capability. For its screen size, it is quite small at 9.35 inches by 13.4 inches.

A stunning Liquid Retina display measuring 2,880 by 1,864 pixels at 224 PPI is featured on this MacBook for students. The display’s rounded corners mirror the notebook’s design. With 500 nits of brightness, a P3 color gamut, and True Tone technology, the screen is vivid and colourful.

We have more space to work with many windows on the 15-inch display, and we don’t feel as crowded as we occasionally did on the 13-inch Air. It also fits without seeming odd or big on our desk, lap, or coffee shop table.

If mobility and screen size are important to you, the 15-inch MacBook for students could be the better option because it has a larger screen than the 13-inch MacBook Air and is lighter than the 14-inch MacBook Pro.

It is a fantastic addition to the MacBook for students lineup, in our opinion.

In our 15-inch MacBook for students Price Guide, you can easily compare prices for every configuration of the 15-inch MacBook Air M2 starting at $1,199.

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Best MacBook for back-to-school — processing power

The 14-inch MacBook Pro is the ideal option if your schoolwork demands a lot of processing power.

The M2 Pro and M2 Max CPUs that Apple added to the MacBook Pro in 2023 gave it a significant performance bump. Students who are pursuing classes that require difficult assignments, like video editing, would benefit greatly from this bump in strength.

We were amazed by the capabilities of the 14-inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro after using it. It featured an excellent design, excellent specifications, and a lot of power because to M2 Pro.

Although the exterior of this MacBook Pro is identical to that of the previous version, the new CPUs significantly improve performance. Compared to the M1 Pro and M1 Max CPUs, they provide greater speed, memory, and graphics power.

The M2 Pro model includes either a 10-core CPU with a 16-core GPU or a 12-core CPU with a 19-core GPU and it has a lot of memory bandwidth at 200GB/s. All of these employ the unified memory system, which minimizes data duplication by sharing memory.

Additionally, the M2 Pro includes a media engine that is somewhat quicker and a 16-core neural engine that is 40% faster than the M1 version. When perusing the web, speed may not matter to you, but when exporting a project from Adobe Premiere, it might.

Of course, the M2 Max versions are your best bet if you want the best performance. A maximum of 64GB of RAM and 400GB/s of memory bandwidth are supported by the M2 Max.

There are many CPU and GPU configurations available for the M2 Max, including a 10-core or 12-core CPU and a 16-core or 32-core GPU. Additionally, you may obtain up to 8TB of SSD storage. Benchmarks support Apple’s claim that the M2 Max’s GPU is 30% quicker than the M1 Pro’s.

The greatest offers on each configuration may be found in our 14-inch MacBook Pro Price Guide. As of publication, reduced prices begin at $1,799.

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Best MacBook for back to school — the budget choice

The M1 processor in the MacBook Air M1 gives it exceptional performance at a reasonable price. It can do whatever work you throw at it because to its amazing specifications and configurations.

The M1 MacBook Air’s basic and enhanced models have both been tested out. The upgraded version features an 8-core GPU whereas the entry-level model has an 8-core M1 processor.

The entry-level model also comes with a 256GB SSD, while the upgraded model has 512GB.

For either version, you may choose from 1TB or 2TB of storage. Both variants come with 8GB of RAM as standard, but 16GB is also an option.

The M1 Air is quick in regular usage and ideal for active students. When utilising it, it took just 14 seconds for all of the basic applications to launch and be usable.

Your preferred iPhone and iPad apps may be used on your Mac since the M1 Air can run iOS apps natively. The Affinity Suite, Pixelmator Pro, and other tools from Apple, as well as a number of other programmes, have all been upgraded to operate natively.

The M1 Air’s lack of fans is one of its finest features. Although it is a little slower than the 13-inch MacBook Pro with fans, we believe most people who do not require that extra performance will find it to be worthwhile.

Once you become used to the quietness, any additional fan noise makes the MacBook Air’s perfect silence during operation appear extremely loud.

Amazon is where you can purchase the 13-inch MacBook Air M1 (which is frequently on sale). Additionally, our M1 MacBook Air Price Guide has the finest offers.

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Worst MacBook for back to school — 13-inch MacBook Pro

The 13-inch MacBook Pro that Apple announced in June 2022 contains the latest M2 processor, but that does not make it a good value. You should stay away from this model, as we would suggest.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro is essentially identical to the new MacBook for students, which is $100 less expensive.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro features a fan that enables it to operate a little bit quicker for a little bit longer while having the same M2 processor as the other MacBook for students models. Unless you need to perform demanding work, this does not really important. For the majority of students, the M2 MacBook Air is already swift and powerful enough MacBook for students.

In comparison to the more expensive MacBook Pro models, even those using previous generation M1 Pro and M1 Max CPUs, the 13-inch model is not that spectacular.

The 14-inch and 16-inch screens, mini-LED displays with ProMotion, more ports (HDMI, SD card slot, MagSafe), quicker CPUs, and improved speakers and microphones are also features of these variants. If you require a business laptop, they are likewise significantly more expensive but well worth it.

The M2 processor is the only significant difference between the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the M1-equipped 2020 edition. The original model’s ports, speakers, microphone, keyboard, and display are all included in this one as well.

Additionally, it still features the Touch Bar, which Apple is removing from later models in favour of conventional function keys.

We advise against purchasing the 13-inch MacBook Pro with an M2 processor. It is a rather tiny enhancement that does not warrant the cost.

Instead, if you’re looking for a compact and lightweight laptop, consider the M2 MacBook for students, or if you need more power, consider saving up for the M2 MacBook Pro.

Our M2 13-inch MacBook Pro Price Guide can assist you in comparing the best rates if you insist on purchasing the 2022 MacBook Pro M2. It is presently discounted on Amazon starting at $1,099.99.

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