The best MacBooks of 2026: We compare the Air, Neo, and Pro

MacBooks have been ridiculously easy to recommend since we first started reviewing them in the mid-2010s, but especially since Apple rolled out its first M-series chips in 2020. That custom silicon affords them much faster, quieter performance than most competing Windows laptops. When you factor in their elite build quality and polished operating system, it’s no wonder our guide to the best laptops is teeming with MacBooks.

Every current MacBook model got a price hike this summer — thanks, RAMageddon — but we still think they’re pretty good values in the current market. After hands-on testing the lineup for performance, battery life, and build quality, here are the best MacBooks we recommend for different kinds of users

Overview

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Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5)

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Apple MacBook Neo

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Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5)

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Table of Contents

Which is the best MacBook to buy right now?

As of August 2026, I think the 15-inch M5 MacBook Air is the best MacBook for most people. It’s a sleek, future-proofed ultraportable with the right amount of premium features and more than enough muscle for everyday multitasking, including occasional content creation. It’s the ideal daily driver

You might also consider the 13-inch M5 MacBook Air, which is slightly cheaper and more portable. I think it’s the best MacBook for college students

The MacBook Neo is my top pick for budget shoppers, casual users, and younger students. It’s not nearly as fast or as fancy as the latest MacBook Air, but it’s a good performer for its price point, and it’s just as well-made as any other MacBook. If your typical workload involves bopping between some Chrome tabs and an app or two, look no further

If you want the nicest features and enough sustained power for photo editing, video rendering, AI work, and occasional gaming, the 14-inch M5 MacBook Prois your best bet. It one-ups the Air with better thermal management, more ports, more base storage, a smoother display, and a longer battery life. Just come prepared to spend at least $500 more

Our Pick

Best Macbook for most people

The Good & The Bad

Details

• Geekbench 6 single-core score: 4,025
• Geekbench 6 multi-core score: 16,099
• Battery life (tested): 17 hours and 40 minutes
• CPU: Apple M5 (10-core)
• GPU: Apple M5 (10-core)
• Memory: 16GB RAM
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Screen size: 15.3 inches
• Resolution: 2,880 x 1,864 pixels
• Brightness (rated): 500 nits
• Refresh rate: 60Hz
• Touchscreen: No
• Webcam: 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View support
• Ports: Two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports, MagSafe 3 charging port, headphone jack
• Backlit keyboard: Yes
• Dimensions: 13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches
• Weight: 3.3 pounds

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Best MacBook for college students

The Good & The Bad

Details

• Geekbench 6 single-core score: 4,174
• Geekbench 6 multi-core score: 17,229
• Battery life (tested): 18 hours and four minutes
• CPU: M5 (10-core)
• GPU: M5 (10-core)
• Memory: 16GB RAM
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Screen size: 13.6 inches
• Resolution: 2,560 x 1,664 pixels
• Brightness (rated): 500 nits
• Refresh rate: 60Hz
• Touchscreen: No
• Webcam: 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View support
• Ports: Two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports, MagSafe 3 charging port, headphone jack
• Backlit keyboard: Yes
• Dimensions: 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches
• Weight: 2.7 pounds

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Best budget MacBook

The Good & The Bad

Details

• Geekbench 6 single-core score: 3,484
• Geekbench 6 multi-core score: 8,770
• Battery life (tested): 14 hours and 50 minutes
• CPU: Apple A18 Pro (6-core)
• GPU: Apple A18 Pro (5-core)
• Memory: 8GB RAM
• Storage: 256GB SSD
• Screen size: 13 inches
• Resolution: 2,408 x 1,506 pixels
• Brightness (rated): 500 nits
• Touchscreen: No
• Webcam: 1080p
• Ports: USB 3 (USB-C) port, USB 2 (USB-C) port, headphone jack
• Backlit keyboard: No
• Dimensions: 11.71 x 8.12 x 0.5 inches
• Weight: 2.7 pounds

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Best MacBook for artists, content creators, and casual gamers

The Good & The Bad

Details

• Geekbench 6 single-core score: N/A
• Geekbench 6 mutli-core score: 17,470
• Battery life (tested): 21 hours and 17 minutes
• CPU: Apple M5 (10-core)
• GPU: Apple M5 (10-core)
• Memory: 16GB RAM
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Screen size: 14.2 inches
• Resolution: 3,024 x 1,964 pixels
• Brightness (rated): 1000 nits SDR and XDR; 1600 nits HDR
• Refresh rate: Up to 120Hz
• Touchscreen: No
• Webcam: 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View support
• Ports: Three Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports, MagSafe 3 charging port, SDXC card slot, HDMI port, and headphone jack
• Backlit keyboard: Yes
• Dimensions: 12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches
• Weight: 3.4 pounds

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TopicsAppleMacBook

Recent updates to this guide

In August 2026, I updated this guide to reflect Apple’s newly increased MacBook prices. I also added the 13-inch M5 MacBook Air as a new pick for college students

In May 2026, I added the results of our battery life testing for the M5 MacBook Air. It was able to loop a video for 17 hours and 40 minutes before dying

The latest MacBook news

Apple raised its MacBook prices in June 2026 because of the ongoing global memory crunch, aka “RAMageddon.” The MacBook Air has gotten $200 pricier since launch, while the Neo is now $100 more expensive. The MacBook Pro costs anywhere from $300 to $500 more, depending on the configuration

RAMageddon is also reportedly causing a MacBook Air shortage. According to Bloomberg’s Apple expert, Mark Gurman, “Retail store at shipments of new units are more constrained than they can ever recall.” At the time of writing, the MacBook Air was on backorder for two to six weeks in Apple’s online store

If you don’t mind the possible shipping delay, Apple’s back-to-school promotion is now live through Aug. 27, and it earns you a free gift card worth up to $150 when you buy a new MacBook Air or Pro. The offer is open to college students, their parents, and school faculty

You can also now rent your MacBook instead of buying it. The new Klarna-powered Apple Upgrade program lets you lease a new MacBook Air or Pro for up to 36 months (starting at $24.99 per month). Once your term is up, you can either return your loaner, swap it for a newer model, or buy it outright

What’s on deck

Bloomberg’s Gurman reports that Apple is working on several new MacBooks, including a MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen, an entry-level M6 MacBook Pro, a redesigned MacBook Air, and a second-generation MacBook Neo with more RAM and color options. The OLED MacBook Pro could arrive as soon as this October

MORE:
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Frequently Asked Questions

MacBooks tend to go on sale at their deepest discounts during the back-to-school season, Amazon’s summer Prime Day sale, and Black Friday. They also see steep price cuts as soon as they’re no longer current-generation models, meaning right after Apple announces their successors (which usually happens every year in March and October.)

We spot the best MacBook deals at third-party retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. The Apple Store’s rare sales just entail free gift card promotions, not proper price cuts

First, a little info about how Apple classifies its older products. Devices that it stopped selling more than five years ago but less than seven are considered “vintage,” whereas devices it stopped selling more than seven years ago are “obsolete.”

Vintage MacBooks are still eligible for hardware support from Apple, depending on parts availability, but it won’t fix obsolete MacBooks. And you can’t get parts for them from third-party service providers like Best Buy and Micro Center

If your obsolete MacBook is still chugging along like normal, is in good condition, and doesn’t seem sluggish or scant on storage, by all means, keep using it. However, if any component breaks, deteriorates, or no longer meets your needs, it’s time to send it off to the great MacBook farm in the sky. Consider recycling or donating it so it doesn’t sit in a landfill

While MacBooks don’t get software updates forever, it’s not a dealbreaker if yours can’t run the latest version of macOS. You might be able to repurpose it as a streaming device or turn it into a Chromebook. That said, a MacBook you use as your primary laptop for school or work needs to be compatible with the current macOS in order to stay secure and continue running Apple apps

FYI: The upcoming version of Apple’s Mac operating system, macOS 27 (aka macOS Golden Gate), will only work with M-series MacBooks from 2020 or later. That means if your daily driver is an older model with an Intel chip, it’s officially time to upgrade. It will still get security updates for the next two-ish years, but it won’t support any new features going forward

Some of the best Windows laptops and Chromebooks we’ve tested can rival MacBooks on performance and/or build quality. My current favorite MacBook alternatives include the Asus Zenbook A14, the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514, and the Dell XPS 14

If you want to stay within the Apple ecosystem, iPads also make good MacBook alternatives thanks to iPadOS’s “windowing” system

Mashable has been writing about laptops for over a decade, and I’ve personally been covering them since 2023. I also helped develop the rigorous hands-on testing process we currently use to review them. This methodology revolves around four criteria:

The laptops we review get put to work as our primary computers. This includes trying any unique software or use cases they support. We also subject all of our loaners to a multi-app/tab stress test and Primate Labs’ Geekbench, which measures CPU performance in common tasks. Gaming laptops get put through additional graphical benchmarking

To gauge a laptop’s stamina, we conduct a battery rundown test that involves playing a looped 1080p version of “Tears of Steel,” a short open-e. Ideally, we hope to get at least 19 hours of battery life from MacBooks

As we’re using a laptop, we zero in on certain components to evaluate its build quality. These include the display, keyboard, touchpad, webcam, speakers, and ports. We also assess its overall aesthetic and portability

We determine the ultimate value of a laptop by comparing its performance, design/build quality, and battery life to other laptops with similar pricing, specs, release dates, and use cases. We consider any accessories it comes with, any upgrades from its predecessor(s), and its future-proofing

Senior Shopping Reporter

Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.