If you are a student considering purchasing a MacBook from Apple to cater to your study needs, you’ll need to think about the size, storage capacity, and budget that best suit you.
The screen size will impact how much you can view and visualize on the MacBook, as well as its portability, if you have to walk long distances on campus or study in small spaces, you might prefer a smaller screen, the processor speed will affect how well the MacBook handles tasks and multiple applications, for instance, if you regularly use heavy software, you might need a faster processor.
To help you choose the most suitable model, here are the top MacBook options for students:
MacBook Air 15-inch:
Apple released the 15-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip in June 2023. This device combines sleek design, powerful performance, moderate size, and ease of transport, the M2 processor is more than sufficient for everyday tasks like reading emails and web browsing, as well as most study-related activities, the M2 MacBook Air 15-inch comes with a 10-core GPU and can be configured with 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB of unified memory.
Apple claims that this M2 processor is 12 times faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air and twice as fast as the latest Intel Core i7 laptops, the device is just 0.45 inches thick and features a Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2880 x 1864 pixels, rounded corners, and True Tone technology, the 15-inch screen provides a larger workspace with multiple windows compared to the 13-inch model.
The MacBook Air 15-inch offers up to 15 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi, and 18 hours of Apple TV movie playback, starting at $1199 from the Apple Education Store.
MacBook Pro 14-inch:
If your study tasks involve using heavy applications, the MacBook Pro 14-inch is the best choice, apple updated the MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max processors in 2023, providing improved speed and performance for tasks like programming and video editing.
The design of the MacBook Pro remains the same, but the new processors make a significant difference in speed and performance compared to the M1 Pro and M1 Max, the M2 Pro models feature either a 10-core CPU with a 16-core GPU or a 12-core CPU with a 19-core GPU, they come with a faster 16-core Neural Engine and a slightly faster Media Engine.
For even more powerful performance, opt for the M2 Max models with up to 64GB of unified memory and various CPU and GPU configurations, including 10-core or 12-core CPU options and 16-core or 32-core GPU options.
The MacBook Pro 14-inch offers up to 18 hours of movie playback and starts at $1849 from the Apple Education Store.
MacBook Air M1 13-inch:
The MacBook Air M1, equipped with the M1 processor, is suitable for most everyday and moderate study-related tasks, it offers an impressive battery life of up to 18 hours and comes with an 8-core CPU, a 7-core GPU, 8GB of unified memory, and a 256GB SSD.
The MacBook Air M1 can run iOS applications, meaning you can use your favorite iPhone and iPad apps on your MacBook, it starts at $899 from the Apple Education Store.
Choose the MacBook that best aligns with your study requirements and budget, and enjoy a seamless learning experience with these powerful and versatile devices.
