Choosing the right laptop is as important as choosing the right path to build a successful career. The laptop has become a requirement for every college and university student.
Most students prefer apple laptop as their companion because they are fast, durable, lightweight, has long battery life, and are considered perfect for studying, attending online classes, and virtual meetings.
But which Apple Mac is the best MacBook for college students? Let’s have a look.
Best MacBook for College Students
New Best |  | M2 MacBook Air 13-inch | |
New Best |  | M2 MacBook Pro 13-inch | |
Best Deal |  | Macbook Pro 16 (M1 Pro/Max Chip) | |
New Best |  | Macbook Pro 14 (M1 Pro/Max Chip) | |
Our Top Pick |  | M1 Macbook Pro 13-inch | |
Our Top Pick |  | M1 Macbook Air 13-inch |
Apple MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are the two gems that will enhance the learning experience. They have outperformed many laptops and Chromebooks with a fast core CPU & GPU.
With the new inbuilt M1/M1 Pro/M1 Max/M2 Chip technology the MacBooks deliver exceptional performance and have the ability to handle big projects.
With blazing fast speed, M1 MacBook Pro 13, M1 MacBook Air, M2 MacBook Air, M2 MacBook Pro, and MacBook Pro 14 blow the other laptops out of the water, and therefore students must try one of these Apple laptops for college.
1. Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch
Reasons to Purchase: M1 Macbook Pro 13
- 8-core CPU delivers up to 2.8x faster performance.
- 8-core GPU with up to 5x faster graphics.
- Expandable SSD Storage Up to 2TB.
- Longest battery life than any mac till 2020.
- Retina Display for exceptional view experience.
- Fingerprint sensor to unblock MacBook pro.
- Face Time HD camera for live streaming.
The M1 MacBook Pro is one of the best MacBooks for college. The apple M1 chip is more appealing than the intel chip which makes loading faster.
Apple Macbook Pro 13 inch: Battery
Talking about the battery of the MacBook pro apple claims that this mac has long-life battery hours than all the MacBooks they have designed to date.
After using an Apple Macbook pro 13 inches all day, the battery does discharge but still, the battery remains at 20 to 30 % after a long day of use which is really impressive.
M1 Macbook Pro 13-inch: Speed
Got to say this Apple MacBook is one of the fastest laptops on the market. The M1 mac pro will not break or hang even if there is too much load. All thanks to the 8 core 3 times faster processor of the apple mac.
Play games, download movies or do any work at the same time this MacBook speed will never lag behind.
Apple Macbook Pro 13 inch: Speakers
The 13-inch MacBook pro speakers offer the best sound. It delivers crystal clear and louder sound than any old version of MacBooks.
Though the speaker’s bass is still not very impressive, the speakers are powerful enough to fill the room with sound.
M1 Macbook pro: Performance
Performance-wise M1 MacBook pro is a 5-star laptop. With approx 3 times fast CPU and 5 times fast GPU it can perform multiple tasks at once without getting overheated or something. Even if the laptop does get a little warm, the fan cooling system is there to blow the heat away.
On the other hand, the intel chip is nowhere close to the apple M1 chip/M2Chip of the latest MacBook pro. The heavy software related to video editing, 3D animations, and music production runs smoothly on the M1 Apple MacBook. Even the gaming experience on this MacBook is like a pro.
13-inch apple MacBook pro M1 is the best MacBook pro for college students without any doubt.
2. M2 MacBook Air 13-inch
Reasons to Purchase: M2 MacBook Air
- Expandable RAM up to 24 GB
- Expandable SSD Storage Up to 2TB.
- 8-core CPU and Up to 10-GPU cores
- New Mag safe Charging port
- 1080p FaceTime HD camera for clearer, sharper video calls.
- Retina display with P3 wide color for incredible detail.
- The 4-speaker sound system with the support of Spatial Audio
M2 MacBook Air 13-inch: Battery & Charging
For normal stuff like browsing, everyday work, etc. m2 mac air has a standby time of 11 hours. And, for heavy-duty work, it can run up to 5 hours max. Now charge your apple Air M2 laptop with the Mag safe. M2 Air MacBook Comes with 35W and 67W chargers. The 67W charger charges fast for the M2 Air in about 30 minutes as compared to 60 minutes with 35W charger. The benefit of using Mag safe is that the 2 thunderbolt 4 ports will be free for data transfer and connecting accessories.
MacBook Air 13-inch: Display & Webcam
The display is bigger, it is now 13.6-inch retina with a max brightness of 500 nits. The colors are good and the display is very bright but it is not pro motion and still a 60 Hz. The old 720p Webcam is now upgraded to 1080p. With high resolution it is sharper and more detailed. The face looks more natural now rather than yellowish tone.
M2 MacBook Air 13: Performance
The M2 Chip makes multitasking a lot easier now. With the 18% faster CPU and 35% faster GPU, M2 chip delivers a great performance. Multiple tabs and powerful apps are going to run smoothly without any doubt. M2 air is a great laptop for productivity, browsing, video calls, watching TV shows and movies, etc. Its performance is not going to disappoint you even if you spend all day on this laptop. No fan in the M2 air does slow the performance but not that much. But if you are a heavy editor, you will notice M2 Air bottom is little warm. Checkout Full review – M2 MacBook Air 13 inch
3. M2 MacBook Pro 13-inch
Reasons to Purchase: M2 MacBook Pro
- Expandable RAM up to 24 GB and SSD Storage up to 2TB
- All new M2 chip with faster speed
- 8-core CPU and Up to 10-GPU cores
- 720p FaceTime HD camera and Retina display with P3 wide color
- Fan is there to enhance the performance
M2 MacBook Pro 13: Battery
The battery life is good. After continuous web surfing on wifi, the M2 MacBook Pro lasts almost 17 to 18 hours which is not bad and is very close to what Apple claims (20 hours of battery life). And most importantly, it will not get warm due to its fan-based design. Its Active cooling system not just boosts battery life but also boosts performance/productivity.
M2 MacBook Pro 13: Performance
Running various apps at once like browsing on multiple tabs, watching videos on YouTube, etc. doesn’t make the M2 mac pro laggy. Multitasking is smoother than ever.
At the high graphical setting, the MacBook runs the games at a very low frame rate per second. M2 Chip makes the video and audio editing much easier but gaming is not that impressive.
M2 MacBook Pro 13: Negatives
The MacBook Pro 2022 has only 2 USB-C ports and it is very sad it doesn’t come with the Mag Safe charging like the M2 MacBook air.
The M2 MacBook Pro 13 with just a 720p resolution webcam. ButApple claims that the new M2 Chip will improve the image quality of the 720p webcam. Not just the design but also the display is the same as the M1 MacBook pro. The M2 13″ Mac Pro has a solid aluminum body. Checkout Full review – M2 MacBook Pro 13 inch
4. M1 MacBook Air 13-inch
Reasons to Purchase: M1 MacBook Air
- Fanless design for silent operation.
- Expandable SSD Storage Up to 2TB.
- 8-core CPU delivers up to 3.5x faster performance.
- Up to eight GPU cores with up to 5x faster graphics.
- FaceTime HD camera for clearer, sharper video calls.
- Retina display with P3 wide color for incredible detail.
- Touch ID to lock, unlock MacBook air, and access things.
MacBook Air 13-inch: Battery
Like MacBook pro the company doesn’t claim that the M1 MacBook air is the best battery apple MacBook ever. But still, it is considered 2nd best in terms of battery life.
MacBook Air can run all day long with a one-time charge. The maximum battery life is between 15 to 18 hours.
Macbook Air 13-inch: Speed
Like the M1 MacBook pro it has 8 core CPU and the Apple M1 chip. The speed is very close to the MacBook Pro which is really impressive. The booting time is very less as compared to intel chip laptops.
The Apple M1 chip not only launches apps instantly but also runs them incredibly smoothly. In terms of Speed, the Apple MacBook Air is the best MacBook air for university.
Apple Macbook Air 13-inch: Speakers
The speakers of the M1 MacBook Air are premium stereo speakers that produce a clear sound. If the song is played at night at maximum volume on Apple mac air the sound does go out of the room and is clearly audible.
Overall, the speaker sound quality is above average than most laptops out there at this price.
Macbook Air 13-inch: Performance
The performance of the 13-inch Macbook Air is exquisite. Whether it is a touchpad, retina display, 8 core processor, keyboard, or battery the overall experience of this laptop is buttery smooth.
Run as many apps in the background or give as much load to this MacBook air Operating system, the results this laptop will give at the end will be outstanding. This apple MacBook is specially made for college students to lift the work burden off their shoulders.
Unlike M1 MacBook Pro, the M1 MacBook Air is a fanless device and hence it will perform its operation quietly. But it does mean that with no fan it has a weaker cooling system than the M1 MacBook Pro.
Do High-level editing with no worry as its powerful M1 chip handles things with ease.
5. MacBook Pro 14 (M1 Pro/Max Chip)
Reasons to Purchase: MacBook Pro 14
- M1 Pro or M1 Max chip is insanely faster than the M1 chip.
- 10-core CPU delivers up to 3.7x faster performance.
- Up to 32 core GPU with up to 13x faster graphics.
- 1080p FaceTime HD camera for clearer, sharper video calls.
- 14-inch mini-LED liquid Retina XDR display for incredible detail.
- Touch ID to lock and unlock MacBook Pro 14.
- Expandable SSD Storage Up to 8TB.
- Enhance gaming performance with Adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz.
- New Additions – Safe power plug, an SD card slot, and an HDMI port.
Macbook Pro 14: Battery
MacBook Pro 14 gives a top-notch performance with the M1 pro/Max chip. These new powerful chips made high-end tasks like graphic designing, video exporting, or video editing much easier to do. But do these chips affect the MacBook pro’s battery life?
Apple claims that the MacBook Pro 14 can run for 17 hours but in actuality it does run for more than 8 hours, which is quite impressive. So, in terms of battery life, the MacBook pro 14 inch is amazing. But still, the chips are powerful enough to drain the battery pretty fast.
You can fast charge the 14-inch model with a 100 W USB-C adapter and regular USB-C cable.
Macbook Pro 14-inch: Display
The 120 Hz refresh rate screen looks stunning. The blacks are deeper and the 1000 nits of full-screen brightness level are noticeably brighter than the M1 MacBook Pro 13. It offers more details in shadows and its million in one contrast ratio delivers more contrast than ever before.
The screen is not a touch screen and it does have a notch which can be distracting to most users. The display is a mini-LED-backlit like iPad pro 12.9 and the colors are pretty accurate. More brightness, darkness levels, and colors are visible with a high dynamic range which is great for movies and gaming.
Apple Macbook Pro 14: Speakers/Keyboard
Apple MacBook Pro 14 has six inbuilt speakers with force canceling woofers. The new speakers sound amazing and they enhance the sound quality of the songs, movies, and even games by adding effects. It does have smaller speakers than the MacBook pro 16 but they both sound equally good.
Mac 14 keyboard is very solid and it takes typing to the next level. It is true that the keyboard is backlit and the black background further enhances the key lighting. On the other hand, the touchpad is not there anymore.
Macbook Pro 14: Performance
Performance wises the mac pro 14 is the boss. The M1 max and M1 pro chips are very powerful and no other chips in the market are of this level. For gamer students, this apple mac will be the best choice and for hardcore gamer students, the mac pro 16 will be the best apple laptop for college. So, in terms of gaming Macbook pro blew every laptop out of the competition after PC.
In multitasking this laptop kills it and it has more potential to handle high-end tasks than the previous Macbook Pro. Running super intensive apps on mac pro 14 doesn’t cause any lag or heating issues to the laptop.
READ FULL REVIEW – MacBook Pro 14 In Depth Review
6. Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M1 Pro/Max Chip)
Reasons to Purchase: Apple MacBook Pro 16
- All new M1 Pro or M1 Max chip delivers powerful performance.
- 10-core CPU delivers up to 2x faster performance.
- Up to 32 core GPU with up to 4x faster graphics.
- 1080p FaceTime HD camera and 16-inch liquid Retina XDR display.
- Touch ID to lock and unlock MacBook Pro 16.
- SSD Storage Up to 8TB and up to 64GB of unified memory.
- Enhance gaming performance with Adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz.
MacBook Pro 16-inch: Battery
Apple claims that the MacBook Pro 16 has a battery life of up to 21 hours. Charge 50 percent of battery within half an hour. As compared to the M1 pro chip, Max pro chip mac drains faster. If you are doing normal work on an apple mac 16 then the battery life can vary between 12 to 16 hours.
But for heavy tasks, the mac pro 16 battery life stands up to 4 or 5 hours maximum. Reducing the brightness and applying the laptop to low power mode can extend the battery life. Gaming does not affect the battery performance that much. But still, the battery life varies depending on the task.
The M1 pro Chip model is better in terms of battery as compared to the M1 max chip model. You can Only Fast charge the MacBook pro 16 with the Mag Safe connector connected to a 140 W adapter.
Apple MacBook Pro 16: Display
The display of the MacBook Pro 16 is very large and offers 1600 nits of peak brightness. The sharp screen offers vivid colors. The SDR content shows 500 nits of max brightness and HDR content shows 1000 nits of sustained brightness. Definitely better than previous mac pro models.
The blooming and ghosting issue is noticeable as the display is mini-LED but the display is still better than iPad pro 12.9/iPad pro 11. Also, there is a notch at the top of the display. The blacks are blacker and it is very hard to differentiate the display’s black from natural black.
Apple MacBook Pro 16 inch: Speakers/Keyboard
MacBook Pro 16 also has 6 speakers with new woofers but they are bigger than the mac Pro 14. Mac pro 16 speakers do not sound the same as the mac Pro 14. They are much Louder and the best speakers you will ever hear on the laptop. With the added 3″ woofer they sound brilliantly amazing.
The keyboard feels really good to the fingers and the keys feel hard not soft. The new Keyboard has shed the touch bar and added full height function keys.
Macbook Pro 16: Performance
Performance-wise the MacBook pro 16 inch is a great. Whether it is heavy editing or just web surfing, the powerful M1 pro and max chips can handle anything with ease. The MacOS is blazing fast but for gaming, video editing, m1 Max chip perform better.
The big difference between both chips is that the M1 Max Chip has a 24 or 36 core GPU whereas the M1 Pro chip has 16 core GPU. So, performance and expectations are more when we go from M1 to M1 pro to M1 Max chip.
For graphics-intensive tasks, both pro and max chip do equally well. Transferring a large number of files is a matter of seconds now. The best thing is that on transferring no overheating problems come out in front. Therefore, the MacBook pro 16 is 5-star apple laptop in terms of performance.
READ FULL REVIEW – Apple MacBook Pro 16 Inch in Depth Review
FAQ
Which MacBook has better battery Life?
The new MacBook pro 14 and 16 have powerful M1 pro/max Chips and better displays. But still, they offer great battery life. Comparing them with MacBook Pro 13, their M1 pro/Max chip consumes more power than the M1 chip.
Therefore, battery wise M1 MacBook pro 13 > M2 Macbook Pro 13 > M2 Macbook Air.
Display Wise Which Apple MacBook is a winner?
In terms of display, MacBook Pro 16 is a clear winner. It has a Liquid retina XDR display with 3456 by 2234 resolution. MacBook Pro 14 has a 3024 by 1964 resolution display. Whereas M1 & M2 MacBook pro 13 and Air have 2560 by 1600 resolution display.
Which is the best model of the Apple Macbook?
One of the best models of the MacBook is the M1 13-inch model. But Soon MacBook pro 14 and 16 will overtake the numbers of M1 mac pro 13. It is because they have better chips, better display, better speed, better CPU and GPU, and better storage.
But one negative thing about them is that they are out of budget for most people.
What is the best MacBook for college?
For students, all MacBooks in this article are the best. But we think MacBook pro 14, M1 & M2 MacBook pro 13, and M2 MacBook air will be the best macs for college students.
Which is better MacBook Pro or Air?
Both of these devices are great options. For more processing power, better battery life, and performance, M1 & M2 MacBook Pro 13 will be the right choice for you.
Is Apple Mac good for business?
For many people, Apple products seem like luxury items. They’re associated with creativity and design—and, in a lot of ways, they are. But Apple computers are also incredibly popular among businesses.
Almost every business person uses Macbook for their work. No matter which Macbook You pick, all of them are good for business.
Final thoughts
No matter which apple MacBook you pick, they all are unique in their own way and the perfect option for college students. All the above 6 MacBook’s are fast, efficient, and simple to use. They come with an inbuilt M1/M2 new technology apple chip.
Upgrading to M2 chip is worth it but you have to spend more on M2 chip MacBooks. M2 Chip does outperform the M1 chip but not the M1 Max/M1 pro chip. So, it is very important to note that MacBook Pro 14 and 16 are also great for students.
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