For grad students, there is no better laptop than Apple MacBook. As a student you don’t have to do heavy tasks on your laptop. All you need to do is online school stuff, some research, write papers, and use some basic tools for making projects on your MacBook.
Apple laptops can get you through just about any task you throw at them. They mix portability with plenty of power for almost every project most grad students will tackle.
But the question is which MacBook is best for grad school? In this article, we will review the best MacBook for grad students and at the end of this article we will list the factors you need to consider when choosing a MacBook for grad school.
Best MacBook for Grad Students
We have compiled the list of the best suited MacBook for graduate students based on processor, display, battery life, and many other things. Let’s get right into it!
1. M2 MacBook Air for grad school
| Brand | Apple |
| Color | Sliver/Midnight/Starlight/Space grey |
| Storage | From 256 GB to up to 2 TB |
| Screen Size | 13.6″ |
| Webcam | 1080p |
| RAM (Unified Memory) | From 8 GB to up to 24 GB |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1664 pixels |
| Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports | Two |
Features: M2 MacBook Air for grad school
Pros
Cons
Read Full Review – M2 MacBook Air review
2. M1 MacBook Pro for grad students
| Brand | Apple |
| Color | Sliver/Space grey |
| Storage | From 256 GB to up to 2 TB |
| Screen Size | 13.3″ |
| Webcam | 720p |
| RAM (Unified Memory) | From 8 GB to up to 16 GB |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1600 pixels |
| Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports | Two |
Features: M1 MacBook Pro for grad students
Pros
Cons
3. M2 MacBook Pro for grad students
| Brand | Apple |
| Color | Sliver/Space grey |
| Storage | From 256 GB to up to 2 TB |
| Screen Size | 13.3″ |
| Webcam | 720p |
| RAM (Unified Memory) | From 8 GB to up to 24 GB |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1600 pixels |
| Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports | Two |
Features: M2 MacBook Pro for grad students
Pros
Cons
Read Full Review – M2 MacBook Pro review
4. M1 MacBook Air for Grad school
| Brand | Apple |
| Color | Sliver/Space grey |
| Storage | From 256 GB to up to 2 TB |
| Screen Size | 13.3″ |
| Webcam | 720p |
| RAM (Unified Memory) | From 8 GB to up to 16 GB |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1600 pixels |
| Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports | Two |
Features: M1 MacBook Air for Grad school
Pros
Cons
Factors to consider when choosing a MacBook for grad students
MacBooks provide the freedom to work from anywhere and are very useful for people who are studying for an academic degree or are soon going to do a 4 or 5 year degree in any field.
This is what you need to look for in a MacBook as a grad student before making any decision to purchase.
Display
The 13-inch display is more than enough for any grad student. This display size is easy enough to carry around from one class to another. Small display size means the laptop will be small in size and will be effectively portable.
All the 4 MacBooks we reviewed in this article are very close to the recommended 13-inch display. Their display colors are good and vibrant. Text appears sharp on displays and their LED backlighting delivers white bright and deep blacks.
Webcam & Mics
As a grad student it is very important to have a great webcam and mics in your laptop while attending online classes.
The MacBook air as well as MacBook pro comes with advanced sharp and detailed resolution webcam. Their webcam makes the face look more natural. On the other hand, their inbuilt three array mics offer great sound quality.
Battery Life
Normal stuff like browsing, everyday work and online studies, doing assignments, and even doing heavy-duty stuff on your laptop demands a great battery life.
Make sure to go for that MacBook which has higher standby time. We recommend M1 MacBook pro and M2 MacBook Pro because both these MacBooks are known for their excellent battery life.
Battery life of M1 and M2 MacBook air are also good. But not good as pro models.
Processor, GPU, and CPU
A suitable MacBook for grad school must have a powerful processing chip to handle more intensive tasks with ease. Must have high-core GPU to display images and videos in high quality and high-core CPU with fast processing power.
Almost every MacBook comes with a high performing System on a chip (SOC) with high core GPU and CPU.
We recommend M2 MacBook Pro and M2 MacBook air for grad school students because M2 chip is more powerful and is the latest chip in the market with improved performance. But they are not cheap as M1 MacBook air and Pro.
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