If you are a student who is considering purchasing an Apple MacBook computer for study purposes, you should consider the size of the model you want, the storage capacity you need and how much you are willing to spend.
Screen size affects what you can see and see on your MacBook and how easy it is to hold. If you need to take long walks around campus or study in a small space, you may prefer a smaller screen. For example, processor speed affects your MacBook's ability to handle multiple tasks and applications: if you frequently use heavy software, you may need a faster processor.
To help you decide which model is right for you, we've listed the best MacBook computers for college students below:
1- The 15-inch MacBook Air:
Apple will launch the 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip in June 2023. The device combines a slim design, powerful performance, medium size, and portability.
The M2 processor is more than enough for everyday tasks like reading email, browsing the web, and most study-related tasks. The 15-inch MacBook Air M2 features a 10-core GPU and can be configured with 8, 16, or 24 GB of unified memory.
Apple claims that the Apple processor is 12 times faster than the fastest Intel-powered MacBook Air, and twice as fast as competing laptops with the latest Intel Core i7 processors.
The thickness of the device is only 0.45 inches, the screen resolution is 2880 pixels by 1864 pixels (Liquid Retina), it has a design with rounded corners and it supports True Tone technology. The 15-inch screen gives you more room to work with different windows than the 13-inch model.
The 15-inch MacBook Air, which allows up to 15 hours of web browsing over Wi-Fi and 18 hours of Apple TV movie playback, is available from the Apple Education Store starting at $1,199.
2- 14 inch MacBook Pro computers:
If your learning tasks require extensive application usage, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is the best choice. Apple has updated the MacBook Pro in 2023, adding its own M2 Pro and M2 Max processors, making the MacBook Pro more powerful and ideal for students whose studies require challenging projects and tasks such as programming and video editing.
The MacBook Pro shares the same exterior design as the previous models, but the new processors make a huge difference in speed and performance compared to the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors.
The M2 Pro model has either a 10-core CPU and a 16-core GPU or a 12-core CPU and a 19-core GPU. It also features a 16-core Neural Engine that's 40% faster than the M1 version and a slightly faster media engine.
If you want the highest possible MacBook performance, choose a model with the M2 Max processor. These models come with up to 64GB of RAM and different CPU and GPU options, with models available with 10- or 12-core CPUs and 16- or 32-core GPUs.
You also get up to 8TB of SSD storage, and Apple says the M2 Max has a 30% faster GPU than the M1 Pro.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro can last up to 18 hours playing movies and just 12 hours surfing the Internet over WiFi. Prices start at $1,849 in the Apple Education Store.
3- 13 inch MacBook Air M1 computers:
The MacBook Air M1 is powered by the M1 processor for most basic to moderate daily study tasks and offers up to 18 hours of battery life. It features an octa-core processor, GPU 7, 8GB unified storage, and 256GB SSD.
The MacBook Air M1 computer can run iOS apps, which means you can use your favorite iPhone and iPad apps on your Mac. Pricing starts at $899 in the Apple Education Store.