Australian shoppers looking for EOFY offers, or waiting for early Amazon Prime Day tech deals, now have another price shift to factor in. Apple has raised local prices across several major product categories, including the new MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, iPad range, Apple TV 4K, HomePod mini and more.
The timing is awkward, but it also hasn't come from nowhere. Apple has usually been better than most tech companies at absorbing supply chain pressure before it reaches shoppers, though the current RAM and component crunch has been dragging on for long enough to change that calculation.
The warning signs came last month, when Tim Cook flagged "significantly higher memory costs" on an earnings call, then said RAM prices would "drive an increasing impact" on Apple products from this month.
One of the clearest examples is the new MacBook Neo, Apple's lower-cost MacBook model and the machine most likely to appeal to students, or anyone trying to get a new Apple laptop for less than MacBook Air money. In Australia it launched with a price from AU$899. It now starts at AU$1,049, so it has lost some of its entry-level appeal.
Sure, it’s still Apple's cheapest laptop, but the higher starting price makes it less competitive against Windows laptops that have been fighting to compete with the Neo. The 512GB model with Touch ID has also gone from AU$1,099 to AU$1,249.
The MacBook Air has lost some of its competitive edge, and the 13-inch model with the M5 chip (check out our MacBook Air 13-inch M5 review) has jumped from AU$1,799 to AU$2,099 to start.
The 15-inch model is up by the same AU$300 amount, from AU$2,199 to AU$2,499. For a laptop that often sits in the middle of Apple's consumer Mac range, that is a significant hit to its value proposition.
The MacBook Pro increases are especially notable in some configurations. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 now starts at AU$3,199, up from AU$2,699, and the higher-end M5 Max models have also moved up by several hundred dollars. Buyers looking at extra memory or storage were already dealing with expensive upgrades, so the higher base prices only make that decision harder.
The Mac mini is another notable hit. It has gone from AU$999 to AU$1,299, which is a 30% increase on a machine that has often been one of the easier Apple desktops to justify on price.
The iPad range is up, which matters for students, families and anyone who was looking at a new tablet for work, study, travel or general use. The 11-inch iPad Air now starts at AU$1,249, up from AU$999, while the standard iPad, iPad mini and iPad Pro models have also increased.
The rises are not limited to Macs and iPads. HomePod mini has gone from AU$149 to AU$199, HomePod is up from AU$479 to AU$549, and Apple TV 4K has jumped from AU$219 to AU$299. Vision Pro was already a niche product at AU$5,999, and the new AU$6,299 starting price certainly does not broaden its appeal.
Apple's iPhone lineup, Apple Watch and AirPods appear to have avoided this round of increases at least. That helps limit the pain for some buyers, but it doesn’t change the issue for anyone who was waiting to buy a Mac, iPad or other Apple device.
Device | Old price | New price | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
iPad | AU$599 | AU$749 | AU$150 (25%) |
iPad Air 11 | AU$999 | AU$1,249 | AU$250 (25%) |
iPad Air 13 | AU$1,349 | AU$1,599 | AU$250 (19%) |
iPad Pro 11 | AU$1,699 | AU$1,999 | AU$300 (18%) |
iPad Pro 13 | AU$2,199 | AU$2,599 | AU$400 (18%) |
iPad mini | AU$799 | AU$949 | AU$150 (19%) |
Device | Old price | New price | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
MacBook Neo | AU$899 | AU$1,049 | AU$150 (17%) |
MacBook Neo 512GB with Touch ID | AU$1,099 | AU$1,249 | AU$150 (14%) |
MacBook Air 13 | AU$1,799 | AU$2,099 | AU$300 (17%) |
MacBook Air 15 | AU$2,199 | AU$2,499 | AU$300 (14%) |
MacBook Pro 14-inch M5 | AU$2,699 | AU$3,199 | AU$500 (19%) |
MacBook Pro 14-inch M5 Pro | AU$3,499 | AU$3,999 | AU$500 (14%) |
MacBook Pro 16-inch M5 Pro | AU$4,299 | AU$4,799 | AU$500 (12%) |
MacBook Pro 14-inch M5 Max | AU$5,799 | AU$6,399 | AU$600 (10%) |
MacBook Pro 16-inch M5 Max | AU$6,299 | AU$6,999 | AU$700 (11%) |
Mac mini | AU$999 | AU$1,299 | AU$300 (30%) |
iMac | AU$1,999 | AU$2,399 | AU$400 (20%) |
Mac Studio (M4 Max) | AU$3,499 | AU$4,299 | AU$800 (23%) |
Mac Studio (M3 Ultra) | AU$6,999 | AU$9,099 | AU$2,100 (30%) |
Device | Old price | New price | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
HomePod mini | AU$149 | AU$199 | AU$50 (34%) |
HomePod | AU$479 | AU$549 | AU$70 (15%) |
Apple TV 4K | AU$219 | AU$299 | AU$80 (37%) |
Vision Pro | AU$5,999 | AU$6,299 | AU$300 (5%) |
Of course, Apple is not the only company dealing with higher memory and storage costs, but the scale of these changes is still pretty notable. Price rises across one or two products are easy enough to explain. Price rises across most of Apple’s range are not something that’s easily avoided.
An Apple spokesperson said: “The consumer electronics industry is facing an unprecedented challenge. The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage. We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly. We have shielded our customers from these increases so far, but we have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products, including today’s increases for iPad and Mac. We know this is not welcome news, and we are working tirelessly to find solutions.”
The main question is whether the Australian prices come back down if the RAM shortage eases, or whether these higher starting points become normal. We are hopeful, but Apple hasn’t promised a reversal.
For now, local retailers may be worth checking more closely, especially if older stock or short-term deal pricing remains available during EOFY and early Prime Day sales periods.
To help out, we have included some of the better remaining Apple deals below.
All these MacBook Neos on Amazon are currently listed as temporarily out of stock, but you can still order then from Amazon at this price to lock it in, and then Amazon will ship it out once available. With stock disappearing quickly, this might be one of your best ways to score the old price, as long as you don't mind waiting for delivery.
You can also get the 512GB model for AU$1,079, also temporarily out of stock, but still able to be ordered. View Deal
The MacBook Air M5 launched recently, so most of this saving comes from Apple's price hikes, but that means it's still a useful discount on Apple's newest lightweight laptop. In comparison, it's currently AU$2,099 from Apple. Want to know more? Check out our MacBook Air M5 review.
Also consider the 1TB SSD model for AU$1,897 — now AU$2,549 from Apple. Or the 24GB RAM, 1TB Air, for AU$2,197 — now AU$2,849 from Apple. View Deal
The 15-inch MacBook Air is currently AU$2,499 from Apple, so this is now a solid discount. Keep in mind that it is temporarily out of stock, so you can order now but delivery will be delayed.
Also consider the 1TB SSD model for AU$2,297 — now AU$2,949 from Apple. Or the 24GB RAM, 1TB Air, for AU$2,697 — now AU$3,249 from Apple. View Deal
This 16GB MacBook Pro currently has a great discount from Amazon compared to buying it for AU$3,199 from Apple. There's very limited stock though so it will likely sell out fast.View Deal
This is a tempting discount on the 11-inch iPad Air (base price was AU$999 yesterday) if you want a fast, lightweight tablet for streaming, study or work without stepping up to an iPad Pro. The M3 chip gives it plenty of headroom for multitasking and creative apps, and our iPad Air 11-inch (2025) review noted its excellent screen and impressive battery life.View Deal
These products haven't gone up in price, but they're still great deals. Want more? Check out our dedicated EOFY Apple sales page. Or for more laptops, take a look at our best EOFY laptop deals.
This four-pack is a decent buy if you want to cover keys, bags, wallets and luggage in one go, especially in an iPhone household. Our AirTag 2 hands-on found the new model easier to find from farther away and clearly louder than the original. View Deal
The AirPods 4 are a tempting buy if you want Apple’s latest open-fit earbuds without stepping up to the ANC model. Our AirPods 4 review found they sounded good and offered a secure, comfortable fit despite the lack of in-ear tips.View Deal
This is a tempting price for iPhone users who want a full-featured Apple Watch without jumping to the Ultra. The always-on display, ECG app, sleep score and fitness tracking make it a useful everyday smartwatch, while the 42mm case is the more manageable size. Our Apple Watch Series 11 review praised the improved battery life, though Series 10 owners have less reason to upgrade.View Deal
While this discount is small, the iPhone 16e is a decent buy if you’re after a lower-cost iPhone with Apple Intelligence support, especially if you’re upgrading from an older SE model. The A18 chip, 6.1-inch OLED display and USB-C port make it feel much more modern. Our iPhone 16e review praised its screen and performance, but the single rear camera and lack of MagSafe may matter to some people.View Deal
Apple can be its own worst enemy sometimes. After shaking up the industry with both the MacBook Air M5 (slim, light and great value for money) and the MacBook Neo (which redefined what we should expect from an affordable laptop), it spurred its laptop-making rivals, such as Dell and Acer, to up their game and compete.
The result is a reinvigorated laptop market with huge amounts of choice, with Apple continuing to lead the pack due to price and quality.
However, Apple has just announced some pretty major price hikes for a variety of its products, including the MacBook Neo ($699 / £699 / AU$1,049, up from $599 / £599 / AU$899), MacBook Air M5 ($1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,099, up from $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799) and the 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 ($1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,199, up from $1,699 / £1,699 / AU$2,699).
Those increases, especially for the MacBook Air, are brutal, and make it a lot harder to justify. The MacBook Neo also becomes less of a no-brainer.
The problem for Apple is that these price hikes come at a time when its Windows 11 competitors are steadily bringing out brilliant alternatives - and it means they are now better value propositions in many cases, especially during Amazon Prime Day.
• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale
The reason behind Apple's price rises is the global memory shortage, but that means many Windows 11 laptops could see price rises as well (and some have risen in price already).
However, because of the huge variety of Windows laptops that are made by a range of manufacturers, there's a lot more choice for consumers to shop around for — and now Apple no longer has a lead when it comes to price, performance or design, those Windows laptops suddenly become a whole lot more tempting, as the current Prime Day sales prove.
Below, I've picked out some great US and UK deals for MacBook Neo, Air, and Pro alternatives. Fair warning: they do run Windows 11, so you'll need to put up with that, but to be fair, Microsoft's operating system is getting a steady stream of fixes and new features these days.
If you want to stick with Apple, then check out our collection of Apple Prime Day deals that can help you avoid the price rise.
Processor: Intel Core i3-1315U
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 256GB
This is a great price for a relatively modern laptop with a well-performing, efficient Core i3 CPU. On top of that, you get 16GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a solid battery life of up to 12 hours, which represents good value for money overall. I like it as a capable, all-around, everyday machine. View Deal
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 7730U
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
The Acer Aspire Go 15 is a lightweight and surprisingly powerful laptop for the price, which is now less than the MacBook Neo, and offers more storage space and RAM. We reviewed it last year and scored it an impressive four stars out of five. Although it's not a high-end laptop by any stretch, it is very usable, lightweight, and features plenty of ports. This particular configuration features a Ryzen 7 chipset, meaning it's powerful enough to take on most applications.View Deal
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 5
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
This Dell 16 Plus laptop deal is a perfect example of why Apple is in trouble with these price rises. Thanks to an absolutely huge $800 price cut from Dell (can you ever imagine Apple offering a similar discount?) This 16-inch laptop is now less than the MacBook Neo, but it offers a bigger screen, a more powerful CPU, plus more RAM and SSD storage as well. This is a deal you don't want to miss, even if you're an Apple fan.View Deal
Processor: AMD Ryzen AI 5 340
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
The Dell 14 Plus is one of our favorite mid-range Windows laptops thanks to its excellent design and competitive specs. If I were looking for a decent everyday laptop for everything from work to demanding productivity applications, then I'd be very tempted by this deal.View Deal
Processor: AMD Ryzen AI 7
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB
This powerful and versatile Lenovo Yoga 7 offers impressive performance for the price, with high-end components such as a modern AMD Ryzen AI 7 processor, a healthy 16GB of RAM to boost performance, and a large 1TB SSD for storage. You can comfortably handle everyday tasks, demanding work, video calls, media streaming and more with this laptop, all with the option to flip it around to a 16-inch touchscreen tablet when the need arises, too.View Deal
Processor: AMD Ryzen AI 7 350
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB
The Dell 14 Plus is one of our favorite models from Dell in the past few years. It really surprised us when we reviewed it because it offers great performance and a well-thought-out design at an excellent price. Today's best deal is on this Ryzen 7-equipped configuration, which offers plenty of power in this machine's portable 14-inch form factor. View Deal
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
This HP Omnibook 7 hits the sweet spot between performance and price, thanks to a hefty discount at the official store today. Not only do you get a powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 chipset, but 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD mean you're not skimping on any other specs here, either. As a 2-in-1 laptop, this machine is also foldable, if you want to use it like a tablet - something that no MacBook offers.View Deal
Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 512GB
One of the best deals on the entire Dell site is undoubtedly this discount on the latest Snapdragon-equipped Dell XPS 13. This stylish and lightweight machine is perfect for those who want battery life and performance in a premium package. This particular configuration also includes 32GB of RAM, which is a very rare thing indeed these days at this price. Note, this is a Snapdragon chipset model, however, so make sure all your obscure apps are supported.View Deal
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 256V
RAM: 16GB DDR5
Storage: 1TB SSD
As I said in my Galaxy Book6 Ultra review, Samsung has come the closest to Apple's slick ecosystem. One of the best things about MacBooks is how they can easily integrate with iPads, iPhones and AirPods, and Samsung, which makes tablets, smartphones, headphones and more, has come up with a similar (if not quite as slick) system, which makes the (slightly older) Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 a brilliant MacBook Pro alternative, especially if you already have other Samsung devices. The specs also compare favorably to the MacBook Pro, especially with this discount.View Deal
Graphics card: RTX 5070
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9-275HX
RAM: 32GB DDR5
Storage: 2TB SSD
With an RTX 5070 graphics card, Ultra 9 chipset, and a whopping 32GB of RAM, this one is all set for excellent performance right out of the box, while featuring a relatively discrete and slick design for a gaming laptop, and a price that undercuts the MacBook Pro.View Deal
Graphics card: GeForce RTX 5080
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB
Need a monster of a laptop? Forget Amazon, Best Buy has you covered: the MSI Vector 16 HX AI packs a mighty RTX 5080 GPU along with a cutting-edge Intel Core Ultra HX chip with built-in NPU for handling AI workloads as well as multitasking when gaming. This is a great MacBook Pro alternative for creative professionals, even if you don't play games.View Deal
Processor: Intel Core i5
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
This is a great price for a relatively modern laptop that comes with a well-performing Intel Core i5 CPU. On top of that, you get 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD for storage, and incredible battery life, which represents good value for money overall. It's slightly larger with the 16-inch display, which could hamper portability, but it's a solid everyday machine for the price, and it's now much cheaper than the MacBook Neo.View Deal
Processor: Snapdragon X
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB
This is a great price with a well-performing and efficient Snapdragon X CPU. On top of that, you get 16GB of RAM, a surprisingly large 1TB SSD for storage, and incredible battery life, which represents good value for money overall. I like it as a light, portable and capable all-around everyday machine.View Deal
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB
This is a fantastic price for one of the latest Samsung laptops with a modern Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and several other top-spec components. At £350 off, this is a great price for a laptop that's tailor-made for powerful performance and offers fantastic battery life of up to 18 hours. This is a particularly strong option if you want to combine power, performance, and style in one package.View Deal
Processor: Snapdragon X Plus
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
The latest Microsoft Surface Laptop is one of our favourite Windows devices and received a glowing five-stars in our Microsoft Surface Laptop review, so I'm obviously going to call out this solid saving at Amazon. This particular specification includes a powerful Snapdragon X Plus processor, a healthy 16GB of RAM and a reasonable 512GB SSD. That storage feels a little light for the price, but the levels of performance and battery life from the CPU are top-tier to go alongside the swish-looking display and keyboard.View Deal
Processor: AMD Ryzen AI 7 350
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB
The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is one of the best laptops students can buy, as it uses AMD's Ryzen AI 7 350 processor. It's capable of storming through intense CPU tasks, utilizing AI like Copilot+, and gaming thanks to its Radeon 860M integrated GPU.View Deal
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 5 325
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
Thanks to a huge £300 saving, the Galaxy Book6 Pro is now a formidable MacBook Pro competitor, especially when you consider the performance, design and ecosystem integration this laptop offers. If you have a Samsung tablet, for example, you can quickly use it as a second screen, much like you can do with an iPad and MacBook. The rest of the Galaxy Book6 Pro's build quality is extremely high, and what we've come to expect from Samsung's high-end laptops.View Deal
Graphics card: GeForce RTX 5060
Processor: Intel Core 7
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB
Alienware gaming laptops never come cheap, but I actually rate this deal on the newest Aurora 16 model at the official Dell Store. With a stonking £550 off, you're paying a fair price here considering you're getting an RTX 5060 graphics card and 16GB of RAM. Couple that with a really nice design, and you've got an extremely solid 16-inch gaming laptop here, and it's a solid MacBook Pro alternative, as you can challenge the GPU with creative workloads. View Deal
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB
This thin and light powerhouse of a laptop from MSI is a fantastic alternative to the base MacBook Pro model thanks to its stunning 2.8K OLED screen, 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD, which gives you the kind of performance you'd expect from the more expensive MacBook Pro. With a 14% price cut for Prime Day, it's an even more tempting alternative, and the overall design of this laptop is excellent.View Deal
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 2TB
Another great thing about Windows 11 laptops is that because of the range of manufacturers, there are some really interesting spins on the usual form factor. So, while Apple won't even consider putting a touchscreen on a MacBook, over on the other side we have weird and wonderful beauties like this, which features two touchscreens. It works well and can be a real boon for creative tasks, and it's also fitted with some of the most powerful mobile components on the market as well.View Deal
Google’s AI tools help educators support their teaching goals and provide personalized experiences to help students learn in the way that works best for them — all withi…Apple has just announced that it has hiked prices for its line-up of MacBooks and iPads. MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are expected to see prices rise by up to $400 in some cases, while the budget-friendly MacBook Neo is expected to see its MSRP rise by $100, from $599 to $699.
Luckily, we're in Amazon Prime Day sales week, and discounts are live on Amazon for several Apple MacBooks from 2026 and 2025. Now really might be your last chance to secure a decent deal on a new MacBook before Apple's new pricing structure filters down, as we'll be expecting tech retailers (including Amazon) to raise prices to match Apple's own soon enough.
● Check out these Apple deals at Amazon
These deals won't be around for long, either. With price rises now confirmed, those thinking about purchasing one of these Apple laptops will be rushing to hit the purchase button before paying extra. Stock shortages, especially on the cheapest models, could become a real possibility by the end of this sales week.
If you're interested, here are some of the best MacBook deals on sale right now, because you'll want to jump on them while you can.
MacBook Pro, Air, and Neo models from 2025 and 2026 are all on sale right now at Amazon for Prime Day. Amazon hasn't put all models on sale, however, but here are some of the deals we've spotted so far.
One thing to point out, however, is the MacBook Neo. Apple has just raised its MSRP to $699, meaning that Amazon's $589.99 price is $110 cheaper. This will not last long, so make sure to grab it at this price.
Other MacBook models, including the MacBook Air 2026 with a 512GB SSD, are seeing $200 price rises. The MacBook Pro, meanwhile, is getting a price rise of up to $400. This isn't reflected in these Amazon deal prices yet, which have knocked up to $150 off Apple's original prices, so you're guaranteed an even bigger bargain today if you can get your order in quickly enough.
No discounts (right now) on the new MacBook Neo, but it's sub-$600 price is still available at Amazon, at least for now. The MacBook Neo features a gorgeous 13-inch liquid retina display, an A18 Pro processor, 8GB of unified memory, 256GB of SSD storage, and a 1080p webcam. All packed in a thin and sturdy metal chassis. View Deal
The new 2026 MacBook Air now comes with the new M5 chip. This model ships with a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, 16GB memory, and 1TB of SSD storage.View Deal
Similar spec to the model above, but this MacBook Air has a smaller 512GB SSD.View Deal
The faster, more powerful 2026 MacBook Pro. This model, with its M5 Pro chip, has a 15-core CPU and 16-core GPU. It comes with 24GB memory and a 1TB SSD.View Deal
This elite-level 2026 MacBook Pro is a serious option for productivity. It has the 18-core CPU, 20-core GPU version of the M5 Pro chip. You also get 24GB of memory and a 1TB SSD for View Deal
The Apple MacBook Pro with M5 Max is the top-tier option for professionals. This model ships with an 18-core CPU/32-core GPU version of the M5 Max chip, along with a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina display. It comes with 36GB memory and a 2TB SSD.View Deal
Secure big savings ahead of these Apple price rises on the MacBook Pro 2026 with an even faster M5 Max chip, this model shipping with an 18-core CPU/40-core GPU variant. It has a bigger 16.2-inch Liquid Retina display, 48GB of memory, and a 2TB SSD for storage.View Deal
This 2025-model MacBook Pro ships with the 10-core M5 chip. It has a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina display, 16GB memory, and a 1TB SSD for storage.View Deal
This 2025-model MacBook Pro ships with the 10-core M5 chip. It has a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina display, 16GB memory, and a 1TB SSD for storage.View Deal
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Yes, the news that Apple fans have been fearing is here — Apple isn't immune to the RAM crisis and has just raised prices across Macs, iPads and the HomePod mini.
Those price hikes are global and are now live in its online store. An Apple spokesperson told Bloomberg "we know this is not welcome news, and we are working tirelessly to find solutions".
The headline news is that the MacBook Neo, praised for its excellent value, has seen its starting rise from $599 / £599 to a slightly less palatable $699 / £699. There have also been price hikes for the iPad Air, iPad Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini and some Mac Studio models.
What should you do if you were looking to buy one of those Apple products? You've can follow all the latest reaction and deals here in this liveblog...
Hello, and welcome to this liveblog for our reaction to Apple's bombshell news today that it'll be raising prices across Macs, iPads and more.
I'd call it a 'shock' but if you've been following the news lately, it sadly isn't. The RAM crisis news continues to worsen, and Tim Cook recently dropped an unsubtle hint that "price increases are unavoidable".
So what should you do if, like me, you've been looking at upgrading your Apple kit recently? I'll be rounding up all of the latest advice and reaction from TechRadar's experts here — along with the best Prime day deals that could be your savior.
The RAM crisis is actually more of a PC component crisis — and unsurprisingly, Apple has said that it's this that's forced it to make unprecedented price hikes today.
An Apple spokesperson told Bloomberg that “the rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage”. They added that the company has “never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly.”
It's very unusual for Apple make statements like this, which shows how bad the crisis has become. Apple also added it has “shielded our customers from these increases so far, but we have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products including today’s increases for iPad and Mac.”
Here's a list of the most notable price hikes today for Apple products in the US and UK.
This isn't an exhaustive list — there are various spec configurations for Macs, for example, that will also be hit, particularly if you want to add more RAM.
But it's a handy overview if you want a quick look at the damage for your chosen product. No price hikes are welcome, but those MacBook and Mac mini ones are particularly painful considering the decent value they previously offered.
New price | Old price | Price difference | |
MacBook Neo | $699 | $599 | +$100 |
MacBook Air | $1299 | $1099 | +$200 |
MacBook Pro | $1999 | $1699 | +$300 |
Mac mini | $799 | $599 | +$200 |
iMac | $1499 | $1299 | +$200 |
Mac Studio | $2499 | $1999 | +$500 |
iPad A16 | $449 | $349 | +$100 |
iPad mini | $599 | $499 | +$100 |
iPad Air | $749 | $599 | +$250 |
iPad Pro | $1199 | $999 | +$200 |
HomePod | $349 | $299 | +$50 |
HomePod mini | $129 | $99 | +$30 |
Apple TV | $199 | $129 | $70 |
New price | Old price | Price difference | |
MacBook Neo | £699 | £599 | +£100 |
MacBook Air | £1299 | £1099 | +£200 |
MacBook Pro | £1999 | £1699 | +£300 |
Mac mini | £799 | £699 | +£100 |
Mac Studio (M4 Max) | £2499 | £1999 | +£500 |
Mac Studio (M3 Ultra) | £5,299 | £3,999 | +£1300 |
iPad Air | £749 | £599 | +£250 |
iPad Pro | £1199 | £999 | +£200 |
If there is a small crumb of comfort from today's news, it's that there are some good deals around at Apple's old prices — which could net you some big savings.
I'll be running through some of the best of them now in this liveblog, for both the US and UK. And I have a personal stake in this too, having mulled over buying a MacBook Pro M5 just a few days ago (yes, it hurts).
So without further ago, let's get deals hunting...
The iPad deals below just got a whole lot better in light of today's Apple price hikes.
The iPad A16, for example, is now effectively $150 off, rather than just $50 in the US. Similarly, the iPad Pro's sale price of $899 is now a massive $300 less than Apple's new price, rather than the still-decent $100 saving you got previously.
For those in the UK, there aren't quite as many Prime Day deals right now, but there is a good one on the older iPad Air 11-inch (M3).
While Apple just raised the starting price of the iPad A16 to $449, Amazon still has it down to just $299 for Prime Day. The most significant upgrade for this model over the previous generation is the A16 chip for faster performance, and you'll also get double the storage as standard (128GB instead of 64GB).
Other features include a sharp 11-inch Liquid Retina display and solid 12MP front- and rear-facing cameras, making this iPad the best iPad for casual streamers and scrollers.
Read our 11-inch iPad A16 review here.View Deal
Amazon has the newest iPad Air with the M4 chipset on sale for $519 right now, which is an even stronger deal with Apple's new starting price set at $749 for the 11-inch Air. In addition to Apple's superfast M4 chip inside, this iPad features a crisp Liquid Retina display, 128GB of storage as standard, 12MP front and rear cameras, and support for Apple's AI features.
Apple's iPad Pro offers one of the best views on any tablet, thanks to a Tandem OLED Ultra Retina XDR display, and excellent performance from the superfast M5 chip under the hood. For Prime Day, Amazon has the Wi-Fi, 256GB 11-inch iPad Pro with M5 at just $899, which is a 10% discount for Prime Day, but an even larger discount over Apple's new price of $1,199.
Much like the larger iPad Air, the 13-inch iPad Pro offers the excellent top-of-the-line iPad experience at an even bigger scale. It has an excellent, vibrant OLED screen and great performance thanks to the M5 chip. It's $100 off on Prime Day at Amazon, at just $1,099 for the Wi-Fi 256GB variant, and that's an even larger discount over Apple's new starting price of $1,499.View Deal
If you prefer a tablet with a larger display, you can save £200 on the 13-inch iPad Air with an M3 chip and bag one for its lowest-ever price at Amazon. Apart from the bigger screen, it's identical to the 11-inch version. So, you get the same powerful M3 chip, a sharp Liquid Retina display, 12MP front and back cameras, 128GB of storage at a minimum, and Apple Intelligence compatibility for all the fancy new AI features.View Deal
Fortunately, the iPhone is unaffected by today's price hikes — for now. But there's a good chance we'll see the iPhone 18 Pro get a price bump when it lands in September.
This week, we saw speculation based on JP Morgan research that the iPhone 18 Pro could get a price increase of $50-$100. It true, that would be pretty acceptable compared to the bigger price rises we've seen today.
The Apple Watch and AirPods have both also been spared price increases, though they could also be susceptible later this year (if to a lesser extent than Macs and iPads).
If you're looking to buy a MacBook, the Prime Day deals just became a lot more important — maybe even essential, given the unprecedented Apple price hikes we've seen today.
For example, in the US you can buy the MacBook Neo (Apple's most affordable laptop) for $110 less than Apple's new pricing. Earlier today, that discount was only $10.
There are even bigger savings on pricier models like the MacBook Pro. The base 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 model is available for $1549 in the US, a massive $450 under Apple's new official price. How long these deals will last, though, is anyone's guess...
Apple's MacBook Neo has been a hit since its launch earlier this year, and Prime Day is your chance to save on this impressive machine. Right now, Amazon has the starting configuration at just $589.99, which isn't the largest discount, but still some savings. For that, you can get a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, an A18 Pro chip, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and up to 16 hours of battery life.
That Prime Day discount is made even stronger, as the Neo now starts at $699 from Apple, so it's effectively over $100 off.View Deal
If you're after the MacBook Neo with Touch ID built into the color-matched keyboard and 512GB of storage versus the 256GB starting size, Amazon's also discounting the higher-end model. This MacBook Neo is seeing a similar 2% discount, down to $689.99 from $699. But again, that's an even bigger discount now as Apple is listing this at $799!View Deal
With an impressive $150 discount, this Prime Day deal makes the 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 an excellent purchase. And Apple's price increase makes this even more of a steal, as it's $949 on Amazon and starts at $1,299 from Apple. For that price, you get the latest chipset, 16GB of RAM, and a bigger 512GB SSD for much less. Simply, it's a workhorse.
Read our MacBook Air 13-inch M5 review here.View Deal
After a larger screen, but still ultra-portable Mac? Well, the 15-inch MacBook Air with M5 is also discounted for Prime Day, down to $1,149.99 in every color. That's an even better deal than the now-$1,4999 starting price directly from Apple for the same configuration.View Deal
If you don't need an M5 Pro or M5 Max but still want a larger 14-inch screen with a Pro shell that offers more ports, Prime Day is also bringing discounts on the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip. Right now, the starting configuration with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage is 9% off at $1,549. That is an even larger discount than Apple's, though, as the M5 MacBook Pro now starts at $1,999 there.View Deal
For creative professionals, the 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by the performance-driven M5 Pro chip is the one to choose, and Prime Day has it starting at $1,549. This beast flies through demanding workloads like video editing without skipping a beat. It's also a major discount compared to Apple's now-$2,499 starting MSRP.
Read our full MacBook Pro M5 review here.View Deal
The latest MacBook Neo has been available for less earlier this Prime Day, but is still on sale for £50 below RRP. This brand-new and fantastic laptop packs a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, an A18 Pro chip, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and up to 16 hours of battery life, all for only £650.View Deal
We're officially on day three of Prime Day 2026, and Amazon's discounts on MacBooks and iPads couldn't be better timed.
Apple just raised prices across nearly its entire Mac lineup — including MacBooks, iMac, and Mac Studio — alongside the iPad family and home products such as the HomePod and Apple TV 4K.
While Apple's online store is already reflecting the higher prices, Amazon is still offering some of the best discounts we've seen all year on MacBooks and iPads — even without updating the new original prices.
Those deals look even better now that Apple's higher MSRPs are officially in effect. For instance, Apple now lists the 13-inch MacBook Air with the M5 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage at $1,299.99, but Amazon currently has it for $949. Likewise, the entry-level iPad now starts at $449 from Apple, while Amazon is selling it for just $299.
There's no telling how long these prices will last — though we're hoping they stick around through the remainder of Prime Day's four-day run. For now, keep scrolling for the best live deals on Macs, iPads, and Apple home devices that let you beat Apple's latest price increase.
You can even use the sidebar to jump to specific sections for each device category in the United States and the UK. Furthermore, while Apple hasn't raised prices for the Apple Watch, AirTags, or iPhone, I'm including deals for those as well since it's Prime Day after all.
While Apple just raised the starting price of the iPad A16 to $449, Amazon still has it down to just $299 for Prime Day. The most significant upgrade for this model over the previous generation is the A16 chip for faster performance, and you'll also get double the storage as standard (128GB instead of 64GB).
Other features include a sharp 11-inch Liquid Retina display and solid 12MP front- and rear-facing cameras, making this iPad the best iPad for casual streamers and scrollers.
Read our 11-inch iPad A16 review here.View Deal
Amazon has the newest iPad Air with the M4 chipset on sale for $519 right now, which is an even stronger deal with Apple's new starting price set at $749 for the 11-inch Air. In addition to Apple's superfast M4 chip inside, this iPad features a crisp Liquid Retina display, 128GB of storage as standard, 12MP front and rear cameras, and support for Apple's AI features.
Apple's iPad Pro offers one of the best views on any tablet, thanks to a Tandem OLED Ultra Retina XDR display, and excellent performance from the superfast M5 chip under the hood. For Prime Day, Amazon has the Wi-Fi, 256GB 11-inch iPad Pro with M5 at just $899, which is a 10% discount for Prime Day, but an even larger discount over Apple's new price of $1,199.
Much like the larger iPad Air, the 13-inch iPad Pro offers the excellent top-of-the-line iPad experience at an even bigger scale. It has an excellent, vibrant OLED screen and great performance thanks to the M5 chip. It's $100 off on Prime Day at Amazon, at just $1,099 for the Wi-Fi 256GB variant, and that's an even larger discount over Apple's new starting price of $1,499.View Deal
Apple's MacBook Neo has been a hit since its launch earlier this year, and Prime Day is your chance to save on this impressive machine. Right now, Amazon has the starting configuration at just $589.99, which isn't the largest discount, but still some savings. For that, you can get a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, an A18 Pro chip, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and up to 16 hours of battery life.
That Prime Day discount is made even stronger, as the Neo now starts at $699 from Apple, so it's effectively over $100 off.View Deal
If you're after the MacBook Neo with Touch ID built into the color-matched keyboard and 512GB of storage versus the 256GB starting size, Amazon's also discounting the higher-end model. This MacBook Neo is seeing a similar 2% discount, down to $689.99 from $699. But again, that's an even bigger discount now as Apple is listing this at $799!View Deal
With an impressive $150 discount, this Prime Day deal makes the 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 an excellent purchase. And Apple's price increase makes this even more of a steal, as it's $949 on Amazon and starts at $1,299 from Apple. For that price, you get the latest chipset, 16GB of RAM, and a bigger 512GB SSD for much less. Simply, it's a workhorse.
Read our MacBook Air 13-inch M5 review here.View Deal
After a larger screen, but still ultra-portable Mac? Well, the 15-inch MacBook Air with M5 is also discounted for Prime Day, down to $1,149.99 in every color. That's an even better deal than the now-$1,4999 starting price directly from Apple for the same configuration.View Deal
If you don't need an M5 Pro or M5 Max but still want a larger 14-inch screen with a Pro shell that offers more ports, Prime Day is also bringing discounts on the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip. Right now, the starting configuration with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage is 9% off at $1,549. That is an even larger discount than Apple's, though, as the M5 MacBook Pro now starts at $1,999 there.View Deal
For creative professionals, the 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by the performance-driven M5 Pro chip is the one to choose, and Prime Day has it starting at $1,549. This beast flies through demanding workloads like video editing without skipping a beat. It's also a major discount compared to Apple's now-$2,499 starting MSRP.
Read our full MacBook Pro M5 review here.View Deal
This might just be the best Prime Day tech deal — Apple's AirPods Pro 3 for $179. Apple's newest premium buds feature improved Active Noise Cancellation, outstanding audio, a comfortable in-ear design, and new features such as live translation and heart-rate tracking. These do-it-all buds really are 100% flagship audio, and the noise-canceling quality is outstanding.View Deal
The AirPods 4 are Apple's cheapest AirPods, and you can find them on sale for $99, which is the lowest price we've seen this year and $30 shy of the record-low. The AirPods 4 feature a new design for all-day comfort and feature Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation. You also get a redesigned case with 30 hours of battery life and support for wireless charging via USB-C.
Read our full Apple AirPods 4 reviewView Deal
Amazon has the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation on sale for $148.99, which is the best deal you can find right now. The AirPods 4 feature a new comfortable design, handy controls, and Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation.
Read our full AirPods 4 with ANC reviewView Deal
Amazon has the all-new AirPods Max 2 on sale for $399, which is the lowest price we've seen. The over-ear headphones now include Apple's H2 chip, which delivers adaptive audio, personalized volume, and improved voice isolation, resulting in superior sound. You're also getting up to 1.5x more Active Noise Cancellation and 20 hours of battery life.
Read our full AirPods Max 2 reviewView Deal
If you haven't heard, wired headphones are all the rage, which is why Apple's EarPods for $14.88 are an excellent Prime Day deal. A slim, quality-looking design, clear sound, and comfortable fit are just a few of their best qualities. This model works with all devices that have a Lightning connector – which is iPhone 14 and before – so if you've got a newer iPhone, you'll instead want the USB-C version ($16.99 at Amazon).View Deal
Amazon has a $50 discount on the new Apple Watch SE 3, making it an excellent bargain. The Apple Watch SE 2 currently holds the position as the best budget smartwatch, but the SE 3 more than matches it — and it's a smarter buy while it's on sale this week at Amazon.
Read our full Apple Watch SE 3 reviewView Deal
My favorite Prime Day Apple deal is an over $100 discount on the Apple Watch Series 11. The thinnest Apple Watch yet, with a wraparound LTP3 OLED display, it's a great-looking watch with Apple Intelligence-powered smarts and a boosted battery, clocking in at 24 hours of average use.
Read our full Apple Watch 11 reviewView Deal
You can save $100 on the brand-new Apple Watch Ultra 3 at Amazon's Prime Day sale. Packed with premium features, you're getting Cellular connectivity, a boosted 42-hour battery life, and emergency satellite messaging. Today's deal is the lowest price we've seen this year.View Deal
Apple's second-generation AirTag with louder sound, a 50% improvmenet in range for Precision Finding, and the rest of the features that made the first-gen such a great item tracker are at the lowest price ever ahead of Prime Day 2026. Right now, Amazon has a single AirTag for just $24. View Deal
Another very good Prime Day Apple deal - Apple's 2nd-generation AirTag 4-pack is getting a first-time discount, on sale for $89. Great for people like me who tend to misplace things, simply attach the AirTag to anything you don't want to lose or keep track of, such as luggage or your keys, and your iPhone will locate the item.View Deal
If you prefer a tablet with a larger display, you can save £200 on the 13-inch iPad Air with an M3 chip and bag one for its lowest-ever price at Amazon. Apart from the bigger screen, it's identical to the 11-inch version. So, you get the same powerful M3 chip, a sharp Liquid Retina display, 12MP front and back cameras, 128GB of storage at a minimum, and Apple Intelligence compatibility for all the fancy new AI features.View Deal
The latest MacBook Neo has been available for less earlier this Prime Day, but is still on sale for £50 below RRP. This brand-new and fantastic laptop packs a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, an A18 Pro chip, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and up to 16 hours of battery life, all for only £650.View Deal
Apple's newest premium buds feature improved Active Noise Cancellation, outstanding audio, a comfortable in-ear design, and new features such as live translation and heart-rate tracking. To use, these are the do-it-all buds that offer excellent audio quality and top-tier noise-cancellation. Today's deal is the best price you can find on Apple's newest AirPods, and just £5 more than the record-low price.View Deal
This is a new record-low price for Apple's newest buds. The AirPods 4 feature a new design for all-day comfort and pack Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation. You also get a redesigned case with 30 hours of battery life and support for USB-C for wireless charging. Just be aware that this cheaper version does not support active noise cancellation, so it may be worth paying the extra to get that benefit with the deal below.View Deal
Willing to spend a bit more? Amazon's early Prime Day deals feature the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation for their lowest price ever. These AirPods 4 feature a new comfortable design, handy controls, and Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalised spatial audio and voice isolation. There's also that all-important ANC to block out distracting noises and outside sounds, which is great when you want to focus at work or are commuting.View Deal
The AirPods Max use an Apple-designed dynamic driver to provide high-fidelity audio — and they sound fantastic for it. Exceptional active noise cancellation, personalised Spatial Audio, and Dolby Atmos support all reinforce that. They feel good on your head as well, thanks to the knit-mesh canopy and memory foam ear cushions, so you can easily wear them for the full 20 hours of battery life if you ever want or need to. Grab them now for a record-low price.View Deal
Here's a new record-low price for the Apple Watch SE 3. Apple's cheaper smartwatch is currently our pick for the best Apple Watch to buy if you're on a budget, as it delivers a full health and fitness tracking experience, all the convenient on-wrist features you need, and that familiar Apple style, but at a fraction of the price.View Deal
The latest Apple Watch 11 is down to its lowest-ever price in the latest Amazon Prime Day sale. The thinnest Apple Watch yet, with a wraparound LTP3 OLED display, it's a great-looking watch with Apple Intelligence-powered smarts and a boosted battery compared to previous devices, clocking in at 24 hours of average use.View Deal
This is the lowest price for one of Apple's latest and most advanced wearables — not bad, considering it was only released just last September. Apple deals are very few and far between, and though £100 off may seem a little stingy, it's quite the steal for a brand new premium Apple device.View Deal
This four-pack of the best-selling Apple AirTags is on sale for 15% off for Prime Day. These are a great way to keep track of keys, your phones, a child's backpack, luggage, or any other possession you'd rather not misplace. The AirTag can be attached to anything you don't want to lose, and your iPhone will locate it or send out a ping so you can track it down.View Deal
The high-end iPhone 17 Pro Max has fallen to its lowest-ever price at Amazon. We gave this premium handset an impressive 4.5-stars in our review for its stellar performance and fantastic cameras. Quite simply, if you demand a lot from your phone, this is easily one of the best you can buy right now.View Deal
The Apple iPhone Air 512 GB is the thinnest iPhone ever. It has a 6.5-inch Display with ProMotion, a powerful A19 Pro chip, Center Stage Front Camera, all-day battery life and a whopping 24% off thanks to this Amazon Prime Day deal.View Deal
While everyone is busy scooping up Amazon Prime Day deals on all manner of gadgets, Apple just dropped the opposite of deal news: price hikes across most major product categories, including the new MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, Apple TV, HomePod mini, and more.
Look, it's not like we didn't see this coming. Apple's outgoing CEO Tim Cook may be the supply chain maverick, ensuring the tech giant had ample supplies of components to fill tech orders for months, but the RAM and component crisis has dragged on for long enough that even Apple has been dragged in.
Cook warned us last month during an earnings call in which he cited "significantly higher memory costs" and then added that, starting this month, RAM prices would "drive an increasing impact" on Apple's products.
That impact has now translated into higher prices for numerous Apple products, which Apple announced by, well, not really announcing them. Instead, the Apple Store went offline at around 7:30AM ET on Thursday and then returned an hour later with new prices and, basically, no fanfare.
Among the devices seeing a price hike is the exciting and affordable new MacBook Neo, a mobile CPU-powered laptop that was perfectly built for the back-to-school market, and at $599 to start, was Apple's cheapest laptop in memory. It now starts at $699, which also means the Neo with double the storage (512GB) and TouchID is now $799 to start.
There is essentially bad news across multiple categories.
The MacBook Air 13-inch with the M5 chip, a laptop I called "the best ultraportable I've ever used," jumps from $1,099 to start to $1,299. The MacBook Pro jumps a whopping $300 (from $1,699 to $1,999) to start.
Other products getting price hikes include the Apple TV streaming box (now starts at $199) and HomePod Mini(up to $129 for $99).
Perhaps more disturbing for the back-to-school set, the iPad Air base system jumps from $599 to $699.
One of the more shocking price hikes is for a product that, perhaps thankfully, many will not sweat: the Vision Pro. At $3,499, it was already wildly expensive. Now the M5 edition starts at — wait for it — $3,699. That won't help its chances with consumer market penetration.
Shielded from these price hikes is Apple's entire iPhone lineup, Apple Watch, and AirPods. So there's that.
It's fairly clear Apple didn't want to do this. In fact, it's hard to remember a time when Apple summarily raised so many prices at once, but its hand was forced. Tech companies across almost every category are responding to these RAM shortages with higher prices.
We've contacted Apple and then sent us this comment: “The consumer electronics industry is facing an unprecedented challenge. The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage. We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly. We have shielded our customers from these increases so far, but we have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products, including today’s increases for iPad and Mac. We know this is not welcome news, and we are working tirelessly to find solutions.”
If and when the RAM crisis subsides, will prices return to pre-RAM shortage levels, or is Apple setting a new normal? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, Prime Day is still live, and there are ample chances to snap up good deals on these gadgets before you're left with nothing but the higher prices (where prices are rising). You'll find the best deals we spotted on iPads, MacBooks, and more below and in this roundup.
Amazon has the newest iPad Air with the M4 chipset on sale for $519 right now. In addition to Apple's superfast brain, this iPad features a crisp Liquid Retina display, 128GB of storage as standard, 12MP front and rear cameras, and support for Apple's AI features.
Apple's larger 13-inch iPad Air with the M4 is also on sale for Prime Day, back at the lowest price ever at $699.
Read our iPad Air 11-inch review here.View Deal
Apple's latest base iPad is on sale for $299, which is only $15 more than the record-low price. The most significant upgrade for this model versus the previous generation is the newer A16 chip for faster performance, but you'll also get double the storage as standard (128GB instead of 64GB). Other features include a sharp 11-inch Liquid Retina display and solid 12MP front- and rear-facing cameras, making this iPad the best iPad for casual streamers and scrollers.
Read our 11-inch iPad A16 review here.View Deal
With an impressive $150 discount, this Prime Day deal addresses our main complaint about the M5 Air: it's pricier than the previous model. Now, you're getting the latest chipset, 16GB of RAM, and a bigger 512GB SSD for much less, with a price that (arguably) challenges even the budget MacBook Neo when it comes to outright value. It's a workhorse.
Read our MacBook Air 13-inch M5 review here.View Deal
For creative professionals, the 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by the performance-driven M5 Pro chip is the one to choose. This beast flies through demanding workloads like video editing without skipping a beat.
Read our full MacBook Pro M5 review here.View Deal
This might just be the best Prime Day tech deal - Apple's AirPods Pro 3 for $179. Apple's newest premium buds feature improved Active Noise Cancellation, outstanding audio, a comfortable in-ear design, and new features such as live translation and heart-rate tracking. These do-it-all buds really are 100% flagship audio, and the noise-canceling quality is outstanding.View Deal
The AirPods 4 are Apple's cheapest AirPods, and you can find them on sale for $99, which is the lowest price we've seen this year and $30 shy of the record-low. The AirPods 4 feature a new design for all-day comfort and feature Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation. You also get a redesigned case with 30 hours of battery life and support for wireless charging via USB-C.
Read our full Apple AirPods 4 reviewView Deal
Amazon has the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation on sale for $148.99, which is the best deal you can find right now. The AirPods 4 feature a new comfortable design, handy controls, and Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation.
Read our full AirPods 4 with ANC reviewView Deal
Amazon has the all-new AirPods Max 2 on sale for $399, which is the lowest price we've seen. The over-ear headphones now include Apple's H2 chip, which delivers adaptive audio, personalized volume, and improved voice isolation, resulting in superior sound. You're also getting up to 1.5x more Active Noise Cancellation and 20 hours of battery life.
Read our full AirPods Max 2 reviewView Deal
If you haven't heard, wired headphones are all the rage, which is why Apple's EarPods for $14.88 are an excellent Prime Day deal. A slim, quality-looking design, clear sound, and comfortable fit are just a few of their best qualities. This model works with all devices that have a Lightning connector – which is iPhone 14 and before – so if you've got a newer iPhone, you'll instead want the USB-C version ($16.99 at Amazon).View Deal
Amazon has a $50 discount on the new Apple Watch SE 3, making it an excellent bargain. The Apple Watch SE 2 currently holds the position as the best budget smartwatch, but the SE 3 more than matches it – and it's a smarter buy while it's on sale this week at Amazon.
Read our full Apple Watch SE 3 reviewView Deal
My favorite Prime Day Apple deal is an over $100 discount on the Apple Watch Series 11. The thinnest Apple Watch yet, with a wraparound LTP3 OLED display, it's a great-looking watch with Apple Intelligence-powered smarts and a boosted battery, clocking in at 24 hours of average use.
Read our full Apple Watch 11 reviewView Deal
You can save $100 on the brand-new Apple Watch Ultra 3 at Amazon's Prime Day sale. Packed with premium features, you're getting Cellular connectivity, a boosted 42-hour battery life, and emergency satellite messaging. Today's deal is the lowest price we've seen this year.View Deal
Apple's second-generation AirTag with louder sound, a 50% improvmenet in range for Precision Finding, and the rest of the features that made the first-gen such a great item tracker are at the lowest price ever ahead of Prime Day 2026. Right now, Amazon has a single AirTag for just $24. View Deal
Another very good Prime Day Apple deal - Apple's 2nd-generation AirTag 4-pack is getting a first-time discount, on sale for $89. Great for people like me who tend to misplace things, simply attach the AirTag to anything you don't want to lose or keep track of, such as luggage or your keys, and your iPhone will locate the item.View Deal
Apple has made the unprecedented decision to hike the prices of all its current computers and tablets. iPhone prices remain as they were, for now. Bloomberg indicates that the rather steep price rises have been precipitated by increased costs of memory and storage. One of the most impactful hikes we see is the entry-level MacBook Pro going from $1,699 to $1,999. However, even the recently released but resource-starved MacBook Neo has had another $100 piled onto its price, so now it starts at $699 before tax.
Price Increases: MacBook Neo to $699 from $599; MacBook Air to $1,299 from $1,099; MacBook Pro to $1,999 from $1,699; iPad Pro to $1,199 from $999; iPad Air to $749 from $599. https://t.co/JSlxZ1zbdWJune 25, 2026
In addition to Gurman’s highlighted price increases, we spotted that the cheapest Mac Studio M4 Max (mini PC desktop) has had its price increased to $2,499 from $1,999. There’s a lot to take in, so check out our at-a-glance before and after table for quick reference.
Device | Old price | New price |
|---|---|---|
MacBook Neo | $599 | $699 |
MacBook Air | $1,099 | $1,299 |
MacBook Pro | $1,699 | $1,999 |
Mac Studio M4 Max | $1,999 | $2,499 |
iPad Pro | $999 | $1,199 |
iPad Air | $599 | $749 |
Bloomberg’s resident Apple expert, Mark Gurman, quoted an apologetic company rep. “We know this is not welcome news, and we are working tirelessly to find solutions,” a spokesperson from Apple told the reporter. Other interesting assertions from that conversation were that Apple had never seen component prices rise so high, so quickly. Moreover, its representative claimed that the firm did all it could to shield customers from any knock-on device price rises, stating the company had "shielded our customers from these increases so far, but we have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products including today’s increases for iPad and Mac."
While newsrooms might be agog at these price rises being implemented today, the writing has been on the wall of the RAMpocalypse for several months. Back in April, Tim Cook publicly forecast that the component shortages and price rises didn’t appear to be going anywhere soon. That statement came in the wake of the withdrawal of the entry-level $599 configuration of the Mac Mini, and Apple softening the blow of higher prices of its latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models by upgrading memory and other tech specs.
Until now, it seemed like Apple’s massive buying power and vertical integration had managed to help it hold off computer and tablet price increases. Today, the brakes came off, pretty dramatically.
Update: Not long after this story was published, Apple officially announced price hikes on MacBooks (and other products). The MacBook Neo entry-level laptop got a straight $100 hike to start at $699 in the US.
The MacBook Air 13-inch with M5 has been hiked $200 to start at $1,299. The MacBook Pro has increased even more, by $300, so the baseline model is $1,999. In short, these are the painful hikes for Apple's laptops as predicted below, and notably the pricing of the iPhone range hasn't changed.
Original story follows below...
We know Apple's products have price hikes coming — Tim Cook has made that clear in no uncertain terms — but based on the latest spinning from the rumor mill, the iPhone could get away with a relatively mild price bump, with MacBooks potentially hit a good deal harder.
You might be surprised at the possibility that the next iPhone might not be hiked by all that much, because earlier rumors and napkin maths suggested that the incoming iPhone 18 Pro might hit $1,299 in the US, a hefty $200 increase (with a similarly step price hike for other countries). Others have theorized that there could be an even bigger jump than this.
However, as Phone Arena noticed, Max Weinbach, a tech analyst at Creative Strategies, posted on X to flag up JP Morgan's research on what the next-gen iPhone price hike might be.
Contrary to other analysis, JP Morgan thinks it might be more in line with a $50 price bump, as while memory costs will put a lot of pressure on Apple — as a Wccftech report recently underlined, noting that the firm is facing a "sticker shock heading into Q3" — the company seemingly has ways to mitigate those increases elsewhere. One such saving would be made by swapping to Apple's own modem for the new iPhone, as an example.
Another way Apple could theoretically alleviate the pressure on smartphone prices is to recoup some money by charging a premium for the rumored iPhone Ultra foldable, which will be inevitably pricey for those who want the latest and greatest tech (and it looks very much like that foldable is inbound for this year).
As for potential MacBook price hikes, there's not the same space for Apple to maneuver in terms of offsetting other component costs with its laptops. And as Tom's Hardware spotted, analyst (and former Bloomberg reporter) Tim Culpan has just delivered a rumor that TSMC is seemingly increasing chip prices for customers (from 3nm processes down to 7nm and older products) in the order of 5% to 10%.
That hits a bunch of firms who use TSMC to manufacture their chips, but notably AMD, Nvidia, and Apple. For Apple, the more heavyweight MacBook CPUs will be hit harder than mobile silicon, and on top of that, it's yet another unwelcome pressure on the affordably priced MacBook Neo.
As Culpan jokes at the end of his piece: "Maybe those red MacBook Neos will arrive after all." Puzzled as to what that means, exactly? Let's dive into that next.
Arguably, Apple's biggest problem here is keeping the MacBook Neo at its tempting baseline price, in the face of these 'unavoidable' price rises as Tim Cook has called them. Mainly because the price is so low for an Apple laptop, with its popularity and demand meaning that the production of the Neo is rumored to have been massively cranked up.
Culpan has previously floated the theory that Apple will have to either apply price hikes to the MacBook Neo – and perhaps soften that blow with new colors (which is what the 'red Neo' comment refers to) – or just ditch the current entry-level variant, and offer the higher-tier Neo as a baseline instead. The latter is basically a way of applying a price hike of a hundred notes without actually having to increase prices technically, and what makes this seem more likely is that Apple did exactly that as a tactic with the Mac mini recently.
We don't know how this will play out yet, but it's looking increasingly likely that some considerable upward pricing movements will be coming to MacBooks, while the iPhone might perhaps escape the worsts.
A price hike of only $50 for the iPhone would be very much welcomed by many at this point as effectively stable pricing, given all that talk of a couple of hundred dollars or more being stuck on top of the current-gen price tag. And perhaps that's the point — with consumers fearing the worst for the iPhone 18 Pro, they'll eventually be relieved if this is the case.
At any rate — I've been saying this for a while — if you're thinking of buying a new MacBook, the time to move is very likely now, or soon, especially in the case of the Neo (unless you really, really want that red colorway, or whatever striking colors Apple may cook up to distract people from the new price tag).
1. The list in brief
2. Best overall
2. Best for students
3. Best for kids
4. Best keyboard
5. Best for gaming
6. Benchmark comparisons
7. Recent reviews
8. How to find the right Chromebook
9. FAQs
10. How we test
11. Why trust Laptop Mag
The best Chromebooks in 2025 are far more capable laptops than the basic machines that debuted in June of 2011. They started as simple, cheap laptops focusing on security and ease of use, but many have become some of the best laptops to buy. Competitively priced compared to the best Windows laptops and best MacBooks, it's now easy to find a Chromebook with an elegant, thin, and lightweight design and features like OLED displays.
Chromebooks boast a simple, user-friendly interface that integrates with the Google ecosystem, making them a solid choice for many people. Google announced the Chromebook Plus line in October 2023, which offers increased CPU performance from more powerful Intel chips from Intel's 13th Generation up through the Intel Core 100 series.
They also include several of Google's AI features, as well as the new Gemini AI assistant. Chromebook Plus devices receive additional features and access to the Advanced version of Gemini.
Whether you're looking for a budget-friendly Chromebook, a powerful Plus Series model, or even a Chromebook for gaming, we've got you covered. Keep reading to find the best Chromebook for you.
This page is regularly updated with our latest reviews to reflect Laptop Mag’s top picks for 2025.
Click to view recent updates to this page.
6/17/25: Added Acer Chromebook Spin 312 as best student Chromebook. Updated the following sections: recently reviewed, benchmark comparisons, intro, FAQs, and how to choose.
Best overall
Best Chromebook overall
With an Intel Core 3 100U processor, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus boasts solid performance, all-day battery life, and a bright, big AMOLED screen. All for just $699.
Best for students
Best Chromebook for students
It's not often one of the best laptops for students comes with a solid combination of performance, battery life, portability, and a vivid display for under $500.
Best for kids
Best Chromebook for kids
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 Gen 9 features a MediaTek Kompanio 838 processor, solid battery life, dependable performance, and smooth touch controls at an affordable price.
Best keyboard
Best Chromebook for keyboard enthusiasts
The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 features an Intel Core Ultra 5 115U processor and offers powerful performance, but its keyboard is one of the best we've seen on a Chromebook.
Best Chromebook for gaming
Best for gaming
This is one of the best gaming laptops running ChromeOS. With an Intel Core i5-1240P CPU, Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, a 16-inch 120Hz display, and a slick RGB keyboard, this Chromebook was made with Nvidia GeForce Now in mind.
Best Chromebook overall
CPU: Intel Core 3 100U | GPU: Intel integrated graphics | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB SSD | Display: 15.6-inch (1920 x 1080) AMOLED | Size: 13.9 x 8.9 x 0.47 inches | Weight: 2.58 pounds
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is a premium Chromebook with a solid combination of power, battery efficiency, and it comes with a large AMOLED display.
✔️You need a Chromebook that can last for more than a full day of work or school: The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus lasted for 11 hours and 30 minutes on our battery test, making it the longest-lasting Chromebook on this list. So if you need a Chromebook that can last a full day on a single charge, this is the one to choose.
✔️You want to get the best Google AI experience possible: The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is the first Chromebook to feature Google's new keyboard layout with the Quick Insert button. While all Chromebooks can use the Quick Insert feature, only the Galaxy Chromebook has a dedicated button.
✖️ You need a budget Chromebook: While the Galaxy Chromebook Plus retails for $649, which is far from the most expensive on this list if you need to stay within a small budget, there are definitely better bargains to make.
✖️ You need a super portable Chromebook: The Galaxy Chromebook Plus is very light and very thin, but it can be a struggle to fit this 15.6-inch laptop into every bag. The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 Gen 9 may be the better choice if portability is your biggest concern.
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is a premium Chromebook Plus built with Google's Gemini AI in mind. With an Intel Core 3 100U 14th gen processor, Intel integrated graphics, 8GB of memory, 256GB of SSD storage, and a 15.6-inch FHD AMOLED display, the Galaxy Chromebook Plus has plenty to recommend.
James Pero writes in our review, "While Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook Plus isn't the first premium Chromebook, it's probably the best."
While not the most powerful Chromebook ever, the Galaxy Book still has enough computing power to get the most out of the ChromeOS suite and Google Gemini AI. The Intel Core 3 100U CPU on the Galaxy Book can get more raw CPU power than most Chrome apps will ever need.
The gorgeous 15.6-inch AMOLED display is another high point for the Galaxy Chromebook. Measuring 108.5% on the DCI-P3 color gamut, the Galaxy Chromebook has a nicer display than some premium Windows laptops. With 377 nits of average peak brightness, you don't have to worry about screen glare on the glossy AMOLED panel, either.
The Galaxy Chromebook Plus also offers full-day battery life, lasting 11 hours and 12 minutes on the Laptop Mag web surfing battery test.
While $699 is a bit pricey for a Chromebook, the Galaxy Chromebook Plus earns its premium rating thanks to an unbeatable combination of performance, battery life, display quality, and portability.
See our full Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus review.
Best Chromebook for students
CPU: Intel Core i3-N305 | GPU: Intel UHD integrated graphics | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 128GB eMMC | Display: 12.2-inch (1920 x 1200) 60Hz IPS touch | Size: 11.41 x 8.10 x 0.78 inches | Weight: 2.84 pounds
The Acer Chromebook Spin 312 offers a better display, trackpad, and battery life than most Chromebooks — some budget Windows laptops, too — for under $500 in an awesomely portable form factor.
✔️ You need a simple laptop for simple tasks. If your studies solely consist of reading and writing (and saving everything in the cloud), there’s no reason to spend more money on a laptop whether or not you’re on a budget.
✔️ You prefer writing instead of typing notes. As long as you have a compatible stylus, this 2-in-1 touchscreen Chromebook can be both your laptop and notebook.
✖️ You need a larger screen. If you’re concerned about your eyesight or regularly use the magnifying tool, this Chromebook's 12.2-inch display might not serve you well in the long-run.
✖️ The majority of your classwork is writing essays. This Chromebook's plastic keys feel thinner and feel softer to press compared to competing devices.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 312 is a stand-out example of how much Chromebooks have improved in the last several years. From its design and portability to over 10 hours of battery life, it might be hard to believe this one costs just $450 — but it does, making this device one of the most well-rounded, budget-friendly Chromebooks for students.
With a silver colorway, a black keyboard, and a lightweight chassis, it also resembles a Windows laptop, but with a far better trackpad compared to most. It's the smoothest I’ve ever felt on a budget laptop. Its keyboard quality is slightly reminiscent of yesteryear's Chromebooks, with a clicky-squishy feel that highlights the thinness of the plastic keycaps. "It's a bit like gently pressing into Jello," as I wrote in my review, but it’s not the worst keyboard I’ve ever tried.
The IPS display produces vivid and clear images, likely due to its Corning Gorilla Glass coating, despite the low color gamut coverage Laptop Mag’s tests revealed. However, you'll definitely need to watch horror movies in the dark (as they are meant to be watched). The coating makes the IPS display more reflective than average, and the Spin 312’s max display brightness of 277 nits isn’t always enough to prevent bright ambient lighting from completely washing out dimly lit scenes.
For students who like or want to experiment with ChromeOS, its ample 128GB of storage space is enough to run Linux and then some. However, this laptop comes with only 8GB of RAM. That’s fine for a light workload (a dozen or fewer open browser tabs and one or two applications), but a minimum of 16GB is ideal for any laptop, especially if you are a heavy multitasker.
See our full Acer Chromebook Spin 312 review.
Best Chromebook for kids
CPU: MediaTek Kompanio 838 | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 128GB SSD | Display: 10.9-inch, (1920 x 1200) IPS touch | Size: 10.05 x 6.57 x 0.3 inches | Weight: 2.08 pounds (with folio case)
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 Gen 9 is a light, affordable Chromebook with enough power and battery life to make it the ideal companion for keeping your kids entertained wherever they go.
✔️You want a light, affordable ChromeOS tablet: With the Folio case included in the base $359 price and solid performance, the Chromebook Duet 11 Gen 9 is a great option for kids.
✔️You need a tablet that can do more than just stream video: While Amazon's Fire Tablets make great options for kids' entertainment systems, sometimes they just don't have enough power. But the MediaTek Kompanio 838 processor in the Duet 11 has more than enough juice for almost everything.
✖️You need to multitask like a professional: While plenty of users can get away with just 4GB of memory on a ChromeOS tablet, if you're going to be using this for work you may run into some bottlenecks due to the low RAM allowance.
✖️You need a high-quality keyboard: While the included folio case is thin and light, the attached keyboard is mushy and soft, making for an unsatisfying typing experience. If you'll spend most of your time with a Chromebook typing, we recommend the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 instead.
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 Gen 9 offers high portability, solid battery life, slick stylus controls, an ultralight chassis, high-quality 5MP and 8MP cameras, and dependable performance all at an incredibly affordable price point. The Chromebook Duet 11 features a MediaTek Kompanio 838 processor, 4GB of memory, 128GB of SSD storage, and a 10.9-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS touchscreen display.
"Chromebooks haven’t ever been my favorite laptops or tablets, as I’m exactly the type of person who needs the full application support of a Windows or macOS system. However, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 Gen 9 may have changed my mind," Madeline Ricchiuto wrote in her review.
Because it features a lower-spec, MediaTek Kompanio processor, the Chromebook Duet lags behind other Chromebooks on CPU performance. However, it's a well-optimized machine that can keep up with multiple Chrome apps running at once.
The Chromebook Duet 11 Gen 9 does have a quality display, covering 83% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. And the panel is bright, measuring 402 nits of average peak brightness.
The Duet 11 is a small tablet Chromebook, which makes its battery life even more impressive. The Duet 11 lasted 9 hours and 48 minutes on the Laptop Mag web surfing battery test.
Because of its affordable $359 starting price and solid touchscreen controls, the Chromebook Duet 11 Gen 9 is a fantastic option if you need a tablet for your kids. It offers enough performance to run multiple applications and has the battery life to keep up with a busy schedule of school and playtime.
See our full Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 Gen 9 review.
Best Chromebook for Keyboard Enthusiasts
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 115U | GPU: Intel integrated graphics | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB SSD | Display: 14-inch (1920 x 1200) IPS touch | Size: 12.35 x 8.84 x 0.71 inches | Weight: 3.3 pounds
The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is an AI-powered Chromebook with solid performance and a bright, colorful display. But the typing experience on the Spin 714 is what truly blew us away.
✔️You want one of the most powerful Chromebooks for better AI performance. To get the most out of Google's One AI plan, the Spin 714 has a powerful Intel Core Ultra 5 processor under the hood and won't slow you down while using Gemini for text or image generation.
✔️You need a Chromebook with a great keyboard. Not all Chromebooks have good keyboards. Many have soft, mushy key activations that just feel bad under your fingers. But the Chromebook Plus Spin 714 has a crisp, satisfying key feel.
✖️You need to stay under a tight budget. While Chromebooks are generally cheaper than Windows or Mac laptops, the Chromebook Plus series can get a little pricey. When not on sale, the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 starts at $749, which can be pricey for a Chromebook.
✖️ You want a Chromebook designed for gaming. While it is part of the Chromebook Plus platform, the Spin 714 isn't optimized for Cloud gaming and suffers in comparison to the Acer Chromebook 516 GE, which was built with Nvidia GeForce Now in mind.
The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is one of the more powerful Chromebooks on this list, featuring an Intel Core Ultra 5 115U processor, 8GB of memory, a 256GB SSD, and a 14-inch WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) IPS display. However, the true star of this laptop is the keyboard, with a satisfying and smooth typing experience.
Stevie Bonifield noted in our review, "The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 keyboard is very satisfying to type on, but it has its quirks... The typing experience on the Spin 714 is smooth and comfortable. On the Monkeytype typing test, I scored 92 wpm with 97 percent accuracy, higher than my desktop average of 84 wpm and 94.35 accuracy."
The Intel Core Ultra 5 115U processor on the Spin 714 offers strong performance, making the Spin 714 one of the most powerful Chromebooks. The 14-inch IPS display is also on the nicer side, measuring 78.7% for DCI-P3 color gamut coverage with an average peak brightness of 355 nits.
The Spin 714 is no slouch for longevity either, offering all-day battery life. The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 lasted 9 hours and 30 minutes on the Laptop Mag web surfing battery test.
Combined with the slick display and satisfying keyboard, the Spin 714 is nearly the whole package.
See our full Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 review.
Best Chromebook for gaming (seriously)
CPU: Intel Core i5-1240P | GPU: Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB | Display: 16-inch (2560 x 1600) 120Hz IPS | Size: 14 x 9.8 x 0.84 inches | Weight: 3.8 pounds
The Acer Chromebook 516 GE remains the only Chromebook dedicated to gaming enthusiasts, with RGB lighting on the keyboard and a sleek black Gaming laptop-style chassis with additional ports. If you want to game on any Chromebook, this is your best bet.
✔️ You want the best gaming experience on a Chromebook. The Acer Chromebook 516 GE comes with more ports than you'll usually see on a Chromebook, so you can attach all of your gaming accessories and also opt for a hard-wired Ethernet connection so your game stream doesn't drop due to Wi-Fi shenanigans. You can run Nvidia GeForce Now on any Chromebook, but the 516 GE has all the additional bells and whistles to make it the best choice for gaming.
✔️You want a gaming laptop, but can't afford the steep price tag. While a dedicated gaming laptop with a discrete GPU will always have better gaming performance than a Chromebook streaming Nvidia GeForce Now, you can get a close approximation with the Acer Chromebook 516 GE without spending gaming-laptop money.
✖️ You need battery life that will last for a full, intense day. If you need a Chromebook with more than 7 and a half hours of battery life for pulling an all-nighter, the Chromebook 516 GE is not the ideal option. The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus offers a better balance of performance, battery life, and CPU power.
✖️You want to play games from the Google Play Store. the Acer Chromebook 516 GE doesn't have a touchscreen, so playing games from the Google Play Store can be difficult. This is particularly true of games that don't have gamepad support.
Gamers might scoff at Chromebooks, but for cloud gaming services like GeForce Now, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE can offer decent gaming performance and gaming style at a much lower price than your average gaming laptop.
The Acer Chromebook 516 GE features a powerful Intel Core i5-1240P processor, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 16-inch 120Hz WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS display. So it can handle gaming and schoolwork without blowing your budget.
With an Intel Core i5 12th gen processor, the Chromebook 516 GE offers plenty of powerful performance to handle your day-to-day needs. Even with 8GB of RAM, "You shouldn’t find yourself dealing with any frustrating slowdowns — even if you drown it in tabs," as Kimberly Gedeon wrote in our review. But if you can afford to upgrade to the 16GB model, we recommend it.
The Chromebook 516 GE's 16-inch display is a solid choice, and measures 75.8% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is better than some Chromebooks on this list. It also hits a respectable 346 nits of average peak brightness to cut through glare so you don't need to worry about missing a shot in your next FPS match due to screen glare.
The one drawback to this gaming Chromebook is its battery life, as the Chromebook 516 GE lasted just 7 hours and 40 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test.
While you can technically use cloud gaming services on any laptop or Chromebook, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE offers a 120Hz display for those who pay for the most expensive GeForce Now membership tier. So, it remains our best choice for gaming on a Chromebook.
Read our Acer Chromebook 516 GE review.
Click to view chart data in table format
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus | Acer Chromebook Spin 312 | Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 Gen 9 | Acer Chromebook Spin 714 | Acer Chromebook 516 GE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) | 6015 | 4477 | 2323 | 6335 | NA |
Jetstream 2 (Higher is better) | 268.4 | 215.0 | 114.3 | 250.2 | 253.5 |
CrXPRT 2 (Higher is better) | 167 | 140.0 | 106 | 160 | 185 |
Battery life - Web surfing (HH:MM) | 11:12 | 10:33 | 09:48 | 09:30 | 07:40 |
DCI-P3 Color Gamut (Higher is better) | 109% | 55% | 83% | 79% | 76% |
Display Brightness (Nits, higher is better) | 377 | 277 | 402 | 355 | 346 |
Hottest temperature (95 degree comfort threshold) | 84.5 | 91.5 | 88 | 90.5 | 92.1 |
We review dozens of laptops and Chromebooks annually, and while some simply don't have what it takes to make our buying guides, they're still strong options that came up short for one reason or another. Here are some of our most recently reviewed laptops that didn't make the cut for "Best Chromebooks", but could still be solid machines.
Acer Chromebook Plus 515 | Intel Core i3-1215U | 8GB RAM | 128GB SSD
Score: ★★★★
Pros: Potent AI-infused performance; great keyboard; sturdy design; attractive; super affordable.
Cons: Poor battery life.
See our full Acer Chromebook Plus 515 review.View Deal
Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE | Intel Core 5 120U | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
Score: ★★★½
Pros: Reliable general performance; bright 120Hz display; plenty of ports; solid webcam.
Cons: Poor battery life; mushy keyboard; poor on-device gaming performance; still no touchscreen; tinny, distorted audio.
See our full Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE review.View Deal
Score: ★★★½
Pros: Reliable Intel Core 3 100U performance; plenty of ports; solid webcam; Chrome Enterprise pre-installed.
Cons: Dim, lifeless display; mushy keyboard; tinny, distorted audio.
See our full Acer Chromebook Plus Enterprise 515 review.View Deal
Score: ★★★½
Pros: Solid battery life; satisfying keyboard; loud and clear audio; sturdy 2-in-1 design.
Cons: Poor display; sluggish touchpad; ugly webcam.
See our full Asus Chromebook CM 14 Flip review.View Deal
Score: ★★★
Pros: Sturdy convertible hinge; snappy, reactive performance; loud dual-stereo speakers.
Cons: Poor battery life; dim, inaccurate display; mushy keyboard feel; chunky design.
See our full HP Chromebook Plus x360 review.View Deal
Score: ★★★½
Pros: Sturdy design; comfortable keyboard; cool temps.
Cons: Poor display; below-average performance.
See our full HP Chromebook Plus 14a review.View Deal
Score: ★★★★
Pros: Great webcam; crisp and colorful display' sturdy, sleek metal design; good performance; excellent audio.
Cons: Less than 10 hours of battery life; steep price for a Chromebook.
See our full HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook review.View Deal
Score: ★★★★
Pros: Speedy AI-infused performance; great keyboard; sturdy hinges; attractive
Cons: The display could be brighter
See our full Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus review.View Deal
Finding the perfect Chromebook isn't a one-size-fits-all situation. Students, businesses, and schools all have different needs.
Students
For students who rely heavily on Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, prioritizing a Chromebook with a long-lasting battery and a comfortable keyboard is crucial.
If you're a student who wants a gaming laptop that can also function as a great laptop for class (without spending a ton of money) there Chromebooks specfically designed for gaming in the cloud.
Professionals or businesses
Professionals or businesses seeking Chromebooks for their employees should focus on models with strong performance and features that make managing them easier, ensuring a smooth workflow.
Security is also important — Enterprise-edition Chromebooks have extra IT deployment features like real-time threat and data protection, endpoint security, and support integration with 3rd-party software like CrowdStrike.
Schools
If you're a school looking to equip students with Chromebooks, durability, affordability, and features that support a dynamic classroom environment should be top priorities.
You won't have to buy a bunch of expensive, business-focused Chromebooks to get the security you need, either. Education Chromebooks also support many of the same security features as business Chromebooks (via Google Workspace for Education), and won't display ads in core services like Drive, Classroom and Gmail.
Q: Who are Chromebooks for?
A: Overall, the best way to tell if someone will enjoy owning a Chromebook is if you know they already spend most of their time in the Chrome browser. Those users will take to the notebook naturally.
If you're buying this Chromebook for someone else, you should take a few moments to consider how they're going to use the device. Chromebooks are especially good for younger students, as they are easy to use and are fairly secure. It's also quite easy to update your Chromebook manually, assuming you don't want to enable automatic updates.
Q: How well does a Chromebook perform?
A: Chromebooks are lightweight devices, meaning it doesn't take a lot of CPU performance to run ChromeOS. So, Chromebooks often feature lower-spec processors. Many perform better at lower specs than low-budget Windows laptops, too.
They also generally have less storage space, since many ChromeOS applications run in the cloud. This means more free space for your laptop and speedier performance.
If you don't need the full Windows or macOS experience to run all your favorite applications, there's no reason not to opt for a Chromebook.
Q: How are Chromebooks for offline use?
A: Chromebooks are designed to rely heavily on the Internet, which means that many apps simply won't work if you're out of Wi-Fi range. But there are more than 200 Chrome apps that can work without internet connectivity, including Gmail, Google Drive, and tons of Android apps like PlayerFM and Here WeGo.
Q: Can I use Android apps?
A: Yes! Most modern Chromebooks now have access to the Play Store. (If you're unsure if your Chromebook supports Android apps, check out this list.)
However, there are some caveats: many Android apps run via an emulator and may or may not run well. Also, not all apps are optimized for a larger screen (they were built for mobile-first), so you might encounter some scaling issues, especially with mobile games. (Check out our guide to the best Chromebook games for specific gaming app recommendations.)
There are often formatting issues when importing third-party documents into Drive, too. Fortunately, Google Drive allows you to save documents in Microsoft formats, so you'll still be able to share files with non-Chromebook users through Microsoft Word or other programs — though it may be best to stick with the Office Android apps or Office Online if you're bringing a lot of files over to your Chromebook.
Q: Do Chromebooks have good battery life?
A: Chromebooks are known for their impressive battery life. Our in-house Laptop Mag web surfing battery test shows that most Chromebooks can last an average of 10 hours on a single charge. This means you can comfortably power through a workday or school day without hunting for an outlet. This makes Chromebooks a great choice for those long stretches in class or meetings.
Q: Are Chromebooks secure?
A: Chromebooks are a great fit for businesses and institutions prioritizing security because their design makes them more resistant to malware, offering built-in protection for employees and students. Some Chromebooks go the extra mile with biometric authentication features like fingerprint scanners, adding another layer of security for sensitive data.
For businesses, the added security and IT deployment features of Chrome Enterprise can make Chromebooks a solid choice for kitting out an office. While enhanced features do require a subscription, Chrome Enterprise is available for free, which can make it a good solution for small businesses.
Q: Can you game on a Chromebook?
A: Chromebooks have access to Steam and can stream games from services like Nvidia GeForce Now. ChromeOS also works with some Android apps, but not every Android game will be available on a Chromebook. But for a game streaming device, Chromebooks work well as an affordable gaming option.
If you want to game without signing up for a streaming service, you may be better off with a gaming handheld or a dedicated gaming laptop.
Q: Are Chromebooks durable?
A: Similar to business notebooks made to survive drops and other minor disasters, Chromebooks are built to withstand falls, scrapes, and similar punishment.
We put the durability of top Chromebooks to the test by dropping 11 different models from heights of 2.5 feet and 4 feet, then scoring them on a scale of 0 to 10 based on how much damage was sustained. You can read our full report here.
We benchmark Chromebooks as thoroughly as we do any laptop, using synthetic and real-world benchmarks before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the Chromebook, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers, keyboard, and heat management.
We rely on tests like Geekbench 6, JetStream 2, WebXPRT 4, and CrXPRT 2 to determine a Chromebook's CPU and web performance. We also test Chromebook displays using a Klein K10-A colorimeter to detect the brightness and DCI-P3 color gamut coverage.
We test heat management by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For premium MacBooks and Windows 11 laptops, a runtime of over 10 hours is considered a good result whereas dedicated workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise.
For more information on our testing process, check out our How We Test Laptops page for all the nitty-gritty details.
Laptop Mag reviews over one hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.
We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.
Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.
Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.
1. The list in brief
2. Best for most people
3. Best affordable big screen
4. Best for pros on the go
5. Best for peak performance
6. How we test MacBooks
7. Why trust Laptop Mag
You've decided you want a MacBook, but the question of "MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro?" remains. I'm not a certified Apple Genius, but I've spent hundreds of hours using and reviewing every current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro for Laptop Mag, so I'm ready to help you find the best MacBook for your needs.
Let's start with the basics: In 2025, the MacBook Air and Pro lineups consist of four options: 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch MacBook Airs and 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch MacBook Pros.
The MacBook Air models are limited to Apple's M4 chip, while the MacBook Pro features the M4, M4 Pro, or M4 Max. Only the Pro models offer the more powerful "Pro" or "Max" chipsets, one of the most apparent differences between the Air and Pro MacBooks. The base MacBook Pro 14-inch blurs these lines with its standard M4 chip.
People often ask me, "Is the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro better?" There is no universal answer to that question; there is only which is better for you. So, let's find out.
I will compare price, features, performance, battery life, and more to determine whether you should invest in the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro in 2025.
And once we've determined whether the MacBook Air or Pro is better for you, our best MacBook deals can help you secure the best price.
Best for most | Big screen value | Portable power | Peak performance | |
MacBook Air 13 (M4) | MacBook Air 15 (M4) | MacBook Pro 14-inch | MacBook Pro 16-inch | |
Price | ||||
CPU | M4 | M4 | M4, M4 Pro or M4 Max | M4 Pro or M4 Max |
RAM | Up to 32GB | Up to 32GB | Up to 128GB | up to 128GB |
Display | 13.6 inches (2560 x 1600) | 15.3 inches (2880 x 1864) | 14.2 inches (3024 x 1964), 120Hz | 16.2 inches (3456 x 2234), 120Hz |
Ports | 2 Thunderbolt 3/USB 4, MagSafe, headphone | 2 Thunderbolt 3/USB4, MagSafe, headphone | 3 Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SDXC card, MagSafe, headphone | 3 Thunderbolt 5, HDMI, SDXC card, MagSafe, headphone |
Graphics | M4 | M4 | M4, M4 Pro or M4 Max | M4 Pro or M4 Max |
Storage | up to 2TB | Up to 2TB | Up to 8TB | up to 8TB |
Battery Life (hrs) | 15:42 (tested) | 15:14 (tested) | 18:32 (tested) | 20:46 (tested) |
Security | Touch ID | Touch ID | Touch ID | Touch ID |
Size | 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches | 13.40 x 9.53 x 0.45 inches | 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches | 14 x 9.8 x 0.66 inches |
Weight | 2.7 pounds | 3.3 pounds | 3.4 pounds | 4.7 pounds |
Best overall
The MacBook most people should buy
The MacBook Air M4 is the MacBook most people should buy right now. The M4 chip offers plenty of performance for most users. Combine that with almost 16 hours of battery life and a bright Retina display, and it's an easy pick.
Affordable big screen
The best affordable big-screen MacBook
The MacBook Air 15 filled a gap in Apple's laptop lineup: a big screen that doesn't cost $2,500+. Sure, it's just an M4 Air with a bigger display, but that's a perfect laptop for many people.
Pros on the go
Best MacBook for portable performance
Whether you’re editing photos or videos, creating music, or working on a massive spreadsheet, the MacBook Pro 14 is the way to go. The M4's power and endurance took another leap.
Peak performance
Best MacBook for peak performance
The MacBook Pro 16 with M4 Pro can handle any task. Whether it's the larger display, higher peak performance, or four extra hours of battery life, the Pro 16 earns its premium price.
The best MacBook for most people
CPU: Apple M4 | GPU: Apple M4 | RAM: 16/24/32 GB | Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB | Display: 13.6-inch, 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina | Size: 12 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches | Weight: 2.7 pounds
Pros: While the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 looks no different from its predecessor outwardly, multiple changes make it the best MacBook for most people right now. The $100 price cut helps, returning the base MacBook Air to a $999 starting price.
Combined with the bump to 16GB of RAM on the base model, formerly a $200 upgrade, our recommended configuration for the 13-inch MacBook Air is $300 cheaper than last year's, even without scouting for one of the best MacBook deals.
The MacBook Air's 13.6-inch display is one of the brightest laptops around, and True Tone also ensures excellent color accuracy, but the vibrancy falls short of some of the OLED competition. Rumors of Apple moving to OLED in the future abound, but not yet.
Like its predecessors, the MacBook Air M4 is one of the thinnest laptops at only 0.4 inches. However, unlike many ultraportable laptops, it can keep up with an impressive workload, thanks to the M4 chip. Whether it was our benchmarks or real-world usage, the Air M4 was up for any task.
Looking at the benchmarks, the MacBook Air M4 scored 14,489 on Geekbench 6, easily surpassing the competition. Our Handbrake video transcoding test took 5 minutes and 40 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. This blows past the mainstream average, but still can't hold up to the MacBook Pro models in similar tests. SSD speeds are among the best we've seen, with 3,456.2 MBps and 3,018.4 MBps in BlackMagic Write and Read tests, respectively.
All that performance prowess doesn't hurt its battery life, either. If finding an outlet can be a challenge during your day, never fear: The Air M4 powered through almost 16 hours of battery life testing in our lab.
Rounding out the additions and upgrades from this year, the new Apple Center webcam is one of the best I've ever tested, the 12MP camera makes you look your best in any lighting.
Cons: So what are the downsides? If you have a lot of peripherals, the pair of Thunderbolt/USB-C ports may be challenging, but at least you have MagSafe 3 to keep both ports free while charging.
While the base $999 price for the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 is reasonable given what you are getting, if you need to upgrade RAM or storage, each jump is another $200, but neither is user-upgradeable, so don't leave yourself short.
Need more screen real estate? Look no further than the 15-inch MacBook Air M4. It mirrors all of the strengths of its smaller sibling but with a larger 15.3-inch display.
See our full 13-inch MacBook Air M4 review.
See our full 15-inch MacBook Air M4 review.
Click to view data in table format
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4 | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x | MacBook Air 13-inch M3 | Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) | 14,849 | 13,750 | 12,087 | 12,908 |
Handbrake conversion (Lower is better) | 5.40 | 5.16 | 7.40 | 6.17 |
SSD Transfer rate (Higher is better, MBps) | 1416 | 1279.88 | ||
BlackMagic Write (SSD speed) | 3,456.2 | 3,253.3 | 3,058.8 | |
BlackMagic Read (SSD speed) | 3,018.4 | 3,652.6 | 3,030.7 | |
Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit) | 85.2 | 86.0 | 83.5 | 111.9 |
Battery life (Higher is better) | 14.14 | 15.13 | 12.21 | |
Display brightness (Higher is better) | 463 | 464 | 476 | 354 |
sRGB color gamut (Higher is better) | 112% | 219% | 110% | 115% |
DCI-P3 color gamut (Higher is better) | 79.6% | 155.4% | 77.8% | 81.7% |
Color accuracy (Lower is better) | 0.2 | 0.37 | 0.21 | 0.21 |
Sid Meier's Civ VI: Gathering Storm (1080p) | 40.65 | 20.87 | 41.39 | 32.5 |
Borderlands 3 (1080p) | 20.85 | 17.08 | ||
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 31 | 25 |
Best affordable big-screen MacBook
CPU: Apple M4 | GPU: Apple M4 | RAM: 16/24/32 GB | Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB | Display: 15.3-inches, 2880 x 1864 Liquid Retina | Size: 13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches | Weight: 3.3 pounds
Pros: Getting that big 15.3-inch display on a MacBook for as low as $1,199 is hard to pass up, considering that for years, a large screen MacBook was at least $2,499. While it lacks the 120Hz refresh rate of the Pro models, Apple didn't skimp on the display, as it offers an excellent 476 nits of brightness in our testing.
At 3.3 pounds and just 0.45 inches thick, it's a strong contender for the best business laptops or best student laptops for anyone who values a larger laptop that won't weigh down their laptop bag. Thanks to 15 hours and 14 minutes of battery life in our testing, it also won't call it quits on you early.
It features the same M4 chip as the 13-inch Air M4. It delivers nearly identical performance results on many tasks, although sustained tasks like video editing tip in favor of the 15-inch model, presumably due to improved thermal performance.
Cons: Not many. I find the port situation slightly more frustrating on the 15-inch Air as it features the same pair of Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, MagSafe charger, and headphone/mic jack as the much smaller MacBook Air 13-inch. However, most of us who need more ports have long ago added a USB-C hub or laptop docking station to our assortment of gear.
See our full MacBook Air 15-inch M4 review.
Click to view data in table format
MacBook Air 15-inch M4 | Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406) | MacBook Air 15-inch M3 | Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 9) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) | 14,921 | 11,157 | 12,052 | 12,455 |
Handbrake conversion (Lower is better) | 4.57 | 8.28 | 6.30 | 5.10 |
SSD Transfer rate (Higher is better, MBps) | 1007.29 | 1016.42 | ||
BlackMagic Write (SSD speed) | 3,335.1 | 2,513.5 | 3,167.1 | |
BlackMagic Read (SSD speed) | 3,012.5 | 2,590.1 | 2,968.2 | |
Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit) | 90.0 | 97.7 | 83.5 | 95.0 |
Battery life (Higher is better) | 15.14 | 13.51 | 15.03 | 7.24 |
Display brightness (Higher is better) | 476 | 342 | 482 | 357 |
sRGB color gamut (Higher is better) | 118% | 116% | 109% | 192% |
DCI-P3 color gamut (Higher is better) | 83.5% | 82.0% | 77.5% | 136.3% |
Color accuracy (Lower is better) | 0.22 | 0.21 | 0.3 | 0.27 |
Sid Meier's Civ VI: Gathering Storm (1080p) | 44.735 | 48 | 34.97 | |
Borderlands 3 (1080p) | 19.38 | 23.66 | 17.3 | |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 31 | 19 |
The best MacBook for creative pros on the go
CPU: Apple M4, M4 Pro/M4 Max | GPU: Apple M4 , M4 Pro/M4 Max | RAM: 16/24/36/48/64/128GB | Storage: 512GB/1TB/2TB/4TB/8TB | Display: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024x1964 pixels) | Size: 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches | Weight: 3.4 pounds
Pros: The base MacBook Pro 14 with its M4 chip is an excellent value for those looking for more power than the Air can offer without spending upwards of $2,000. It's also important to note when comparing against the Air that you start at 512GB of storage, a $200 upgrade for Air buyers. For most users, the base M4 will get the job done, but if time is money for you, then the M4 Pro and M4 Max processors Apple are among the fastest, most power-efficient chips ever built for portable computing.
The base models at both the M4 and M4 Pro levels are better than ever, with the M4 Pro outperforming the M3 Max in many metrics, so consider that before snapping up a deal on the older models. While the base model will be more than enough for most users, you can configure the M4 Max up to 128GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD. Battery life was tested at 18 hours and 32 minutes for the standard M4 configuration, and we would expect fairly similar results from the M4 Pro and M4 Max.
That redesign from 2021 still feels fresh with the 14.2-inch, 3024 x 1964-pixel Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. At 556 nits, this panel is one of the brightest laptop screens ever and both color accurate and vivid enough for creative work.
At 12.3 inches x 8.7 x 0.6 inches and 3.4 pounds, the 14-inch MacBook Pro remains portable despite the power it packs underneath the hood.
The 12MP Center Stage camera is another notable upgrade for the M4 MacBook Pros, it's the best webcam we've ever seen on a laptop with outstanding color accuracy while holding up well in differing lighting conditions. Add in Touch ID, a six-speaker setup, and a comfortable keyboard and the 14-inch MacBook Pro has a lot going for it.
Cons: So, what's wrong with the laptop? I'll be honest, not much. It would be great to get Face ID support for facial recognition login since that's been available on Windows laptops for years. While your mileage may vary, I find the vent placement makes the MacBook Pro uncomfortable to hold in certain orientations, which isn't a major issue, but it's something I haven't encountered on a MacBook previously.
See our full MacBook Pro 14 M4 review.
Click to view data in table format
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4, 2024) | Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3, 2023) | HP Spectre x360 (14-inch, 2024) | Asus Zenbook S14 UX5406S | Premium laptops average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) | 15,114 | 11,968 | 12,358 | 11,157 | 10,492 |
Handbrake conversion (Lower is better, MM.SS) | 04:28 | 05:38 | 07:30 | 08:28 | 06:18 |
Battery life (HH.MM) | 18:32 | 17:16 | 11:01 | 13:51 | 13:23 |
DCI-P3 Color Gamut (Higher is better) | 80.2 | 81.3 | 85.8 | 82 | 84.7 |
Display Brightness (Nits) | 556.6 | 558 | 366 | 555 | 434 |
The best MacBook for performance and battery life
CPU: Apple M4 Pro/M4 Max | GPU: Apple M4 Pro/M4 Max | RAM: 24GB/32GB/64GB/128GB | Storage: 512GB/1TB/2TB/4TB/8TB | Display: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024 x 1964 pixels) | Size: 14 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches | Weight: 4. pounds
Pros: This MacBook Pro has everything we love about the 14-inch MacBook Pro but with a large 16-inch display. It has the same M4 Pro and M4 Max chip options along with up to a ludicrous 128GB of memory and up to an 8TB SSD. Battery life is even better, at 20 hours and 46 minutes in our testing, our second-longest result ever and the longest ever for a MacBook. Given the sky-high performance benchmarks, that battery life is almost unbelievable, I've speculated before that Apple has a secret pocket dimension in the MacBook Pro chassis, and I'm still not counting that out as a possibility.
If you plan to keep your laptop for 5-7 years or more and particularly are doing creative work or other work that requires data transfers between your laptop and either an SSD or other hardware, then the 16-inch MacBook Pro offers another advantage over its smaller Pro sibling, Thunderbolt 5 ports. While there is little to take full advantage of the new standard at the moment, Thunderbolt 5 docks, external SSDs, and more are starting to arrive and will pick up over the next 12 months.
Cons: You can get most of what is available in the 16-inch MacBook Pro in the 14-inch model for $500 less. If you need the larger panel or Thunderbolt 5 support, then get the 16-inch MacBook Pro, but if that's not crucial, there is little reason to pay up for the larger laptop.
Also, at 14 x 9.8 x 0.66 inches and 4.7 pounds, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is considerably larger than the 14-inch model, so if you regularly tote your laptop around, that's worth considering as well.
Like the 14-inch model, I wish Face ID was available, and I'm not a fan of the vent configuration, but these are minor concerns overall.
See our full MacBook Pro 16-inch M4 Pro review.
Click to view data in table format
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) | Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3 Max, 2023) | Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 | Asus ProArt PX16 2024 | Premium laptops average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) | 22,822 | 21,182 | 12,141 | 15,286 | 10,492 |
Handbrake conversion (Lower is better, MM.SS) | 02:38 | 02:36 | 03:53 | 03:15 | 06:18 |
Battery life (HH.MM) | 20:46 | 18:05 | 09:51 | 09:32 | 13:23 |
DCI-P3 Color Gamut (Higher is better) | 81.4 | 81.8 | 105.7 | 85.5 | 84.7 |
Display Brightness (Nits) | 565 | 558 | 373 | 356 | 434 |
We put MacBooks through extensive benchmark testing—both synthetic and real-world—before they are handed to our reviewers. We evaluate everything from speed and battery life to display brightness, speaker volume, and system heat.
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Apple may be preparing to release an all-new affordable MacBook beyond its Air and Pro models, according to information shared by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Potentially arriving by the end of the year, this new MacBook could be the most accessible of all, trading in the opportunity to sport Apple's upcoming M5 chip for a surprisingly more modest option, the A18 Pro Bionic — the very same chip used by the iPhone 16 Pro.
Sound a little far-fetched? Perhaps not. We've actually been tracking reports of low-cost MacBook across a string of rumors dating all the way back to September 2023.
Tentatively labelled the MacBook SE, this modestly priced MacBook has reportedly been in the works, with Apple exploring ways to cut down on costs to deliver a product that doesn't aim to challenge its typical Windows counterparts, but this time, the Chromebook.
Early rumors suggested that Apple would cut costs by adopting less premium materials and components during construction. One option may include adopting a rigid plastic chassis, as it did with the Apple Watch SE 3.
According to an article posted by Kuo to X, Kuo shares that the new MacBook's chassis could come in four potential case colors, including silver, blue, pink, and yellow.
Kuo also shares that this long-rumored MacBook is expected to enter mass production late in the fourth quarter of 2025 or in the early first quarter of 2026, suggesting a release next year, potentially unveiling it sometime in March 2026 during its annual Spring event.
Challenging Chromebooks seems like an odd decision at first, but having delivered serious competition in practically every market there is, Apple has one frontier it's yet to conquer: the classroom.
Ask any college goer what the best laptop for students is, and you're bound to be met by a slew of arguments that favor Apple's MacBooks, but when it comes to K-12 education, the Chromebook reigns supreme.
However, should Apple follow through on its low-cost MacBook plans, even the best Chromebooks would have reason to worry.
While Chromebooks win on price and simplicity, an Apple alternative, even one running an A-series chip, could bring a much broader toolkit with it, cutting out the reliance on web apps, granting access to Apple Intelligence, and delivering a host of macOS content through a thriving App Store.
That said, putting a powerful and less narrow computing experience in the hands of students for less wouldn't just benefit those in education, but Apple, too.
Another huge benefit for Apple would be having its OS in K-12 classrooms across the country, developing an instant familiarity with macOS among a younger generation, and, in turn, challenging Windows' dominance as the "standard" operating system for computing.
A move like this isn't just about expanding on a classroom's toolset; it's about quietly rewriting digital instincts among younger generations, something that Microsoft similarly managed to pull off in the 90s with Windows 95.
While Google's follow-up efforts haven't exactly turned ChromeOS into a major player among wider users, it has helped to proliferate use of Google's Workspace suite and get many to trade purchasing office software for using the company's free alternatives, regardless of which OS they eventually move on to.
A low-cost MacBook isn't just about increasing sales — though Kuo does project it accounting for 5-7 million units in 2026 — it's about Apple laying new groundwork for long-term loyalty, and redefining what is seen as the "default" for a whole new generation of tech-savvy youngsters.
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