MacBook Air laptops are an ideal blend of portability and power, featuring excellent displays and long battery lives that will let college students zip between classes without carrying their chargers around with them.
If you want to skip the reviews, we say get the Apple 2022 MacBook Air M2 13.6.
Best Apple Laptop For College Students Reviews
Apple 2022 MacBook Air M2 13.6
- STRIKINGLY THIN DESIGN — The redesigned MacBook Air is more portable than ever and weighs just 2.7...
- SUPERCHARGED BY M2 — Get more done faster with a next-generation 8-core CPU, up to 10-core GPU and up...
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — Go all day and into the night, thanks to the power-efficient...
- BIG, BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY — The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display features over 500 nits of brightness, P3...
- ADVANCED CAMERA AND AUDIO — Look sharp and sound great with a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, three-mic array...
The MacBook Air is one of the world’s best ultrabooks and one of the world’s most recognized laptops. Last year, Apple updated its design, moving away from its iconic wedge shape toward a thinner and flatter version known as M2.
Pricing begins at around US $1199 or PS1249 while older MacBook Airs may still be found for much less; more expensive MacBooks offer upgraded specs including faster SSD storage space and powerful CPU / GPU chips but will incur an extra $200/PS250 payment to receive these features.
The M2 MacBook Air is an ideal lightweight machine for anyone needing something that can do basic tasks like productivity work, browsing the internet, watching videos, and writing term papers.
Unfortunately, though, it’s not ideal for more intensive workloads like working on complex Logic Pro projects with hundreds of tracks or video editing programs like Premiere; in these instances, it would be better served by upgrading to one of their more powerful counterparts such as MacBook Pro 13-inch models.
Thin and light construction make this laptop ideal for students on the move. At only 11mm thick and 2.7 pounds, this laptop is slimmer and lighter than its predecessor MacBook Air. Furthermore, it boasts a 13.6-inch display with Liquid Retina technology supporting wide color support.
Other improvements include a more powerful FaceTime HD camera, support for fast charging via USB-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack capable of supporting high-impedance headphones.
Battery life was exceptional: On our Tom’s Guide battery test, the M2 MacBook Air managed 14 hours and 6 minutes – among the longest we’ve seen for a laptop with this screen size!
The new MacBook Air is extremely quiet when operating normally; its fans rarely kick in even under heavy loads – this marks a dramatic improvement over previous MacBooks that had noisy fans that often activated when under load.
Apple 2023 MacBook Pro M2 Pro 14.2
- SUPERCHARGED BY M2 PRO OR M2 MAX — Take on demanding projects with the M2 Pro or M2 Max chip. M2 Pro...
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — Go all day thanks to the power-efficient design of the M2 Pro or M2...
- FULLY COMPATIBLE — All your pro apps run lightning fast — including Adobe Creative Cloud, Xcode,...
- BEAUTIFUL PRO DISPLAY — The 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display features Extreme Dynamic Range, over...
- ADVANCED CAMERA AND AUDIO — Look sharp and sound great with a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, a...
The MacBook Pro M2 is an exceptional laptop for students. Powered by an Apple-made M1 quad-core chip that’s extremely energy efficient, the MacBook Pro M2 boasts up to 22 hours of battery life when in use and 8GB of dedicated RAM along with a speedy 256GB solid-state drive – ideal for university and college students who want to remain productive without constantly needing to charge their machines.
Unfortunately, any upgrades must be performed at the time of purchase which may prove cumbersome for certain students.
However, even with all its power packed into this laptop, it remains relatively portable – ideal for students needing something powerful enough to handle tasks such as video editing, 4K video rendering, and advanced computer science projects.
Though more expensive than its MacBook Air rival, this powerful machine makes an excellent choice for creative design majors who must run demanding creative software on the go.
Compared with previous generation MacBook Pros, this model boasts longer battery life and a faster graphics card.
Additionally, its display is brighter and has a higher resolution; however it remains slightly pricier than its counterpart, the MacBook Air; however, it does come equipped with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI output, an SDXC slot, as well as supporting high-impedance headphones via its headphone jack.
The 2023 MacBook Pro is an impressive upgrade of an already successful line of laptops. While its looks remain similar to earlier models, this model features an Intel processor, powerful GPU, and enhanced Liquid Retina display technology.
Starting at $1,799 for the base configuration and rising up to $2,500 for its top-of-the-line M2 Pro Max variant; although this price tag may seem steep for students. Luckily Apple offers student discounts to offset some of this expense.
Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air M1 13.3
- Apple-designed M1 chip for a giant leap in CPU, GPU, and machine learning performance
- Go longer than ever with up to 18 hours of battery life
- 8-core CPU delivers up to 3.5x faster performance to tackle projects faster than ever
- Up to eight GPU cores with up to 5x faster graphics for graphics-intensive apps and games
- 16-core Neural Engine for advanced machine learning
The Apple MacBook Air M1 is an excellent value-conscious solution for students in search of a powerful computer without breaking their budget.
Boasting an Intel Dual-Core i5 processor, 8GB dedicated RAM, and 256GB solid-state storage, students will benefit from its sleek design and 13-inch Retina display as well as its slim profile that fits easily in a backpack or tote bag while its 10-hour battery life ensures uninterrupted studying sessions in class or the library.
This model’s M1 quad-core processor chip is extremely energy efficient, helping extend battery life significantly. Furthermore, its built-in webcam delivers crystal-clear video calls. And for extra security measures, it even comes equipped with fingerprint recognition capability!
Even though the M1 MacBook Air cannot match the high-end MacBook Pro in terms of multitasking performance, its single-thread performance should make it suitable for most tasks – such as Adobe Photoshop editing, coding, and surfing the web. P3 color gamut support makes this especially helpful for creative majors requiring accurate color rendering.
Another impressive feature of the Air M1 laptop is its backlit keyboard, making it easy to work in dimly lit environments. Furthermore, this model includes two USB-C ports, a headphone jack, an HDMI port, as well a MagSafe charging port – an essential addition for students!
Apple’s MacBook lineup offers something for every budget and power requirement imaginable, from entry-level machines with limited resources all the way through professional applications like Logic Pro X and Final Cut Pro.
However, with so many choices it can be hard to select the ideal machine; but worry not; with this guide’s help, it should become easier than ever for college students to select the MacBook that’s perfect for them!
Apple 2023 MacBook Air M2 15.3
- IMPRESSIVELY BIG, IMPOSSIBLY THIN — The 15-inch MacBook Air makes room for more of what you love with a...
- SUPERCHARGED BY M2 — Get more done faster with a powerful 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and up to 24GB of...
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — Go all day with the power-efficient performance of the Apple M2 chip....
- SPACIOUS, BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY — The high-resolution, 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display features 500 nits of...
- SILENT DESIGN — MacBook Air features a fanless design that runs completely silent, no matter the task.
Students looking for a powerful yet stylish MacBook can rely on Apple’s 2023 MacBook Air M2 as an excellent solution.
Apple’s latest rendition of their popular model boasts a sleek new design that makes it both slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, boasting Liquid Retina display quality with fast charging MagSafe port support – plus base configuration includes 128GB SSD storage with 8GB of RAM; for students working with large files or apps, we suggest upgrading to the 256GB option for greater storage capacities.
This laptop’s M2 processor is highly powerful and capable of handling daily tasks easily, such as browsing the web and running most apps. Plus, its unibody frame ensures it remains silent during operation! Plus it boasts no fan for heat dispersion – something many other laptops fail at doing!
Anyone planning on using their MacBook for advanced software like Photoshop, Adobe Premier, or programming will find that applications load faster and run more smoothly with this model.
Those intending to major in film, design, or coding should consider purchasing one equipped with M1 or M2 chips as this may provide better GPU support.
When shopping for a MacBook, it is essential that you consider what kind of work it will be used for in order to find one with sufficient power.
For instance, graphic designers will need something with an accurate screen capable of handling all their design software; but for people just needing something for note-taking and browsing the web a high-end MacBook may be too powerful of a machine.
Consider your budget when shopping for a MacBook, since its cost may be significantly higher than similar laptops from other manufacturers. But if spending extra cash is part of your plan, chances are it’s going to pay off in terms of performance and build quality.
Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch Mid 2018
- This product has been tested and certified to work and look like new, with minimal to no signs of wear,...
- 15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2880-by-1800 resolution at 220 pixels per...
- 6-Core Intel Core i7 2.2 GHz processor with up to 4.1 GHz Turbo Boost
- 256GB PCI-E based flash memory storage; 16GB of 2400MHz DDR4 SDRAM onboard memory
- Dual graphics processors - A discrete AMD Radeon Pro graphics card with 4GB dedicated GDDR5 memory and...
The Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch Mid 2018 is an effective, compact laptop equipped with an impressive display, Touch Bar, and keyboard.
Powered by an Intel 8th Gen Core i7 Coffee Lake processor that provides six independent processor cores on one silicon chip; although not as energy efficient as Intel claimed it would be.
Still, it provides ample performance for premium notebook users; making the MacBook Pro ideal for students and professionals who work on multiple projects simultaneously.
This year’s MacBook Pro looks and feels similar to its predecessor and feels sturdy and smooth. Apple has enhanced both the trackpad and power buttons with brighter, more responsive buttons compared to previous models; battery life has increased by an estimated 10 hours; but unfortunately screen doesn’t go edge-to-edge like some competing laptops do.
This year’s MacBook Pro lineup includes Intel 8th-generation processors with six cores in an ultra-thin and lightweight package, giving it enough processing power to compete with desktop PCs while remaining portable and easy to carry around.
Furthermore, Apple has upped the maximum RAM to 32GB – but you may incur an extra cost at checkout in order to add it!
Upgrade to an i9 processor for up to 70% faster performance compared to its 2016 counterpart. Furthermore, this version features an impressive 2TB SSD and 32GB of RAM which makes it one of the top choices among college students for purchasing their laptop computer.
MacBook Pro’s only external changes include butterfly keyboard switches and the option of upgrading storage options to 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB at the time of purchase.
This laptop is ideal for students completing video editing and gaming projects and scored an outstanding 4,826 score in Geekbench 6, which measures single- and multi-core processor performance.
2018 Apple MacBook Air
- Stunning 13.3-inch Retina display
- Touch ID and the latest Apple-designed keyboard
- Dual-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor with Intel UHD Graphics 617
- Fast SSD storage and 8GB memory
- Stereo speakers with wider stereo sound
The MacBook Air may no longer be Apple’s latest or most powerful laptop, but it remains one of the top choices for students.
Thanks to its slim form factor, Retina display, and surprisingly robust performance capabilities, it makes an excellent option for students seeking an Apple product but without needing all its power. Apple even upgraded this year’s version by including some key upgrades compared to last year.
Now featuring a Touch ID fingerprint sensor and an upgraded keyboard designed to reduce blotching and noise, as well as dual Thunderbolt 3 ports which offer faster data-transfer speeds than its previous version’s single USB-C port, these changes also include more advanced CPU, improved battery life and third-generation butterfly switches which are more responsive than ever.
As expensive as it is, the MacBook Air still represents solid value for its money.
Its single-core Geekbench benchmark scores compare favorably with more expensive laptops while its real-world performance can often surpass even those more costly models when using demanding apps such as Photoshop or video editing – making this computer perfect for students who will likely be streaming media, editing photos and videos lightly, word processing, etc.
However, this model has its drawbacks; the screen is noticeably less vibrant than the 2015 models and does not support DCI-P3 color standards used by professional video editors. Furthermore, its average brightness can prove problematic in bright rooms where it can easily wash out images and videos.
The new Mac also does not come equipped with a USB-C to A adapter, which could prove frustrating to those needing legacy accessories connected via legacy ports. Furthermore, its base model only comes equipped with 128GB of internal storage (you can upgrade up to 256GB if desired).
If you can live with these drawbacks, the MacBook Air can be an ideal lightweight laptop running macOS and capable of handling even the most intensive apps.
But for those on a tight budget, there are alternatives; such as Dell XPS 13 which features more ports and battery life at $200 less – plus you can add external storage at additional costs.
Late 2019 Apple MacBook Pro
- Ninth-generation 6-Core Intel Core i7 Processor
- Stunning 16-inch Retina Display with True Tone technology
- Touch Bar and Touch ID Amd Radeon Pro 5300M Graphics with GDDR6 memory
- Ultrafast SSD Intel UHD Graphics 630
- Six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers
Apple’s MacBook Pro mobile workstation offers a premium feel. Though larger and heavier than competing clamshell laptops, it offers higher CPU and GPU options to handle demanding production workloads such as video editing.
Plus it boasts sharper, brighter displays with better color saturation as well as larger touchpads with haptic feedback for an enhanced touchpad experience.
Furthermore, its durable build doesn’t heat or loudly under load while boasting longer battery life and offering an improved webcam for video calls.
The Apple MacBook Pro is an ideal solution for anyone seeking the highest level of laptop experience at an economical price.
Its sleek modern design and high-resolution screen are perfect for students, while its long battery life, powerful components, and high-quality speakers ensure optimal audio and video enjoyment.
2023 Apple MacBook Pro M2 16
- SUPERCHARGED BY M2 PRO OR M2 MAX — Take on demanding projects with the M2 Pro or M2 Max chip. M2 Pro...
- UP TO 22 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — Go all day thanks to the power-efficient design of the M2 Pro or M2...
- FULLY COMPATIBLE — All your pro apps run lightning fast — including Adobe Creative Cloud, Xcode,...
- BEAUTIFUL PRO DISPLAY — The 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display features Extreme Dynamic Range, over...
- ADVANCED CAMERA AND AUDIO — Look sharp and sound great with a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, a...
The 2023 Apple MacBook Pro M2 16 is an ideal upgrade from any prior-generation models, not least due to its full redesign last year. While not quite revolutionary in appearance or features, this laptop still feels fresh and impressive; making it an excellent option for creative projects or portable workstations alike.
The Macbook Pro M2 offers the same aluminum unibody design of its predecessors, in either silver or space gray finish. It includes Touch ID for unlocking and authenticating purchases as well as a large Force Touch trackpad, used both for gesture recognition and drawing.
Performance-wise, the MacBook Pro M2 delivers on its promise to offer superior battery life without sacrificing processing power.
We conducted several benchmarks and discovered it to be powerful enough to manage most workloads; specifically, Geekbench scored it a respectable 1,965 single-core test score and 15,148 multi-core scores which are better results than Dell XPS 13 Plus’ 1,577 and 12,663 scores respectively.
In our tests, the MacBook Pro M2 didn’t become hot or loud when running demanding programs due to its rearchitected thermal design and Intel Core M processors which efficiently manage power usage. Furthermore, this model features an 8TB SSD storage system and offers unifying memory support.
MacBook Pro M2’s Liquid Retina XDR display is another standout feature. Stunning in any setting, its Liquid Retina XDR panel provides gorgeous visuals for editing photos or watching movies alike – with peak HDR brightness reaching 1,600 nits and supporting the P3 color gamut, its beauty will enhance any environment.
Although the MacBook Pro M2 lacks the raw CPU power of older generations, it still makes for a worthy upgrade for those needing additional processing power.
It easily handles professional software such as Adobe Photoshop, 3D modeling tools, and video editors; its battery life even surpasses them, lasting 22 hours on one charge!
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