If you're looking for the best MacBooks and Macs in 2022, then you've come to the right place. While Windows laptops and PCs are doing great things, many people still prefer an Apple device, especially creative professionals.
The fact that Apple seems to have fallen back in love with its Macs and MacBooks also helps. The company has a new range of chips that power its computers and laptops: the M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra, and these all provide excellent performance and power efficiency.
This means it's never been a more exciting time to buy a MacBook or a Mac. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros blew us away last year, and the compact Mac Studio that's just been released shows that Apple has what it takes to make a brilliant workstation PC for creatives.
These MacBooks and Macs benefit from more than just an upgrade in cutting edge hardware. The way Apple controls both its hardware and software promises the user a smoother, more streamlined, and more stable experience than what Windows laptops can offer, particularly with the improvements that come with macOS 12 Monterey.
Whether you want to make the switch to the macOS environment or are upgrading from your aging one, we gathered the best MacBook or Mac for video editing, music production, and college below. Not only will this list narrow down your choice, but it’ll also help you find the most ideal one for your specific needs. For the best MacBook deals, be sure to check our included price comparison tool as well.
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As we had hoped, the new Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) is the best laptop you can currently buy, improving on Apple's previous model (which is still on this list), in a range of important ways.
It's got a brand-new design that gives it a more modern feel, while making it thinner and lighter, and in our review, we loved the fact that it also features a larger, brighter, screen.
There's even more good additions with this new model, including a larger Touch ID sensor for logging in with your fingerprint, and a 1080p webcam, which makes the new MacBook Air a brilliant laptop for people who make a lot of video calls - and these days, that's most of us. Meanwhile, the new MagSafe charging port makes topping up the battery of the new MacBook Air easy, safe and fast.
The insides of the MacBook Air are just as revolutionary as the outside, with the powerful new M2 chip offering excellent performance for a range of tasks such as 4K video editing. The MacBook Air (M2, 2022)'s battery life is also absolutely fantastic, lasting over 16 hours in our tests, so if you're looking for a laptop that is thin, light and powerful, and can be taken almost anywhere, this is for you.
However, it is more expensive than the previous model - by quite a bit, so if you're looking for something more affordable, consider the still-excellent MacBook Air (M1, 2020), which is our pick as the best value laptop of 2022.
Make sure you check out all the best MacBook Air deals and sales available now before you buy.
Read the full review: MacBook Air (M2, 2022)
The MacBook Pro is now its truest self with the launch of the MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) and its 16-inch counterpart. Armed with the new M1 Pro and M1 Max, MacBook impresses with breathtaking power and equally breathtaking battery life – just what every professional needs and deserves. Apple then rounds it all out with its XDR display with 1600 nits of peak brightness and a wide color gamut. There’s also an SD card slot, an HDMI port, and three Thunderbolt 4 ports (all of which can stay available thanks to MagSafe charging being back.) It’s among the most expensive MacBook Pros ever launched, but it’s also certainly among the best.
Read the MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) review
If you think that the new iMacs couldn’t possibly be as good as they look, you’d be wrong. They are not just an improvement over their 21.5-inch predecessor externally, touting a fresh new face that comes in several different colors. They also come with fresh new specs, rocking Apple’s new M1 chip that makes it much more powerful than the previous Intel iMacs. In fact, we’d go as far as to say that the new iMac (24-inch, 2021) is the best all-in-one PC we’ve ever tested, and has certainly earned its place in our best Macs list. You’ll also be happy to know that you’re getting great value here, as you’re getting the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse included – in matching colors, we might add.
Read the iMac (24-inch, 2021) review
Regardless of what you’re looking for in a computer, the MacBook Pro 16-Inch (2021) can probably handle it. That’s thanks to Apple’s impressive in-house M1 Pro and M1 Max (if you choose to upgrade) that can blaze through any application you can think of. The Pro also comes with an incredible display, as well as plenty of ports including next-gen Thunderbolt 4 ports and the return of the MagSafe charging port. All that performance does come at a price, as even the base model costs a lot. But, considering how powerful this laptop is, it’s worth the price of entry.
Read the MacBook Pro 16-Inch (2021) review
The Mac Studio is like a super-charged Mac mini for creative professionals. Apple's newest Mac, this is an impressively compact computer that comes packing some serious power thanks to a choice of the M1 Max chip, or the brand-new uber-powerful M1 Ultra. The level of performance on offer here will be overkill for many people, but if you're looking for a workstation PC for heavy creative workloads, such as editing 8K footage or rendering complex 3D scenes and animations, then the Mac Studio will be a great choice. It's expensive, but worth the investment.
Apple topped last year off with a bang, rolling out their much-talked about M1 silicon chip that’s so far been a real game-changer. And, the first laptop to receive it is the company’s thinnest and lightest, putting it on the list of the most exciting Apple laptops of recent years. With this new chip, the MacBook Air is better than ever, touting excellent performance alongside its brilliant battery life – without raising the price to keep it (fairly) affordable still. This is the best MacBook for pretty much everyone.
Read the full review: MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
The Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022) might not come with a new design update, which makes it look and feel a bit redundant, especially because the M1 version is pretty impressive in its own right. However, while there's nothing exciting about its outside, Apple’s brand-new M2 chip certainly makes up for it in a massive way.
If you already have the M1 MacBook Pro 13-inch, this might not be worth an upgrade – unless, of course, you need a bit more power. In our tests, this 2022 model achieved better performance in both single and multi-core CPU tests. That means a noticeable boost in its multitasking capabilities, allowing users to open and utilize various applications open at once. It also scored around twice as much as the Intel Core i7-1185G7-powered Surface Laptop 4, and lasted almost two hours longer than the M1 MacBook Pro 13-inch in our battery life test. That's while keeping the same price tag as before.
Read our in-depth MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022) review
What to look for in the best Macs and MacBooks
Whether it’s the new 16-inch MacBook Pro that just came out or the Mac Pro 2019 that’s also just released, it’s not hard to see why the best Mac and MacBooks are the weapons of choice of creative professionals.
And, even if you don’t go for the newest releases, there’s already a few excellent options to choose from, especially with Apple recently giving its MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro and 15-inch MacBook Pro that much-needed update.
The best part is that the best Mac and MacBooks come in different shapes, sizes and price so that whether you want the cheapest MacBook you could find, a professional workhorse that breezes through all your extensive workloads like a pro, or an all-in-one that saves you space, there’s a Mac on the market for you.
How we test the best MacBook
Testing the best MacBooks and Macs is more intensive than you might think, especially because most of these devices are meant to be used by creative professionals with more taxing workloads. Aside from putting its build, display, keyboard, trackpad, and webcam through their paces, we also perform creative benchmark tests like Handbrake as well as run demanding workflows like editing an 8K video in Final Cut Pro and doing real-time 3D modeling and animation to see how every device would fare in real-world situations. We also test its battery life and take a look at its heat management performance when running such intensive tasks.
How we test the best MacBook
Testing the best MacBooks and Macs is more intensive than you might think, especially because most of these devices are meant to be used by creative professionals with more taxing workloads. Aside from putting its build, display, keyboard, trackpad, and webcam through their paces, we also perform creative benchmark tests like Handbrake as well as run demanding workflows like editing an 8K video in Final Cut Pro and doing real-time 3D modeling and animation to see how every device would fare in real-world situations. We also test its battery life and take a look at its heat management performance when running such intensive tasks.
How we test the best MacBook
Testing the best MacBooks and Macs is more intensive than you might think, especially because most of these devices are meant to be used by creative professionals with more taxing workloads. Aside from putting its build, display, keyboard, trackpad, and webcam through their paces, we also perform creative benchmark tests like Handbrake as well as run demanding workflows like editing an 8K video in Final Cut Pro and doing real-time 3D modeling and animation to see how every device would fare in real-world situations. We also test its battery life and take a look at its heat management performance when running such intensive tasks.