Technologies
Best MacBook for 2023
With M1 and M2 versions of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, it’s hard to know which is right for you. We’ve tested and reviewed nearly every current model.
In this article:
Apple offers MacBooks from $999 all the way up to $3,499, and that’s just the default configurations. Optional upgrades can add thousands more to the price. With the new M2 chip, we’re now firmly in the second generation of Apple Silicon, and the M2 versions of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are strong performers, even if some models are more expensive than their predecessors.
The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are known for excellent design, build quality and ease of use. MacOS, with its intuitive nature, plays a big part in that, as does the fact that Apple makes both the hardware and software, leading to inherent synergies.
That said, MacBooks aren’t flying off the shelves like they used to. Data from analyst firm IDC says that Mac sales in the first quarter of 2023 were down a whopping 40% from the same period a year ago. Part of that is because so many people bought new laptops during COVID-19, and those generally have a three- to five-year lifespan, so we’re between upgrade cycles at the moment.
Still, the current M2 version of the MacBook Air, which starts at $1,199, gets my vote as the most universally useful laptop most people can buy right now, and I use one almost daily.
Below, we go over each MacBook and its strengths and weaknesses, as well as offering some MacBook shopping tips and answers to common questions.
Apple is still offering education deals on MacBooks: Normally, the Apple Store is (ironically) not the best place to buy an Apple laptop (really, almost any Apple product) because sales are all but nonexistent. The big exception to the rule is Apple’s education discounts, which usually include MacBook deals. On the other hand, we’ve also found Apple laptop deals through Best Buy’s Student Deals page.
The Touch Bar is (mostly) dead: Apple announced the Touch Bar with great fanfare in 2016 but this slim secondary touchscreen, which sits above the keyboard, is now only available on one model. You can find it on the M2 13-inch MacBook Pro, which retains its dated design, despite having Apple’s latest chip.
Great webcam on the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro, and the 13-inch Air; 13-inch MacBook Pro webcam is still meh: The jump to a 1080p resolution camera in the newest MacBooks, as well as the 24-inch iMac, is a game-changer for people sitting in video meetings all day. Only that dated-looking 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro retains the not-great old camera. Here are some tips on making the 720-pixel cameras in those other Macs look better.
If you need something bigger and don’t mind it being tied to a desk: Apple updated its smaller iMac (formerly 21.5 inches, now 24 inches) in 2021, and it now comes in seven color options and runs on the company’s M1 processor. You can also pair a Mac Mini or Mac Studio desktop with the new 27-inch Mac Studio Display.
Almost all Macs have transitioned to Apple’s own M1 and M2 chips: Since late 2020, the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, 24-inch iMac, 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro now all run either M1 or M2 chips (including Pro, Max and Ultra varieties), which combine both CPU and GPU cores into a single package. Based on our testing, the Apple M1 and M2 line has largely delivered on Apple’s promises of better battery life and faster performance. You can still find the really old Mac Pro desktop with an Intel Xeon chip.
The key question is how to make sure you’re not buying too little MacBook — or too much. Which is the best MacBook for your needs? For most people, the 13-inch Air remains the default choice and rightly so. The 14-inch and 16-inch Pro models are more powerful but in a way that only people who need heavy GPU support will appreciate.
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Read more: Best Mac VPN for 2023
MacBook starting configurations
| 14-inch MacBook Pro | 16-inch MacBook Pro | MacBook Air (13-inch, M1) | MacBook Air (13-inch, M2) | 13-inch MacBook Pro (M2) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | M2 Pro or M2 Max | M2 Pro or M2 Max | M1 | M2 | M2 |
| No. of GPU cores | 16-19 (M1 Pro), 30 (M1 Max) | 19 (M2Pro), 38 (M2 Max) | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Screen size (inches) | 14.2 in | 16.2 in | 13.3 in | 13.6 in | 13.3 in |
| Screen resolution | 3,024×1,964 pixels | 3,456×2,234 pixels | 2,560×1,600 pixels | 2,560×1,664 pixels | 2,560×1,600 pixels |
| Starting storage | 512GB | 512GB | 256GB | 256GB | 256GB |
| Starting RAM | 16GB | 16GB | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB |
| Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | 720p | 1080p | 720p |
| Networking | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Connections | Thunderbolt USB-C x3, HDMI, SDXC card, MagSafe 3 | Thunderbolt USB-C x3, HDMI, SDXC card, MagSafe 3 | Thunderbolt USB-C x2 | Thunderbolt USB-C x2 | Thunderbolt USB-C x2 |
| Weight (pounds) | 3.5 lbs | 4.7 lbs | 2.8 lbs | 2.7 lbs | 3.0 lbs |
| Starting price | $1,999 | $2,499 | $999 | $1,199 | $1,299 |
Best MacBooks of 2023
The 2022 MacBook Air got its biggest refresh in many years, moving to the M2 chip and adopting a new design. Thanks to that MacBook-Pro-like design, larger display (13.6-inch vs 13.3-inch), faster M2 chip and a long-awaited upgrade to a higher-res webcam, it’s now my favorite Mac, with one caveat. At $1,199, the $200 price increase over the traditional $999 MacBook Air starting price is a disappointment.
The MacBook Air goes beyond the Pro models it mimics in one important respect — it adds new colors to the space gray and silver, with a new gold-like starlight and a deep, dark midnight finish. Midnight, which appears as a matte black finish, reminds me of the old matte black polycarbonate MacBooks of the mid 2000s, which I’ve always thought was a sharp look.
We’ve got a lot of different MacBook models, prices and specs to keep track of. To sum it up, the key reasons you’re going to prefer the new M2 Air over the previous M1 model are:
- Slimmer, more modern design in new colors
- Upgraded full-HD webcam
- Larger, brighter display (13.6 inches vs. 13.3 inches)
- Faster M2 processor
This model has been surpassed, but not replaced, by the new M2 MacBook Air. Because it’s staying on as Apple’s sole $999 laptop, it still deserves a place on this list.
For many years, this Apple laptop was everyone’s favorite laptop. It was reasonably priced, thin, light and built like a tank. It could last for years and take lots of falls and bumps. For any college student or coffee shop creative type, $999 would get you sorted.
You get only two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, but for most people that’s enough, as long as you can get a whatever-to-USB-C dongle.
The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops, like the new M2 MacBook Air, have better displays, faster processors and more ports. The Pro models also have HDMI and SD card slots.
Apple’s 2023 update to its flagship MacBook Pro 16-inch line follows the company’s usual MO. It offers a modest refresh from the more significantly redesigned 2021 model; notably, upgrades to the latest generation of M2-class processors, Wi-Fi 6E and HDMI 2.1, which means support for displays up to 8K, 60Hz and 4K, 240Hz and variable refresh rates.
We awarded it our Editors’ Choice award for its combination of the old and new. It’s a powerhouse Mac for creation and development work.
Compared with the 13-inch Pro, the screen size here jumps from 13.3 to 14.2 inches. It’s what Apple calls a Liquid Retina XDR display, which is basically a mini LED screen, like in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It also has the same HDMI, SD card and MagSafe ports as the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the same 1080 webcam.
We last tested a 14-inch Pro in 2021, but the performance and configuration options remain substantially similar to the 16-inch M2 MacBook Pro, which we tested and reviewed in 2023.
If you’re a college student, coffeeshop writer or other mainstream laptop user, this is a hefty premium to pay for a better screen, better webcam and more ports. It might be like buying a sports car just for driving on city streets. Bring in all-day, every day web video meetings, you might be able to make a good case, but the new M2 Air also solves that problem.
This new 2022 version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro looks just like the 13-inch MacBook Pro that was part of Apple’s first wave of M1-chip Macs in late 2020. Same body, same camera, same limited ports, same Touch Bar. Yes, this remains the last holdout of the Apple Touch Bar, a clever-but-underused second screen that’s fallen out of favor.
And that’s exactly what this system is: The 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro, with the initial M1 chip swapped out for the new M2 chip. That makes it Apple’s most powerful 13-inch laptop, and it edges out the otherwise similar new M2 MacBook Air because its active cooling allows it to run at higher temperatures.
That means it’s less likely to be your best choice for a MacBook. But there are some reasons you may still want the 13-inch MacBook Pro over either the new MacBook Air or the pricier 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro. We outlined the most obvious reasons here and they include:
- The last opportunity to get a MacBook with a Touch Bar
- Smallest MacBook with the longest battery life (at least until we test the new Air model)
- Platform continuity for your company or creative shop
Which MacBook should I buy?
My TL;DR advice is as follows.
- If you need a MacBook for everyday work, schoolwork, web surfing, movies and light creativity, go with the M2 MacBook Air. For most people, this is all the MacBook they’ll need.
- The new design and camera are great, as is the bigger screen, but the older $999 M1 version of the MacBook Air is still great if you don’t want to spend $200 more on the M2 version.
- The 13-inch MacBook Pro remains a tough sell. More expensive than the Air but essentially the same performance and same Apple M2 chip. It’s also the last holdout of the Touch Bar.
- The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the one high-end creative types have been waiting for. The video editor and creative pros I’ve spoken to have flocked to it and usually with the highest-end M2 Max chip.
- The 14-inch MacBook Pro can do almost everything the 16-inch can, but in a smaller package. It’s either a premium mainstream laptop splurge or a work tool for creative types who need something a little more portable.
The best laptops in every category
- Best Laptop for 2023
- Best Windows Laptops
- Best Laptop for College
- Best Laptop for High School Students
- Best Budget Laptop
- Best Dell Laptops
- Best 15-Inch Work and Gaming Laptops
- Best 2-in-1 Laptop
- Best HP Laptops
- Best Gaming Laptop
- Best Cheap Gaming Laptop Under $1,000
- Best Chromebook: 8 Chromebooks Starting at Under $300
Technologies
We May Know What the Next Nintendo Switch 2 Pokemon Game Will Be Called
A massive leak reveals potential details about the 10th generation of Pokemon games coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, including big changes.
A new Pokemon game, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, will be released for the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on Thursday, but a recent leak might have revealed info about what’s coming next from the creators of the franchise. The names of the next games headed to the Switch 2, as well as some of the big changes to the Pokemon formula, may have been part of the leak.
The leak showed up on X Monday from the account Centro Leaks, as first spotted by Insider Gaming. Data about the upcoming games reportedly stems from a hack of the servers of the franchise developer Game Freak that happened in August 2024, referred to online as the Teraleak, that included the source code for the upcoming Pokemon Legenda: Z-A.
Among the information shared by the account was the possible name for what would be the 10th generation of Pokemon games that would come to the Switch 2 next year: Pokemon Wind and Pokemon Wave.
The Pokemon Company didn’t immediately respond to a request for confirmation about this leak.
Pokémon Gen 10:
Pokémon Wind and Pokémon Waves
Theme: Infinity
Directed by Shigeru Ohmori— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) October 13, 2025
According to the leak, Pokemon Wind/Wave is inspired by the Southeast Asia region and will feature a jungle-themed environment. It could also feature a new mechanic referred to as a Seed Pokemon, which is reportedly a special Pokemon that is heavily involved in the story and must be raised by the player. As it evolves, it will have a unique look that is procedurally generated, and once it’s fully evolved, it will allow the player to gain access to an island where they can find the main legendary Pokemon of the game.
The main theme of Pokemon Wind/Wave is the concept of infinity, according to the leak. This would match with the reported focus of procedurally generated content, not only with the special Seed Pokemon, but also with the islands of the game being procedurally generated, so each game is unique and could continue to grow with no end.
Also included in the leak were other details, including Pokemon on the overworld being interactable, weather affecting gameplay in some way, 18 new challenges for players instead of traditional gyms, and a few screenshots of the game in development that are still available to see at the PokeLeaks subreddit. There was also info that the 11th-generation Pokemon game could be released in 2030.
It is unlikely that Nintendo, The Pokemon Company or Game Freak will confirm the details of the leak. Expect to see the official announcement early next year, with the fall being the most likely release window for Pokemon Wind/Wave.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Oct. 15
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 15.
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It includes both the first and last name of one of my favorite chefs of all time — maybe yours, too. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Chromebooks, but not MacBooks
Answer: PCS
4A clue: «Yippee!»
Answer: WAHOO
6A clue: Reveal, as juicy gossip
Answer: SPILL
7A clue: With 2-Down, chef who helped popularize chicken cordon bleu in the U.S.
Answer: JULIA
8A clue: Toss in
Answer: ADD
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Toss in
Answer: PAPUA
2D clue: See 7-Across
Answer: CHILD
3D clue: State of matter for most elements at room temperature
Answer: SOLID
4D clue: Business-focused newspaper, for short
Answer: WSJ
5D clue: Hello, in Portuguese
Answer: OLA
Technologies
Want to Watch a Podcast? Netflix and Spotify Partner to Bring Video Podcasts to Streaming
Starting in early 2026, Netflix subscribers in the US will be able to watch select Spotify Studios and Ringer podcasts directly on the streaming platform.
Netflix and Spotify are teaming up to blur the line between streaming and podcasting. The two companies announced a new partnership that will bring a curated slate of Spotify’s top video podcasts, including shows from Spotify Studios and The Ringer, to Netflix starting in early 2026. The goal is to make popular podcasts as watchable as TV, expanding both services’ reach into sports, culture, lifestyle and true crime.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
The deal marks Spotify’s most significant distribution push beyond its own platform, and for Netflix, it’s a new way to keep audiences engaged with talk-driven, low-cost programming. Early titles include The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Rewatchables, Dissect, Conspiracy Theories and Serial Killers, among others. You can find the complete list here.
More shows and genres are expected to be added over time.
Netflix says the partnership complements its library of documentaries and talk shows, offering «fresh voices and new perspectives.» Spotify, meanwhile, described it as «a new chapter for podcasting,» giving creators access to Netflix’s global audience while expanding discovery for listeners who prefer watching podcasts.
The rollout will begin in the US early next year, with additional markets to follow in 2026.
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