MacBook 2017 vs MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air - What's the best Apple laptop, which to buy?

APPLE has unveiled its Back To School deal on MacBook laptops – which bundles a free pair of Beats wireless headphones with any purchase. But which MacBook is the right fit for you?

Which is the best Apple MacBook for you?GETTY

Which is the best Apple MacBook for you?

If you’re in the market for a new Apple laptop, the current line-up can be a little perplexing.

The California-based technology company recently refreshed a number of its netbooks – including faster processors for the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.

Each model in ’s lineup has a particular strength, so you'll first need to decide on your priorities and plans for the device before making a decision.

Express.co.uk has broken out the headline features and key differentiators between each model.

Hopefully, this will make your decision that little bit easier.

MacBook Air (From £949)

  • Cheapest Laptop Apple Sells
  • 12 Hours Battery Life
  • No Retina Display
  • No ForceTouch Trackpad
  • Traditional Scissor Mechanism Keyboard
  • Two USB 3.0, Thunderbolt 2, 3.5mm Headphone Port and a SDXC Card Reader

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MacBook Air is the longest serving member of the Apple Store laptop line-up – and as a result, it’s starting to look a little long in the tooth.

The wedge design of the MacBook Air is a modern classic, but Apple laptop design has moved on.

The chunky aluminium bezels around the 13.3‑inch display also look very dated – especially when compared with the new MacBook and redesigned MacBook Pro.

MacBook Air is also the only laptop in the line-up that doesn’t sport a pixel-packed Retina Display.

The 13.3‑inch display only packs a 1440x900 resolution, so photos and videos won’t look anywhere near as sharp as they appear on your smartphone or tablet.

MacBook Air is also the only laptop sold in the Apple Store that’s available in brushed aluminium.

But despite its slightly outdated design, there are a number of reasons you might pick-out a MacBook Air.

First of all, it’s the cheapest Apple laptop you can buy right now. It’s also the only laptop in the Apple Store with a price tag sub-£1,000.

Also, despite its tired looks and display, MacBook Air was recently updated with a new processor and RAM configuration.

Apple has bumped its entry-level laptop to a 1.8 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with 8GB of RAM. A model with a 2.2 GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 is also available.

It also has the best battery life of any Apple notebook, with a 12-hour capacity. 

Finally, it’s also the only Apple laptop that still sports the traditional scissor mechanism.

These keys have a load more travel than the new butterfly mechanism keys on the MacBook and MacBook Pro which make an unpleasant clackety sound and – honesty – aren’t very pleasant to type on.

MacBook (From £1,249)

  • Thinnest, Lightest Laptop Apple Sells
  • 12-Inch Retina Display
  • ForceTouch Trackpad
  • Four Aluminium Colour Options
  • One USB Type-C Port

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If you're a frequent traveller – or simply don't want your laptop to weigh down your rucksack – there is a very clear winner.

MacBook clocks-in at a featherlight 0.92kg or 2.03 pounds – only 0.5 pounds more than an iPad Pro.

Meanwhile, the MacBook Air (which doesn’t really live up to its namesake in the current laptop lineup) weighs in at 1.08 kg or 2.38 pounds.

MacBook is unbelievably compact. At its thickest point – the new laptop is still 0.4cm thinner than the MacBook Air.

We’ve had a few near misses while waiting for a back-up to an external hard drive to finish with a dangerously low amount of battery

The notebook tapers to a jaw-dropping 0.35cm (0.14inches) at the svelte end of its wedge design.

For comparison, that’s about half the thickness of an iPhone 7.

Unfortunately, this svelte design does restrict the amount of power packed into this lil’ laptop.

MacBook boasts 10-hour battery life, the same as the 13-inch MacBook Pro, but not quite the all-day capabilities of the MacBook Air.

And when you need to charge this new laptop, you will have to do it over USB-C.

The MacBook only boasts one port to charge and connect accessories. Thankfully, that port is USB Type-C.

This new reversible one-size-fits-all port is fast becoming a universal standard for modern laptops, tablets and smartphones.

However, the decision to only include one port means you cannot charge the laptop while its connected to another device – like an iPhone.

Most of the time, it’s not a problem. But we’ve had a few near misses while waiting for a back-up to an external hard drive to finish with a dangerously low amount of battery.

Apple prides itself on its refined industrial design – and it’s worth saying that the MacBook is easily the best-looking laptop to ever leave Sir Jony Ive's studio.

When Apple Vice President Phil Schiller unveiled the company's razor-thin netbook to rapturous applause back in March 2015, he told the whooping crowd that they were experiencing "hashtag MacBook lust."

And it is difficult not to ogle at the razor-thin shell, svelte bezels and stunning Retina display.

MacBook is also the only netbook to ship in four colours, mirroring the iPhone 6S lineup with a choice of Rose Gold, Space Grey, Silver and Gold.

MacBook Pro (Without Touch Bar From £1,249, With Touch Bar From £1,749)

  • 13-Inch Retina Display
  • Most Powerful MacBook On Sale
  • USB Type-C and 3.5mm Headphone Port
  • Large ForceTouch Trackpad
  • Second-Generation Butterfly Keyboard
  • Some Models Ship With Touch Bar

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MacBook Pro is the crown in Apple’s laptop lineup. This notebook range traditionally contains the no-compromise models – with the best displays, most ports, and fastest processors.

Apple has made a number of bold choices following its most recent redesign of the MacBook Pro range, which debuted in October 2016.

The Cupertino company has eschewed the plethora of ports available on previous models (USB 3.0, HDMI, Thunderbolt 2 and SDXC cards reader) in favour of the flexible Thunderbolt 3 over USB Type-C.

Once this reversible connector has become a standard across the industry – this decision will make complete sense.

Until then, most MacBook Pro owners will still likely own a few accessories and devices that connect over USB-A.

These are now going to require a dongle (sold separately from £19 at the Apple Store) to connect.

Apple’s decision to go all-in on USB-C means that its brilliant MagSafe charger (which connects via magnets to the laptop and safely breaks away if you trip over the cable) is no more.

The MacBook Pro’s new industrial design has brought a phenomenally large ForceTouch trackpad – it’s bigger than an iPhone 7 Plus display.

Apple's EXPLOSIVE new 'So Much To Touch' advert

The ForceTouch trackpad also swaps out a moving click mechanism for an immobile glass display that sends a subtle haptic buzz through the trackpad, which feels indistinguishable from a traditional click.

This clever technology means you can tap anywhere on the trackpad and get the same click sensation.

That’s not possible with the traditional diving board mechanism used in previous trackpads, which are typically quite stiff and unresponsive to clicks in the top portion.

Like the MacBook, the MacBook Pro battery life is good for 10 hours of wireless web surfing.

The entry-level model ships with 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, which can turbo boost up to 3.6GHz.

The higher end MacBook Pro models also ship with a Touch Bar – a small OLED touchscreen that sits atop the keyboard, replacing the Function keys.

This includes software keys that adapt to the app on-screen, bringing useful shortcuts or sliders usually buried in on-screen menus to your fingertips.

A Touch ID fingerprint scanner is also included in the Touch Bar. This can be used to login and authenticate Apple Pay transactions online.

It can also be used to secure data and Mac apps – like password manager, 1Password.

MacBook Pro is clearly the best laptop in the Apple Store right now. Predictably, it’s also the most expensive.

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