Apple has released a large number of different models this year, starting at 12 inches and going towards the full 15 inches. From the choices of MacBook Air, MacBook, MacBook Pro, it gets a little (or a lot) confusing to decide which one you should buy because the models are; if not identical, fairly same, at least design wise and even most of the hardware is same. If you have decided that you are going to buy a MacBook then there are a number of things that you should first consider, like your budget, what you’re going to actually do on your system, would you like your system to have a bigger screen or a powerful processor etc. After considering all of these things you can make an informed decision about which model of MacBook will best suite your needs. This MacBook buying guide is meant to tell you about the features, and the drawbacks of each variant of MacBook considering your specific needs.

Pricing

Pricing is perhaps the most important aspect which you should consider while buying a new Apple’s Laptop. As there are different models with different configurations their prices are also quite far away from each other - the cheapest model you can find is the 13-inch variant which costs about 109,000 PKR the highest prices is the 15-inch model with a Core i7 Processor, which costs about 300,000 PKR.

If Price is the deciding factor for you then you might have to compromise on the level of performance you can get, because most Core i7 models start above 170,000 PKR.

So if money is a concerning matter for you then you have to cut down on some features, for example you can buy a MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar for a significantly lower amount, you can also cut down on the price if you decide to compromise on memory (both the RAM and SSD), the i5 version of MacBook Pro is fairly on the middle ground, it will still cost you about 1,50,000 PKR, with all the standard features (256GB SSD, 8GB RAM).

Performance

If you are on a budget then unfortunately you will have to compromise on performance, but if money is not an issue and you want to get a system that will give you the most powerful performance then you should skip over MacBook and MacBook Air, because both of these versions don’t offer a dedicated graphics card, which will significantly affect your work if you intend to do some 3D designing or use other such heavy software that requires you to have a powerful GPU, the best choice; in terms of performance, will be the 15-inches Pro 2017, it comes with a Quad Core 7th Generation Intel Core i7 Processor with 16GB RAM and a dedicated Radeon series GPU, it can run most of the demanding software for you and even act as a fairly powerful gaming system.

This, however, would be the most expensive option but if you place performance above all then it’s the most powerful Apple’s laptop that you can buy today, working at 3.1GHz its Quad Core Kaby Lake Processor when gets combined with 16GB LPDDR3 RAM - it provides the fastest and most powerful experience.

If you don’t intend on doing relatively heavy work (like designing, video editing or playing the latest games) then you can either go for a MacBook Pro with a Core i5 Processor or a MacBook Air with Core i5 Processor.

Depending on your needs and what you actually want to do on your system, you have plenty of choices in terms of Processors, from M3 to Core i7 and everything in between.

Storage

There are multiple storage options available, starting from 128GB to a massive 512GB SSD. You can choose according to your needs, there is a significant difference in price, of course.

The 512GB Storage option is only available for the 15” MacBook Pro with a Core i7 Processor.

The 512GB is the most expensive option, while the 128GB available in the MacBook is the cheapest one, but 128GB might be low if you like to store a large number of movies, songs, and other heavy files.

You can also get a middle ground and get the systems having 256GB, with the 256GB being the most reasonably priced and practical.

The 512GB seems like a good option, but it’s pretty expensive, even the 13-inch version of MacBook Pro that comes without touch bar is priced at 19,600+ PKR with 256GB Storage. The MacBook Air with 256GB Storage comes at the price of 109,000 PKR. Again, if money is not an issue and you want to give preference to storage only then you should probably opt for either a 512GB one or the Pro version.

All of the new MacBook series systems are running the SSD (Solid State Drive) for storage, which is way faster than your older mechanical hard drives (the data is stored in flash instead of mechanical platters) it’s also more secure and durable.

Compactness

If you are going to buy a notebook system then chances are that you have compactness and portability in mind, as far as design goes there is not much difference, all of the latest models are ultra thin, with the major difference of screen size, the 12 inch model is the lightest weight and the thinnest but is the pricey option, the other option is the MacBook Air which is almost of the same thickness as the MacBook but weighs more, the 12-inch variant weighs 0.99 kg while the Air has a weight of 1.35 KG.

The Apple Pro machine with its advanced and upgraded hardware weighs more but Apple successfully maintained the thin design. For portability, and portability alone, the best option would be the MacBook (either the 1.2 or 1.3Ghz version).

Battery

There is not much difference when it comes to battery life, almost all of the models last more than 10 hours of constant use, the MacBook Air is a little better with its 12 Hours battery timing, all of the notebooks offer 30day standby time.

So, which one is the best?

From all three, MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro it is difficult to choose the best one, because as you saw there are many factors to consider, if you just need a system with maximum power then you should go for the MacBook Pro 15 with Core i7 processor and 16GB RAM, but if you are also considering prices and other options like portability then perhaps MacBook or MacBook Air would be the better choice.

Whichever system you decide to get, you can get it at a guaranteed best price in Pakistan, only here on Paklap. We also provide free and fast nationwide shipping.

Check out our Apple MacBooks 2017 Section to select the one you want!