Transcription
With the introduction of the recent MacBook Neo, Apple's MacBooks have never been more popular. But that introduces a problem because potential customers aren't just looking at the Neo. They are taking a look at Apple's entire MacBook lineup. And judging by the comment section in my recent videos, you guys have some questions.
Questions like, how much storage should you get? Is 8 GB of memory enough? Is the Neo going to last for multiple years? Or should you spend more money on a MacBook Air? Or maybe even consider getting a MacBook Pro? Well, worry not, potential MacBook purchaser. Luckily, you have stumbled onto someone with enough spare time and every single MacBook to walk you through all the differences between all of these different MacBooks. And together we can look at some common ordering mistakes to avoid, how to get a better price on a Mac, even if you aren't a student, and how to avoid wasting money on upgrades you don't need, and most importantly, finding the right Mac for you to purchase.
Now, the first thing we need to do, yes, this includes you, I need your help, is we need to identify what type of user you are. And let's break this down into three simple categories. General users, power users, and power users. Max, that's an awful name. Who came up with that? >> Pack your things. >> You're fired. >> No, we'll call this last category specialist users. Because for the most part, the more money you spend on a MacBook, the better it's going to be. But just because a more expensive MacBook on paper is better doesn't mean it's the best choice for you. Because you could end up paying for features that you don't need or performance that you don't need.
Once you figure this out, it's time to start with people's most important buying factor. No, not the color, your wallet. To start, yes, you should look at the MacBook that almost everyone is buying right now, the low-cost MacBook Neo. And the reason why people are just gobbling this up is because it just starts at $600. Now, instead of talking about what the MacBook Neo can't do, I think it's more important to talk about what it can do because the Neo does give you the full MacBook experience. That is that the Neo has the same build quality as any other MacBook. Yes, even if you spend thousands of dollars more on the most expensive MacBook Pro, the Neo will feel just as premium with the same unibody aluminum build. In fact, if you didn't opt for one of the unique color choices and went with a silver model, it would look pretty similar to a silver MacBook Air on a table. But it's not a MacBook Air. It has a few design quirks. And if you like portability, the Neo is technically more portable than the Air because the Neo has a smaller 13-inch display and less surface area than the MacBook Air. But the most important feature is that the Neo just runs the full version of Mac OS and it can run any Mac OS application. So yes, that iPhone class A18 Pro chip is powerful enough for most users. The Neo can handle basic tasks like web browsing, email, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and all the other tasks you do at soul-sucking corporate jobs. And uh, the students, it's great for students, too. Even if you're getting this, don't be afraid to open up a video, photo, or music editing program, or even play a game on lower settings. The Neo isn't the best choice for those more demanding applications, but it also isn't just a computer for basic use.
Now, unlike some Apple products, the MacBook Neo does come with a charging brick. But this brings up a question I want to ask you. What is the biggest charging myth that even tech-savvy people still believe in? It's that the charger that comes with your device is the best choice. Well, I wanted to look at that for all of these MacBooks. Take for example the extremely popular MacBook Neo. It comes with a 20-watt charging brick that charges very slowly. But when I plug in Anker Prime's charger, it has a built-in smart display. And you can see it can charge the Neo at 30 watts, which cuts down your total 0 to 100% charge time by 30 minutes. How about the MacBook Air's charger? It has two USB-C ports for multi-device charging. Well, Anker's has three, and the one that comes with the MacBook Airs charges at only 35 watts, while Anker does up to 160 watts. How about the MacBook Pro? You get a huge charger capable of fast charging, but it only has one USB-C port, and it's so much larger than Anker Prime's. Not only is it more portable, it's just better to bring one charger with you when you're traveling or working from a coffee shop. Instead of bringing three separate chargers, you can just use one charger to charge all of your devices. And another myth you might believe in is that the original charger is safer, but Anker Prime's 160-watt charger can accurately identify the specific device you're using, not just the charging protocol it supports. Even when charging multiple devices, it stays cool. And with Active Shield 4.0, it runs 10 million plus temperature checks per day. While supporting Power IQ 5.0, 0, which automatically adjusts power distribution across all three ports every 2 minutes. That delivers the same efficiency as using three separate Apple chargers at the same time. So, is the original charger the best? No. And it turns out that Anker already answered this question in their latest video. Head to Anker's site to see the full story. Links in the description. And thank you to Anker for sponsoring this video.
Now, one question I get a lot is, should I get the 256 GB model or spend more money on the 512 GB model? And for most users, I do actually recommend upgrading to the 512 GB model, even if you don't think you need the storage right now because with that 8 GB of memory, you will definitely be using swap memory. What is swap memory? Well, think of your Mac's memory like your desk and your Mac storage like your desk drawer. Anything that's on your desk, you can quickly access, but then as your desk fills up, you put paper and other items into your desk drawer, giving you more space to store your stuff. You can obviously swap what's on your desk and what's in your desk drawer at any time, but that process takes extra time. It isn't as efficient than if it was just on your desk right in front of you. The problem with that smaller drive is even if you can fit all of your applications and media on that drive, if you don't have much spare storage left after that and you go over the 8 GB of memory, then your Mac has nothing left to use for memory and your Mac will slow down, freeze up, and get that spinning beach ball. The 512 GB version gives you more storage to avoid that. You're not getting more RAM, but it's like the desk analogy, right? You don't have the bigger desk to store things on top of it, but you're getting a bigger desk drawer. >> Uh-huh. Well, >> my biggest buying advice for the Neo, though, is first of all, if you are a student, make sure to buy from Apple's education website. You can save $100 off your purchase, making this an even better deal. And if you're not a student, well, uh, you can't lie anymore. Apple put a stop to that because so many of you were lying to get that Neo discount. You really ruined it. You really ruined it. Shame on you. Shame on you for being dishonest. For the rest of us honest folk, well, it will be hard to get a deal on the Neo. I'm going to level with you because checking third-party sites, you'll see the Neo maybe on sale for like $10 off. But you know what? $10 off in this economy, that's like two gallons of gas or a burger from Five Guys. The little one, not the full-size one, but it's still a burger.
Now that we've established the baseline with the Neo, let's go back to the type of user you are. Take a look at your wants and requirements, and if the Neo doesn't fulfill them, and your budget is higher, that's very important. You might want to consider stepping up to the MacBook Air. Now, despite its name, the main difference between the Air isn't the size and the weight. In fact, the Neo weighs exactly the same as the MacBook Air. And even the Air's like traditional advantage of being thinner, it is just barely thinner than the Neo. So, do not buy the Air for the size and weight. But there are two reasons why you'll want to go with the Air. The first is that you want none of the compromises you would get by going for the Neo. The Air has a larger, more color-accurate display, better speakers, a better Center Stage webcam that can crop in and adjust to your movements, and yes, there's even a webcam indicator light. I mean, how much could that have been to add to the Neo? It also has two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports that are much faster than the Neo's, and the Air can connect to two external monitors at the same time. The Air also has a MagSafe charging port that frees up the two USB-C ports for data. The second benefit of the Air is its performance. Now, in the past, you would never recommend that someone buy a MacBook Air if they wanted to get it for performance or intensive applications like video editing, photo editing, music production, coding, or even some gaming. But things have changed. The Air, it is no longer the entry-level model. It is the mid-level model that is extremely capable. And if you are someone that wanted something in a similar form factor to the Neo, but you want or rather you need it to do more or require it to do more, that's the correct terminology, then this is the MacBook you should be looking at. Even in its default configuration, it is a great laptop to buy if you're starting out with any of those fields and are buying a laptop to work on more intensive applications. It's going to have a faster processor that helps you get things done quicker. It has faster storage. It has better GPU capabilities and it has double the memory of the Neo, so you won't run into any of those hardline memory constraints. And yes, you can actually upgrade the Air at purchase. But here's where you have to be careful because the good thing about the Air is that if you want more memory, storage, or even a stronger chip, you do have upgrade options. Personally, I do think the 16 GB of memory is a good starting point, but if you're buying this for more intensive apps, the more RAM, the better. As for storage, it's a personal choice. The MacBook Air starts with 512 GB, so there's not that super low 256 GB option. Uh, it's a good storage amount, but you could always use more, right? Like having more storage is always a good thing. And you can go up to 4 terabytes on the MacBook Air. And the M5 MacBook Air actually lets you upgrade the base chip to a 10-core GPU version, but I would never spend extra money for that upgrade on its own. So, the Air, like the Neo, is a fanless design. So, this is great, right? Like it won't make any noise matter what you're doing on it. But in order to cool off these Macs, they have to thermal throttle. So, while you will get a performance boost by getting that full 10-core GPU, you won't be getting the max theoretical performance you would be able to get from that chip if this machine had better cooling. The only reason to get this faster M5 chip is if you're getting more storage or more memory because by default, it comes with that faster 10-core GPU. And I think that's like the only situation where you should get it because, well, you don't have any other choice. And the other option you have with the MacBook Air is size because there is a bigger 15-inch model that still manages to be slim and pretty portable. This 15-inch model, despite having a bigger display, also has a better-sounding speaker with higher volume, more clarity, and a deeper bass. It starts at $1,300 and comes with that full M5 chip. And honestly, this laptop is pretty great. But here's the problem you have when you start getting these more expensive MacBook Air models. Because let's say you get that 15-inch model and then let's say maybe you upgrade the storage to 1 TB. Well, now you're just $200 away from getting a MacBook Pro. And that comes with a lot of benefits. In fact, it comes with what I think a lot of people are going to have in their want section because power is not the reason to get this MacBook Pro. Now, yes, it does have a fan and it does come with that 10-core GPU M5 chip. So, the performance on this for sustained performance is going to be better. But the real reason to get this MacBook Pro is primarily because it has a much better display. It has a 14.2-inch display. So, it's right in between the 13-inch MacBook Air and 15-inch MacBook Air. But, it is a Mini-LED display that gets much brighter and enables HDR playback while also having a much better contrast ratio for deeper black levels. And it has double the refresh rate at 120 Hz, which makes everything feel smoother. And in addition to this amazing display, you also have an even better six-speaker system with force-canceling woofers that is even better than the 15-inch MacBook Air's. This combination of a really great display and great speakers make this MacBook Pro not just a great laptop for performance, but a great laptop if you want a better multimedia experience. Now, while the MacBook Pro is thicker and heavier than the MacBook Air, it does come with a wider selection of ports, including an SD card slot and an HDMI port. So, while a little extra performance is nice, I think the real reason to get the MacBook Pro is if you value these other additional features because that's when the extra price point is really worth it. And I would actually stop right there because I think the M5 MacBook Pro basically has what, like 95% of the MacBook market covered. In fact, it may be close to like 100% of the people watching this video because if you need anything more powerful than this, you probably don't need my buying advice.
But I'm still going to cover it, right? There are options above this MacBook Pro. You have the M5 Pro and the M5 Max MacBook Pros. And for the most part, this is just a performance upgrade. They have the same design, screen, speakers, and the same number of ports. Although the M5 Pro and M5 Max versions come with the faster Thunderbolt 5 port, which is great for connecting fast external devices or connecting to high-speed Thunderbolt hubs with just a single cable. Still, if you're considering upgrading, it's most likely to the M5 Pro version. And a lot of the features for this MacBook don't come down to needs or wants. It comes down to requirements. You should only buy this MacBook if you fall into either the power user or the specialist category. And you are using this as a pro tool. That means software developers, higher-end photo editors working with batch files of hundreds or thousands of raw files, music producers with hundreds of tracks, video editors with multiple streams of 4K or 8K video, or users looking for bleeding-edge AI development or using local AI tools. And to the crazy ones that want to play games on their Mac. With that being said, I do think there is one exception. There is one MacBook Pro model that has an M5 Pro chip in it that can overlap to all three categories, even general users. This would be the 16-inch MacBook Pro because while it will be overpowered for those general users, it does have features that fit into the wants section because it is the only MacBook with a 16-inch display. Full stop. It has a display size and a display quality that you can only get by going for the M5 Pro model. On top of that, the speakers sound amazing on the 16-inch model. Now, would I recommend it to general users? Absolutely not. It is an irrational choice. But hey, I've met some of those users. My dad, for instance, loves a big-screen laptop. He uses a big 16-inch MacBook Pro. For him, it's kind of non-negotiable. So, if the price is worth it, even if you don't utilize the extra power that comes with it, that's on you. But I can see how a general user might want that bigger 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Okay, what about upgrading beyond the M5 Pro? Right, like we covered, this is a chip that is for more demanding users. Well, the M5 Pro can be configured with the fastest CPU option. So, the only reason to upgrade to the M5 Max is if you want more GPU cores or you want some of the ridiculous higher-end unified memory configurations. This is basically the last one to 2% of the addressable Mac market. And this type of Mac really only fits into that specialist category. So 3D artists, VFX professionals, AI use, animation, or anyone that can take advantage of those more powerful GPU cores or higher-end specs. And yes, top-tier gaming performance for the absolute bonkers Mac gaming audience. THERE ARE DOZENS OF US. >> THERE ARE DOZENS OF US. DOZENS. >> Still, these Macs are for people that require it for some task. They are beyond the needs and wants of the average customer or maybe even the power user. So if you require a bunch of GPU cores or large amounts of unified memory, this is where you want to spend more money on a machine like this. Don't get this to make Excel faster. It's not a good idea. And that's good news for the likely viewer of this video because you don't need to spend all this money to get a good Mac experience. Like if you're the normal person, you might think you could take advantage of all these specs, but chances are you can't. Like buying an M5 Pro or an M5 Max won't make opening apps any faster than they would be on like an M5 MacBook Air. Like they would be faster than they would be on the Neo, but single-core performance on an M5 Air is going to be just as fast as any of the M5 MacBook Pros. And it won't make the vast majority of tasks you do on a Mac any faster. It will just make the higher-end edge-case scenarios faster. And if you aren't using those more intensive applications, you're not going to see all those benefits. That's how you have to think about it.
Now, unlike the Neo, it is much easier to find a deal on a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro on third-party sites like Amazon or maybe even Apple's refurbished store if you're comfortable buying refurbished. So, shop around, see what your budget can tolerate, and maybe if you have a few wants that were normally at a budget, perhaps you can save enough money shopping around to maybe get a MacBook Air or maybe even a MacBook Pro.
Now, one last bit of buying advice I will give you is to also plan for the future. The number one question I keep getting, especially with the Neo, is will this computer last me for the next 5 years? And the honest answer is that depends. Now, yes, I fully believe the Neo will be supported with Mac OS software updates for the next 5 years, but there's other problems besides just software updates. I think the easiest way to decide if the Neo is right for you or any of these laptops is right for you for the long haul is to take your current laptop, desktop, iPad, or whatever you use as your main device, even if it's just your phone, and go into your system settings and look at how much storage you are currently using. If you're only using 100 GB, well, 256 GB, despite my earlier advice, might actually be okay for you even for the next few years. But if you're at 256 GB and you only have 30 or 40 left, well, don't get a 256 GB computer expecting it to last you for the long haul. Unless you're constantly willing to delete files and applications off your drive, or you don't mind offloading those larger files to an external storage drive, which can be a little bit of a hassle with a portable device like a laptop.
Still, I know for a lot of you, you are aspiring to buy your first Mac. And up until this point, Macs were pretty expensive. So, you might only be able to afford the cheapest option. And even though it may not be the ideal computer for you, it is still a computer. It is still capable. And I know in my early years where I didn't have enough money, I used entry-level Macs for complex tasks that they weren't meant for, but I was able to work around that. I could deal with the slowdowns. I bought external storage and I could work around those issues because it was all I could afford at the time. But it's what I needed and that's how I started video editing. That's how I started this channel. That's how I have all these Macs in front of me right now because I bought a slow entry-level Mac so many years ago. Even though the YouTube reviews I watched back then said it wasn't good for video editing, so make do with what you have. All of these machines are pretty good. So hopefully this buying guide helped you out. If it did, please leave me a like. If you want to see more, make sure you're subscribed. And thank you again for watching. It was a pretty long video. I really hope it helped you out. Take care, everyone. My voice needs some rest.