Battery efficiency has improved dramatically with the arrival of the first Apple silicon Macbooks. Of these, the 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020) continues to offer the best battery life, although two other options might better match your needs. Here's a look at the best MacBooks for battery life. Which one is the choice for you?
Best Solution: 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020)
With an integrated 58.2-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery, the 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020) version offers up to 17 hours of wireless web and up to 20 hours of Apple TV app movie playback between charges.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020) includes a system-on-a-chip (SoC) Apple M1 chip that consists of an 8-core CPU with four performance cores, four efficiency cores, an 8-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. In addition, you can get up to 2TB of storage and 16GB of unified memory.
If you're purchasing a MacBook Pro solely based on battery life, choose this one. However, Apple could soon replace this model, which means waiting a few more months to buy one might be best.
Pros:
- It's much cheaper than the 16-inch model
- Includes Touch Bar ... if you still want it
Cons:
- Price can rise quickly as you add components
- Could soon get replaced
Best Solution
13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020)
Best battery life — ever
This laptop will take you up to 20 hours on a single charge. We repeat 20 hours.
Alternative: MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
The best Mac for most people, the MacBook Air (2020), offers up to 15 hours of wireless web and up to 18 hours of Apple TV app movie playback thanks to its integrated 49.9-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery.
The MacBook Air (M1, 2020) has a 13-inch display and features the same SoC Apple M1 chip found on the 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020). You can also get up to 2TB of storage and 16GB of unified memory.
Buying the least expensive MacBook Air will save you $300 over the least expensive 13-inch MacBook Pro. The savings come with key drawbacks, however. First is the difference in battery life. Second, instead of a Touch Bar, you'll only find Touch ID on the Air. The Pro model also offers slightly more screen brightness and better speakers.
Pros:
- Least expensive MacBook
- Apple M1
Cons:
- Is 13-inch enough for your needs?
- Better internals are available on MBP
Alternative
MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
Forget the charging cable longer
The best all-around option for most users, the MacBook Air is a great-looking device that will provide you with years of fun and productivity.
Larger display option: 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021)
The 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021) recently received its Apple silicon update, and it's a great one. Apple promises up to 14 hours of wireless web and 21 hours of movie playback between charges. The latter is the best you will find on a MacBook of any kind.
Besides the largest display currently available on an Apple laptop, the 16-inch model packs a punch. You can choose from an M1 Pro or M1 Max SoC. The base 16-inch MacBook Pro also comes with 16GB of unified memory, 512GB SSD storage, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, an SDXC card slot, and a MagSafe 3 port. Depending on the Apple silicon option you select, you can get up to a 10-core CPU, 32-core GPU, and 64GB of unified memory.
On the apparent downside, this is an expensive laptop, and it gets even more costly as you begin adding better specs.
What about the 14-inch MacBook Pro (2021)? Along with the 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021), Apple revealed a 14-inch model last year. This laptop is identical to the larger model except for the display size — and battery life. This Mac provides a somewhat lousy 11 hours between charges for wireless web and a respectable 17 hours for Apple TV app playback. We certainly recommend this Mac, and it's one of our favorites of the year. But based on battery life alone, you can do better.
Pros:
- Most prominent MacBook Pro display to date
- A powerful beast
Cons:
- Expensive even for the base model
Larger display option
16-inch MacBook Pro (2021)
Largest display
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is an excellent choice when the size of the screen matters the most.
Three choices
The best MacBook based on battery life is the 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020), which provides up to 17 hours of wireless web and 20 hours of Apple TV app movie playback between charges. For this, and our alternative choice, the MacBook Air (M1, 2020), you'll experience the first Apple silicon product, the Apple M1. This SoC chip consists of an 8-core CPU with four performance cores and four efficiency cores, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine.
We recommend the 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021) if you're looking for a bigger display. This model features M1 Pro or M1 Max and offers a very good battery life between charges despite its larger screen size. It also comes with a lot of storage and memory options.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Bryan M. Wolfe is a dad who loves technology, especially anything new from Apple. Penn State (go Nittany Lions) graduate here, also a huge fan of the New England Patriots. Thanks for reading. @bryanmwolfe
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