Which MacBook to buy before Apple's October 28 event

Apple has a launch on Wednesday, and Mac laptop shopping has rarely been this awkward. Prices went up in June, a touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro is widely expected within days, and the cheapest Mac is no longer quite as cheap as it was in March.

So here’s the practical version: six current MacBooks, what their specs mean in daily use, who each one suits, and which purchases are safe before the event. All prices below are US list prices in USD unless stated, because that’s what most sources quote. Apple’s own European pricing varies by country and I could only verify a few figures.

The six models, side by side

Starting prices come from Apple’s 25 June increase, which Apple blamed on memory and storage costs. Weights and battery figures are Apple’s “up to” ratings as reported by retailers and reviewers, so treat battery hours as a ceiling.

Model	Chip	Base storage	Weight (kg)	Battery, up to (h)	Starting price (USD)
MacBook Neo	A18 Pro	256GB	about 1.2	16	699
MacBook Air 13-inch	M5	512GB	1.23	18	1,299
MacBook Air 15-inch	M5	512GB	about 1.5	18	1,499
MacBook Pro 14-inch	M5	1TB	1.55	24	1,999
MacBook Pro 14-inch	M5 Pro	1TB	1.6	24	2,499
MacBook Pro 16-inch	M5 Pro	1TB	2.14	22 to 24	2,999

The 14-inch and 16-inch M5 Pro prices of $2,499 and $2,999 come from MacRumors and Notebookcheck. In Germany, Basic Tutorials reports the same two models at 2,499 euros and 2,999 euros. A price tracker, Opentherank, lists the 13-inch MacBook Air at 1,399 euros there.

The specs that matter, and the ones that don’t

Chip: M5 is fast enough for most people

The MacBook Air and base 14-inch Pro share the M5, with a 10-core CPU. The Air’s base 13-inch version uses an 8-core GPU, while every 15-inch Air and the base Pro have 10 GPU cores. Notebookcheck found the M5 performs on par with last generation’s 12-core M4 Pro, which tells you how little most people will outgrow it.

The MacBook Neo is the odd one out. It runs an A18 Pro, the chip family from iPhones, with 8GB of memory. That’s fine for browsing, documents and video calls. It’s the wrong choice if you keep 40 browser tabs and a code editor open, and you can’t add memory later.

The M5 Pro and M5 Max chips matter if your work is sustained: video exports, 3D renders, large code builds. Tom’s Guide notes Apple’s claim of up to 30% more CPU performance for the M5 Pro, plus Wi-Fi 7 and Thunderbolt 5, which gives three times the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4. The base M5 Pro has Wi-Fi 6E and Thunderbolt 4 instead, according to Tom’s Hardware’s review.

Display: 60Hz or 120Hz is the real divider

The 13.6-inch MacBook Air has a 2560 x 1664 panel at 60Hz and 500 nits of brightness. It’s a good screen. The MacBook Pro uses a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display at 3024 x 1964 with 120Hz, and the difference shows when you scroll or drag windows around. The Neo has a less detailed screen than the Air, which is one of the two trade-offs NBC News flagged at launch (the other is battery life).

If you spend most of the day in text and spreadsheets, the Air screen is enough. If you edit photos or video, the Pro’s brightness and refresh rate earn the extra money.

Battery: read the test, not the box

Apple rates the 14-inch Pro at up to 24 hours of video streaming, with a 72.4Wh battery. Tom’s Hardware measured 18 hours 14 minutes in a mixed test of web browsing, graphics tests and streaming at 150 nits, which was 20 minutes less than the M4 version managed. That’s still a very long day.

The Air is rated at 18 hours. Tom’s Guide recorded 14 hours 15 minutes for the M4 Air in testing, and the M5 is a similar machine, so expect something in that region for real work.

Ports and storage

The Air has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, MagSafe and a headphone jack, and supports two external displays. The 14-inch Pro adds three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI 2.1 and an SDXC card slot. Photographers who’ve ever hunted for a dongle will understand why that matters.

Storage costs real money now. Tom’s Hardware called the Pro’s RAM and SSD upgrades pricey, and Notebookcheck said the M5 Pro only makes financial sense in its base setup. Buy the memory you need on day one, since neither can be changed later.

Starting price of current MacBooks (US list price)

What Apple’s June price rises did to the lineup

The MacBook Neo launched at $599 in March and rose to $699 in June. The 13-inch Air went from $1,099 to $1,299, and the 15-inch from $1,299 to $1,499. The M5 MacBook Pro went from $1,699 to $1,999. Apple CEO Tim Cook said component costs had never risen “this much, this quickly”.

That makes retailer pricing more important than usual. MacRumors’ latest deal roundup shows Amazon selling the 13-inch Air with 16GB of memory and 1TB of storage for $1,399, down from $1,599. It also lists the 14-inch M5 Pro-less base Pro with 16GB and 1TB at $1,837. Education pricing helps at the low end: the Neo drops back to $599 for students and teachers, according to MacBookNeoGuide.

Best for… picks

Best for most people: MacBook Air 13-inch (M5)

Tom’s Guide and Macworld both name the 13-inch M5 Air the best Mac for most people, and I agree. It weighs 1.23 kg, lasts a working day, and starts with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage. At $1,299 it’s no longer a bargain, but nothing else in the range gives you more for less.

Best on a tight budget: MacBook Neo

At $699 (or $599 with an education discount) the Neo is the cheapest Mac laptop. It suits students and anyone who lives in a browser. Its 8GB of memory is the thing to think hardest about.

Best for a bigger screen: MacBook Air 15-inch (M5)

The 15.3-inch Air costs $200 more than the 13-inch and weighs about 1.5 kg, which is only a little less than the 14-inch Pro. Every configuration gets the 10-core GPU. It’s the pick for people who split windows all day but don’t need a fan or an HDMI port.

Best Pro for the money: MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5)

At $1,999 you get the 120Hz XDR screen, the full port set and 1TB of storage. Notebookcheck rated it 91% but warned about loud fans and a low-resolution webcam. Anyone who doesn’t need Pro ports can happily spend $700 less on an Air.

Best for heavy work: MacBook Pro 14-inch or 16-inch (M5 Pro)

The M5 Pro models are for people who wait on renders. The 14-inch costs $2,499 and weighs 1.6 kg. The 16-inch costs $2,999 and weighs 2.14 kg, which is a lot to carry but gives you the largest screen.

Buy now or wait

Apple has confirmed a “Pro and Tell” event in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. Pacific on Wednesday, October 28. It hasn’t confirmed what’s in it. Everything below is rumour, mostly from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman as relayed by MacRumors and Notebookcheck.

OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro (rumour): Gurman reports 14-inch and 16-inch models with an OLED display, a Dynamic Island cutout and a lighter body than today’s Pros. Starting prices could be up to $500 higher than the current $2,499 and $2,999, according to the same reporting, though a ceiling like that is unconfirmed.
Chips (rumour): Reports conflict on silicon. Bloomberg-based coverage points to M5 Pro and M5 Max in the touch models, while some outlets have floated M6.
Entry 14-inch Pro with M6 (rumour): The cheapest Pro is expected to keep its current design and get M6, the chip that debuted in the Mac mini in August, at about $1,999 according to Macworld and BigGo. Gurman reportedly expects shipping to begin on November 6.
Existing mini-LED Pros: They should stay on sale for now, and MacRumors says they’ll eventually be discontinued.
OLED for Air and iMac (rumour): iThinkDifferent, citing Gurman, says Apple is testing OLED for both, but neither is close.

So the verdict depends on which Mac you want. If you’re eyeing the base 14-inch Pro, wait three days; an M6 version at the same price is the likeliest outcome. If you want a Pro with the best screen and don’t mind paying more, wait and see the real price. The Neo and both Airs aren’t reported to change on Wednesday, so they’re safe to buy now.

What this means for you

Need a laptop this week for school or work: buy the 13-inch MacBook Air, and compare Amazon, Best Buy and B&H against Apple’s $1,299 before you pay list price.
Shopping under $800: the MacBook Neo is the only Mac laptop in range. Use education pricing if you qualify, and accept 8GB as the limit.
Eyeing the 14-inch M5 Pro or 16-inch: if your current machine works, hold until Wednesday. The existing mini-LED Pros may get cheaper once the OLED tier arrives, though that’s speculation.
Want a base MacBook Pro: wait for Wednesday’s announcement. An M5 model at a retailer discount is reasonable, but not if it’s close to the $1,999 list price.
Whichever you buy: pay for memory and storage up front. Apple hasn’t offered upgrades after purchase, and its upgrade prices are the steepest part of the bill.

Which MacBook to buy before Apple’s October 28 event