Best Mac Computers For Travelers: Top Picks

When looking for the best Mac for travel, there are a few key factors to consider. Firstly, you'll want something lightweight and compact for easy portability. In addition, a long-lasting battery is essential, especially if you don't always have access to a power source while on the move. Bright screens are also advantageous, particularly if you plan to work outdoors. Lastly, a solid GPU and CPU will ensure you can handle basic remote work tasks with ease.

With these criteria in mind, the 13-inch MacBook Air is an excellent choice for travellers. It boasts a bright screen, a good webcam, and a MagSafe charging port. The M2 chip delivers fast performance, and the battery lasts beyond a full day of work. The M1 model is also a great budget option, offering similar features at a more affordable price.

If you're seeking a larger screen and improved speakers, the 15-inch MacBook Air with the M3 processor is a worthy upgrade. It can power two external displays and has slightly better thermal performance.

For those who need more power and don't mind a slight increase in weight, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is a great option. It has a sturdy chassis, tons of processing power, and a long battery life.

So, depending on your specific needs and budget, any of these Macs will serve you well during your travels.

Weight and size

When it comes to weight and size, the best Mac for travel is the MacBook Air. The 13-inch MacBook Air is a good choice for its sleek design, thin and light form factor, and ease of carrying around. The 15-inch MacBook Air is also lightweight at 3.3 pounds, offering a good balance between weight and screen size.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro is quite customizable and offers a nice balance between portability and performance. It is only slightly heavier than the 13-inch MacBook Air, making it a good option for those who want a larger screen without adding too much weight.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro, on the other hand, is noticeably heavier at 4.7 pounds, which can be cumbersome for people on the go.

If you're looking for an even more compact option, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is worth considering. It has a 12.4-inch screen and weighs less than the MacBook Air, making it easy to carry around.

For those who want the most portable option, an iPad may be a better choice than a laptop. iPads are more compact and ideal for travelling, but may not offer the same functionality as a laptop for working or editing photos/videos.

Battery life

When it comes to travel, you'll want a laptop with good battery life – at least enough to give you a full day's use on a single charge. Most laptops should give you a battery life of 7 to 8 hours, but for prolonged use, you can look for a laptop that offers 10 hours or more.

The Apple MacBook Air (2024) with M3 offers up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing, but in reality, you can expect around 54% battery remaining after 8 hours of use. The M2-powered MacBook Air, however, will need to be plugged in after 8 hours.

The 13-inch Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020) has excellent battery life and will last through a full day of work or classes and then some. In a test that simulates browsing the web and watching videos on YouTube, it lasted longer than 14 hours. Its battery also doesn't drain as quickly as its competitors when using video-chatting apps like Zoom.

The Apple MacBook Air (2022) with M2 offers around 8 hours of battery life before needing to be plugged in.

The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023) has a long battery life and is a good choice for a travel laptop.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) has a battery life of around 17 hours of light use.

The HP Pavilion Aero 13 (2024) is a good mid-range option for travel and offers a battery life of around 10 to 11 hours of light use.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023) is a great budget option for travel and offers a battery life of around 12 to 13 hours.

Performance

When it comes to performance, the M3 MacBook Air is a solid choice for a travel laptop. It offers a nice boost in performance over the original M1 processor, with Apple claiming it's up to 60% faster, though in reality, it's only about 20% faster than the M2 chipset. The M3 features an 8-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU, with support for up to 24 GB of unified memory. This setup should be more than enough for everyday tasks and even light gaming.

If you're looking for something more powerful, the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips are also available. The M3 Pro has up to 12 cores in the CPU and up to a 19-core GPU, with up to 32 GB of unified memory. Apple claims performance is up to 20% faster than the 10-core M1 Pro. The M3 Max, on the other hand, has a 16-core CPU, a 40-core GPU, and up to 128 GB of unified memory. It offers a significant performance boost over the M1 Max, with Apple claiming the CPU is up to 80% faster and the GPU up to 50% faster.

For those who need even more power, the M2 Ultra is the most powerful chip of them all, even surpassing the latest M4 Max. Composed of two M2 Max chips, it has a 24-core CPU and a GPU configurable with 60 or 76 cores, along with up to 128 GB of unified memory.

However, for most people, the M3 MacBook Air will provide more than enough performance for everyday tasks and light intensive work. If you're looking for a larger screen, the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air is also an excellent choice, offering similar performance to its 13-inch sibling while providing a bigger display.

If you're a content creator or work with graphics-intensive content, the M2 chip in the 2023 MacBook Air is also a solid choice. It features an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, providing plenty of power for tasks like graphic designing and video editing.

Overall, when it comes to performance, the M3 MacBook Air is a great choice for travellers, offering a nice balance of power and portability. For those who need more horsepower, the M3 Pro, M3 Max, and M2 Ultra chips are also available, providing significant performance boosts over the M3.

Display

When it comes to the display, the 13-inch MacBook Air with Apple's M2 processor is a great option. It has a bright screen, allowing you to see clearly outdoors on sunny days, and a higher-resolution webcam that improves your video call quality. The M2 MacBook Air's display is also an upgrade from the previous M1 model, with a higher brightness that lets you use it comfortably in sunny environments.

The 15-inch MacBook Air with the M3 processor is another option with a larger screen and better speakers. It can power two external displays with the lid closed, which is great if you need more screen real estate for your work. The bigger display on the 15-inch model allows for larger windows and less clutter on the screen, especially when multitasking.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip is also worth considering. It has a Mini LED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, delivering better contrast and deeper blacks for an overall fluid viewing experience.

If you're looking for a more affordable option, the 13-inch MacBook Air with the M1 chip from 2020 is still a solid choice. It has a high-resolution 2560x1600 screen, which is far sharper than the 1080p displays found on other budget laptops. The display is bright enough for most office environments, although it might struggle a bit on very sunny days.

For those seeking an even larger screen, the 15-inch MacBook Air with the M2 processor offers a 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display. It has a max brightness of 500 nits, making it a good choice for outdoor use.

In summary, the best Mac for travel in terms of display will depend on your preferences for screen size and your budget. The 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models offer bright and clear displays, with the 15-inch option providing a larger viewing area. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip is also impressive with its Mini LED screen and high refresh rate. If you're on a tighter budget, the 2020 M1 MacBook Air still delivers a sharp and bright display.

Budget

If you're looking for a budget-friendly MacBook for travel, the best option is the MacBook Air with M1 chip. It's a powerful laptop with a long-lasting battery, and it's now available at a reduced price of $700, making it the most affordable MacBook on the market.

The M1 MacBook Air has a comfortable keyboard, good performance, and a reasonable amount of storage. It's also fanless, which means it's silent even when you're maxing out the processor. However, it only has two USB-C ports and a headphone jack, so you may need to invest in some adapters or a dock if you need more connectivity options.

Another budget-friendly option is the previous generation MacBook Air with the M2 chip, which is still a great laptop for everyday tasks. It offers a bigger and brighter display, a 1080p webcam, and MagSafe charging. The M2 chip delivers smooth performance for web browsing, content streaming, and light photo and video editing.

If you're looking for an even more affordable option, you can consider the 2020 MacBook Air with the M1 chip. This model is still powerful enough for basic tasks and has excellent battery life, lasting more than a full workday on a single charge. However, it only has two USB-C ports and a 720p webcam.

For an ultra-lightweight budget option, you could also consider the Lenovo IdeaPad. It's a Windows OS laptop with 9 hours of battery life and a nice design. It's suitable for web surfing, document editing, and movie viewing, but it's not powerful enough for more intensive tasks.

Frequently asked questions