Best Mac 2018: the best Macs to buy this year

Fresh off of the launch of the MacBook Pro 2018, the best Macs continue to get better and better. And, if you’re thinking about going out and buying one of the best Macs, you should keep in mind that specs, performance and design are far more important in how they interact with macOS itself than any of them separately. That’s why it doesn’t make much sense to pit the best Macs and Windows 10 PCs against each other. Thanks to macOS High Sierra – soon to be macOS Mojave – we can confidently stand behind our benchmarks.

The best Macs come in every shape and size in 2018. We may not know what the future holds, but there’s still plenty of life left in the best Macs. They cover everything from high-resolution mobile workhorses, like the MacBook Pro and its Touch Bar, to stationary behemoths, like the iMac Pro – which is the most powerful Mac on the planet with its Intel Xeon processor.

So, what’s the best Mac for you?

Well, you’ll be happy to learn that we went ahead and created an organized list that includes the most up-to-date MacBooks, iMacs and Mac Minis that you’ll find on the market today. The only Macs you won’t find here are the ones we’ve yet to review, or those that honestly weren’t good enough to make it here. So, without further delay: on your mark, get set, and go take a look at the best Macs 2018 has to offer.

If you want the MacBook with the most performance possible, and money is no object, look no further than the 15-inch, 2018 MacBook Pro. With its hexa-core 8th-generation Coffee Lake processor and up to 32GB of RAM there is not a single thing you can throw at this laptop that it can’t handle. With performance like this, it’s easy to see why it’s one of the best MacBooks not only this year, but of all time. Just as long as you have the cash to bankroll it.

Read the full review: MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid-2018) 

You know you’re getting an unusually good value from an Apple product when, even at the entry-level, you can expect high performance, lots of storage and more ports than you know what to do with. The latest in Apple’s all-in-one desktop lineup, that’s the 2017, 21.5-inch iMac in a nutshell. There’s still no touchscreen, but at a fraction of the cost of Microsoft’s Surface Studio, you might be thankful that there isn’t. Instead, you’re getting a 7th-generation Intel processor and your choice of an IPS display carefully wrapped in an all-metal chassis. 

Read the full review: Apple iMac (2017) 

For much of 2018, the main complaint with the MacBook Pro was that it was still using Kaby Lake processors, even though its competition has moved ahead. Thankfully, those days are over and the 2018 MacBook Pro is more powerful than ever before and holds its own against recent Windows laptops. It still has the controversial Butterfly mechanism keyboard, but Apple has improved it, bringing reduced noise and improved reliability. Combined with the beefier performance, it’s easy to call it the best Mac you can buy today.

Read the full review: MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (13-inch, mid-2018) 

If you’re a professional or a creative, and you need something that will be able to tackle any workload you could possibly throw at it, you’re going to love the iMac Pro. Not only does it have a vivid 27-inch 5K display with a P3 wide color gamut, but it’s also packed with the most powerful hardware Apple could get its hands on. It’s extremely expensive, but if you’re looking for unbridled power to get through professional workloads, the iMac Pro is the best Mac for you. 

Read the full review: iMac Pro 

When Apple refreshed the MacBook back in 2016, it didn’t please anyone, despite being more attractive than ever before. And, while the controversy hasn’t disappeared entirely, the 12-inch MacBook has found its niche as an ultraportable and lightweight laptop. It’s low on ports, but in a laptop this thin, that’s to be expected, and it can support basically everything under the sun with its Thunderbolt 3 port, anyway. It’s not as powerful as the MacBook Pro, but if you’re looking for a MacBook that’s easy to take with you wherever you go, look no further.

Read the full review: Apple MacBook (2017)

The MacBook Air is in an interesting place. While it’s still one of the most popular and well-known laptops around, the iPad Pro and 12-inch MacBook have stolen much of its thunder. That is, unless you need the legacy USB 3, Thunderbolt 2 and SDXC card connectivity. Even without a Retina display or Force Touch trackpad, the 13-inch Macbook Air is still a great little machine, even if the 8GB of RAM and base 128GB of storage leave a lot to be desired. Plus, it still has the beloved MagSafe 2 charger onboard, as well as fantastic battery life.

Read the full review: 13-inch MacBook Air (2015)

While we wait for Apple to announce a new Mac Mini, the 2014 Mac Mini is still the cheapest Mac on the market by a long shot. Luckily, the Intel CPU inside allows it to be used for heavier tasks and Apple has brought the low-end model up to a decent spec. Starting at less than $500 for a 1.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB of RAM, Apple’s smallest Mac is still competent – we’re just left wanting for more modern hardware.  

Read the full review: Mac mini (2014)

Gabe Carey has also contributed to this article 

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