The MacBook Pro 14 with M4 is one of our top laptop recommendations for students, and it’s currently $1,299 ($300 off), an all-time low price at Amazon and Best Buy. In our tests, Apple’s entry-level pro laptop was powerful enough to process high-resolution raw files in Adobe’s Lightroom Classic without slowing down. It also easily clears the system requirements to play last month’s port of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate to MacOS.
The laptop has a 14.2-inch high resolution (3024 x 1964) 120Hz Mini-LED display and runs on Apple’s M4 processor, its latest chip. It has 16GB of RAM, which should be enough memory to keep the laptop running smoothly when you have dozens of tabs open, want to edit 4K video, or play games. Its 512GB of storage is sufficient for keeping some larger files on your computer instead of keeping them in the cloud, or constantly transferring them to and from a portable SSD.
One distinct advantage the MacBook Pro has over the thinner and lighter MacBook Air is its port selection. The laptop is equipped with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, and SD Card slot to connect to monitors, memory cards, and other accessories without a dongle. It also has a MagSafe port, so you don’t have to unplug an accessory to charge the laptop.
Speaking of charging, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4’s battery lasted a little over 12 hours of moderate to heavy usage when we reviewed it. The apps you use and your preferred screen brightness level will heavily impact the laptops’s battery life, but you should be able to get through the school or work day without having to plug it in.
