What MacBook is Best For Law School?
The Apple MacBook is one of the best laptops for law school. In fact, for the 2022-2023 law school year we rated the 13-inch MacBook Air the #1 law school laptop overall. However, Apple makes two other MacBook products that are each a good laptop for law school. In this review, we discuss the pros and cons of each MacBook Air for law school. We explain which MacBook is best laptop for law school for different types of law students.
*Editor’s Note: We will update this list as soon as new MacBooks are released and ready for review.
1. Best Laptop Overall: MacBook Air
2022 M2 Apple MacBook Air is the best laptop for law school. Full stop. The M2 MacBook Air is Apple’s thinnest, lightest notebook ever. Additionally, it includes the longest battery life ever in an Air. Carrying your laptop to and from law school classes can get tiring but with the MacBook Air you will have no fatigue because at 2.7 lb. this will weigh less than your law school textbook. The classic wedge shape of this Apple MacBook makes it easy to fit inside your backpack or purse.
The Best MacBook for Law Students
Compared to previous models of the MacBook Air, the new 2022 M2 laptop improves on any shortcomings of previous models. For example, some law school students complained that the Air could run too hot. Apple has fixed this issue in the new M2 MacBook Air and improved the cooling solution. The M2 boats an 8-core CPU that is 1.4x faster than the 2020 M1 model.
Every law student will enjoy a new and improved keyboard on the MacBook Air. The new keyboard is incredibly comfortable for typing law school essays and assignments and includes backlit keys with ambient light sensors for those all-nighters. Additionally, the MacBook Air has 18 hours of battery life. This means the MacBook Air is best for law school studying at school even if you forget your charger. Furthermore, it is the cheapest MacBook on this list.
Video conferencing is as important as ever in law school and the microphone quality has improved drastically in the MacBook Air M2. Video conferencing and online classes will have perfect screen resolution in stunning color because of the 2560 by 1664 resolution Retina display. For these reasons, we believe the MacBook Air is the best laptop for law students that need webcams for online classes.
2. Best Laptop Investment: MacBook Pro 13 inch
Financially, the M2 MacBook Pro 13 inch is the best laptop investment for law school students. The 13 inch MacBook Pro is more powerful than the MacBook Air. However, this performance difference likely won’t make too much difference for law school students because the basic tasks that are needed for law school don’t require tons of processing power. The one exception is online video classes.
Longest Battery Life Ever
Law students will appreciate the MacBook Pro 13 inch battery that lasts up to 20 hours – the longest of any Mac ever. Additionally, Apple updated the keyboard for the MacBook Pro 13 inch so that typing is improved for law school. The high end Pro includes the M1 chip that has an 8-core CPU with 2.8x faster processing speeds than previous generations of MacBook Pros. The 13 inch Pro also boasts an active cooling system that ensures incredibly fast processing speed even for an Apple laptop. Up to 2TB of SSD storage is available which means law students will have more than enough memory in the MacBook Pro 13″.
One word of caution. For law students that care about performance, be sure to examine all three different models of the MacBook Pro 13″ carefully before choosing one for law school. For example, all three 2022 MacBooks 13″ have the new keyboard, but that specification boost on the processor is for the higher end model of the 13 inch MacBook Pro only. The lower tier MacBook Pro 13″ are essentially last year’s model with a new keyboard (not the magic keyboard though).
3. Best Laptop for Multi-Purpose: MacBook Pro 16 inch
On the higher price range, the MacBook Pro 16 inch is the best law school laptop for multi-purpose use. Specifically, this MacBook is for law students that want to use their laptop to do other activities in addition to law school. For example, law students that are also avid photographers may like this MacBook because it has the necessary memory and processing power to hold photo collections and editing software in addition to the law school class notes.
Law students will enjoy this laptop because it is the most powerful laptop Apple has ever made. The new version of the MacBook Pro 16″ has improved thermal design and an improved keyboard. Additionally, the MacBook 16 inch model has a bigger battery and a bigger screen than previous models. Compared to the Pro 13″, the Pro 16″ has a better thermal design. The Pro 16″ also includes a dedicated GPU. Moreover, MacBook Pro 16 inch has the largest legally allowed battery for U.S. flight travel. This means that law students will never have to worry about whether this MacBook can hold a charge.
All these incredible laptop specifications come at a price though. For example, the 16-inch Retina display with an 8-core processor, 8TB of SSD storage and 64GB of memory will set law students back at least $2800. So, the Apple MacBook Pro 16″ is not for the law student on a tight budget. Instead, buy this MacBook laptop if you have the finances and the need for extreme processing power.
Technical Specifications of Apple MacBooks For Law Students
| MacBook Air | MacBook Pro 13″ | MacBook Pro 16″ | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  | |
| Screen Size | 13.3″ | 13.3″ | 16″ |
| Processor | M2 chip | M2, Intel Core i5 or i7 | Intel Core i9 |
| Memory | Up to 16 GB | Up to 16GB | Up to 64GB |
| Max Storage | 2TB | 2TB | 8TB |
| Battery Life | 18 hours | 20 hours | 21 hours |
| Camera | 1080p HD | 1080p HD | 1080p HD |
| Weight | 2.7lb | 3.0 lb. | 4.3lb |
| Accessories | Touch ID | Touch Bar and ID | Touch Bar and ID |
| Price | CHECK | CHECK | CHECK |
FAQ – Apple MacBook For Law School
The advantages of owning an Apple MacBook for law school include reliability, durability, and performance. The Apple MacBooks are some of the most reliable laptops on the market with plenty of storage. Law students will never have to worry about their laptop failing during an exam when using a MacBook. Additionally, the MacBook is a durable product in all three models. Law students will have no problems brining their MacBook to and from school, to study sessions, and everywhere in between. Finally, the Apple MacBooks are the best performing laptops out there. These laptops will be lightning fast in law school. Apple periodically pushes updates that ensure that security will not be an issue either.
Moreover, Apple MacBooks support all law school testing software and other applications that are commonly used. This is true even after graduating law school because the major software that is used by lawyers is also supported by the MacBook operating system macOS.
Unfortunately, there is no perfect laptop. Although the MacBook laptops are incredibly stellar machines, they do come with some disadvantages. First, the MacBook laptops do not include the standard Microsoft Office suite of applications. Instead, the MacBooks come with Apple’s line of applications which are simply not acceptable for law school. Law students must have Microsoft Word at the very least. Luckily, most law school IT departments will have a free license for law students while in law school. Thus, it is relatively easy to download the Microsoft Office products to the Apple MacBook and enter your law school’s license key and be good to go.
Another disadvantage of the Apple laptops is the accessory ports. The newest MacBooks all use the Thunderbolt/USB4 port. While this means better connectivity in most cases, it also means less flexibility. Standard USB thumb drives will not fit in your Apple MacBook. Further, you will most likely need a dongle or USB converter to allow your MacBook to plug into external monitors, projectors, or any other device that uses the older standard of USB.
Any one of the Apple MacBooks is going to be one of the best laptops for law school. To decide on the MacBook Air vs Pro for students will depend on how you plan to use it and how long you hope to have it. We recommend the Apple MacBook Air for most law students. If you are unsure, go with that MacBook for law school and you won’t be disappointed.
If you want something a little more durable and don’t mind the extra weight in law school, the Apple MacBook Pro 13″ is the law school laptop for you. It is a little more sturdy than the Air laptop and the specifications are better. A 13 inch Pro is for the law student that wants to invest in a great MacBook for long-term. Purchasing the MacBook Pro model 13″ new for law school means it will last you well into your first few years as a lawyer. Indeed, taking good care of your Apple MacBook will ensure that it can last 7 to 10 years.
Finally, if you want a laptop that does more than just law school, go with the MacBook Pro 16″. The Apple MacBook Pro 16″ is one of the best law school laptops money can buy. This MacBook law school laptop has enough storage, memory, and processing power to also handle any hobby you might have. The Pro 16″ can be your law school laptop and your photography storage and processing laptop. It can truly do it all.
Yes, beginning with certain models introduced in late 2020, Apple transitioned from Intel processors to Apple silicon in Mac computers.
No. Although these are the best laptop for law schools, they do not have touch screen. The display quality is amazing on the large screen but there are no touch screen capabilities. If you want something with similar screen resolution that supports touch, check out the tablets.
No. Law schools do not require windows operating system. The minimum system requirements for law school students is easily met with the mac OS operating system. Other operating systems will work fine too. Remember, writing essays, researching on multiple tabs, and taking notes are the primary tasks. This means that even a decent laptop at an affordable price can keep up with productivity tasks while you are writing papers.
Want More Law School Laptop Recommendations?
If you are curious how we rate our laptops to decide the best MacBook for college, be sure to check out our rating guide. If you want to know how the best MacBooks stack up against other top brands of law school laptops, check out our Top 5 Law School Laptops.