Choosing the right macbook model

There are three basic groups of Mac laptops:

Entry-level

• Use base processor chips (M1, M2)
• Have two multi-purpose USB4 (USB, DIsplayPort, Thunderbolt, charging) ports
• Some also have MagSafe 3 charging ports
• Can drive a single external display

Examples: 13" and 15" M2 MacBook Airs, 13" M2 MacBook Pro. There is also a 13" M1 MacBook Air still in the new product line, but it's missing some of the upgrades in the M2 models, and I consider them to be better buys.

The M3 chips haven't made their way to the MacBook Airs – yet.

High-end

• Use {M1/M2/M3} Pro and Max chips
• Have more CPU cores and GPU cores than models using base {M1/M2/M3} chips
• Can take more RAM than models using base {M1/M2/M3} chips
• Have active cooling
• Have three multi-purpose USB4 (USB, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, charging) ports
• Have MagSafe 3 charging ports, HDMI ports, and SDXC card readers
• Have mini-LED backlit screens with support for playing HDR video content
• Can drive two (Pro chip) or three (Max chip) external displays

Examples: 14" and 16" MacBook Pros based on the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips

In the middle

There are 14" MacBook Pros that use the base M3 chip. These have mini-LED backlit screens, HDMI ports, SDXC card readers, and active cooling – like the high-end models. But they have only two USB-C (Thunderbolt) ports – and support for only one external display – like the entry-level ones.

Check the system requirements on the Adobe site, but for running Adobe software, you will probably want at least 16 GB of RAM. Probably not more than 32 GB unless you have rather unusual needs.

You can't expand the RAM on an Apple Silicon Mac after you buy it, so if you're looking at an entry-level notebook (like a MacBook Air), you may need to custom-order a machine to get that much memory.