Hand carry bag or checked luggage to long distance flight

Never put anything of value in checked baggage. It is not insured. The bags will be X-Rayed and handlers can easily steal them before the bags are even loaded onto the plane. Put them in something you can carry onto the plane and store under the seat or in an overhead bin.

If they are still in the original Apple packing, they can go in checked luggage.

If not, my suggestion would be a hand carried bag.