Best laptops 2018: The definitive breakdown

You had to know we’d throw a MacBook Pro in here. And not just because MacBooks give you great street cred, but because the newest MacBook is a badass powerhouse. They’re the most expensive in our list, but with a fast AF i9 chip, 2.9GHz, and Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz, the price makes sense. Like we said, MacBooks will seriously last through beatings — if my MacBook from 2012 can last six years and counting, I have no doubts that a 2018 MacBook Pro will last a decade.
Artsy folks, it’s your time to shine. There’s no question that Apple’s latest MacBook Pro is the best laptop money can buy for photo and video editing, featuring unbeatable import and export speeds (even with those tough 4K videos), insanely fast handling of hardcore apps like Adobe and Final Cut Pro (which is only available on Macs), and a crisp 2,880 x 1,800 display to see your work just as clear as in real life.
While Apple hasn’t gone totally touchscreen yet, the OLED touch bar is such an Apple thing to do. Here, you can control brightness, sound, use touch ID, and do what you would with FN keys. (A lot of people question the point of this, though.) Other new changes include a new butterfly keyboard, larger trackpad, True Tone technology, and four USB-C ports — AKA the computer’s only connectors, requiring an adapter to do just about anything. The display’s True Tone technology automatically adjusts the yellow and blue tones in your screen to match your environment, making things easier on the eyes. Like fans of the iPhone’s Night Shift say, the color of your screen can affect your health, and too much blue light before bed can affect your sleep. None of us are in a position to turn down extra shut-eye, am I right?
All in all, the 2018 MacBook Pro packs a punch with the strongest, fastest specs of any of its ancestors, making it a great choice for editing obsessives and regular folks alike — if you can afford it, that is. Prices for the 13-inch start at $1,799 and go up to $2,399 for the 15-inch with the most memory and storage. If you need even more detail before making the plunge, read Mashable’s full review here.