Which Mac I recommend for what – as of July 2026
16.7.2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Samuel Buchmann
You want to buy a Mac, but don't know which one? Here you will find recommendations for different situations.
The memory crisis has also reached Apple. Macs have become significantly more expensive. This makes it all the more important that you don't climb higher on the price ladder than necessary. In this guide, you'll find out which device I recommend for what. I'll limit myself to the current line-up. The list is to be understood as a guide and not as the sole truth. Your preferences and requirements may vary.
Note 1: Due to low stock levels, you may sometimes see marketplace offers at high prices. You can manually switch to the native offers from Digitec Galaxus on the product page.
Note 2: If you are not visiting this post from Switzerland, the product links will not work for technical reasons. You can find the respective local versions of the Macs using the search function.
General tips
First, you need to decide what color your new Mac should be. Depending on the device, not only silver is available, but also other elegantly sounding options such as "Space Black", "Midnight" or "Starlight".
It's best to always choose silver anyway.
There are two reasons for this recommendation: Firstly, silver remains the only constant, while Apple introduces other color tones and then lets them die out again. If you buy your Mac and accessories in silver, you can be sure that new devices will also match in five years. Secondly, the color is least susceptible to fingerprints. Especially black and dark blue look grubby in no time.
How much RAM should I get?
RAM upgrades are very expensive at Apple. Since the price increase in June 2026, an additional 24 gigabytes (GB) will cost a hefty 600 francs – twice as much as before. Therefore, the golden rule applies more than ever: buy as much RAM as necessary, but as little as possible. What this means depends heavily on your personal use case. For office applications, 16 gigabytes (GB) are sufficient. Creative programs like Lightroom benefit from more reserves. Local AI models are even more RAM-hungry.
If you're coming from the Windows world, you don't necessarily need the same amount of RAM as before. MacOS generally handles it a bit more efficiently. It also cushions temporary bottlenecks with virtual swap memory on the SSD. In extreme cases, this can shorten its lifespan, but you would have to use it very heavily for a long time. The fact that your Mac uses its available RAM even outside of performance-hungry programs is, by the way, no cause for concern, but intended.
How big should my SSD be?
Storage space is also more expensive than saffron these days. Apple wants 300 francs for 512 GB SSD, 500 francs for 1 TB. In comparison, high-end SSDs in the Windows world seem like a bargain even at the currently overpriced prices. For 579 francs, for example, you get 4 TB with the same speed. Therefore, consider carefully whether you would prefer to expand your storage externally. This has hardly any disadvantages, especially for stationary devices like the Mac Mini.
The internal SSD should at least be large enough to accommodate all your programs and your current work project. However, I would outsource film libraries, image archives, and rarely needed files to external SSDs, network storage, or clouds.
Nanotexture glass or not?
For an extra charge, you can get the MacBook Pro and the iMac with a matte display. Apple doesn't just use a coating, but mills a nanotexture into the glass. This keeps the screen as robust as with a high-gloss finish. The microscopically fine structure is supposed to reduce disturbing reflections.
The matte look is a matter of taste. Reflections become more diffuse, but they spread over a larger area. On balance, the nanotexture glass therefore worsens the black level in many situations and the image appears less vibrant. However, restless backgrounds disappear and are less distracting. Further comparison images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
For the tight budget: MacBook Neo
Do you "just need a computer"? For light tasks like browsing, streaming, and word processing, the MacBook Neo is the perfect choice. Nowhere else can you get such a good laptop for so little money. Even after the price increase, it is still a good deal for 679 francs (official price). Market prices are currently even at the previous level, depending on the color variant.
The MacBook Neo feels just as "premium" as larger MacBooks. While you shouldn't expect performance miracles from the iPhone chip A18 Pro and 8 GB of RAM, it's perfectly sufficient for most everyday tasks. The display, keyboard, and trackpad are also excellent for this price range. The downsides are the lack of keyboard backlighting and the limited ports.
Mobile Office: M5 MacBook Air
The 15-inch MacBook Air is one of my favorite laptops in Apple's lineup: beautiful, thin, and light. Nevertheless, it has plenty of workspace, long battery life, and is fast enough for almost everything. This is more true than ever with the upgrade to the M5 chip. It handles programs like Lightroom without problems, unless you frequently use computationally intensive functions like AI noise filters.
The price increase has affected the large Air relatively little. It remains a great device for students and office workers who find the MacBook Neo lacking in performance, RAM, or storage space. With the 15-inch version, you can often do without an external screen. The 13-inch version is more portable.
Fixed Office: M4 Mac Mini
The Mac Mini was long Apple's best deal ever. At market launch, the cheapest version cost only 599 francs. An external hard drive, an inexpensive screen, a mouse, and a keyboard later, you had a powerful setup for a good 1000 francs. In May 2026, however, Apple removed the basic version from its range. Now you have to spend at least 799 francs for the variant with 512 GB SSD – or even more, because stock levels are low and real market prices fluctuate wildly.
If you can get a Mac Mini at the normal price, it's still my top recommendation for a stationary office. The M4 chip is also sufficient for occasional image editing or simple video editing. Because it is actively cooled, it never has to throttle down. In normal operation, it remains silent. The tiny form factor and the selection of ports also convince me. If you have patience, you can also wait for the next version with M5, which is probably coming soon.
Powerful All-rounder: M5 Pro MacBook Pro
Do you need your laptop for work that benefits from high performance? Perhaps you edit photos daily in Lightroom and Photoshop. You also use complex filters and want to isolate objects using AI masks. Or you edit videos and don't want to worry about whether your computer can handle the size of your project and the resolution of your camera.
For this scenario, I would recommend a 16-inch MacBook Pro – with M5 Pro, 24 GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD. The large display makes working on the go comfortable, and the chip handles even demanding programs. Overall, the MacBook Pro is an outstanding all-round laptop with no weaknesses. It costs more than an entry-level device, but the value is right. At the time of publication of this article, you can still find stock below the official price. How long that will remain the case is anyone's guess.
Even if you work stationary, I would now rather buy a 14-inch MacBook Pro than an M4 Pro Mac Mini. The small cube in its more powerful version is also competent. However, since the price increases and supply shortages, it no longer costs much less than the MacBook with the newer chip and the same amount of RAM and SSD.
High-End Video, LLMs: M5 Max MacBook Pro
My rule of thumb is: If you have to ask if you need the graphics performance of the M5 Max, the answer is "no". The larger GPU is only worthwhile in exceptional cases. For example, if you produce videos professionally. Your workflow might include 8K raw footage and you also work in After Effects. Or you want to be able to run large AI models locally.
If you belong to this target group, the M5 Max MacBook Pro will speed up your work. Apple has significantly increased the performance compared to the previous model. If you want even more, you can opt for the M3 Ultra Mac Studio (if you can find one). For running language models, the more RAM and the higher the memory bandwidth, the better. In 2026, however, this will quickly become expensive.
Decoration object: M4 iMac
The iMac recommendation is subject to three conditions. First: You mainly need it for office applications. Second: A 23.5-inch display is sufficient for you. Third: Your computer must also be a decorative object. Possible uses include living rooms, reception areas, or retail stores.
In all other cases, I would advise against the iMac. It is essentially a flattened Mac Mini with an overpriced display. For the same price, you can buy the Mini together with a larger and better monitor. This combination is more flexible, better cooled, and has more ports than the iMac. In addition, you can keep the external monitor for several computer generations.
Samuel Buchmann
Senior Editor
Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.chMy fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.
Computing
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
Notebooks
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
Guide
Practical solutions for everyday problems with technology, household hacks and much more.
Show allThese articles might also interest you
34 comments
later