Previous edition: Which Mac to Buy? — Updated November 2025
If you are buying a new Mac, what should you choose? What is the best computer for an office worker, architect, engineer, developer or marketer? Hopefully this article will help.
This September update is a big one. Apple has added the entry-level MacBook Neo, moved MacBook Air and MacBook Pro to the M5 family, introduced an M6 Mac mini, and replaced the Mac Studio range with M5 Max and M5 Ultra. The Mac Pro is no longer part of Apple’s current Mac range.
Prices, configurations and availability were checked against Apple Australia on 7 September 2026. CPU scores are representative Geekbench 6 results from Geekbench. The AI column uses the Geekbench AI 1.7 Quantized score with Core ML and the Neural Engine. Approximate or pre-release results are marked with an asterisk.
MacBook Neo
13-inch models — new March 2026
| Price (AUD) | Model | Configuration | Chip | RAM | Storage | CPU cores | GPU cores | Geekbench single | Geekbench multi | AI score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $899 | MacBook Neo 13-inch | A18 Pro/8GB/256GB | A18 Pro | 8GB | 256GB | 6 | 5 | ~3,600 | ~9,100 | ~46,000 |
| $1,049 | MacBook Neo 13-inch | A18 Pro/8GB/512GB | A18 Pro | 8GB | 512GB | 6 | 5 | ~3,600 | ~9,100 | ~46,000 |
Entry — A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD — $899
This is Apple’s new low-cost Mac. It has a good 13-inch display, excellent battery life and enough speed for email, web browsing, Microsoft Office, study and general home use. It is also the only current Mac with just 8GB of RAM.
The catch is longevity. The memory cannot be upgraded, 256GB is not much storage and this machine is not intended for heavy creative work, engineering applications or large local AI models. It is good value for a light-use computer, but most business users should still start with MacBook Air.
Better — A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD — $1,049
The storage upgrade makes the machine more practical, but it does not fix the 8GB memory limit. Once you are spending more than $1,000, compare it carefully with the MacBook Air before buying.
MacBook Air
13-inch models — new March 2026
| Price (AUD) | Model | Configuration | Chip | RAM | Storage | CPU cores | GPU cores | Geekbench single | Geekbench multi | AI score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,799 | MacBook Air 13-inch | M5/16GB/512GB (8-core GPU) | M5 | 16GB | 512GB | 10 | 8 | 3,572 | 17,046 | ~60,200 |
| $2,099 | MacBook Air 13-inch | M5/24GB/512GB (10-core GPU) | M5 | 24GB | 512GB | 10 | 10 | 3,572 | 17,046 | ~60,200 |
| $2,399 | MacBook Air 13-inch | M5/24GB/1TB (10-core GPU) | M5 | 24GB | 1TB | 10 | 10 | 3,572 | 17,046 | ~60,200 |
Entry — M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD — $1,799
This is the sensible starting point for most people. Apple has doubled the base storage to 512GB, and 16GB is enough for normal office and home use. It is light, silent and has excellent battery life.
Better — M5, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD — $2,099
Spend the extra $300 if you keep computers for a long time, run lots of applications at once, work with large creative files or want more breathing room for AI tools. The memory upgrade also brings the 10-core GPU.
Best — M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD — $2,399
This is the comfortable long-life configuration. Beyond this point, compare the price with a 14-inch MacBook Pro before adding more upgrades.
15-inch models — new March 2026
| Price (AUD) | Model | Configuration | Chip | RAM | Storage | CPU cores | GPU cores | Geekbench single | Geekbench multi | AI score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,199 | MacBook Air 15-inch | M5/16GB/512GB | M5 | 16GB | 512GB | 10 | 10 | 3,583 | 17,046 | ~60,200 |
| $2,499 | MacBook Air 15-inch | M5/24GB/512GB | M5 | 24GB | 512GB | 10 | 10 | 3,583 | 17,046 | ~60,200 |
| $2,799 | MacBook Air 15-inch | M5/24GB/1TB | M5 | 24GB | 1TB | 10 | 10 | 3,583 | 17,046 | ~60,200 |
The 15-inch Air is essentially the same computer with a larger screen and chassis. Buy it because you value screen space, not because you expect substantially more speed. The 24GB/512GB model is the sweet spot for a larger everyday laptop.
MacBook Pro
14-inch models — M5 introduced October 2025; M5 Pro and M5 Max introduced March 2026
| Price (AUD) | Model | Configuration | Chip | RAM | Storage | CPU cores | GPU cores | Geekbench single | Geekbench multi | AI score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,699 | MacBook Pro 14-inch | M5/16GB/1TB | M5 | 16GB | 1TB | 10 | 10 | 3,638 | ~18,000 | ~60,200 |
| $3,499 | MacBook Pro 14-inch | M5 Pro/24GB/1TB | M5 Pro | 24GB | 1TB | 15 | 16 | 3,679 | 29,583 | ~63,800 |
| $4,499 | MacBook Pro 14-inch | M5 Pro/24GB/2TB | M5 Pro | 24GB | 2TB | 18 | 20 | 3,674 | 33,427 | ~63,800 |
| $5,799 | MacBook Pro 14-inch | M5 Max/36GB/2TB | M5 Max | 36GB | 2TB | 18 | 32 | 3,693 | 34,568 | ~64,200 |
Entry — M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD — $2,699
The entry model now has a useful 1TB SSD. It gives you the excellent ProMotion XDR display, more ports and active cooling, but its base M5 chip is much closer to MacBook Air than to the Pro and Max chips. Buy it for the screen and ports; buy M5 Pro for sustained professional workloads.
Better — M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD — $3,499
This is the best-balanced 14-inch model. It has a substantial jump in multi-core and graphics performance without the price and memory requirements of M5 Max.
Best — M5 Max, 36GB RAM, 2TB SSD — $5,799
This is for demanding video, 3D, engineering, development and local AI work. The headline AI benchmark does not show the whole advantage: M5 Max has far more GPU performance and memory bandwidth than the base M5, which matters greatly for large local models.
16-inch models — new March 2026
| Price (AUD) | Model | Configuration | Chip | RAM | Storage | CPU cores | GPU cores | Geekbench single | Geekbench multi | AI score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $4,299 | MacBook Pro 16-inch | M5 Pro/24GB/1TB | M5 Pro | 24GB | 1TB | 18 | 20 | 3,691 | 33,585 | ~63,800 |
| $4,899 | MacBook Pro 16-inch | M5 Pro/48GB/1TB | M5 Pro | 48GB | 1TB | 18 | 20 | 3,691 | 33,585 | ~63,800 |
| $6,299 | MacBook Pro 16-inch | M5 Max/36GB/2TB | M5 Max | 36GB | 2TB | 18 | 32 | 3,733 | 35,132 | ~64,200 |
These are wonderful desktop-replacement machines, but they are large and heavy. The 24GB M5 Pro is already extremely capable. Choose 48GB for large project files, several virtual machines or heavier AI work. Choose M5 Max when GPU performance is genuinely central to your work.
iMac
24-inch models — new November 2024
| Price (AUD) | Model | Configuration | Chip | RAM | Storage | CPU cores | GPU cores | Geekbench single | Geekbench multi | AI score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,999 | iMac 24-inch | M4/16GB/256GB | M4 | 16GB | 256GB | 8 | 8 | 3,240 | 13,357 | ~33,800 |
| $2,399 | iMac 24-inch | M4/16GB/256GB | M4 | 16GB | 256GB | 10 | 10 | 3,240 | ~15,100 | ~33,800 |
| $2,699 | iMac 24-inch | M4/16GB/512GB | M4 | 16GB | 512GB | 10 | 10 | 3,240 | ~15,100 | ~33,800 |
| $2,999 | iMac 24-inch | M4/24GB/512GB | M4 | 24GB | 512GB | 10 | 10 | 3,240 | ~15,100 | ~33,800 |
The current iMac uses M4 and has not changed since November 2024. It combines a very good 24-inch 4.5K display, camera, speakers, keyboard and mouse in one tidy package.
Skip — 8-core CPU/GPU, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD — $1,999
The two-port model lacks Ethernet and Touch ID as standard, and 256GB is tight. The saving is not compelling once you account for the missing features.
Better — 10-core CPU/GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD — $2,699
This gets the four-port model, Ethernet, Touch ID and a practical amount of storage. It is the sensible general-purpose configuration.
Best — 10-core CPU/GPU, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD — $2,999
Choose this if the machine will be used heavily or kept for many years. Nano-texture glass and VESA-mount versions remain configure-to-order decisions.
Mac mini
New M6 and M5 Pro models — September 2026
Orders are open now. Deliveries begin 22 September. Apple is no longer selling the outgoing M4 range, so these are the current Mac mini models.
| Price (AUD) | Model | Configuration | Chip | RAM | Storage | CPU cores | GPU cores | Geekbench single | Geekbench multi | AI score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,449 | Mac mini | M6/16GB/256GB | M6 | 16GB | 256GB | 12 | 12 | ~4,200* | ~22,000* | ~120,000* |
| $1,749 | Mac mini | M6/16GB/512GB | M6 | 16GB | 512GB | 12 | 12 | ~4,200* | ~22,000* | ~120,000* |
| $2,049 | Mac mini | M6/24GB/512GB | M6 | 24GB | 512GB | 12 | 12 | ~4,200* | ~22,000* | ~120,000* |
| $2,699 | Mac mini | M5 Pro/24GB/512GB | M5 Pro | 24GB | 512GB | 15 | 16 | ~3,680 | ~29,600 | ~63,800 |
| $2,999 | Mac mini | M5 Pro/24GB/512GB | M5 Pro | 24GB | 512GB | 18 | 20 | ~3,690 | ~33,500 | ~63,800 |
Entry — M6, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD — $1,449
The new entry price is much higher than the previous M4 model. The M6 chip is a major upgrade, but 256GB is still a small SSD for a desktop expected to last for years.
Better — M6, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD — $2,049
This is the configuration most businesses should consider. It has useful storage, extra memory, 2.5Gb Ethernet and a lot of performance in a tiny box.
Best value for demanding work — M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD — $2,699
Choose M5 Pro when you need more CPU/GPU performance, Thunderbolt 5, higher memory options or sustained professional workloads. A 10Gb Ethernet upgrade is $150.
Mac Studio
New M5 Max and M5 Ultra models — September 2026
Orders are open now. Deliveries begin 22 September. Apple is no longer selling the outgoing M4 Max and M3 Ultra range.
| Price (AUD) | Model | Configuration | Chip | RAM | Storage | CPU cores | GPU cores | Geekbench single | Geekbench multi | AI score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $4,299 | Mac Studio | M5 Max/36GB/512GB | M5 Max | 36GB | 512GB | 18 | 32 | ~3,730 | ~35,000 | ~64,200 |
| $9,499 | Mac Studio | M5 Ultra/96GB/1TB | M5 Ultra | 96GB | 1TB | 30 | 64 | ~3,700* | ~45,500* | ~128,000* |
Entry — M5 Max, 36GB RAM, 512GB SSD — $4,299
This is an exceptionally capable compact workstation, but 512GB of storage feels stingy at this price. Consider the 1TB SSD if project files will live internally. The optional 40-core GPU unlocks higher memory configurations.
Best — M5 Ultra, 96GB RAM, 1TB SSD — $9,499
This is for large local AI models, high-end video, 3D, scientific work and other genuinely demanding workflows. M5 Ultra doubles the Neural Engine to 32 cores and can be configured with enormous amounts of unified memory. Most people do not need it, but the people who do will know why.
Mac Pro — discontinued September 2026
Apple has removed Mac Pro from its current Mac shop and comparison range. The 2023 M2 Ultra Mac Pro is therefore treated as discontinued in this edition and will be omitted from the next State of the Mac post.
For most former Mac Pro buyers, Mac Studio is now the obvious Apple silicon workstation. If internal PCIe expansion is essential, talk to us before committing to a replacement workflow.
Keyboards and pointing devices
Apple’s current USB-C Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard range continues unchanged. For an iMac, the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID is worth having. The numeric keypad version is useful for finance, data entry and anyone who spends a lot of time with numbers.
Summary
- Lowest-cost Mac: MacBook Neo, provided 8GB RAM and modest storage are acceptable.
- Best general-purpose laptop: 13-inch MacBook Air M5 with 24GB RAM and 512GB SSD.
- Best larger everyday laptop: 15-inch MacBook Air M5 with 24GB RAM and 512GB SSD.
- Best professional laptop: 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro, 24GB RAM and 1TB SSD.
- Best-value desktop: Mac mini M6 with 24GB RAM and 512GB SSD.
- Best all-in-one: iMac M4 with 24GB RAM and 512GB SSD.
- Best workstation: Mac Studio with M5 Max; choose M5 Ultra only for workloads that can use its memory and compute capacity.
More memory is valuable if you keep computers for a long time, run several demanding applications, use virtual machines or plan to run AI models locally. Storage can be supplemented externally; unified memory cannot be upgraded after purchase.
Do get advice from ServiceMax if you have any questions.
