The latest model has a brand new design that's thinner and lighter than ever, and it also packs a larger, brighter screen, which is ideal for CAD projects. The new Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) is a brilliant alternative to the more expensive MacBook Pro models, and despite its cheaper price, it still offers excellent performance when running CAD software.

See our MacBook Pro 14-inch review for more details. But if you’re looking for a premium Apple laptop and are willing to pay the price, you won’t find better. This laptop is very much the Rolls Royce option of MacBooks, and may be overkill for a lot of people’s needs. You’ll also benefit from the most beautiful, super-high res screen, and up to a whopping 8TB of storage. You’ll doubtless get less than that doing intense work in AutoCAD, but it’s a surety that you’ll get through a professional day without having to recharge. The MacBook Pro also offers up to 17 hours of battery life: the longest of any Mac ever. Note also that you can run iOS here as well, so you can open up the AutoCAD mobile app if that helps your workflow. In our review, we found that it was more than capable of running both AutoCAD and resource-hungry 3D modelling software like Maya, 3DS Max, and Fusion 360 with ease. Running macOS Big Sur on Apple’s proprietary eight-core M1 Pro or Max chip, with up to 64GB RAM, this is the most powerful laptop Apple has ever created. The MacBook Pro 14-inch (2021) is a brilliant laptop for CAD, and easily the best one you can buy right now.

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