Choosing Between the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini for Design Work

It seems like every day, creative professionals are heading to Reddit to ask for laptop recommendations.

Whether it's for UI design, photo editing, or video production, the same questions come up: “Should I go for a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?” or “Would a Mac Mini suit my needs?”

Apple’s lineup offers something for everyone, but with so many options, it’s tough to decide.

Let’s break it all down, including pros and cons, to help you find the perfect Mac for your design work—whether you’re a casual creator or a full-time professional.

MacBook Air (13-inch and 15-inch)

• Starting Price: $1,099 (13-inch) | $1,299 (15-inch)
• Chip: M3

Overview

The MacBook Air is the lightest and most portable option in Apple’s lineup. Powered by the M3 chip, it handles tasks like UI design and basic photo editing with ease.

In fact, it'll handle most of what you throw at it - such is the nature of Apple's new chipset.

Surprisingly, the M3 MacBook Air 13 proved to be quite capable for light gaming. Running Baldur’s Gate 3 at 1710 x 1068 resolution (~16:10), with the preset set to Low and a few manual tweaks—like bumping model and texture quality to Medium—it managed to deliver around 40 fps.

While not buttery smooth, this performance is more than acceptable, especially for a turn-based game like Baldur’s Gate 3, making it a decent option for casual gaming sessions.

However, its lack of active cooling makes it less suitable for sustained heavy workloads, such as rendering 4K video.

Pros

• Lightweight and portable, perfect for on-the-go designers.
• Long battery life (up to 18 hours).
• Excellent Retina display with P3 wide color for accurate colour representation.

Cons

• No active cooling, leading to throttling under heavy workloads.
• Limited to two Thunderbolt ports, requiring adapters for multi-device setups.
• Not ideal for intensive video editing or large-scale projects.

Best For

UI designers and photographers working on medium-complexity projects who value portability over raw power. Video editing is possible, but as is always the case, more money equals more power equals faster rendering.

View on Amazon (13-inch)
View on Amazon (15-inch)

MacBook Pro (14-inch and 16-inch)

• Starting Price: $1,599 (14-inch) | $2,499 (16-inch)
• Chip: M4 Pro / M4 Max

Overview

The MacBook Pro is the go-to for creatives who demand power and reliability. With its M4 Pro and Max chips, it excels at video production, 3D rendering, and intensive photo editing.

The ProMotion display with mini-LED technology offers stunning visuals, critical for design work.

The standout feature of the M4 Max is its significant graphics upgrade.

While earlier versions were impressive, this is the first time the hardware feels truly capable of handling many of the latest flagship PC games without heavily compromising on settings.

Plus, Baldur’s Gate 3—a major release—runs natively on Macs, making it a great example of what this hardware can do.

Make no mistake - this is the fastest laptop you can buy, but as with all things Apple, you can jack the price up significantly with a few clicks of an option selection.

Pros

• Active cooling system ensures consistent performance during heavy tasks.
• High-resolution Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion for silky-smooth visuals.
• Up to 96GB of unified memory, handling massive project files with ease.
• Multiple ports, including HDMI and SD card slot, for versatile connectivity.

Cons

• Heavier than the MacBook Air, though still portable.
• Premium price tag may be overkill for simpler design tasks.

Best For

Video producers, 3D artists, and graphic designers handling resource-heavy projects.

View on Amazon (14-inch)
View on Amazon (16-inch)

Mac Mini (M4 and M4 Pro)

• Starting Price: $599 (M4) | $1,399 (M4 Pro)

Overview

The Mac Mini offers desktop-level power in a compact form factor.

While it doesn’t include a display or peripherals, its M4 chip handles basic to intermediate design tasks, and the M4 Pro variant delivers performance comparable to a high-end MacBook Pro for video editing and rendering.

A lovely package in a small form-factor which gives people with displays a great excuse to jump into the world of Mac.

I appreciate Apple’s approach to their base models, offering impressive GPU performance for gaming alongside remarkable CPU capabilities.

The base M4 seems well-suited for entry-level 1080p gaming at 30fps (or 60fps for older titles), comparable to a GTX 1650 with ray tracing support. Expecting more than that would be unrealistic for this tier.

Pros

• Budget-friendly, especially the M4 base model.
• Compact and easy to set up in any workspace.
• Expandable with your choice of monitor and peripherals, offering flexibility.

Cons

• Requires separate purchases for a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
• Lack of portability makes it unsuitable for frequent travelers.

Best For

Designers and video editors looking for a powerful desktop solution without the cost of an iMac.

View on Amazon (M4)
View on Amazon (M4 Pro)

Final Recommendations

• For Portability & Everyday Design: The MacBook Air is a sleek, lightweight option for UI design and basic photo editing. Choose the 15-inch model for more screen space.
• For Power & Versatility: The MacBook Pro is the ultimate choice for professional video editors, photographers, and 3D artists. Opt for the 14-inch for portability or the 16-inch for maximum power.
• For Budget-Friendly Power: The Mac Mini is an excellent desktop choice if you already own a monitor and peripherals or prefer a fixed workstation.

Each device excels in specific scenarios, so your decision should reflect your workflow and where you need the most power or flexibility.

Note: Prices are accurate as of the time of writing. Links to Amazon can be replaced with affiliate links for revenue generation.