Which MacBook with M Chip for PHP Development

Since Apple introduced the M1 processor in November 2020, there have been new versions of the chip and new laptop models. There is quite a lot to choose from, and for people just entering the world of Apple devices with M chips, picking the right laptop for PHP development can be difficult. In this post I’ll share my recommendation.

My Laptop Background

First, a brief note about my background with laptops. At Droptica (currently over 60 people), I handle topics related to hardware for developers. For several years I’ve been making sure developers have powerful laptops to work comfortably on. Mainly Dells, but we also use MacBooks (each developer chooses for themselves).

I’ve been using a MacBook since 2017 (previously for over 10 years I used Dell hardware and Linux). I have or have had the following M1 devices:

MacBook Air M1/16GB RAM
MacBook Pro 13 M1/16GB RAM
MacBook Pro 16 M1 PRO/10GPU/32GB RAM

I tested Docker and PHPStorm performance on all of them.

The MacBook Air M1 is a great laptop. One of its characteristics is the lack of active cooling. This lack of cooling is a drawback for developer work. Without fans, the laptop can heat up to 80 degrees Celsius when building applications or scanning a new project in PHPStorm. This happened to me several times. There’s no point switching from Intel to M1 only to still have an overheating laptop.

8 GB RAM is not enough. The operating system will use a lot of swap, which will slow it down.

I don’t recommend:

MacBook Air (unless you don’t mind occasional overheating — the Air with 16 GB RAM could be okay if you want to save some money)
MacBook Pro 13 with 8 GB RAM

The Optimal Option

The best price-to-benefit ratio is the MacBook Pro 13 M1 16 GB RAM / 256 SSD. Apple’s price is PLN 6,699. At the time of writing, it was available for PLN 5,839 on Ceneo (MediaExpert, Komputronik, Electro).

Two Monitors with M1

Officially, M1 laptops (MacBook Pro 13 and MacBook Air) support only one external monitor. If you want to work with two external monitors, buy a docking station with DisplayLink. At Droptica we use the ICY BOX IB-DK2251AC (PLN 449 at the time of writing). With this dock we connect 2 24-inch Full HD monitors.

If you want one larger monitor, I recommend the 27-inch LG 27UP850-W. It has a USB-C port with charging. The monitor also has USB ports where you can connect a webcam.

Multiple Projects

If you manage multiple projects, you may run out of disk space with the 256 GB version. In that case, consider the MacBook Pro 13 16GB/512GB. Another option is using an external drive (you can connect it to a docking station).

More RAM = 2x More Money

The MacBook Pro 13 M1 can be configured with a maximum of 16 GB RAM. If for some reason you want more RAM, you need to choose the MacBook Pro 14 or 16 inch.

Prices here are much higher. The MacBook Pro 14-inch with 32 GB RAM starts at PLN 12,799 (Apple price; stores sometimes have small discounts).

Doubling the RAM to 32 GB automatically doubles your laptop expense. Consider whether it’s worth it.

Maybe 16-inch?

No. YouTubers rave about the new 14 and 16-inch MacBooks. I bought the 16-inch model right after launch and mostly use it as a desktop connected to a monitor, or not at all.

It has an amazing screen, but I work mostly on an external monitor (the LG mentioned earlier), so that’s not a plus. Same with developers at Droptica — they mostly work on external monitors for ergonomic reasons. It’s very important to sit correctly all day according to good ergonomic principles, rather than hunching over a small screen for 8 hours.

The new 16-inch MacBook is heavy and large. If you take it to the office or frequently move it between your desk and conference rooms, you’ll notice the difference.

It might be a good choice for YouTuber video editors. For a PHP developer who works at a desk with monitors, it’s not the optimal choice.

The old 16-inch MacBook (the 2019 model) was nice. It didn’t have an HDMI port or SD card reader (who needs those as a developer?), but it was lighter and thinner. Apple should have kept that shape and put M1 inside. Then that laptop would make sense.

Summary

Buy the MacBook Pro 13-inch 16GB RAM/256 GB SSD or MacBook Pro 13-inch 16GB RAM/512 GB SSD. If you don’t mind the laptop heating up, consider the Air with 16 GB RAM. If you want more RAM, consider the 14-inch version.