This buying guide will help you learn if you need the latest and greatest

With the Apple Spring Event right around the corner, it’s that time of the year again when people may be looking to upgrade products in their Apple ecosystem. While the company has always positioned itself as a luxury brand, its recent, more competitive strategy has placed Apple products at every price point, from the #399 iPhone SE to the $4000 fully specced out MacBook Pro. This buying guide is to help you figure out which of the various products might be right for you.

Let’s start with what you need the product for. This is the easiest way to eliminate options. If you’re not a creative or coding professional, anything with the M1 Pro and Max chips isn’t for you. Those computers are beautiful, and offer a better port and I/O experience than any other MacBook, but they’re priced for people who plan to make money by using the machines.

Between the M1 offerings, there isn’t enough performance difference between the Pro and the Air to justify the price difference, unless you’re really a fan of the touchbar or need that extra couple hours of battery life. For the students and those on a tighter budget, the Air makes much more sense. With the M2 MacBook Air likely to drop soon, you might benefit from waiting a little while longer, though.

As for the iPhone, it depends on which one you’re using right now. If you’re shifting from Android to iOS, you can wait until the September event and get a better idea of your options. As you might find in most buying guides, there is no need to upgrade an iPhone less than three years old. If you have an XS or above, you probably won’t need the 14.

When it comes to the wireless options, it becomes a split between the ear fit. Most users who enjoy the fit of the regular AirPods are not a fan of the silicon tips in the Pros. This becomes a matter of taste, but any honest buying guide would tell you that the $50 price difference is well worth the ANC included in the Pros.

For the Apple Watch, the only watch to avoid is the series 3. While more health features and a slightly better screen as been added generationally, your best bet from the current offerings would be the Apple Watch SE.

Finally, we come to iPads. Similar to the MacBooks, you might not need the M1 variant unless you plan on using the iPad for creative work or as a computer replacement. When you combine the price of the 13″ iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard and Apple pencil, you have a great setup for work such as digital art and photo editing, but it’ll cost the same as a MacBook. Currently, the M1 iPads are overpowered, and held back by the software of iPadOS. They’re the best bet for the niche, professional use case, but not all-rounded enough for the general consumer to shift to completely.

Between the new Mini and the Air, there are minor tradeoffs. The Mini houses the newer A15 chip, while the Air has the larger screen. Screen size can come down to preference, and Apple SoCs are advanced enough to keep up over the years, so a one-year-old SoC would not hinder your workflow, making the Air the best bet if you can afford it. Moreover, once the new Air drops at the Spring event, you might find sales on the older model.