MacBook M1 vs M2 vs M3 vs M4: Which Chip Is Still Worth Buying Refurbished?

On paper it's simple. According to an analysis by AppleInsider (November 2024), single-core performance goes up 11 to 16% from M1 to M2. The M3 sits 20 to 29% ahead of the M1, and the M4 a whopping 63 to 68%.

In multi-core, when every core is working at once, the base M4 is about 70% faster than the base M1 according to the same analysis. Sounds like a different world. It is, but only if your work actually pushes the machine. With email and a handful of browser tabs, I'd bet both chips spend most of their time twiddling their thumbs.

That table only tells half the story, though. The other half is on the price tag.

This question comes up in forums constantly, usually with a "that thing's ancient" undertone. Fair enough, sort of: Apple announced the M1 in November 2020, almost six years ago. Obsolete, though? Not even close. Apple's compatibility list for macOS Tahoe 26 still includes the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) and the 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020). That's the current macOS, not some side branch with a few security patches.

Quick answer: Yes, for office work, browsing, streaming and studying, a refurbished MacBook Air M1 is still worth buying in 2026. According to Apple it runs the current macOS Tahoe 26 and gets the basic Apple Intelligence features. Go for 16 GB rather than 8 GB of memory, though, and skip it if you edit video regularly or want the advanced AI features.

There's a reader comment AppleInsider quotes under its analysis that I like: "Even my M1 iMac is still fast enough." The same commenter argues Apple's focus on speed has no customer value at all. That's a stretch, sure. But it hits a nerve.

What I'd really watch with an M1 is the memory. Plenty of listings have 8 GB, which is fine for office work. Add constant video calls, dozens of tabs and some photo editing all at once, and 8 GB probably gets tight. You can't upgrade it later on Apple silicon either, since the memory sits inside the chip package. What you buy is what you keep.

A current example from our data feed is the Apple MacBook Pro 2020 13" M1 Chip 8-Core CPU | 8-Core GPU 256 GB SSD 16 GB silber, 16 GB, 256 GB SSD, condition "good", for €815 at asgoodasnew (as of 28 Sep 2026). It's a Pro rather than an Air, so it has a fan, which helps under longer loads. If you mostly write and browse, I think it's one of the most sensible offers on this whole list.

Here's where it gets awkward, at least for shops sitting on a lot of M2 stock. The M2's single-core gain over the M1 is only 11 to 16%, according to AppleInsider, the smallest jump in the whole lineup. Apple Intelligence doesn't change either: both chips get basic features only. And yes, the M2 has roughly two extra years of runway on macOS updates, but that only pays off right at the end, once the M1 drops off.

Here's what that looks like in practice. The Apple MacBook Pro 2022 13" M2 8-Core CPU | 10-Core GPU 256 GB SSD 8 GB silber costs €856.30 at asgoodasnew in "like new" condition (as of 28 Sep 2026). That's €41.30 more than the M1 MacBook above, with 8 GB instead of 16 GB of memory. Honestly, I'd take the M1. More memory beats a few percent of processing power as soon as you've got several apps open.

It's a different story if an M2 with 16 GB costs barely more than an M1 with 16 GB. Then you get the longer update runway almost for free. Is there a deal like that right now? You'll only see it by putting several shops side by side.

Is an M2 good enough for multitasking and creative work?

For office-style multitasking, easily. For creative work it depends on the project and, even more, on memory. Photos in Lightroom or a short clip in iMovie are no problem with 16 GB. Longer 4K projects with effects? I wouldn't put a base M2 with 8 GB through that.

One exception: the M2 Pro and M2 Max in the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro play in a different league. That's a different price bracket, and a different article.

The M3 is the generation where I'd most readily say the balance is right. It's 20 to 29% ahead of the M1 in single-core, AppleInsider found, and it's the first generation Apple allows to run the advanced Apple Intelligence features at all. Only with at least 12 GB of memory, though.

And that's the catch. Refurbished M3 machines often come with 8 GB, because that was the entry configuration. The Apple MacBook Pro 2023 14" M3 8-Core CPU | 10-Core GPU 512 GB SSD 8 GB space grau in our data feed is one of them: 14 inches, 512 GB SSD, 8 GB of memory, "like new", €1,241.30 at asgoodasnew (as of 28 Sep 2026). A lovely machine. But with 8 GB, Apple's requirements only give it the basic version of Apple Intelligence, exactly like the €815 M1.

So my advice for the MacBook Pro M3 and MacBook Air M3 is 16 GB or more. If you don't care about Apple Intelligence, the 8 GB model is still a good laptop. I'd just do the math on whether a 16 GB M1 for a lot less money wouldn't do the same job for you.

Should I buy an M3 or wait for the M4?

That question appears almost word for word in a Reddit thread sitting on page one of Google. My honest answer: waiting gets you less than you'd think when you're buying refurbished. US price tracker RefurbMe had the MacBook Air M3 from $699 in July 2026. By September 2026 the cheapest listing was $739, so it actually went up a little.

Quick answer: If you need a Mac now, buy the M3 with 16 GB instead of waiting. Refurbished prices move in small steps and not always downward: according to RefurbMe, the entry price for a MacBook Air M3 in the US even rose slightly between July and September 2026, from $699 to $739. Waiting only pays off if you want the M4 anyway.

The M1 went the other way over the same period, dropping from $339 to $261 according to RefurbMe. So older generations get cheaper faster than the middle ones. I can't tell you exactly why. Maybe a lot of M1s are coming back from corporate leases right now, but that's pure speculation.

With the M4, the gap to the M1 becomes genuinely tangible for the first time, and not just in synthetic tests. LaptopMag compared a MacBook Air M4 and a MacBook Air M1 head to head. A Handbrake conversion from 4K to 1080p took 5:40 minutes on the M4, more than three and a half minutes less than on the M1. In LaptopMag's video battery test the M4 lasted 22 hours, the M1 18 hours.

For basic tasks, LaptopMag found the everyday difference to be much smaller than those numbers suggest. You notice it when editing video or running a lot at once.

Refurbished, the M4 is still fairly pricey. The Apple MacBook Pro 2024 14" M4 10-Core CPU | 10-Core GPU 512 GB SSD 16 GB space schwarz costs €1,548.20 at asgoodasnew in "like new" condition (as of 28 Sep 2026), with 16 GB of memory, a 512 GB SSD and a 10-core CPU. That meets Apple's requirement for the advanced Apple Intelligence features, and it has the longest update runway ahead of it. The MacBook Air M4 is cheaper refurbished; RefurbMe found it from $845 in the US in September 2026.

Worth it? For video editing and local software development with containers, yes. For someone who mostly writes emails, the €733.20 difference to the M1 offer above is more of an expensive feeling than anything else.

For a refurbished purchase this is the question that matters more than any speed figure. A slow Mac is annoying. A Mac without security updates is a risk. Apple doesn't publish an official deadline. There is a pattern, though: according to endoflife.date, which compiles the dates from Apple's own release information, Macs get roughly five to six years of new macOS versions and then about two more years of security updates. That's seven to eight years from launch.

Quick answer: An M1 MacBook still gets the newest macOS version today; according to Apple, Tahoe 26 runs on the 2020 MacBook Air M1 and MacBook Pro M1. Apple doesn't give an official end date. Based on the past pattern of seven to eight years of updates from launch, M1 Macs should be covered until roughly 2027 or 2028, but that's an estimate.

As of Sep 2026. The last column is a projection from the past pattern, not a promise from Apple. Apple can change that at any time, in either direction.

A quick side note, because it tends to tempt people on refurbished shelves: the cheap Intel MacBook. At WWDC in June 2025, Apple announced that Tahoe is the last macOS version for Intel Macs. Saving money there is saving it in the wrong place. An M1 for a few euros more is the much safer bet.

For me this is the biggest gap in the chip comparisons that rank on Google. According to Apple, Apple Intelligence runs on any Mac with an M1 chip or later, but the advanced features, including the improved Siri, need at least an M3 chip with 12 GB of memory. An M3 with only 8 GB technically falls into the same bucket as a six-year-old M1. Sellers rarely point that out.

Why memory matters so much here: Apple silicon shares one pool of memory between the processor and graphics, the so-called unified memory. AI models running directly on the device take a good chunk of it. Apple doesn't say exactly how much, and I'm not going to make up a number.

If you never use Siri anyway, feel free to skip this section.

The table below is my take based on the sources above, not a law of nature. For each typical use it lists the cheapest chip that still does the job, and the one I'd actually recommend.

If you only need Word but absolutely want eight quiet years, you'll still end up with the M4. That's a legitimate calculation too.

Refurbished prices aren't a fixed catalog. They depend on the shop, the condition, the configuration and the week. That's exactly why chip comparisons from retailers are tricky: Back Market shows Back Market prices, refurbed.de shows refurbed prices. Our four example listings all come from asgoodasnew, so you can at least compare fairly within one shop.

What stands out: going from M1 to M2 costs just €41.30 here, while M2 to M3 costs €385. That's not quite a fair comparison, since from the M3 onward you also get the bigger 14-inch chassis and double the storage. In the US, RefurbMe's curve for the MacBook Air looks completely different: from $261 for the M1 and from $552 for the M2 (September 2026). There the M2 costs a bit more than double.

Two markets, two completely different answers to "is the M2 worth it?" That's why I don't put much stock in fixed price recommendations per generation. What counts is the gap between two specific offers on the day you buy.

And which retailer comes out ahead on quality and service? Germany's consumer testing foundation Stiftung Warentest checked eight refurbished-laptop shops in September 2025, and afb came out best with a "good" (2.2) rating. At the tested shops, refurbished MacBooks were €160 to €480 cheaper than comparable new ones. You'll find every provider in detail in our overview of the best refurbished providers in Germany.

You're not alone in considering this, by the way. 13% of Germans have already bought a professionally refurbished device, according to a survey by the German digital association Bitkom, and another 50% can imagine doing so.

What should you check about the chip generation when buying refurbished?

A few traps sit right in the listing titles, and they have nothing to do with the condition of the device. Knowing them saves you a return shipment.

Quick answer: On a refurbished MacBook, check the chip named in the listing title first, not the model year, and then the memory. 16 GB is the safe choice for most people, and for the advanced Apple Intelligence features you also need at least an M3. Condition, battery, warranty and price come after that.

• A model year isn't a chip. "MacBook Pro 2023" covers machines with an M2 Pro or M2 Max as well as ones with an M3. If the chip isn't in the title, ask.

• Memory beats generation, at least below 16 GB. There's no upgrading it later.

• GPU cores. The base M3 comes with either 8 or 10 GPU cores, which doesn't matter for photos but does a bit for video editing.

• Condition grades like "good" or "like new" mean something different at every shop, we've compared across shops. Annoying, but that's how it is.

• A warranty isn't the same as a statutory warranty, here's what the difference means for you, worth knowing before you buy.

• With an M1, it's worth checking battery capacity, since the oldest generation has on average the most years of use behind it.

If I have to commit: in 2026 the M1 with 16 GB is the most sensible refurbished MacBook for most people. The M3 with 16 GB is the best all-round package. I'd only take the M2 if it costs practically nothing extra, and the M4 only if your work really demands it.

Whether an offer is good comes down to the price on the day you buy, and that might be different next week. So compare current offers for the model you want across several shops before you commit to one. And if someone sells you an M2 as a "best value" pick, take a quick look at what the 16 GB M1 next to it costs.