Best Apple Daily Drivers Laptops under $600

What a Daily Driver laptop means: the single laptop you reach for every day,comfortable for hours of mixed work, fast enough for what you actually do, reliable enough to forget about. Typical use: email all day, browser and documents, video calls, light photo work, streaming, the occasional spreadsheet or PDF. Fits office workers, hybrid-remote employees, freelancers in non-creative fields, and anyone replacing an aging laptop with "the same kind of thing, but newer."

Also relevant for: work-from-home laptops · everyday laptops · office laptops · all-rounders

Updated: July 2026
Products evaluated: 2281
How we work: Editorial principles →

Showing: under $600 · Apple or Framework or Microsoft

Showing 1–5 of 5 Daily Drivers laptops
  1. #1
    Champion
    Objective profile
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13.5"
    (i7-1265U, 16GB, 256GB)     Renewed
    Microsoft · 13.5" · 2022
    $417 – $460
    Daily Driver SelvaScore
    73 / 100
    Weight–
    Battery10.0 hr
    Display13.5" 2256x1504
    RAM16 GB
    Storage256 GB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 63
      Display Brightness Photometric Luminance
    • 79
      CPU Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 42
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 67
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 78
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 32
      Keyboard Feel Tactile Actuation
    • 66
      Display Contrast Contrast Dynamics
    • 46
      Quiet Operation Acoustic Stealth
    View on Amazon
    View full review →
  2. #2
    Runner-Up
    Objective profile
    Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch
    (i5-1038NG7, 16GB, 512GB)     Renewed
    Apple · 13.3" · 2020
    $383 – $424
    Daily Driver SelvaScore
    62 / 100
    Weight1.41 kg
    Battery10.0 hr
    Display13.3" 2560x1600
    RAM16 GB
    Storage512 GB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 70
      Display Brightness Photometric Luminance
    • 64
      CPU Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 42
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 67
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 70
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 17
      Keyboard Feel Tactile Actuation
    • 67
      Display Contrast Contrast Dynamics
    • 67
      Quiet Operation Acoustic Stealth
    View on Amazon
    View full review →
  3. #3
    Top Pick
    Objective profile
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch
    (i5-1035G7, 16GB, 256GB)     Renewed
    Microsoft · 13.5" · 2020
    $284 – $314
    Daily Driver SelvaScore
    59 / 100
    Weight1.89 kg
    Battery9.0 hr
    Display13.5" 2496x1664
    RAM16 GB
    Storage256 GB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 61
      Display Brightness Photometric Luminance
    • 36
      CPU Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 42
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 61
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 51
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 32
      Keyboard Feel Tactile Actuation
    • 56
      Display Contrast Contrast Dynamics
    • 60
      Quiet Operation Acoustic Stealth
    View on Amazon
    View full review →
  4. #4
    Objective profile
    Apple MacBook Air 13-inch
    (i5-8210Y, 8GB, 128GB)     Renewed
    Apple · 13.3" · 2018
    $284 – $314
    Daily Driver SelvaScore
    51 / 100
    Weight1.25 kg
    Battery10.0 hr
    Display13.3" 2560x1600
    RAM8 GB
    Storage128 GB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 63
      Display Brightness Photometric Luminance
    • 21
      CPU Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 25
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 67
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 79
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 5
      Keyboard Feel Tactile Actuation
    • 56
      Display Contrast Contrast Dynamics
    • 41
      Quiet Operation Acoustic Stealth
    View on Amazon
    View full review →
  5. #5
    Objective profile
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
    (i7-1065G7, 8GB, 512GB)     Renewed
    Microsoft · 13" · 2020
    $353 – $391
    Daily Driver SelvaScore
    44 / 100
    Weight1.27 kg
    Battery9.0 hr
    Display13.0" 2560x1600
    RAM8 GB
    Storage512 GB
    SelvaScore breakdown
    • 63
      Display Brightness Photometric Luminance
    • 33
      CPU Speed Single-Thread Velocity
    • 25
      System Memory RAM Capacity
    • 61
      Battery Life Autonomous Runtime
    • 78
      Weight Gravitational Load
    • 32
      Keyboard Feel Tactile Actuation
    • 66
      Display Contrast Contrast Dynamics
    • 66
      Quiet Operation Acoustic Stealth
    View on Amazon
    View full review →

Quick Comparison

#LaptopScorePrice WeightBatteryDisplayRAMStorage
1 Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13.5" (i7-1265U, 16GB, 256GB) 73 $417 – $460 – 10.0 hr 13.5" 2256x1504 16 GB 256 GB
2 Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (i5-1038NG7, 16GB, 512GB) 62 $383 – $424 1.41 kg 10.0 hr 13.3" 2560x1600 16 GB 512 GB
3 Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch (i5-1035G7, 16GB, 256GB) 59 $284 – $314 1.89 kg 9.0 hr 13.5" 2496x1664 16 GB 256 GB
4 Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (i5-8210Y, 8GB, 128GB) 51 $284 – $314 1.25 kg 10.0 hr 13.3" 2560x1600 8 GB 128 GB
5 Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (i7-1065G7, 8GB, 512GB) 44 $353 – $391 1.27 kg 9.0 hr 13.0" 2560x1600 8 GB 512 GB

How we ranked these

SelvaScore is independent. Rankings reflect our editorial judgment, not vendor relationships. No laptop manufacturer pays for placement, and affiliate revenue from retailers does not affect which laptop wins this list.

Every laptop here has been evaluated through the same lens for this use case. The same machines are evaluated differently for other use cases. What works for one use case doesn't always work for another.

Read about how we work →

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Own this laptop, reviewed it professionally, or just think we're wrong? We read every submission. Verified corrections may influence future SelvaScores.

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A SelvaScore measures how well one product fits a specific use-case lens, on a 0 to 100 scale, rating fit for that use rather than overall quality or price.

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