MacBooks are unquestionably among the best creative workstations available. They are quick and responsive, packed with cutting-edge technologies, and have a sleek and lightweight design that makes them ideal for on-the-go PC work. The same is true for some of the top PC brands’ new generation Windows notebooks; however, they are quite expensive and still lack an aesthetically appealing operating system like Apple’s macOS.

Apple’s macOS has always led the industry in terms of user experience and accessibility. The Windows operating system has also come a long way, but it still has some work to do to keep up with Apple’s overall performance. No wonder every creative PC user, student, or industry expert prefers a MacBook over a Windows laptop in the premium price range, owing to the underlying software experience.

A new Macintosh can be ditched in favor of the latest Windows notebook for a number of reasons. These include restricted hardware upgrades, storage and connectivity constraints, poor webcam  and high price.  Macbooks are also notorious for their limited ecosystem and lack of basic hardware connectivity features. Many potential buyers also shun them because of  Apple’s indirect push to encourage users to purchase its rather expensive PC accessories.

If you’ve always wanted a MacBook because of its aesthetically designed OS and nifty software features but didn’t buy it for any of the aforementioned reasons, we have a solution for you. We hand-picked the best Macbook alternatives available in the market. These Hackintosh laptops are best suited for running Apple’s Mac OS operating system.

In a nutshell, these Hackintosh laptops combine the flexibility of a Windows machine with the goodness of a macOS. Let’s go through the list.

1) Dell XPS 15 9570

The Dell XPS line-up, popularly known as MacBook killers, offers some excellent notebooks that can run macOS smoothly. The XPS 15 9570 with an Intel Core i7-8750 chipset, 16GB RAM/32GB SSD, and 512GB/1TB SSD is the model we recommend for power users who aren’t afraid to spend a little more for extra performance features.

Because of its powerful performance, this premium Windows notebook is a no-brainer for experiencing Hackintosh.

The laptop has a virtually borderless touch-enabled 15.6-inch ultrasharp 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 Pixels) display. The screen supports 100% Adobe RGB color and 16 million colors to bring every pixel to life for the best viewing experience in its class. It has a superior 400 nits brightness and is anti-reflective. Because of the 4K touch screen, you can interact with macOS, making the XPS 15 9570 a high-value Hackintosh product. Try doing that on an Apple Mac.

The laptop is slightly heavier (4.5 pounds) but maintains a sleek profile at just 0.66-inch thickness. Unlike Apple’s MacBooks, the XPS 15 9570 does not require you to sacrifice basic hardware connectivity features. An SD card slot, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port with power delivery, HDMI 2.0 port, Thunderbolt 3 (4 lanes of PCI Express Gen 3) with Power Delivery, Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps bi-directional), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps) port, Native DisplayPort 1.2 video output, VGA, HDMI, and a headset jack are all included. If you own this Dell computer, you will never need third-party connectivity accessories.

A solid backlit keyboard, an excellent trackpad, and a promising battery life are also notable features of this premium Dell laptop. However, we must warn you that two things will not work with macOS on the Dell XPS 15 9570. These include the fingerprint scanner built into the laptop and the dedicated 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics card.

Pros

  • Premium design & solid build quality
  • Vibrant display
  • Smooth performance
  • Good keypad and trackpad
  • Most needed connectivity features

           Cons

  • Slightly heavy
  • Expensive for the i7 variant

2) HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 13.3″ Touch-Screen Laptop

HP’s feature-rich Spectre line-up is well-known for its premium craftsmanship, vibrant displays, portability, and performance. The Spectre x360 2-in-1 touch-screen notebook could be a great way to try out MacOS on a Windows machine. The slim and light 2-in-1 notebook has a sleek metal body and a 13.3-inch FHD IPS Radiance Infinity LED-backlit touch screen. The 1920 x 1080p resolution touchscreen excels in terms of visuals and usability, especially for multimedia and creative jobs.

The Intel Core i7-7500U chipset and Intel HD Graphics 520 power the 2-in-1 notebook. This model does not include a dedicated graphics card. However, you do get Intel’s Turbo Boost technology, which ensures lag-free performance even when macOS is running on top of it. For storage and multitasking, the 2-in-1 includes a 256GB M.2 SSD and 8GB DDR3L-1600 SDRAM. The notebook promises up to 12 hours of battery life when running Windows, but this may vary if you use macOS.

In terms of connectivity, the 2-in-1 notebook has 2x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2 ports (Thunderbolt); 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, and 1x headphone/microphone combo. HP has also included an 11MP rear webcam in the 2-in-1 notebook for the best-in-segment high-resolution video calling experience.

Pros

  • Premium design with sturdy chassis
  • Bright FHD Display
  • Lag-free performance
  • Good battery life

Cons

  • Touchpad could have been better
  • No bundled stylus

3) Huawei Matebook 13 Signature Edition Laptop

Huawei’s Matebook 13 Signature Edition laptop is a stunning combination of design and performance. The sleek Apple MacBook lookalike is made entirely of metal and weighs only 2.86 pounds. Since it flaunts a 13-inch screen and has a mere 0.59-inch thickness, the notebook is perfect for on-the-go PC jobs. As a fully loaded Windows machine, this Hackintosh compatible laptop can easily run both operating systems.

The Matebook 13 Signature Edition features an 8th Generation Intel Core i7 8565U processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB NVMe PCIe SSD. You also get a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU for handling graphics, but macOS will not let you use it.

Moving on, the laptop makes no concessions in terms of display. It has a nearly bezeless 13-inch 2K (2160×1440) touch screen with a decent 200ppi and 1000: 1 contrast ratio. To ensure an immersive viewing experience, the display has a 3:2 aspect ratio and an 88 percent screen-to-body ratio. The icing on the cake is the powerful audio setup backed by Dolby Atmos. The battery lasts for up to six hours.

The Matebook 13 Signature Edition will also fulfill all your connectivity requirements, unlike an Apple MacBook. The laptop features a Mate dock 2.0, 1X USB-A port, 1X USB-C port, HDMI port, and a VGA port. In short, it’s a complete package for anyone looking for a stylish and portable Windows machine that can easily run macOS.

Pros

  • Luxurious design and sturdy build
  • Stunning 13-inch 2K display
  • Fast performance

Cons

  • Lacks Thunderbolt 3
  • Average battery life

4)  ASUS ZenBook 13 Ultra-Slim Laptop

The next Hackintosh-compatible laptop on our list is from Asus, and it’s a stunning piece of technology. The ZenBook Ultra-Slim fits the bill for power users looking for a stylish and performance-driven Windows machine capable of running the macOS. This Hackintosh-compatible laptop comes with a class-leading 13.3-inch Full HD OLED display. Thanks to the Wide View 4-way NanoEdge technology, which creates a borderless screen, the vibrant screen has 400nits of brightness and promises an immersive viewing experience.

The ZenBook 13 Ultra-Slim laptop can run macOS smoothly because it is powered by an 11th generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 Processor, 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD, and 16GB LPDDR4X RAM. The AI Noise-Canceling Technology employed by the Asus 13 Ultra-Slim notebook employs machine learning to isolate unwanted noise from human speech, ensuring the best communications experience.

For convenience, the 13-inch laptop has a backlit keyboard and a dedicated NumberPad. The slim laptop also includes a number of connectivity options. It features DMI 2.0b, Thunderbolt 4 via USB Type C, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.2 Type-A, and even a micro SD card reader for on-the-go storage.

Pros

  • Ultra portable sleek design
  • Gorgeous OLED display
  • Excellent battery life
  • Decent CPU performance

Cons

  • No headphone jack
  • Non-expandable RAM

5) Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon 14-inch Laptop

The list of best Hackintosh compatible laptops will be incomplete without a Lenovo Thinkpad machine. The X1 Carbon 14-inch Thnikpad laptop has plenty of power to run all multimedia and work-related tasks smoothly in both Windows and macOS mode. The laptop is powered by an 11th Generation Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU with a base clock speed of 2.4GHz and a Max Boost Clock speed of up to 4.2GHz for heavy tasks. There is also no shortage of memory. To meet your multitasking and storage needs, the laptop has 16GB 4266MHz LPDDR4 RAM and 512GB NVMe SSD.

The X1 Carbon flaunts a 14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200 resolution), IPS display with anti-glare coating. It’s a non-touch display with 100%sRGB color support and a maximum brightness of 400 nits, which is sufficient for both indoor and outdoor usage. This model lasts up to eight hours with Windows OS and the battery life can vary once you boot in and use the machine in the Hackintosh mode.

The X1 Carbon has a solid fingerprint scanner; however, it won’t work in the Hackintosh mode. The laptop has a backlit keyboard and a 720P HD IR/RGB hybrid webcam with a dedicated ThinkShutter and human presence detection feature.

There’s no compromise in connectivity either has you get the most required hardware ports and wireless connectivity features. The list includes 1 x Thunderbolt 4 power input, 1 x Thunderbolt 4, 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x HDMI 2.0 and 1 x Headphone / Mic Combo. For wireless connectivity, the laptop has Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 2×2 AX vPro & Bluetooth 5.1.

Pros

  • Display offers accurate colors
  • Slim and lightweight design
  • Best-in-class keypad
  • Good audio and battery life

Cons

  • Poor thermals
  • Average webcam
  • Smaller touchpad