Top 7 Best Hackintosh Laptops in 2021 [Newest Models]

August 25, 2022

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Are you looking for the best laptops for Hackintosh? If yes, then you’re in the right place because here we have picked some great laptops for you. In this world of growing technology, nothing seems impossible! To such an extent, you can even take advantage of using a MacBook without actually owning one.

If you can’t keep up with the price of MacBooks but still wish to use the macOS, then getting a Hackintosh laptop is the key solution. Hackintosh is when you install the macOS operating system on any non-Apple laptop by tweaking or hacking it. Nowadays, a lot of people are trying to install macOS on their laptops by using advanced technology. This sounds simple, but it requires a lot of technical knowledge in the process.

The important thing about turning into Hackintosh is that not all laptops compatible with it. There are certain specifications you need to keep in mind before converting it into a Hackintosh laptop.

Things to Know Before Purchasing a Laptop for Hackintosh

The laptop should have the latest Intel processor because AMD processors are simply not supported.
Minimum 8GB RAM (a greater RAM size is recommended to provide better speed)
One might have to deal with some annoying bugs such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi card issues. Some Hackintoshers even face difficulty in finding and installing the proper drivers for the laptop hardware.
You may want to join a Hackintosh forum for the discussion of the general issues you face during the installation of Mac on your laptop.

Most Common Problems With Hackintosh OS

Hackintosh is a great way to run macOS on a non-Apple device. However, installing Hackintosh is not an easy task if you want everything to run smoothly. There might be some issues you’ll face while running it on different laptops. Some of the most common Hackintosh issues are:

Kernel Panic issues
Boot screen issues
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity issues
Sudden Mouse cursor freezing
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity issues

Why Use Hackintosh?

There are several reasons people prefer using Hackintosh. Some of the are:

They are cheaper – You can simply buy a cheap laptop and then install the OS to it and save money for other needs.
You can customize the specifications – You can modify your laptop with higher specs than MacBook which could cost you a lot of money.
You can choose any hardware component – Compared to Mac users, Hackintosh users can do a lot of upgrades on their components.

Here’s our list of the 7 best Hackintosh laptops available in the market that can be easily used to run Mac OS using the Hackintosh process.

For now, let’s start with the cheapest Hackintosh laptops followed by the premium (some kind of expensive) laptops for Hackintosh.

Best Hackintosh Laptops Review

1. Acer Aspire 5

CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7 Processor

RAM: 8GB DDR4

Storage: 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD

Display: 15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) WLED-backlit

GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics

Battery: Up to 8.5 hours

Weight: 3.64 lbs

Topping the list of best Hackintosh laptops is the Acer Aspire 5, which is one of the most powerful and affordable laptops you can buy right now. This premium build laptop comes with silver aluminum chassis giving it a cool look. Compare to its previous version Acer Aspire E15, the laptop is extremely lightweight. It offers a 15-inch full HD display and an ergonomic backlit keyboard to work you comfortably in any environment.

The laptop comes with a powerful Intel Core i5 11th generation processor and Nvidia graphics card, which makes it a great choice for the Hackintosh project. The laptop offers 8GB of RAM and 256GB of solid-state drive that gives you a more personalized and responsive experience during multitasking.

With powerful hardware specifications and great performance, you’ll be able to run Mac software easily on this laptop. Apart from these features, the laptop offers up to 8.5-hours of battery life to stays at your side all day.

Pros

Great performance

Acer fingerprint reader

Full-size backlit keyboard

Wireless Wi-Fi 6 convenience

Slim and portable design

Cons

No optical drive

No SD card slot

2. ASUS ZenBook 13 UX325EA

CPU: Intel Core i7-1165G7 Processor

RAM: 16GB DDR4

Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD

Display: 15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) OLED 400nits nano-bezel

GPU: Intel Iris Plus Graphics

Battery: Up to 13 hours

Weight: 2.45 lbs

The other laptop we are looking at is the ASUS ZenBook UX325EA – one of the portable and high-end laptops available in the market. This beautiful laptop from Asus features an all-aluminum design with just 0.5” thin and less than 2.4 lbs weight giving it effortless portability.

This 13.3-inch FHD nano-edge display fits in an ultra-compact frame featuring 178° wide-view technology and 100% RGB color gamut to give you sharp and bright images. There should be no performance issues here as the Asus Zenbook 13 is powered by the Intel Core i7 processor paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD.

Moreover, the laptop has a backlit keyboard and it charges up to 60% in just 49 minutes. It does not offer Nvidia GPU, but it’s still a great choice for a Hackintosh because of its small size and portability. Overall, it’s a perfect blend of performance, elegance, and speed.

Pros

Long battery life

Performance worth the money

Elegant blue aluminum chassis

Very comfortable keyboard

Fast charging support

Cons

No fingerprint reader

No headphone jack

Slightly dim display

3. HP Envy 13

CPU: Intel Core i7-1065G7 Processor

RAM: 8GB DDR4

Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD

Display: 13.3″ 4K (3840 x 2160)) IPS WLED-backlit Touchscreen

GPU: Intel Iris Plus Graphics

Battery: Up to 10 hours

Weight: 2.58 lbs

The HP Envy has achieved a lot of fame in the most demanding tasks and certainly, it’s a good choice for Hackintoshing too. It is one of the best portable laptops that offer a 13.3-inch razor-sharp and vibrant display. The best part is its class-leading performance with sleek aluminum lightweight chassis that makes it a good match to MacBook.

The display test on this laptop’s benchmark shows that it can bring alive videos and other content with vivid colors. The laptop offers a backlit keyboard to let you work in a darker environment. The Envy 13 comes with powerful 10th gen Intel Core i7 processor and a massive 8GB RAM providing great performance while multitasking.

The laptop also equipped with a 512GB SSD using the faster PCIe technology to save your files. Additionally, it provides all the connectivity you need with USB Type-C, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1, HDMI support. Overall, HP Envy 13 provides all the essential features a Hackintosh laptop needs.

Pros

Stylish look

Comfortable keyboard

Corning Gorilla Glass display

Lightweight design

Support Intel Wi-Fi 6

Cons

No backlit keyboard

Average battery life

4. Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop

CPU: Intel Core i7-1030H 6-Core Processor

RAM: 8GB DDR4

Storage: 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD

Display: 15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) WLED-backlit IPS

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 6GB GDDR6

Battery: Up to 7 hours

Weight: 4.85 lbs

For those who are looking for a budget gaming laptop with powerful hardware specifications, the Acer Nitro 5 is an ideal choice for you. It is one such 15-inch gaming machine packs with many awesome features inside such as an FHD IPS display, awesome mobility, advanced cooling, stellar audio capabilities – makes it a great choice for a Hackintosh conversion project.

Its powerful Intel Core i5 processor paired with a massive 8GB of RAM and 256GB of fast solid-state drive makes it capable to handle quite a lot of tasks with ease. Furthermore, its high-performance NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti delivers the fast, smooth gaming experiences you want. The laptop also features a bright red backlit keyboard so you can keep doing your work in a dark environment.

For connectivity, this gaming laptop also offers USB Type-C connectivity for fast data transfers. The best part of this laptop is its dual-fan cooling technology that keeps the system cool during intense gaming. Overall, the Acer Nitro 5 provides a good value for the money.

Pros

Decent gaming performance for price

Customizable fan controls

Great battery life

Plenty of storage expansion

Cons

No media card reader

Bulky size

Finicky trackpad

5. Razer Blade Stealth 13

CPU: Intel Core i7-1165G7 4-core Processor

RAM: 16GB DDR4

Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD

Display: 13.3″ FHD IPS (1920 x 1080) thin-bezel

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q

Battery: Up to 7 hours

Weight: 3.26 lbs

The Razer Blade Stealth 13 laptop is one of the most versatile gaming ultrabooks but also a good choice for users who want to carry out Hackintosh. The Stealth 13 will give you an authentic MacBook pro experience which makes it a perfect choice for a Hackintosh. It comes with a 13.3-inch full HD display having a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. The laptop is incredibly lightweight and builds durably with a CNC unibody aluminum frame.

This powerful gaming ultrabook is featured with GeForce GTX 1650 Ti that lets you play most of the latest games at their highest level. Its 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage are not only great for getting the experience of macOS but also sufficient for a dual-boot setup.

Stealth 13 is configured with the latest 11th gen Intel Core i7 processor. Additionally, the laptop features a chroma keyboard with single-zone RGB lighting to give you an immersive gaming experience. All in all, if you prefer a standard gaming laptop, then the Razer Blade Stealth 13 is the best option you can use for Hackintosh.

Pros

Premium and lightweight design

Solid game performance

RGB keyboard with improved layout

THX Spatial Audio

Decent battery life

Cons

No SD card slot

Expensive comapred to its competitors

6. Asus ZenBook 14

CPU: Intel Core i7-10510U Processor

RAM: 16GB DDR4

Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD

Display: 14″ FHD LED-backlit (1920 x 1080) 4-way NanoEdge bezel

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce MX250 2GB graphics

Battery: Up to 9-hours

Weight: 2.78 lbs

The Asus ZenBook 14 is a high-performance laptop with excellent build quality and powerful hardware inside an ultra-slim and light chassis that weighs just 2.7 pounds. It features a 14-inch full HD nano-edge display with a 95% screen-to-body ratio that provides great picture quality which is quite similar to a Retina MacBook. Its ErgoLift hinge design allows you to automatically tilt the keyboard to optimize your user experience.

Moreover, the laptop offers you an exclusive dual-function touchpad that can act as a number pad just by tapping at the top right on the touchpad. This latest model of ZenBook 14 is powered by the Intel Core i7 10th gen processor paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD storage.

The laptop weighs only 2.7 pounds and offers a battery life of up to 9 hours. Above all these specifications, this laptop will not face issues during the Hackintosh conversion process due to Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics. Other than this, ZenBook 14 is a perfect laptop from all aspects.

Pros

Decent battery life

Slim and lightweight design

Solid deep-dish keyboard

Good quality IPS 1W matte display

Superb all-round performance

Cons

No finger-sensor

Gimmicky touchpad

7. Dell XPS 13 9300

CPU: Intel Core i7-1065G7 Processor

RAM: 16GB LPDDR4x

Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD

Display: 13.4-Inch Full HD (1920×1080) InfinityEdge Touchscreen

GPU: Intel Iris Plus graphics

Battery: Up to 18.5-hours

Weight: 2.65 lbs

Last but not least, Dell XPS 13 is an elegant machine, one that’s widely used after MacBook to perform demanding tasks. As far as the MacOS is concerned, the Dell XPS 13 is perhaps the best laptop to run Mac OS. The Dell XPS comes in different configurations for users to choose from based on the type of their usage. This XPS 13 (9300) is a mid-range laptop that comes with Intel’s 10th gen Core i7 processor which is a value for money option.

Similarly, its 16GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage allow it to easily handle multiple tasks and applications. It rocks a beautiful 13.3-inch full HD display with a premium-looking chassis finished in platinum silver color. It can last up to 18.5 hours on a single charge and weigh only 2.65 pounds.

The laptop also features a 1535 Wireless-AC adapter that provides the strongest and most reliable Wi-Fi connection to make sure your online videos, voice, and games play faster and smoother. Overall, the Dell XPS 13 is an excellent laptop for Hackintosh purpose.

Pros

Impressive performance

Excellent keyboard and audio

Lid-open sensor

Excellent 16:10 display

Decent battery life

Cons

Expensive as configured

RAM could be higher

Final Words

So these are the best laptops for Hackintosh you can choose based on your requirements and budget. If you’re afraid to use Hackintosh, don’t worry because these laptops packed with excellent specifications and can give you a wonderful experience without harmed by the hacking process.

We hope this guide will help you find the right laptop for your work. If you have any queries and suggestions about this buying guide, let us know in the comment section below.

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