At its hardware event last month, Apple unveiled the iPhone 13, Apple Watch 7, iPad Mini 6 and a new entry-level iPad but nary a new MacBook. But new models might be here soon.
Apple introduced the first MacBooks with its own Apple silicon M1 chip last year, and new models could be announced in a matter of weeks. New 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros are expected, along with a revamped MacBook Air. The new machines could introduce an M2 (M1X?) processor, and the next MacBook Pro models are rumored to announce the return of the MagSafe charger, the HDMI port and the SD card slot — while jettisoning the Touch Bar in favor of physical keys.
It’s probably best to wait to see if an October Apple event materializes before plunking down for a new MacBook, but if you’re ready to buy a first-gen M1 MacBook, you’ll find some discounts at Amazon. You can save up to $100 on a M1 MacBook Air and $150 on a M1 MacBook Pro.
The MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro lines received the M1 update, but the big 16-inch MacBook Pro still uses an Intel Core i7 or i9 chip. And Apple still sells two higher-end configurations of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Intel parts; the company has stated that it will support all the Intel-powered Macs for years to come. While you might be tempted by a discount on an Intel-based MacBook, it had better be significant to convince you to get that instead of a new M1 MacBook. Our tests of the M1 machines show a significant performance increase over their predecessors. Plus, the M1 MacBook Air boasts a fanless design for silent operation.
Read more: A pro photographer tests Apple’s M1 MacBook
Pricing for new M1 MacBooks
The new MacBooks maintain the pricing of the models they replaced: The new MacBook Air starts at $999; the new MacBook Pro starts at $1,299. There are a couple of ways to grab either at a discount.
Want to buy new? The new M1 MacBook Air models are discounted by $70 and $100 right now on Amazon, while the MacBook Pro models are $130 and $150 off. One benefit of paying full price and buying from Apple, however, is you can customize the machine and add more RAM or a higher-capacity solid-state drive, whereas the models sold on Amazon and other retailers are fixed configurations.
Want to go the refurb route? You can now find refurbished M1 MacBooks on Apple’s Certified Refurbished Mac page. Refurb inventory changes rapidly so you may not always see an M1 MacBook Air or Pro listed. It’s worth keeping an eye out, however, because you can lock in substantial savings, up to $200. Rick Broida, CNET’s Cheapskate emeritus, is a big fan of refurbs, particularly Apple’s — which are often as good as new.
It’s also worth noting that the Apple Store offers students an educational discount, which can trim hundreds of dollars from the price of a new laptop or tablet.
Keep reading to see the best MacBook laptop deals currently available for Apple’s current and previous-generation MacBooks. We update this list periodically.
Read more: Testing out the new Apple Mac M1 lineup
MacBook discounts, compared
| Model w/ CPU (and storage capacity) | List price | Best price (current) | Best price (all-time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New MacBook Air w/ M1 chip (256GB) | $999 | $929 | $750 |
| New MacBook Air w/ M1 chip (512GB) | $1,249 | $1,149 | $1,000 |
| New MacBook Pro w/ M1 chip (256GB) | $1,299 | $1,169 | $1,050 |
| New MacBook Pro w/ M1 chip (512GB) | $1,499 | $1,349 | $1,250 |
| 16-inch MacBook Pro w/ 9th-gen Core i7 (512GB) | $2,399 | $2,399 | $2,000 |
*Note that “all-time” means the best price that we’ve seen at an Apple-authorized retailer in the product’s lifetime.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
The new, fanless MacBook Air starts at $999 and features Apple’s M1 processor, which has an eight‑core CPU, a seven‑core GPU and a 16‑core Neural Engine. The system also supplies 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. It lacks the Touch Bar (which could be viewed as a net positive) but features a 13.3-inch Retina display, Touch ID and the Magic keyboard. The $150 discount we saw earlier this month at Amazon is gone, but you can still save $70 in either space gray or silver.
Apple
The step-up MacBook Air model has a list price of $1,249 and delivers the M1 processor with a slight difference from the baseline model — it has an eight-core GPU versus the seven cores you get in the model above. More significantly, it doubles the storage capacity with a 512GB SSD. You can save $100 on this model in space gray at Amazon. Most people will benefit from the added storage space; a 256GB drive fills up fast.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro uses Apple’s new M1 processor, which is an eight-core CPU with four performance cores and four efficiency cores, an eight-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. The baseline model also features 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, a Retina display, the Magic Keyboard and the Touch Bar with Touch ID. The baseline config in silver is currently $130 off at Amazon — down from the $149 discount we saw earlier this month.
Apple
The step-up MacBook Pro model doubles the storage capacity with a 512GB SSD and costs $1,499 from Apple, but you get it for $150 less at Amazon. Nearly every MacBook Pro user will appreciate the larger SSD; 256GB of storage is criminally small on a Pro-level laptop designed for creative work.
Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET
The current 16-inch MacBook Pro was the lone MacBook line not to receive an M1 upgrade. It features a ninth-gen Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, AMD Radeon Pro 5300M graphics and a 512GB SSD. It boasts a bigger screen with a higher resolution than its smaller, 13-inch sibling. The discounts at Amazon we’ve been seeing for it the past many months have disappeared. Unless you have an urgent need for a giant MacBook Pro, it would be prudent to wait until Apple delivers an M1 update to this line.
