Do you want to get a good deal when buying your new MacBook? These are the best options

With Apple Intelligence requiring an M1 chip or newer, there’s never been a better time to buy your first MacBook or upgrade an older MacBook you’re still holding on to. MacBooks are more affordable than ever in the age of Apple Silicon, with the cheapest options starting under $700. These are the best deals if you’re looking to buy a new MacBook on a budget.

M1 MacBook Air

Apple has released three MacBook Airs with the M1, M2, and M3 chips since the start of the Apple Silicon era. The M1 MacBook Air still uses a more familiar Intel-era wedge design, although many users may prefer it.

The M1 MacBook Air, despite being four years old, is still an excellent laptop for its price. It offers blazing fast performance thanks to the M1 chip, a stunning Retina display (albeit with thicker bezels compared to the newer MacBook Airs), a great keyboard, up to 18 hours of battery life, and it doesn’t sound like a plane about to take off when you open it in public.

Since the M1 MacBook Air is the oldest on this list, it’s also the cheapest. One caveat with the M1 MacBook Air is that it’s harder to find new ones with more than 256GB of storage, so if you need a lot of storage, you’ll have to buy a newer Air. On the plus side, it remains the only Apple Silicon MacBook available in a proper gold color.

You can buy the M1 MacBook Air at Walmart, where the laptop is offered at the best price. It is available in silver, space gray, and gold with a 256GB SSD for $649, which is $350 less than the original starting price.

M2 MacBook Air

In 2022, Apple introduced the redesigned MacBook Air with a thinner design, a larger display with narrower bezels, and the reintroduction of MagSafe. It also came in new Starlight and Midnight colors, as well as Silver and Space Gray, although Gold was no longer available. Apple also introduced a new 15-inch model of the MacBook Air in 2023, also with the M2 chip.

If you’re looking for a modern MacBook but also want to save money, this is your best bet. Since it’s no longer the latest model, it goes on sale quite often. Aside from being a bit slower than the M3 models, it’s practically the latest and greatest. Unlike the M1 MacBook Air, you can buy these in new condition with more than 256GB of storage if you want.

There are a number of good deals on the M2 MacBook Air, starting at $799 with 256GB storage and 8GB unified memory at various retailers – up to $200 off! Since the M2 15-inch MacBook Air was discontinued when Apple introduced the M3 model, lower-end models are no longer available.

• 13-inch MacBook Air (M2) with 256GB storage: Amazon, Best Buy – $799
• 13-inch MacBook Air (M2) with 512GB storage: Amazon, Best Buy – $999
• 15-inch MacBook Air (M2) with 1TB storage, 16GB memory: Best Buy – $1,699

M3 MacBook Air

Apple updated the MacBook Air with the M3 chip earlier this year, and this remains the latest model. It has the same design as the previous MacBook Air, just faster. An M4 update probably won’t arrive until sometime next year, although there are still some good deals here if you want the latest chipset. Right now you can get up to $150 off all models.

• 13-inch MacBook Air (M3) with 256GB storage, 8GB memory: Amazon – $849
• 13-inch MacBook Air (M3) with 512GB storage, 8GB memory: Amazon – $1049
• 13-inch MacBook Air (M3) with 512GB storage, 16GB memory: Amazon – $1249
• 15-inch MacBook Air (M3) with 256GB storage, 8GB memory: Amazon – $1049
• 15-inch MacBook Air (M3) with 512GB storage, 8GB memory: Amazon – $1249
• 15-inch MacBook Air (M3) with 512GB storage, 16GB memory: Amazon – $1,449

14-inch MacBook Pro

Apple redesigned the 2021 MacBook Pro with a brand new 14-inch mini-LED display with ProMotion, more ports (most notably an HDMI port and an SD card reader), larger batteries and better heat dissipation. It also got a 1080p webcam for the first time.

While the 14-inch MacBook Pro isn’t as cheap as the other MacBooks listed, you can still find some good deals if you want the great display and extra ports.

There are two versions of the 14-inch MacBook Pro. The lower-end model starts with 8GB of storage and the base M3 chipset, has no USB-C port on the right side, and no extra fan. The higher-end models come with the M3 Pro or M3 Max chips and don’t compromise on the above features. Both models have the same great display, which is the most important thing.

It’s been a while since Apple introduced the M3 version of the 14-inch MacBook Pro, so there are some good deals with savings of up to $300 across the board:

• 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3) with 512GB storage, 8GB memory: Amazon, Best Buy – $1299
• 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3) with 1TB storage, 8GB memory: Amazon, Best Buy – $1,499
• 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3) with 1TB storage, 16GB memory: Amazon, Best Buy – $1,699
• 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3 Pro) with 512GB storage, 18GB memory: Amazon, Best Buy – $1,699

Of course, there are a lot of options to consider, but if you want to save money and still buy a new MacBook, these are the best options available. Although the price range is from $649 to $1699, all of these models are excellent choices depending on your needs for your next computer.