Why You Can Trust CNET Best MacBook Deals: Save $150 on M2 MacBook Air, $250 on M2 MacBook Pro
Big discounts are available right now on Apple's newest M2-based MacBooks. The latest MacBook Pro models are at all-time low prices, and you can save big on the M2 MacBook Air.
It's not too early to start shopping for a laptop for the next school year. September will be here before you know it, and it's never been a better time to buy a new MacBook -- whether you need it for school, work or home.
Apple introduced new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros at the start of the year that feature the company's new M2 Pro and M2 Max processors. The new models share the same design and starting prices as their predecessors, but Apple promises better performance and longer battery life with the new chips that replace the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips in the previous versions.
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The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $1,999, and the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $2,499. And right now, you can save up to $250 on either model. That's the biggest discount we've seen yet for Apple's biggest and fastest MacBook Pros.
You can also save on the next newest MacBooks in Apple's lineup, the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro based on the M2 chip. The updated MacBook Air is bigger than the previous model, and a bit faster as well. Along with a bigger 13.6-inch display and M2 processor, however, comes a higher price. Gone is the $999 starting price; the new M2 MacBook Air line starts at $1,199. The updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip starts at the same $1,299 list price as the previous generation.
You can save $150 on the M2 MacBook Air and $200 on the 13-inch MacBook Pro right now. You can spend even less for the previous-generation MacBook Air with the M1 chip and 13.3-inch display, and pick it up for as little as $800.
US pricing for Apple MacBooks
While Amazon and Best Buy have the best prices at the moment, one benefit to paying full price and buying from Apple is that you can customize the machine and add more RAM or a higher-capacity solid-state drive. The models sold by Amazon and other retailers are fixed configurations.
Want to go the refurbished route? You can find refurbished MacBooks on Apple's Certified Refurbished Mac page. Refurb inventory changes rapidly so you may not always see the latest 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.
MacBook discounts, compared
| Model w/ CPU (and storage capacity) | List price | Best price (current) | Best price (all-time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 MacBook Air (256GB) | $999 | $800 | $750 |
| M1 MacBook Air (512GB) | $1,199 | $1,199 | $1,000 |
| M2 MacBook Air (256GB) | $1,199 | $1,049 | $999 |
| M2 MacBook Air (512GB) | $1,499 | $1,399 | $1,299 |
| M2 MacBook Pro 13 (256GB) | $1,299 | $1,099 | $1,099 |
| M2 MacBook Pro 13 (512GB) | $1,499 | $1,349 | $1,299 |
| M2 Pro MacBook Pro 14 (512GB) | $1,999 | $1,749 | $1,749 |
| M2 Pro MacBook Pro 14 (1TB) | $2,499 | $2,149 | $2,149 |
| M2 Pro MacBook Pro 16 (512GB) | $2,499 | $2,249 | $2,249 |
| M2 Pro MacBook Pro 16 (1TB) | $2,699 | $2,449 | $2,449 |
*Note that "all-time" means the best price that we've seen at an Apple-authorized retailer in the product's lifetime. Prices change frequently and may differ between color variants.
Best MacBook deals
The MacBook Air from 2020 features Apple's M1 processor, which has an eight-core CPU, a seven-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. The M1 MacBook Air starts at $999 from Apple and features 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. It lacks the Touch Bar (which could be viewed as a positive), and does have a 13.3-inch Retina display, Touch ID and the Magic keyboard. The step-up model costs $1,199 from Apple and doubles the solid-state storage to 512GB.
You can save $199 on the 256GB model at Best Buy right now. We can't find any discounts, however, on the 512GB model. For students on a budget, the M1 MacBook Air is a great value -- it's $249 less than the discounted M2 MacBook Air.
In addition to receiving the second-gen Apple silicon chip, the M2 MacBook Air boasts a larger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display and is available in two new colors: starlight and midnight. It also ditches the Air's tapered wedge shape and now looks more like the squared-off, slablike Pro models. The webcam has also been upgraded to a 1080p resolution for better video calls. At Apple, the M2 Air starts at $1,199, which is $200 more than the previous model. It features an M2 processor with an eight-core CPU and eight-core GPU, 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD. The step-up $1,499 model has an M2 chip with an eight-core CPU and 10-core GPU, 8GB of memory and a 512GB SSD.
Stock is thin and discounts are slight at Amazon right now for the latest MacBook Air, but you can save $150 on the baseline 256GB model at B&H. The 512GB model is $100 off at B&H. Read our M2 Apple MacBook Air review.
Aside from the new M2 chip, the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro remains mostly unchanged from the previous iteration. It's now the only laptop in the updated Apple lineup that has the generally disliked Touch Bar. It also lacks the new MagSafe charger and offers the same two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports for both charging and peripherals. Pricing remains the same as the previous series. The baseline model costs $1,299 and features 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. The step-up $1,499 model doubles the SSD to 512GB.
You can save a hefty $200 on the 256GB model and $150 on the 512GB model at Amazon. Read our 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro review.
The baseline model of the new 14-inch MacBook Pro costs $1,999 and features Apple's latest M2 Pro processor (10-core CPU and 16-core GPU), 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The step-up model costs $2,499 and doubles the storage to 1TB while featuring an M2 Pro with a 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU. There's also an M2 Max model that costs $3,099 with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The M2 Max is a 12-core CPU, 30-core GPU processor.
Apple says the performance from the M2 Pro chip is up to 40% faster than the previous M1 Pro in Photoshop image processing, and that the M2 Max can do effects rendering in Cinema 4D and color grading in DaVinci Resolve up to 30% faster than the M1 Max. Apple promises the battery will last up to 22 hours, which the company says is "the longest battery life ever in a Mac." The MacBook Pro also adds Wi-Fi 6E, up from Wi-Fi 6, and an HDMI connection that now supports 8K displays up to 60Hz and 4K displays up to 240Hz.
Big discounts are available right now on the new 14-inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro. You can save $250 on the baseline 512GB model and $350 on the 1TB model at B&H. We've not seen either for less.
The baseline model of the new 16-inch MacBook Pro costs $2,499 and features Apple's latest M2 Pro processor (12-core CPU and 19-core GPU), 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The step-up model costs $2,699 and doubles the storage to 1TB. There's also an M2 Max model that costs $3,499 with a 12-core CPU, 38-core GPU M2 Max processor, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Right now is a good time to buy Apple's largest MacBook Pro. Like its 14-inch sibling, the 16-inch model is selling for the lowest price we've seen yet -- you can save $250 on the either the 512GB model or 1TB model.
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