The new MacBook Air 2020 features a Magic Keyboard and double the performance power of the previous model. However, the 2019 MacBook Air is still one of the best laptops you can get. And now that retailers are clearing out dead stock, we expect to see the very best MacBook deals this season.
Authorized Apple retailers are currently offering some of the best Apple laptop deals of the season. Amazon, Best Buy and B&H are our go-to stores for cheap MacBook deals. You can usually save from anywhere from $100 to $450 off a MacBook, but how do you know which MacOS machine is right for you and your budget?
We've detailed the differences among Apple's current MacBooks to help you decide which laptop best fits your needs. (You can also check out our MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro guide for side-by-side comparisons).
So whether you're looking for an entry level laptop like the MacBook Air or a power-user worthy MacBook Pro, you've come to the right place. We're here to make sure you never have to pay full price for a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro from the Apple Store.
Here are the best Macbook deals you can get right now.
Best MacBook deals today
- NEW Apple MacBook Air 13" 2020: was $999 now $949 @ Amazon
- MacBook Air 13" 2019 (Core i7/8GB/128GB): was $1,399 now $899 @ Newegg
- MacBook Air 13" 2017 (Core i5/8GB/128GB: was $999 now $749 @ Amazon
- MacBook Pro 13" (Core i5/8GB/128GB): was $1,489 now $1,229 @ Walmart
- MacBook Pro 16" (Core i7/16GB/512GB): was $2,399 now $2,099 @ B&H
Cheap MacBook Air 2019 deals
Apple's dual-core, entry-level machine
Screen: 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600 Retina LCD | CPU: 1.6GHz dual-core Core i5-8210Y | Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB | RAM: 8GB/16GB | Video: Intel UHD Graphics 617 | Weight: 2.7 lbs. | Feats: Touch ID | Ports: Thunderbolt 3 (two)
Pricing for the base 2019 MacBook Air starts at $1,099. It packs a 13.3-inch Retina display, 1.6GHz Core i5-8210Y CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. Yeah, we know that price tag is a tough pill to swallow; however, cheap MacBook Air deals are fairly easy to find.
Oftentimes, Amazon and Best Buy have the base MacBook Air on sale for $899 or $999. During the holidays, the cheapest MacBook Air price we saw was $799. If the 128GB of storage is too paltry for you, the 256GB MacBook Air is also regularly on sale and normally dips to down to $1,099, which is the cheapest it's ever been.
In terms of performance, in our Apple MacBook Air 2019 review, the Core i5-8210Y dual-core CPU offers just enough oomph for your day-to-day tasks. We opened up a dozen Chrome tabs and streamed a YouTube video at 1080p simultaneously. The MacBook Air didn't lag at all.
Best MacBook Pro 13-inch deals (base model)
Upgrade to quad-core power
Screen: 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600 Retina LCD | CPU: 1.4GHz quad-core Core i5 or 1.7GHz Core i7 | Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB | RAM: 8GB/16GB | Video: Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645 | Weight: 2.7 lbs. | Feats: Touch ID, Touch Bar, True Tone LCD | Ports: Thunderbolt 3 (two)
The 13.3-inch MacBook Pro comes in a variety of flavors and configurations for power users to choose from. The $1,299 base model packs a 1.4GHz Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. The highest configuration is fitted with a 1.7GHz Core i7 CPU.
In our Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch 2019 review, we found that it performs better than the 2019 MacBook Air. That's because it's powered by either a Core i5-8257U or Core i7-8557U CPU. Both processors are noticeably faster than the dual-core Y-series CPU found in the MacBook Air.
To gauge its performance, we transcoded a 4K clip to 1080p in a video-editing test. The MacBook Pro took just 14 minutes and 42 seconds versus 36 minutes on the Air.
It's also worth noting that Apple fitted the 13-inch MacBook Pro with its quieter and slightly more comfortable 4th-gen Butterfly keyboard. More importantly, a material upgrade to its mechanism prevents inadvertent double presses.
Best MacBook Pro 13-inch deals (upgraded model)
Faster quad-core performance
Screen: 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600 Retina LCD | CPU: 2.4GHz quad-core Core i5 or 2.8GHz Core i7 | Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB | RAM: 8GB/16GB | Video: Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 | Weight: 2.7 lbs. | Feats: Touch ID, Touch Bar, True Tone LCD | Ports: Thunderbolt 3 (four)
Need a MacBook Pro with more muscle? The upgraded 13-inch MacBook Pro is equipped with a snappier Core i5-8279U quad-core CPU and offers 256GB of storage. And instead of just two Thunderbolt 3 ports, it has an array of four. This base model looks identical to the cheaper 13-inch MacBook Pro, but it's priced at a steep $1,799.
In our MacBook Pro 13-inch review, we discovered that it delivers better performance than the base model mentioned above. In our tests, we saw no lag as we juggled between 17 open Chrome tabs while running Skype, Slack, and Pixelmator simultaneously.
Historically, we've seen this model drop as low as $1,499 over the holiday season. Outside of the holidays, we've seen MacBook Pro deals take $100 to $200 off its regular price.
Best MacBook Pro 16-inch deals
Apple's top-of-the-line MacBook Pro
Screen: 16-inch 3072 x 1920 Retina LCD | CPU: 2.6GHz six-core Core i7 or 2.3GHz eight-core Core i7 | Storage: 512GB/1TB/2TB/4TB/8TB | RAM: 16GB/32GB/64GB | Video: Radeon Pro 5300M to Radeon Pro 5500M | Weight: 4.3 lbs. | Feats: Touch ID, Touch Bar, True Tone LCD, Dolby Atmos | Ports: Thunderbolt 3 (four)
The new 16-inch MacBook Pro is a beast. The base 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,399, which was the same cost of the 15-inch MacBook Pro it replaces. This price gets you a Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and a Radeon 5300M GPU. The next tier up costs $2,799 and nets you a blazing-fast Core i9 CPU, faster Radeon Pro 5500M graphics, and a massive 1TB SSD.
Besides its obviously larger screen, the 16-inch MacBook Pro boasts a new Magic Keyboard. Apple finally ditched the problematic Butterfly keyboard for a scissor mechanism. It also added a concave to the keycap structure and a rubber dome underneath for support. This redesign makes for a better typing experience with 1mm of travel compared to less than 0.8mm previously.
Performance-wise, this MacBook Pro didn't disappoint and took just 8 minutes to transcode a 6.5GB 4K video to 1080p, just like the Dell XPS 15.
Deals on the expensive 16-inch MacBook Pro are easier to find than you would think. Actually, the deals started trickling in soon after its release and the best markdown we've seen so far took $250 off the bast model, dropping it down to $2,149.
Best MacBook Air deals (2017)
Apple's cheapest MacBook
Screen: 13.3-inch 1440 x 900 LCD | CPU: 1.8GHz dual-core Core i5-5350U | Storage: 128GB | RAM: 8GB | Video: Intel HD Graphics 6000 | Weight: 2.9 lbs. | Ports: USB 3 (two), Thunderbolt 2, SDXC slot
Apple discontinued the 2017 MacBook Air, however, you can still buy it from Amazon and Best Buy. You may be raising an eyebrow at us for bringing up the 3-year old Apple notebook with a dated 5th-gen Intel CPU, but that's because the 2017 MacBook Air has aged well.
First of all, it's the last Mac of its kind with a keyboard that we like and recommend. Unlike the shallow keys found on Apple's current MacBooks, the 2017 MacBook Air's keyboard offers a pleasant typing experience. Secondly, it has two USB ports, a Thunderbolt 2 port, and an SDXC card slot. Battery-wise, a single charge will get you roughly 10.5 hours of use.
The only drawbacks are the non-Retina display and dated design, but it's still an excellent machine for basic, everyday computing. In our MacBook Air 2017 review, we liked its long battery life and solid performance. It streamed a 1080p YouTube video while browsing through 12 Safari tabs without even a stutter.
On the deals front, this model hit an all-time price low of $649 on Black Friday 2019. It will be a long while before we see it priced that low again. However, it's frequently on sale and east to find at $749.
Best MacBook Pro 15-inch deals
Now cheaper than ever
Screen: 15.4-inch 1440 x 900 LCD | CPU: 2.2GHz 6-core Core i7-8750H | Storage: 256GB | RAM: 16GB | Video: Radeon Pro 555X | Weight: 4.02 lbs. | Ports: Thunderbolt 3 (4)
Apple no longer sells the 15-inch MacBook Pro which was released in June 2019 starting at $2,399. The base model includes a 9th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, 256GB of SSD storage and a Radeon Pro 555X graphics card with 4GB of GDDR5 memory.
In our MacBook Pro 15-inch review, we liked its superior speed, sharp, colorful display, and powerful sound. Although it has no USB Type-A ports, its quartet of Thunderbolt 3 ports enabled fast file transfer speeds.
There's also a maxed-out version of the 15-inch MacBook Pro 2019, which costs $6,549. It packs a 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9980HK processor (the 2.4-GHz version), 32GB of memory, a 4TB SSD and a Radeon Pro Vega 20 graphics card with 4GB of HBM2 memory.