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Best MacBook deals for October 2023

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Best MacBook deals for October 2023

Apple sells MacBooks equipped with its own M-series chips in a wide range of sizes and price points. The offerings start with the 13-inch MacBook Air from 2020 at $999 and go all the way up to last year’s 16-inch MacBook Pro at $2,499 (and more Macs are expected to be announced at its upcoming “Scary Fast” evening product event on October 30th). But finding a deal on a current Mac with an M1 or M2 chip — or a higher-end Pro or Max version — is usually not too difficult.

At this point, we don’t recommend buying any older Intel-based Macs. They’re just completely outclassed by all the newer models unless you have some super-niche Windows Boot Camp needs.

Alternatively, purchasing refurbished is another way to save money on an Apple computer. Apple’s refurbished store provides a one-year warranty on all products and generally offers discounts of up to 15 to 20 percent off the price of a new unit. If you’re looking for a new model, however, here are the best MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini deals available.

The best MacBook Air deals

M1 MacBook Air

The MacBook Air is Apple’s entry-level laptop. It’s best suited for typical productivity work, with a comfortable keyboard, an excellent trackpad, and all-day battery life. The redesigned M2 version of the MacBook Air has been with us for a bit — there’s now even a 15-inch M2 Air — but the 2020 version with an M1 processor and fanless design remains in the lineup as the budget option. For many people, the M1 Air still ticks the right boxes when it comes to performance and price, even if it’s long enough in the tooth to have been finally dethroned in our guide to the best laptops.

The base MacBook Air with the M1 chip comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It typically sells for $999, but Amazon and B&H Photo are currently discounting it to $849 ($150 off). That’s $100 off the mark from its lowest price, but even so, it’s hard to beat the M1 Air’s value — especially when it comes to performance and battery life.

The MacBook Air is the most impressive laptop I’ve used in years

The MacBook Air is Apple’s entry-level laptop, which comes outfitted with the company’s M1 chip in one of three different colors (silver, space gray, and gold).

M2 MacBook Air

As for the newer, fancier 13-inch MacBook Air with M2, the base model with 256GB of storage and an eight-core GPU recently got a price drop. Along with introducing a 15-inch M2 Air, Apple announced during WWDC that the 13-inch model now starts at $1,099 instead of $1,199. As for deals, the 13-incher is currently selling for $899 ($200 off) at Best Buy. Both Best Buy and B&H Photo also have an equally good deal on the upgraded configuration with a 512GB SSD and 10-core GPU for $1,199 ($200 off).

The new MacBook Air is a super slim and light laptop with a 1080p webcam that’s actually usable, as well as a handy magnetic charger that frees up one of its precious two USB-C ports. Its M2 processor didn’t kick-start a revolution like the M1 generation, but it’s a great performer for any user outside of more demanding creatives.

It does have some slight downsides, like slower storage in the base configuration and a notch cutout in its otherwise excellent screen. But even so, there hasn’t been a more travel-friendly laptop offered by Apple since the days of the polarizing 12-inch MacBook, and this one’s good enough to be the No. 1 laptop we now recommend in our buying guide.

The M2 MacBook Air is opened, facing the camera. Its display is on, showcasing a psychedelic purple and black wallpaper created by The Verge’s art and illustration team.

The redesigned MacBook Air is a thin, lightweight device powered by Apple’s latest chip. The M2 model also touts a 1080p webcam and a better display than its predecessor while retaining features like long battery life and MagSafe charging.

The recently launched 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 is a lot like a blown-up 13-inch Air, and judging from our glowing review, there’s nothing wrong with that. Like its smaller counterpart, it has an M2 chip, two Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C ports, and MagSafe charging, and its base model comes with a 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. But it differs by having a larger 15.3-inch notched screen with 2880 x 1864 resolution, six speakers instead of four, a 10-core GPU that costs extra on the 13-inch, and a higher starting price of $1,299. Bumping up to a larger, faster 512GB of storage will run you $1,499.

Surprisingly, the 15-inch M2 Air started receiving some discounts before it shipped, which let early adopters save between $50 and $100. As of right now, you can get it for a very good discount of $200 off by ordering it at Amazon, where it’s currently selling for $1,099.99 once you click the on-page coupon. The expanded 512GB model is also $200 off at Amazon as well as B&H Photo, selling for $1,299.99.

A 15-inch MacBook Air open on a gray couch.

Apple’s largest MacBook Air sports a 15-inch display, six-speaker array, and an M2 chip. The base model starts with 8GB of RAM and 256B of storage, though you can configure it with up to 24GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.

The best MacBook Pro deals

M2 and M2 Pro MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro line has been split into two different segments — for the time being. The M2-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro from 2022 remains the lone Touch Bar holdout. It’s sort of a sibling to the 2020 MacBook Air, with a similar design save mostly for a fan that allows it to run at peak performance for longer. And while it’s still plagued by the Touch Bar and has its shortcomings when it comes to speed (at least on the base model), it features terrific battery life, and we occasionally see discounts up to $150 to $300 that help make it more worthwhile.

Right now, the best deals on the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro are at B&H Photo and Amazon, where the 256GB model with 8GB of RAM is receiving a modest discount of $100 off. That drops the price from $1,299 to $1,199. B&H Photo is also discounting the 512GB model by a steeper $200, making it $1,299 instead of $1,499. These are solid deals if the Touch Bar-equipped Mac still floats your boat, but those of you who do intensive creative work may still be better served spending a bit more on the more capable 14-inch MacBook Pro (if you can stretch your budget, of course).

The Apple MacBook Pro 13 2022 seen from above.

The latest iteration of the 13-inch MacBook Pro is the last Touch Bar holdout. It has two USB-C ports, like the M1 MacBook Air, and now comes equipped with the M2 CPU and is configurable with up to 24GB of unified memory.

As for the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, the latest models are mostly a spec-bumped refresh from the M1 Pro / M1 Max generation, but they now feature faster M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, with the 16-inch M2 Max MacBook Pro also showcasing some excellent battery life gains thanks to the efficiency of the new chips. And now, we’re finally starting to see some good discounts on the M2-based models.

Right now, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M2 Pro chip, a 512GB SSD, and 16GB of RAM is selling for $1,799 ($200 off) at B&H Photo. That’s not quite as good as when it hit a new low price of $1,699 on a one-day deal in September, but it’s still a great price for a very capable laptop. If you need additional storage, the 14-inch model with 1TB of storage, a 12-core M2 Pro CPU, and 19 GPU cores is down to $2,349 ($150 off) at B&H Photo.

The 2023 version of the 14-inch MacBook Pro comes with the new M2 Pro 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD storage. It can also be configured with a higher-end M2 Max processor.

Sadly, the situation isn’t quite as good for the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro. The best (and only) deal right now on the creator-friendly laptop is $2,399 ($100 off) at B&H Photo for the base 512GB model with 512GB storage. That’s really not great, as we’ve seen it get much cheaper before — including the larger 1TB storage option. If you absolutely need one right now with expanded storage you may be best served waiting for discounts to come around again.

The MacBook Pro 16 (2023) on a pink table. The screen displays a blue and yellow desktop pattern.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro for 2023 remains the largest at the top end of the Mac laptop lineup. Its base model comes with the new M2 Pro 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD storage. It can also be configured with a higher-end M2 Max processor. Read our review.

M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro

For now, the older 2021 MacBook Pros remain fine machines, especially if you can get one at a steep discount. However, they’re getting increasingly harder to find in any of their cheaper base and midrange configurations.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro from 2021 with expanded 1TB storage is available at B&H Photo for a discount of $800. That drops the price down to $1,899, which is an excellent deal. The only caveat is that this specific model has extra storage but just the base 16GB of RAM. However, it’s the best value you can get on a 16-inch M1 Pro right now.

The new 16-inch MacBook Pro on a table

The 16-inch MacBook Pro from 2021 is a creative powerhouse equipped with Apple’s last-gen silicon. Configurable with either the M1 Pro or M1 Max, the 16-inch screen can be lent out to up to three external displays and a 4K TV simultaneously thanks to its vast array of ports. Read our review.

Our initial reviews of Apple’s M1 Pro and Max MacBook Pro lineup were absolutely beaming with praise. Whether it was the beautiful display or the remarkable performance and battery life they exhibited, these premium laptops are investments that we still recommend — at least until the newer M2 generation starts seeing bigger discounts. It’s great to see the return of more ports, an SD card reader, and MagSafe charging to some Mac laptops we can once again say are well poised for actual pros. Just mind the notch — or better yet, make it more useful with software.

The best Mac Mini deals

The new Mac Mini comes in a base configuration with Apple’s M2 processor or in a more powerful configuration with the M2 Pro. It’s an excellent upgrade to one of the most affordable yet performant desktop computers you can get (as long as gaming isn’t your priority). The M2 model Mac Mini starts with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for $599, while the M2 Pro model features a superior processor plus 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $1,299.

The latter model also features an expanded port selection, from two USB-C ports to four. It’s almost like getting an M2 Pro-powered MacBook Pro 14 but in desktop form. Though, keep in mind that buying any Mac Mini means you have to provide your own mouse, keyboard, and monitor.

While the M2 Mac Mini was recently as much as $100 off the base model. As it stands now, the base M2 Mini is selling for $529 (a respectable $70 off) at B&H Photo, while the M2 Pro version is $1,149 ($150 off). The M2 / M2 Pro Minis are great values for a desktop computer, with the M2 Pro version being like a baby Mac Studio for much less.

A photo of Apple’s 2023 Mac Mini.

The revised Mac Mini for 2023 starts at $599 for an M2-powered model with an eight-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD. The Mini can also be had with the M2 Pro chip, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and a more robust port selection for $1,299. Read our review.