Throughout December, MacBook sales are in full swing right. At the moment, we’re seeing discounts mostly on MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros with Intel processors, as MacBook sales with the new M1 chip have petered out after Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Still, the Intel-based MacBooks are good systems in their own right, and are being discounted as retailers clear out stock. Currently, you can find sales for as much as $200 off the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and up to $100 off the 2020 MacBook Air.
Meanwhile, the Apple refurb store can take as much as $500 off a refurbished MacBook Pro. Even better, it comes with the same 1-year warranty that new Macs include.
Best MacBook sales right now
Best Cheap MacBook Air sales
Apple’s Intel-based MacBook Airs are being replaced with newer versions powered by Apple’s new M1 processor. In our MacBook Air with M1 review, the new laptop’s processor held its own under the demands of 30 open Google Chrome tabs, and lasted an epic 14 hours and 41 minutes on our battery test.
However, the older Intel Apple’s 2020 MacBook Air laptop is still available, and is being discounted. The base model packs a 13.3-inch (2560 x 1600) Retina Display, 1.1GHz 10th Gen Intel Core i3 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.
MacBook Air (Intel, 2020): was $949, now $849 @ Best Buy
This MacBook Air with Touch ID has a 10th generation Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. It’s available in gold, space gray, and silver. View Deal
MacBook Air (Intel, 2020): was $1,249, now $1,149 @ Best Buy This MacBook Air with Touch ID has a 10th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. It’s available in gold, space gray, and silver.View Deal
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Best MacBook Pro sales
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro delivers excellent performance, thanks to its updated 10th-gen Intel CPU. However, the laptops biggest — and best — upgrade is its new Magic Keyboard, which finally puts an end to the detested Butterfly keyboard.
The entry-level configuration gives you an older quad-core 8th gen Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, up from 128GB on the previous model. The $1,499 version doubles the storage once more to 512GB.
We recommend buyers opt for the MacBook Pro 2020 priced at $1,799. This version includes a more powerful 10th gen Core i5 processor along with faster 16GB 3733MHz RAM, plus 512GB of storage. Plus, the $1,799 MacBook Pro has four Thunderbolt 3 ports (two on each side), while 8th-gen model are limited to just two ports.
Apple MacBook Pro 13 was $1,449, now $1,399 @ Best Buy
The entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro has the Touch Bar, an 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, a 512GB SSD, and Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645.View Deal
Apple MacBook Pro 13: was $1,299, now $1,149 @ B&H Photo
This 13-inch MacBook Pro has the Touch Bar, Retina Display, Touch ID, 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5 Quad-Core (8th Gen) 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and Intel Iris Plus Graphics.View Deal
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is a beast of a machine. The 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,399 for the standard model with a Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, AMD Radeon 5300M GPU, and 512GB SSD. This model replaces the 15-inch MacBook Pro, which started at the same price. The $2,799 model steps you up to the faster Core i9 CPU, faster Radeon Pro 5500M graphics, and 1TB SSD.
The first thing you’ll notice about the 16-inch MacBook Pro — aside from its large display — is its new Magic Keyboard. Apple finally ditched the controversial Butterfly keyboard on this laptop for a scissor mechanism, and it added a new keycap structure that’s more concave and a rubber dome underneath for support. The result is a much–improved keyboard that delivers a better 1mm of travel (compared to less than 0.8mm before).
Performance-wise, this MacBook Pro lives up to its name. It took the laptop only 8 minutes to transcode a 6.5GB 4K video to 1080p, which is the same amount of time the Dell XPS 15 took.
Although its very pricey, 16-inch MacBook Pro deals aren’t that hard to find. In fact, the deals started trickling in just after the laptop hit the market. The cheapest 16-inch MacBook Pro price we’ve seen has been $209 off the base model, which lowered its cost to $2,189. This deal has stuck around since the holidays and you can usually find it at Amazon.
Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (late 2019): was $2,399, now $2,199 @ Amazon
Apple’s largest MacBook Pro has a 9th-generation 2.6-GHz Intel Core i7 6-core processor, a 512GB SSD, and 16GB of RAM. Graphics-wise, it has an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M Graphics with GDDR6 memory and Intel UHD Graphics 630 for non-intensive tasks. This model also comes with a Touch Bar and Touch ID, and a Retina Display with True Tone technology. This deal is also available at B&H Photo.View Deal
Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (late 2019): was $2,799, now $2,499 @ B&H Photo
If you want to step up from the model above, this MacBook Pro has an 8-core 9th-generation 2.3-GHz Intel Core i7 6-core processor, a 1TB SSD, and 16GB of RAM. Graphics-wise, it has an AMD Radeon Pro 5500M GPU (w/4GB of GDDR6 memory). This model also comes with a Touch Bar and Touch ID, and a Retina Display with True Tone technology. View Deal
Best cheap MacBook Air sales (2019)
While more difficult to find, there are still some deals to be found on 2019 MacBooks. Naturally, these systems won’t have the most current processors, but they will tend to have larger storage and memory for a similar price as newer models.
Apple MacBook Air (2019): was $1,699, now $1,149 @ B&H Photo
The base model features a 13.3-inch Retina Display, Touch ID, an 8th-generation 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5 processor, and 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. It also has a 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600 Retina IPS Display and Touch ID. While a bit older, you get more memory and storage than more recent models, as well as the Retina display.View Deal
