Top MacBook Black Friday deals: Save up to $500 on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac accessories
Black Friday is here and that means it's MacBook deals season! Here are the top discounts from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and more
I love Apple tech, but there's no denying it can be pretty pricey. That's why I always wait until Black Friday sales roll around to upgrade my Apple devices (or gift them).
Right now is the best time of year to buy a new MacBook. I've assembled this handy guide to help you max out your savings with the best deals from across the web.
Apple just released the new M4 MacBook Pro last month, and we're already finding some great deals on it. For example, you can save $200 on the base M4 MacBook Pro at Best Buy, bringing it down to just $1,399. I've also hand-picked the top deals on M2 MacBooks and M3 MacBooks, including the current M3 MacBook Air, all of which you can check out below.
Remember, you can tack on trade-in bonuses to some of these discounts and save even more. If you want to swap out your current MacBook for a new one, certain retailers, like Best Buy, will slash hundreds off the price through a trade-in rebate in addition to Black Friday deals.
Plus, I'm keeping an eye out for the best discounts on Mac accessories like chargers, portable hard drives, mice, and more, which make great gifts.
So, whether you're shopping for yourself or a fellow Apple fan, check back here throughout the holiday sales season for updates on the best MacBook Black Friday deals on everything from the M4 MacBook Pro to the M3 MacBook Air and top Mac accessories!
See also: Black Friday laptop deals 2024: 45 best early discounts
Stevie Bonifield is a contributing writer at Laptop Mag, covering everything from laptops to gaming gear, and especially Apple tech. After hunting down countless deals and breaking news stories on MacBooks, iPads, and iPhones, Stevie is an expert on all things Apple.
BLACK FRIDAY MACBOOK DEALS: QUICK LINKS
- Apple M4 MacBook Pro 14: was $1,599, now $1,399 at Amazon
- Apple M4 MacBook Pro 14 (1TB): was $1,799, now $1,599 at Amazon
- Apple M3 MacBook Air: was $1,099, now $844 at Amazon
- Apple M3 MacBook Air 15: was $1,299, now $999 at Amazon
- Apple M3 MacBook Air: (16GB/512GB): was $1,499, now $1,199 at Amazon
- Apple M3 MacBook Pro 14: was $1,599, now $1,399 at Amazon
- Apple M3 MacBook Pro 14 1TB: was $1,699, now $1,599 at Best Buy
- Apple M3 Max MacBook Pro 14: was $3,099, now $2,799 at Best Buy
- Apple M3 Max MacBook Pro 16: was $3,399, now $2,899 at Best Buy
- Apple M3 Max MacBook Pro 16 (48GB RAM): was $3,899, now $3,399 at Best Buy
- Apple M2 MacBook Air: was $999, now $749 at Amazon
- Apple M2 MacBook Air (512GB): was $1,199, now $949 at Amazon
- Apple M1 MacBook Air: was $700, now $649 at Walmart
M4 MACBOOK PRO BLACK FRIDAY DEALS
M3 MACBOOK AIR BLACK FRIDAY DEALS
M3 MACBOOK PRO BLACK FRIDAY DEALS
M2 MACBOOK AIR BLACK FRIDAY DEALS
M1 MACBOOK AIR BLACK FRIDAY DEALS
Black Friday MacBook deals shopping tips
- While the deepest discounts are on the oldest models, I don't recommend that you buy an M1 MacBook in 2024 unless you're on a very tight budget and specifically need an Apple laptop (i.e. students with less than $1,000 to spend who need Apple-specific software like Final Cut Pro).
- The M2 chip from 2022 is powerful enough for many users, but if you are going to hang on to your laptop for 5-10 years then you should consider opting for an M3 or forthcoming M4 MacBook.
- MacBooks are not upgradeable, so make sure to buy sufficient RAM and storage. In general, we recommend at least 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Remember, spending a little extra now on good specs will save you trouble later and increase the trade-in value of your MacBook when you're ready to upgrade.
- If you aren't sure which MacBook is right for you we have a variety of guides to help you: MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro, Best MacBook for College Students, and Best Apple laptop.
- There are no bad choices with the current MacBook lineup, so it's just a matter of finding which is the right one for you, and with all-time low prices on many models this is the perfect time to buy a new MacBook.
If you're looking for cheap MacBooks for Black Friday, you're in luck. There are some awesome deals on MacBooks under $1,000 right now but you have to be careful to make sure you're actually buying a MacBook that's a good deal.
For example, there are plenty of older MacBooks available for far below $1,000, but most of them aren't actually worth your money, no matter how cheap. Avoid any MacBooks with Intel chips. Apple started using its own M-series chips in 2020, starting with the M1 chip. M-series processors are far, far more capable than the older Intel chips, most of which aren't even eligible for macOS software updates anymore.
So, instead of wasting your money on an outdated Intel-powered MacBook, check out these deals on cheap MacBooks under $1,000 for Black Friday:
- M3 MacBook Air w/ 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage: $849 @ Best Buy | $844 @ Amazon
- M3 MacBook Air w/ 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage: $799 @ Best Buy
- M2 MacBook Air w/ 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage: $749 @ Best Buy | $749 @ Amazon
Looking for a new MacBook, but unsure what configuration you should get? As a general rule of thumb, Laptop Mag recommends at least 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. If you're a power user and need to store a lot of photos, videos, or games, aim for at least 1TB of storage.
To help you out, I've hand-picked a couple of great deals on MacBooks with these recommended specs!
First up is the latest-model M4 MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. It's $200 off at Amazon right now or you can get it for the same price at Best Buy depending on which retailer you prefer.
If you don't need as much power or want to spend a little less, take a look at the 2024 M3 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Right now it's $250 off at Amazon, bringing the price down to just $1,049! That's a great deal for this top-rated laptop. It's also on sale for the same price at Best Buy if you would rather buy it there.
Whether you're using your MacBook for school, work, or anything in between, a good pair of headphones is a must-have accessory. If you're like me, it's borderline impossible to get anything done without some lo-fi playing in the background. My daily driver is a pair of Beats Solo headphones, which are down to just $99 at Best Buy right now!
That's not all. For the most top-tier, premium Apple audio experience, you can get the AirPods Max for $150 off at Best Buy for Black Friday. These stylish over-ear headphones look so good you can wear them anywhere you want to work, especially with the help of Active Noise Cancelling.
If you're looking for something a little more lightweight and low-key, you can pick up the AirPods Pro 2 for just $159 for Black Friday. They'll work seamlessly with your MacBook, offer a stellar audio experience, and won't cramp up your neck if you wear them all day.
Want the most powerful MacBook Apple has to offer? The maxed-out M4 MacBook Pro is already on sale for Black Friday, even though it was just announced last month!
Right now you can save $300 on the top-tier MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip, 36GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. Those specs don't come cheap, but Black Friday discounts like this one make them a bit more affordable. This configuration has the power you need to do everything from intense video editing to AAA gaming, making it a no-brainer for power users. We gave the M4 MacBook Pro a shining Editor's Choice award in our review, as well, so you'll be getting a great device recommended by our experts.
Looking for stocking stuffers or gifts for a MacBook user? I've hand-picked a few of the best deals on MacBook accessories to help you out. Great accessories can make or break your experience with any laptop, so it's important to make sure you're picking devices that are not only compatible with MacBooks but also perform great overall.
A perfect example is the Logitech MX Anywhere 3S wireless mouse, down to just $64 for Black Friday. This ultra-portable little mouse is the perfect productivity companion for any MacBook. In fact, it's currently our top pick for the best wireless mouse for Mac!
If you know someone who likes to game on their Mac, a new PlayStation DualSense wireless controller is a great gift idea. This is one of the best game controllers you can buy and it's fully compatible with macOS (it looks great, too). Right now you can pick it up for just $54 on Amazon for Black Friday.
MacBooks are extremely popular for work and productivity, as well, so a top-rated docking station can make a great gift. Right now you can get the Satechi Dual Dock Stand for a whopping 35% off on Amazon, bringing it down to $97. This premium docking station is currently our top recommendation for Mac users in our rankings for the best laptop docking stations.
If you're shopping for a new laptop for less than $800, you might think MacBooks are out of reach. Good news! That's not the case, at least not during Black Friday sale season.
Right now you can get a new M1 MacBook Air for just $599 at Walmart, a price that's well within in the budget range. Sure, this model is from 2020, but if affordability is your top priority, it's hard to go wrong with the M1 MacBook Air, especially at this price. The M1 chip can still keep up well with everyday tasks and still has at least a few more years of software updates.
At this price, the M1 MacBook Air also makes a fantastic gift for kids and teens getting their first laptop. The low price means parents don't have to worry as much if it gets dinged up, but it still has plenty of style and performance for school.
The MacBook Air is great, but power users need the top-tier performance you can only get from the MacBook Pro. Right now you can get that performance for the same price as a MacBook Air.
For example, this deal from Best Buy takes the base M3 MacBook Pro down to just $1,199 for Black Friday! Storage upgrades can be pricey, but you can get around them by opting for a fast, Mac-friendly external drive. One great pick is the LaCie Rugged Mini SSD for just $124 at Best Buy, which gets you a bonus 1TB of high-speed storage for less than a storage upgrade on your MacBook would cost. Plus, the rugged design means you can bring this external drive anywhere without worrying about it getting damaged.
MacBooks don't usually make our rankings for the best budget laptops, but Black Friday sales are making Macs a seriously good buy right now for budget users! For example, I just found the 2024 13-inch MacBook Air for just $844 on Amazon for Black Friday. This is the only time of year when you can pick up the latest MacBook Air, brand-new, for less than $1,000.
You can also use this sale to effectively get a free storage upgrade. With Amazon's discount on the M3 Air, the model with 512GB of storage costs less than the regular price for the model with 256GB of storage.
To kick off our Black Friday MacBook deals, check out this $250 discount on the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air at Best Buy! It takes this MacBook down to just $749, making it a fantastic bargain for students or anyone on a budget.
Apple launched the M2 MacBook Air in 2022, so it's a couple of years old now, but it holds up well. It's compatible with Apple Intelligence and slated to receive software updates until at least 2030, possibly longer. So, you can still get plenty of use out of this Mac. The M2 probably won't get any cheaper than this until next holiday season, so pick it up now while it's still available.
