Killer Deal: 12-inch MacBook Now $500 Off

Apple's 12-inch MacBook is long overdue a hardware upgrade. But if you don't mind rocking that 7th-gen CPU, we've got a deal for you.

Today only, Best Buy is taking a whopping $500 off Apple's 12-inch MacBook w/ 256GB SSD. After discount, the laptop costs just $799.99. That's the lowest price we've ever seen for this base model. 

For the money, you get a 12-inch Retina Display with 2304 x 1440 resolution, a 1.2-GHz Intel Core m3 processor (7th gen), 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.

The whole package weighs 2.03 pounds, which makes this system easy to throw in a bag and take anywhere. It's the cheapest Mac laptop you can buy right now and undercuts Apple's previous-gen MacBook Air, which sells for $949 from Amazon ($50 under  the Apple Store's price). While the older Air may have a better keyboard, it also packs an older 5th-gen CPU and non-Retina LCD.

MORE: Which MacBook Should You Buy? MacBook vs. Air vs. Pro

There are some trade-offs with this laptop, as we found in our 12-inch MacBook review. For one, it features a single USB-C port, so you won’t be able to plug in more than one peripheral at a time unless you spring for a dongle.

This system also features a 2nd-generation Butterfly keyboard, which some people have found to be less reliable than the newer 3rd-gen keyboard inside the latest MacBook Air.

But if you want a macOS-powered laptop, this is as cheap as it gets. If you need more storage, B&H Photo has the Apple 12-inch MacBook w/ 512GB SSD for $999 ($600 off).

Mark Spoonauer
Editor-in-Chief
Responsible for the editorial vision for Laptopmag.com, Mark Spoonauer has been Editor in Chief of LAPTOP since 2003 and has covered technology for nearly 15 years. Mark speaks at key tech industry events and makes regular media appearances on CNBC, Fox and CNN. Mark was previously reviews editor at Mobile Computing, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc.