Looking to upgrade your old laptop? Why I recommend the MacBook Air at this price

Space Black MacBook Pro (M3 Max) running MacOS Sonoma wallpaper

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

I’ve been covering the best Macs for over a decade, and my preferred Mac has mostly been the M3 MacBook Air over the past year. That’s why I’m thrilled to see Amazon running discounts for multiple configurations. Right now, you can purchase an M3 MacBook Air with 16GB of unified memory and a 512GB SSD for $1,099. That is $200 off its original price. The 24GB RAM M3 MacBook Air has dropped to $1,169, which is a $330 discount. Be aware that these prices only apply to the Starlight (beige) model.

While it isn’t on sale, the Space Gray MacBook Air with 16GB of memory is fairly cheap: it currently costs $1,073.83.

Also: I thought MacOS 15.4.1 was a minor update until it made my iMac better in 4 big ways

Apple almost never puts its laptops on sale. At best, you may get a 10% educational discount. Or if you’re lucky, you might be able to catch an older model with an up to 20% discount from a third-party seller like Amazon. We have a pretty good idea why we’re seeing these great discounts — the M4 MacBook Air has been around for several months now, and Apple seemingly wants to get rid of the excess stock.

I recommend taking advantage of this deal while it last. Apple normally doesn’t refresh its stocks, preferring to focus on the latest model. At best, you might find refurbished units in the future.

Also: AT&T’s latest free iPhone 16 deal is surprisingly easy to qualify for. How the offer works

The M3 MacBook Air is still a terrific machine. In fact, this article was written on one. It weighs 2.7 pounds and is less than half an inch thick — and the dimensions are only slightly bigger than a sheet of 8.5 x 11-inch paper. So you barely even notice it when you slip it into a bag or backpack.

And for all its svelteness, it also packs a ton of power. Since the M1 Apple Silicon chips arrived, these MacBook Air models have felt snappier and more powerful than the old Intel-based MacBook Pros. In fact, many people used to need a MacBook Pro for basic photo editing and other work-based tasks. 

That same group can now easily get away with using a MacBook Air. That’s especially been true since the M2 MacBook Air arrived in 2022, and it’s even more true with the M3 version. Because of these machines, the number of people who need a MacBook Pro has shrunk considerably in the last couple of years.

As for potential drawbacks, it’s honestly kind of difficult to think of one. The $1,099 configuration comes with 512GB of storage, which is plenty. I bought the 512GB version in early 2024 and frequently used the M3 MacBook Air for six months straight. I still had about 366GB of unused space in that time frame.  

Also: M3 MacBook Air review: Apple’s AI computer for the masses has arrived

If you’re worried about having extra storage space you could always carry a fast external drive like this 1TB Seagate drive that’s on sale for about $60. Amazon also has the M2 MacBook Air on sale for $738, which is a great deal for someone with lighter computing needs. Either way, there’s never been a better time to buy a MacBook Air.

How I rated this deal

Any MacBook Air deal is inherently notable. These are world-class laptops that almost always turn heads whenever a new one is released. However, as stated earlier, these devices hardly ever go on sale. I’ve been watching for price drops, and when I see one, I quickly alert people whenever they happen. 

Because the M3 MacBook Air saw a 15% discount, ZDNET’s rating system grants this promotion a 2/5 editor’s deal rating. Yes, it’s not as good as previous deals, which saw the 512GB SSD model go down by $300. However, a good deal is a good deal, and those are hard to come by in the world of Apple tech.

Deals are subject to sell out or expire at any time, though ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best product deals for you to score the best savings. Our team of experts regularly checks in on the deals we share to ensure they are still live and obtainable. We’re sorry if you’ve missed out on this deal, but don’t fret — we constantly find new chances to save and share them with you on ZDNET.com. 

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