If you’re looking for a discount on the MacBook Air, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll talk you though some of the best deals around, and explain whether they are really good deals, or just OK deals. We know exactly what the MacBook Air costs at Apple right now, so we know just how much of a discount you’re getting.
The big news right now is that Apple has updated the MacBook Air for 2020. This not only means you can buy a brand new MacBook Air with improved keyboard and faster processors from Apple now, you will also be able to find some even better deals on the 2019 and 2018 models.
It’s important not to fall into the trap of spending more than you need to on a Mac. We know how to tell which MacBook Air is being sold – and whether it’s a current model or an old model – so we can tell you how much it should cost.
Before we fill you in on what you need to know, no doubt you are wondering what the best deals are right now. So here are our best picks:
Best Apple MacBook Air deals right now
When we see great deals on the MacBook Air we list them here. However, the 2020 MacBook Air was only launched on 18 March 2020, so we won’t see any deals on that new model for a few months. Now that the new models have arrived we may start to see some great deals on the 2019 model or event the 2018 model which isn’t really different to the 2019 model (the processor is the same, only the screen is different).
For now though there aren’t any really good deals. This is the best deal we have seen right now:
- 1.6GHz MacBook Air (2019), 256GB model, £1,199 at John Lewis here (£100 off 2019 price)
Make sure you check out our complete round up of the best Apple deals.
How to get the best MacBook Air deal
There are a few things you need to know before you can be sure whether you have found a good deal:
- How much did it cost at launch?
- How much does Apple sell the equivalent model for now (and how much better is it)?
- What is a good place to buy a discounted MacBook Air?
You need to watch for companies claiming a discount based on the price the Mac was originally sold for, rather than what it would now cost you to buy that Mac from Apple. This is particularly pertinent since Apple has reduced the price of the entry-level twice in the past two years.
When the 2018 MacBook Air launched the price started at £1,199/$1,199 for the 128GB version. Then in 2019 Apple reduced the price of the identically-speced entry-level model to £1,099/$1,099. Now for 2020 Apple has reduced the price of the entry-level model again to £999/$999 as well as improved the specs.
On that basis, until we start to see the 128GB version of the 2018 or 2019 MacBook Air on sale for less than £999/$999 we wouldn’t recommend buying them over the new 2020 version.
You might see a reasonable deal on the 256GB version of the 2018 or 2019 MacBook Air, which normally costs £1,299/$1,299 (Apple hasn’t changed the price of this model in 2020). However, we’d suggest that you keep in mind that if the newer MacBook Air only costs a few pounds more then it would be worth buying the newer model which has far superior specs, including a quad-core 10th generation processor and twice as much storage (512GB). Read about the new MacBook Air here.
Another thing to look out for is deals on the older 2017 MacBook Air. These are few and far between these days, but if you see one of the older MacBook Air models (which don’t have the Retina display) we’d advise against buying one unless the price was significantly reduced – we really wouldn’t recommend spending more than £600 on it.
You can find out everything you need to know about the 2019 of the MacBook Air in our MacBook Air 2019 review. The 2018 MacBook Air is reviewed here. We will soon be publishing our review of the 2020 MacBook Air.
Now you know what the Mac is worth, you need to know where to buy a discounted Mac from.
You can buy a MacBook Air directly from Apple here, but there are plenty of stores offering a discount on the new models so it’s worth shopping around. In this article we’ll tell you the best deals you can get on a new MacBook Air, as well as some great deals you can get on the older models. You’ll also find some MacBook Pro deals listed below as with a discount these might be a better offering than the MacBook Air is.
MacBook Air line-up, current prices
As we have already mentioned, over the past two years Apple has reduced the price of the MacBook Air twice.
When it launched in 2018 the MacBook Air was more expensive than the previous model was, starting at £1,199/$1,199. At the time Apple continued to sell the old 1.8GHz MacBook Air model for £949. Then, in 2019 Apple discontinued the £949 model and reduced the price of the new-style MacBook Air by £100 to 128GB: £1,099/$1,099.
Now with the 2020 MacBook Air model we have seen the price decline once more, this time to £999/$999.
This is the current line-up:
- 1.1GHz, Dual-Core i3, 10th gen (3.2GHz Turbo Boost), 2565GB: £999/$999
- 1.1GHz, Quad-Core i5, 10th gen (3.5GHz Turbo Boost), 512GB: £1,299/$1,299
The 2019 models were:
- 1.6GHz, Dual-Core i5, 8th gen (3.6GHz Turbo Boost), 128GB: £1,099/$1,099
- 1.6GHz, Dual-Core i5, 8th gen (3.6GHz Turbo Boost), 256GB: £1,299/$1,299
The 2019 specs are exactly the same as the 2018 model, apart from the addition of True Tone in the display. Prices were down £100 per machine compared to the 2018 model.
You’re here because you want to save even more money though, so read on to find the best deals!
Best MacBook Air Deals
You can browse through the best MacBook Air deals below. We also have deals for more MacBook Air as well as some other MacBook models further down in this article (in case you’re not completely decided.)
MacBook Air 2020 model
Apple has a new MacBook Air for 2020. It offers a newer processor, better RAM, improved graphics, twice as much storage, and it’s £100 less than it was, starting at £999/$999.
Right now you can buy one from Apple. As other resellers start to stock the new Mac you will see them listed below.
MacBook Air 2019 model
The 2019 MacBook Air only introduced True Tone to the screen (which means the screen can adjust to different lighting conditions) other than that the specs are the same as the 2018 model When the 2019 MacBook Air was introduced the price dropped by £100/$100, starting at £1,099/$1,099.
We hope to see some decent price cuts for the 2019 MacBook Air now that the 2020 models have arrived. Check them out below.
MacBook Air 2018 model
If you see a MacBook Air on sale it can be tricky to tell if it’s the 2018 or 2019 model because the only difference is the addition of True Tone. Some deals may also look better than they are as the reseller isn’t taking into account Apple’s own price drops on the Air. However, if you find a good deal on the 2018 MacBook Air we recommend it, purely because it’s practically identical to the 2019 model. Just remember that the 2020 model now starts at just £999/$999.
MacBook Air 2017 model
The 2017 MacBook Air was still on sale from Apple until July 2019. You may still be able to find a deal on the old-style MacBook Air, although we emphasise that the model may officially be from 2017, but the processor is from 2015, so it’s not a modern Mac – that processor is now five years old!
Best MacBook deals
With the price of a MacBook Air as sold by Apple in mind, take a look at the deals below to see just how much you could save on the MacBook Air and other MacBook models.
We’d also recommend taking a look at Apple’s Refurbished Store for great MacBook Air deals. They’re forever changing, but you can get a huge discount on products that you’d never be able to tell are refurbished.
You can find out more about buying a refurbished Mac here.
Students should also check the Apple Education Store, which you can find out more about here.
We can help you decide which MacBook is best for you in our MacBook buying guide.
1. Apple 16in MacBook Pro, 2.6GHz, 6-core, 512GB (2019)
From: Amazon Was: £2,399 Now: £2,079 (£320 off) View Deal
Amazon is offering a great discount on the new 2019 16in MacBook Pro.
KRCS also has a good deal on the 16in MacBook Pro, though it’s a few pounds more. Get that deal here.
2. Apple 15in MacBook Pro, 2.3GHz six-core i7, 16GB RAM, 256GB (2019)
From: Laptops Direct Was: £2,799 Now: £2,499.97 (£300 off) View Deal
Laptops Direct has serious money off the 2019 15in MacBook Pro with Intel’s 8-core 2.3GHz i9 processor which was discontinued and replaced with the new 16in model in November 2019. We’ve seen a bigger sidcount at Laptops Direct in the past, but this is still a good saving.
3. Apple 13in MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz, quad-core, 256GB, Silver (2019)
From: Amazon Was: £1,799 Now: £1,599 (£200 off) View Deal
This is 2019’s 2.4GHz 13in MacBook Pro, it might only be a small boost to the processor speed, compared to the 2018 model, but this is still money off the newest version (and the deal is better than ever now that Apple’s put up prices in the UK).
4. Apple 13in MacBook Pro, 1.4GHz, quad-core, 256GB (2019)
From: Amazon Was: £1,499 Now: £1,344.98 (£154 off) View Deal
This is the 2019 1.4GHz MacBook Pro with 256GB storage. Normally Apple sells it for £1,499 but Amazon has money off.
Laptops Direct has a similar deal here, although right now Amazon’s discount is bigger.
5. Apple 13in MacBook Air, 1.6GHz dual-core, 128GB (2019)
From: John Lewis Was: £1,099 Now: £999 (£100 off) View Deal
John Lewis is offering money off the 2019 MacBook Air with this deal. You can get money off the Gold or the Space Grey edition.
Very has a similar deal here but it’s currently a few pence more.
6. Apple 13in MacBook Air, 1.6GHz dual-core, 256GB (2019)
From: John Lewis Was: £1,299 Now: £1,199 (£100 off) View Deal
Save money on the 2019 MacBook Air with 256GB storage.
7. Apple 13in MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz, quad-core, 256GB, Space Grey (2019)
Now: £1,691.06 (£107.94 off) View Deal
This is the entry-level configuration for the 2019 13in MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (that now costs £1,799 from Apple, up £100 prior to July 2019). KRCS has a discount on the model. This is the Space Grey configuration, but you can also get the Silver model here.
8. Apple Refurbished Mac Store (Discounted iMacs, MacBooks and more)
You can get a Mac from Apple at much lower prices if you buy from the Refurbished Store. Apple will have thoroughly tested the model and will offer you a full warranty so it can be a great way to get a good deal. Find out more about Refurbished Macs here.
Where to buy the new MacBook Air
You can, of course, buy the new MacBook Air from Apple itself on its website here. But that’s not the only place it’s available. You’ll also find the MacBook Air at these, and other, UK and US stores:
UK
US
Via MACWORLD