The MacBook Air is, without question, the best ultraportable laptop my team has ever reviewed. If you're traveling for work or school, I can't recommend them enough. And I've found three unmissable deals on Apple's lightweight laptop that you won't want to miss.
The 15-inch MacBook Air (M5) with 16GB RAM is now $1099 (was $1299) at Amazon, while the M5-equipped model with 24GB memory and 1TB is discounted to $1549 (was $1699). And the smaller MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is also down to $1099 (was $1399) at Best Buy.
These ultra-light MacBook laptops are incredibly powerful for their size, boasting that gorgeous Retina display where colors pop. I think of them as true all-rounders for most people, able to tackle day-to-day productivity tasks and content creation without breaking a sweat. Bonus points for coming in a range of colors, too, although not all of them are in the deal right now.
Today's best MacBook Air deals
Who is the Apple MacBook Air for?
Everyone who wants a reliable laptop - and especially those working on the go, where this ultraportable excels.
Despite the size and weight, it's a surprisingly powerful machine. We found it capable of everything from running office software to editing videos.
How small and light is the MacBook Air?
We love the MacBook Air for its sheer portability. For hybrid workers, students, and professionals on a business trip, it's absolutely perfect. Dimensions-wise, you're looking at:
13-inch M4
11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 in // 2.7 lbs
15-inch M5
13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 in // 3.3 lbs
Should I choose the M4 or M5?
To be honest, there's not a ground-breaking difference between the two chips. You will see some performance gains with the newer M5 processor, but the M4 is still an incredible CPU for day-to-day tasks.
When we tested out the M5-equipped MacBook Air, we threw everything at it. Photo and video editing, gaming, an excessive amount of website pages. And the machine never once had a problem with any of it. It just powered through without complaint.
On the other hand, under this sort of pressure, we noticed some stuttering on the M4 model, but it still managed to deal with a similar level of tasks.
What are the Apple alternatives to the MacBook Air?
There are two main alternatives if the MacBook Air isn't right for you. This laptop sits in the middle ground between the MacBook Neo and the MacBook Pro.
The MacBook Neo is a less powerful, entry-level machine that's well-suited to general computing tasks.
The MacBook Pro is a much more powerful laptop for business and creative professionals.
What did we think of the M4 and M5 MacBook Air?
We loved them. We loved them a lot. Both scored 4.5 stars in our review, and both received the TechRadar Recommends award.
Reviewing the MacBook Air (M4), we called it "best ultraportable". Then the M5 model was released, and testing the 13-inch version, we hailed it as "still the best ultraportable" we've ever used.