The 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro for $900 might be the best Black Friday deal
We don’t normally recommend the 13-inch MacBook Pro over the MacBook Air, but this deal is the exception: Costco is selling the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro for $900, a savings of $400 off the original MSRP ($300 off Costco’s normal price) and the lowest price we’ve ever seen. You don’t need to be a Costco member to take advantage of this deal.
If you want a little more performance, B&H Photo is selling an M1 MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for $1,399, a savings of $500 off the original $1,899 MSRP.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro has Apple’s original M1 processor but is otherwise identical to the M2 model with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a Touch Bar with Touch ID built into the Magic Keyboard. In our 4.5-star review in 2020, we called the MacBook Pro “an astounding machine,” that “left us awestruck,” and even compared to the new M2 model, which is only about 20 percent faster, it’s still an incredible laptop.
And at this price, it’s an easy recommendation even at two years old. So go grab one before they’re all gone.
There are plenty of other great MacBook deals this weekend as well. Here are our top picks from all the deals we’ve found.
M1 MacBook Air
Why we love it: The M1 MacBook Air can’t really compete with the M2 model, which has a better display, processor, and webcam, but we still really like the M1 model. For one, it has the classic MacBook wedge design. For another, it has a fantastic processor and excellent battery life. At $799, it’s one of the best laptops you’re going to find at this price.
M1 MacBook Pro
Why we love it: We’ll be the first to admit that we don’t love the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro. The smallest of upgrades over the M1 model, it was mainly a spec bump at a time when Apple redesigned the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air. At $1,299, it’s difficult to recommend over the Air, and as a Pro machine, it can’t compete with the higher-end models. But at $900, the M1 model—which again, is identical to its predecessor except for the processor—is a downright steal. You’ll get the best performance in an M1 chip, fantastic battery life, and the Touch Bar, which we’ll admit we kind of miss.
14-inch MacBook Pro (1TB)
Why we love it: The 14-inch MacBook Pro is the perfect MacBook. It has a big screen that’s not too big, a fantastic processor, tons of ports, and excellent battery life. Our favorite configuration is the $2,499 model that has a better M1 Pro processor (10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU vs 8‑core CPU/14‑core GPU) and twice the storage (1TB vs 512GB) as the base model. And with the nearly $500 in savings here, you’re essentially getting the upgrade for free.
16-inch MacBook Pro (512GB)
Why we love it: The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the cream of the MacBook crop. Yes, it’s big, but it’s a true desktop replacement with a massive screen, tons of power, and oodles of ports. It comes with a price tag to match, starting at $2,499, but the savings here brings it down to a much more reasonable $2,000.
M2 MacBook Air (256GB)
Why we love it: The M2 MacBook Air is Apple’s newest laptop and it shows. It’s got a new lighter design, faster processor, brighter display, and a better webcam. It’s also got a new higher price, starting at $1,199. We still like it at its MSRP but we love it at $1,049. The step-up model is $150 off as well with a slightly better chip and more storage, but we think the 256GB model is perfect for most people.
