Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Don’t need a MacBook Pro? Save $300 on the 15-inch MacBook Air

The screen of the MacBook Air M2.
Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

For those who are having trouble deciding which of the latest models to buy from MacBook deals, here’s an offer from Best Buy that may push you in its direction — the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air M2 with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for $999, following a $300 discount on its original price of $1,299. If you don’t need the professional-level capabilities of the MacBook Pro, it’s highly recommended that you take advantage of this bargain, but you have to act fast because there’s no telling when it will get taken down.

Why you should buy the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air M2

The 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro M3 Max stands on top of our list of the best MacBooks, but if you prefer the lightness and quietness of the MacBook Air and you don’t need the extreme power of the MacBook Pro, you’re better off with the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air M2. Its design is very similar to its smaller counterpart, the 13-inch Apple MacBook Air M2, with the same flat panels, narrow bezels, and thin profile — just 0.46 of an inch — among other elements. However, the larger 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display makes a huge difference, especially if you’ll be needing all the screen real estate that you can get for activities like building websites, managing spreadsheets, editing videos, and working on apps with complex menus.

While performance isn’t as powerful as the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro M3 Max, the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air M2 will be more than enough for most people. The M2 chip with an eight-core CPU and 10-core GPU can handle demanding processes, and its 16-core Neural Engine can take care of advanced machine learning tasks. The M2 processor is also very efficient, allowing the laptop to go completely fanless for complete silence and enabling battery life of up to 18 hours on a single charge.

The 15-inch Apple MacBook Air M2 with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD is a solid choice if you want a new MacBook, and it’s currently an even better option because of Best Buy’s $300 discount. From a sticker price of $1,299, it’s down to $999, but we’re not sure how much time is remaining on this offer. If you want to get this configuration of the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air M2 for less than $1,000, you shouldn’t hesitate — add it to your cart and check out as soon as you can.

Aaron Mamiit
Aaron received an NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was four years old, and he has been fascinated…
This subscription service lets you upgrade your MacBook every two years
Upgraded the MacBook upgrade program for everyone

Technology advances so fast, if you use your devices professionally, it seems like you really do need to upgrade your devices every couple of years. If you want to be on the bleeding edge there's no choice. But that can also get super expensive, and reselling or trading-in devices can be quite a hassle. While Apple and others have made upgrading devices easy, there’s now a service that lets you pay monthly for a Macbook, with AppleCare+, and gives you the option to upgrade every two years.

It’s called Upgraded, and the brand collaborates with Apple Premier Partners, meaning officially recognized sellers. That results in hassle-free upgrade support for you whenever you're ready. Go check it out for yourself, or keep reading to learn how it all works.
Upgrade Now
 
The MacBook upgrade program: How does it work?

Read more
The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 is on sale — don’t buy the 4090 configuration
Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 playing Cyberpunk 2077.

You’d be surprised how many gaming laptop deals land on our screens on a daily basis. While we do our best to draw attention to budget-friendly offerings, we know there’s a core part of our readership that needs the fastest and most robust hardware on the market. That’s why today we’re pulling back the curtain on this once-in-a-blue-moon Best Buy offer:

The Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 Gaming Laptop has officially hit clearance status and has been discounted to $1,755 from $1,950. Our reviewer, Jacob Roach, specifically called out the RTX 4090 as being too expensive for the modest increase in performance that it offered in the Zephyrus M16. You don't have to worry about that with this offer -- more details below.

Read more
We gave this MacBook Pro alternative a 9 out of 10, and it’s on sale
Asus ProArt P16 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

Even with the discounts from MacBook deals, Apple's MacBook Pro remains pretty expensive. Here's a slightly more affordable MacBook Pro alternative: the Asus ProArt P16, which is on sale from Best Buy at $200 off for a lowered price of $1,700 from $1,900. It's still not budget-friendly, but that's an excellent price for a laptop of its capabilities. And if you like the power and style of a MacBook but prefer Windows, this is a good option. You're going to have to be quick with your purchase though, as there's no telling how much time is left before you miss out on the savings.

Why you should buy the Asus ProArt P16 laptop
We reviewed the Asus ProArt P16 as a legitimate MacBook Pro competitor with a rating of 9 out of 10 stars, as it's a very fast laptop with a relatively affordable price. It's powered by the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, with 32GB of RAM that's recommended by our laptop buying guide for running intensive applications and engaging in content creation. The Asus ProArt P16 also features a gorgeous 16-inch OLED touchscreen with 4K resolution, the Asus DialPad that's a circular indentation in the touchpad with an embedded button that provides additional functionality for various apps, and military-grade toughness for guaranteed durability.

Read more