Here’s a juicy early Amazon Prime Day deal: you can now get your hands on the base, 13-inch M2 MacBook Air for just $799. The laptop got $200 off as part of Apple’s Prime Day deals , and the savings apply to all color options, so you can score one in that gorgeous Midnight finish. That’s the price for the models without AppleCare+ — you’ll have to spend just under $1,000 if you want that add-on.
This model isn’t exactly the top of the MacBook Air line anymore. It’s been replaced by the M3-powered MBA, which is now our pick for best MacBook overall . But if you’re looking to save some money and still want a highly capable Apple laptop, the M2 variant is our pick for best budget MacBook — this latest discount only makes it easier to recommend.
Apple
The base 13-inch M2 MacBook Air has dropped to a record low of $799. This was already our favorite budget MacBook, and now it’s an even better deal at this price.
$799 at Amazon
Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar called the M2 Air a “near-perfect Mac” in his 2022 review, giving it a score of 96. One of the first things you’ll notice is the 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, which can reach a commendable 500 nits of brightness and has a 60Hz refresh rate. The addition of a 1080p webcam is welcome, while the triple microphone array does a great job of capturing your voice for your conversations. The speakers are impressive, too, especially for a laptop that’s just 11.3 millimeters thin and weighs just 2.7 pounds.
Despite that slim form factor, Apple has kept fans of physical headphone jacks happy by retaining the 3.5mm port. There are also two USB-C Thunderbolt ports and a MagSafe charging connector. Don’t worry about leaving your charger at home when you head to the office – the M2 MacBook Air’s battery should easily last you a full workday unless you’re doing particularly power-hungry work like video editing.
The M2 MBA should be able to perform everyday tasks with relative ease, and you’ll also be able to play a ton of App Store and Steam games on it (good luck doing anything else once you install it). Balatro). One of our biggest reservations about the base M2 Air is that it only comes with 8GB of storage. That doesn’t seem like much these days, and unfortunately Apple charges a premium for RAM upgrades. Still, this is a great option if you just want a MacBook Air that ticks pretty much all the boxes that most people will need for a few years.
It’s also worth noting that there are some cool features coming when macOS Sequoia arrives later this year, including the ability to mirror your iPhone to your Mac and a new Passwords app. Apple Intelligence features are also coming to M1 and later Macs.
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