Skip to main content

Which Apple MacBook should you buy on Prime Day?

Best Prime Day Amazon Deals
This story is part of the Digital Trends Prime Day 2025 coverage
Updated less than 15 minutes ago

Prime Day is the perfect time to look for a great MacBook deal. Apple’s laptops rarely get discounts, making their Prime Day deals the ideal way to score yourself some money off.

If you are in the market for one this year, though, you might be asking whether you should buy a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro. The latter is $300 more than the former, but which is the best MacBook to buy if you’re shopping the Prime Day Macbook deals?

Recommended Videos

MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?

Image used with permission by copyright holder

This year, the decision is actually a bit easier than it used to be. That is because both models now come with Apple’s own M1 chip inside, so you no longer get a weaker laptop if you choose the MacBook Air. The M1 is an incredible chip, and it pulls way ahead of what Apple laptops used to be capable of, making both machines tempting prospects for Prime Day 2021.

Interestingly, the MacBook Air actually outperformed the MacBook Pro in some areas when we reviewed it. Most of our benchmark results saw the two devices neck and neck, but it just goes to show that you will not be missing out on performance if you get the MacBook Air these Prime Day sales.

Because they are so similar in terms of power, when Prime Day deals roll around you should look out for other factors when picking between the two. One of the major differences is that the MacBook Air is completely fanless, meaning it is totally silent even when you are pushing it as hard as you can. For its part, the MacBook Pro has a very quiet fan, but silent trumps quiet every time in our book.

Battery life and price

Macbook Air M1
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends / Digital Trends

On the other hand, battery life is one area where the MacBook Pro pulls ahead. Our MacBook Pro review saw it achieve 16 hours of light web browsing and 21 hours of video playback. The MacBook Air scored slightly lower at 15.5 hours and 18.5 hours in each test. But let’s get some perspective here: Both devices offer amazing battery life for a laptop. Whichever one you choose, you will get a machine that outlasts almost every other laptop on the market.

Aside from that, the only major differences are that the MacBook Air has a more wedge-shaped design, while the MacBook Pro comes with the Touch Bar. We have not been overly impressed with the Touch Bar, and it probably is not worth shelling out extra on Prime Day by getting a MacBook Pro just for that one feature. Also note that the MacBook Pro has a more color-accurate display, but unless this is absolutely essential to your work, the MacBook Air’s display will be more than good enough. For the cost, it is excellent.

Speaking of price, the MacBook Pro starts at $1,299 while the MacBook Air is $999. Considering you get identical performance in utter silence from the MacBook Air, and at a cheaper price too, the MacBook Air is our winner here. You might not see a huge discount on Prime Day — probably around $50 to $100 — but any price cut for a machine this good is worth considering.

Should you get an older Intel MacBook?

Image used with permission by copyright holder

At this point, no. Apple’s M1 MacBooks perform so much better, all for the same price, so there is no need to get a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro with an Intel processor.

There are only a couple of exceptions to this rule. First off, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is still based on the Intel platform, and it’s still the most powerful MacBook you can buy. If you can find it at a deep discount and you need it immediately, it’s not a bad choice. Just know that Apple is rumored to update that laptop to its M-series processor sometime this year.

Lastly, you might see much deeper discounts for very old MacBooks during Prime Day. It can be tempting, but most of them are not worth your time. In particular, you’ll want to avoid the pre-M1 MacBook Air, as it suffered from slow performance. You’ll also want to stay away from the pre-2020 MacBook Pro, as it used the unreliable butterfly keyboard that was later replaced.

Today’s best MacBook deals

If you can’t wait until Prime Day, there are several fantastic MacBook deals you can shop right now. We’ve rounded up the best below.

Alex Blake
Alex Blake has been working with Digital Trends since 2019, where he spends most of his time writing about Mac computers…
iPad is the best secondary screen I’ve used with a MacBook
You can extend your MacBook's screen by using an iPad as a secondary monitor.

I spend an unhealthy amount of time lurking in communities where people share aesthetic desktop setups. One of my friends recently set the group chat on fire with a triple monitor setup that had two vertical screens and an ultrawide curved panel at the center. An impulse swipe later, I achieved a similar makeover for my desk at home.

Here’s the problem, though. My $600 workstation overhaul did bring me visual joy, but not much utility. For reporting assignments, I spend the majority of the year away from home, working from deserted cafes or unnaturally uncomfortable bunk beds. I do miss the convenience of large secondary screens. Interestingly, that yearning is addressed by a rather unconventional device —the humble iPad. 

Read more
The long overdue MacBook Pro design refresh might land in 2026
MacBook Pro

Apple likes to stick around with each product design refresh for at least a few generations. Take for example the M4 MacBook Pro, which is still carrying the same design language that was first introduced atop the M1 series models back in 2021.
Things could finally change next year. “In terms of major new Mac designs, I don’t expect the MacBook Pro to get an overhaul until around 2026 — when the M6 model is due to come out,” says a Bloomberg report.
Apple is currently working on refreshed MacBook Air and Pro models with M5-series processors. They might, however, stick with the same aesthetic formula as their respective M4-series counterparts. It’s not bad, but not without its flaws either.

“It’s no joke to lug around. Some will appreciate the extra screen real estate, no doubt, but there’s definitely a trade-off in mobility,” said Digital Trends’ review of the current-gen MacBook Pro.
“The one eyesore in the whole experience to me is still the notch in the display. I find it quite ugly and intrusive, and the way it cuts into the menu bar can be clumsy, especially on the 14-inch model,” the review adds.

Read more
macOS 16 / macOS 26: everything you need to know
Major changes are expected for the new macOS update, with talk it might be called macOS 26 instead
Craig Federighi introducing macOS Sonoma at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2023.

The next macOS installment, macOS 16 / macOS 26, is likely to be one of the main attractions at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2025), which kicks off on June 9, 2025.

Excitement is already building for this year's macOS update thanks to rumors of a major design overhaul for the Mac operating system - plus there's talk of a new name - macOS 26. This is everything we've heard so far about the next macOS update.
Latest macOS 16 / macOS 26 news

Read more