Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Features

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

Which MacBook should you buy on Cyber Monday 2021?

By
Cyber Monday
This story is part of Digital Trends' Cyber Monday coverage 2024

Cyber Monday is a great time to buy a new MacBook, assuming you can snag one of the best Cyber Monday MacBook deals. You’ll certainly find various MacBooks models among the best Cyber Monday deals, including on the MacBook Air and the new MacBook Pros.

Apart from just MacBooks, perusing the best Cyber Monday laptop deals is also a good idea to see what else is on offer outside the world of MacBooks.

  • View MacBook Cyber Monday Deals at Amazon

  • View MacBook Cyber Monday Deals at Best Buy

  • View MacBook Cyber Monday Deals at Walmart

Recommended Videos

Which MacBook should you buy on Cyber Monday?

Macbook Air
Riley Young/Digital Trends

There are four major MacBooks right now. From cheapest to most expensive, they are: The MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13-inch, MacBook Pro 14-inch, and MacBook Pro 16-inch. The one that most people should buy is the first, the MacBook Air.

Related

MacBook Air

Don’t be fooled by the price or the name. Now that it’s powered by Apple’s M1 chip, it’s plenty powerful for the average person. Outside of gaming and heavy creative applications, this laptop can handle just about anything — all without making a peep. Because the MacBook Air is entirely fanless, you never have to deal with the fan noise.

When buying a MacBook Air, though, you’ll need to be careful. There have been a number of models in the past few years, and only the current M1 model is worth your money. Previous Intel-powered MacBook Airs were lacking in performance by comparison.

  • View MacBook Cyber Monday Deals at Amazon

  • View MacBook Cyber Monday Deals at Best Buy

  • View MacBook Cyber Monday Deals at Walmart

MacBook Pro

The 2021 MacBook Pro with the lid open on a white table.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you need something a bit more powerful, the new MacBook Pros are a fantastic option. Whether you choose the 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro, you’re getting an immensely powerful laptop with a gorgeous XDR screen and many more ports. It’s easily the best MacBook Pro I’ve tested since 2015.

But be honest: If you don’t really need the power of the MacBook Pro, you’re probably better off with the MacBook Air since it’s less than half the price.

Either way, don’t be tempted by deep discounts on the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Despite having the M1, this model sits in an awkward middle ground, offering comparable performance to the MacBook Air despite being more expensive.

  • View MacBook Pro Cyber Monday Deals at Amazon

  • View MacBook Cyber Monday Deals at Best Buy

  • View MacBook Pro Cyber Monday Deals at Walmart

Topics
Luke Larsen
Luke Larsen
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Luke Larsen is the Senior Editor of Computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.

Editors’ Recommendations

If you buy one MacBook Air alternative, make it this one
The MacBook Air on a white table.

I see you. You're considering a flashy new MacBook Air -- perhaps one of the new M3 models or even the cheaper M2 configurations. I'm not going to sit here and pretend like that isn't a wise option to consider for your next laptop. These are excellent laptops, and that M2 model in particular is a solid value at a starting price of $999.

But let me make an appeal to you about a laptop that upends the value proposition of the MacBook Air in a number of ways. The laptop I'm talking about is the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425MA). This is a laptop we reviewed earlier this year, but it continues to be the king of value. No other laptop you can buy right now offers this much bang for your buck -- the MacBook Air included.

Read more
MacBook Air (M3) vs. MacBook Air (M2): here’s which to buy
The screen of the MacBook Air M2.

Despite being over two years old, Apple's MacBook Air M2 has remained one of the best laptops you can buy, as well as one of the best MacBooks. It's incredibly well-built, exuding an elegance that few other laptops can match. It's also plenty fast for productivity users, and its GPU is optimized for creators. Its keyboard, touchpad, and display are all top-notch.

Enter the MacBook Air M3, which came out in early 2024. In theory, it took the place of the M2 MacBook Air, but Apple kept that older model around in the lineup at a cheaper price. While the M3 MacBook Air has faster performance, particularly in GPU-intensive apps, and the M3 model supports an additional external display (with the display closed). It's $100 more, but is that uptick in price justified? Here's how to decide which MacBook Air is right for you.
Specs and configurations

Read more
Why you should buy a MacBook Pro instead of a MacBook Air
The 14-inch MacBook Pro on a window sill.

There are plenty of reasons to buy a MacBook Air instead of a MacBook Pro. If you want a MacBook on a budget, you don't necessarily need the goodies that come with upgrading to the MacBook Pro.

That being said, I'm going to argue for spending a little more. In my experience, the MacBook Pro offers several distinct advantages that help justify a higher price, especially with the introduction of the more affordable MacBook Pro 14 with the base M3. If you can stretch your budget a bit, here's why I think you should buy a MacBook Pro instead of a MacBook Air.
Setting the stage: pricing

Read more