Which MacBook should you buy on Cyber Monday 2021?

By Luke Larsen Updated June 15, 2022

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.

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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.

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.

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.

Former Senior Editor, Computing

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

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