Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Deals

Back-to-School MacBook Deals 2020: MacBook Air and MacBook Pro

Jacob Silver
By

The fall may be uncertain for students, but one fact remains constant: When you head back to school, you’ll need a laptop. It’s the simplest and most efficient way to do schoolwork, or any work, on-the-go — even if you’re working from home. The top of the pile, in the laptop world, are Apple’s MacBook and MacBook Pro. You tend to pay a premium, but that money is an investment in things like reliability, design, connectivity, and efficiency. That extra money goes a long way, but you can pay less of it than ever with our MacBook deals. And, while you’re gearing up for whatever the fall will bring us, we’re offering special back-to-school MacBook deals, with some of the best offers on the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro that we’ve ever seen. Check out these top-of-the-line Apple laptops today.

Today’s Best Back-to-School MacBook Deals

  • 13-inch MacBook Air (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $899, was $999
  • 13-inch MacBook Pro (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $1200, was $1400
  • 13-inch MacBook Pro (8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1700, was $1900
  • 16-inch MacBook Pro (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $2099, was $2399
  • 16-inch MacBook Pro (16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2500, was $2800

How To Choose A New MacBook

Once you begin looking at MacBooks, the decision really falls between two poles: the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro. Each has very specific, and occasionally nuanced, uses. Let’s dive in.

The MacBook air is the cheapest of all the Apple laptops, especially when you factor in student discounts. Most of that price cut is the result of less power, and less speed, which aren’t important factors for a lot of students, until they are. If your work involves a great deal of video editing, music processing, or 3D modeling — anything that requires giant applications working with large files on a regular basis — consider the MacBook Pro. If you need a laptop to do everyday schoolwork — papers, presentations — as well as watch Netflix and talk to your friends and family, a MacBook Air will do just fine. They’re both incredibly light and portable, with the Air having a slight edge, but only by 0.3 pounds.

Related

Side by side, when we look at the machines, there isn’t a huge difference. Both the 2020 versions sport the Magic Keyboard, a far more comfortable and easy-to-use keyboard than the previous butterfly version that used to frustrate Mac users. They both look amazing, too, in terms of what you see on the screen. The MacBook Air has slimmed down its bezels, and added Retina display, making it comparable to the Pro visually, although the MacBook Pro does have a brighter screen (and better speakers). The 2020 version of the MacBook Air also has True Tone, which accounts for ambient light when adjusting the color on the display. If you’re a committed gamer, you might recognize some difference in the MacBook Air’s Intel Iris card versus the MacBook Pro’s Intel Iris 645 (the most expensive versions boast an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M), but for the rest of us it won’t matter.

Related

The real difference is in power and speed. The MacBook Air is powered by a 1.2-GHz 10th Gen Core i7 processor. This is more than enough engine for basic computing, but, again, if you’re working a great deal with video, or larger programs — especially multitasking — you’re going to want something more powerful. The MacBook Pro begins with a 1.4-GHz 8th-gen Intel Core i5 and goes all the way up to a 2.6-GHz 9th-gen Core i7 (on the most expensive models), which is as fast as these laptops get.

Finally, there’s the issue of storage. Consider how much you’ll need. Again, if you’re just keeping papers, presentations and photos on your laptop, you’ll be fine with what comes in the box. It’s when you get into many-GB video files, and other large files, and that you need to start worrying, and looking at the MacBook Pro. Simultaneously, figure out what cloud system you’ll be using; that can help you determine how much storage you will actually need on the machine.

Something both MacBooks have in spades is reliability. MacBooks tend to break down less than PCs (a nightmare for students), they contract fewer viruses, are a harder target for spam and malware and are a breeze to upgrade. If you want a (great looking) workhorse, this is your laptop. When it comes to deciding between the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro, it’s really a question of how much power and speed you require — those factors should guide your decision.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jacob Silver
Jacob Silver
An avid cook, boxer, reader, and binger of Netflix (and Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon and more) Jacob Silver writes deals posts about…
Best Mac Mini deals: Save over $100 on an Apple desktop
Apple Mac Mini 2018

The Apple Mac Mini is a unique desktop computing option, as it comes in a small form factor that won’t take up much space on a desk. It’s also part of Apple’s new Apple Silicon lineup, which means newer models will pack quite a punch when it comes to performance. Apple’s popularity usually keeps its products from seeing substantial discounts, but we’ve found some out there. A couple could be considered some of the best Apple deals you’ll come across today. If you’re simply looking for a deal on a Mac, consider some iMac deals or MacBook deals, but if you’re sold on some savings for a pint-sized PC that fits within the Apple software ecosystem, read onward for the best Mac Mini deals worth shopping today.
Apple education pricing for new Macs and iPad -- multiple price points

Whether you're a newly accepted college student, returning student, faculty, staff, or homeschooling teacher, of any grade level, Apple offers its education pricing program for discounted hardware rates. That means you can grab an Apple Mac Mini for great prices that won't empty your wallet or bank account before the school year. A bevy of devices are included, not just the Mac Mini, such as MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, displays, and beyond.

Read more
iMac deals: New, renewed and refurbished iMac computers
Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display review close

The Apple iMac has become one of the most popular desktop computers of all time, and it’s always a top consideration to be among the best all-in-one computers. Its simple design and cool color palette makes it an instant draw for students, professionals, and creatives. This popularity keeps the iMac from seeing frequent discounts or being among the best Apple deals, but we’ve found some out there that are worth shopping if you’re looking for some savings. We’ve even found some discounts on newer iMac models that feature Apple Silicon, so read onward for more details on the best iMac deals you can shop right now.
Apple 21.5-inch iMac (2018) Renewed -- $409, was $460

Even cheaper than any of the MacBook deals going on, this Apple 21.5-inch iMac (2018) might be a few years old but it offers plenty of juice for the price. That's the beauty behind many iMacs -- they last a long time thanks to offering reliable hardware and the benefits of MacOS, which tends to mean they stay fast for awhile. In the case of the 2018 21.5-inch iMac, you get a 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 processor paired up with 16GB of memory which is a great set of specs for ensuring you can get plenty of work done.

Read more
Best Buy has a refurbished MacBook for $580, and it’s a good buy
Apple MacBook Air M1 open, on a table.

Typically, refurbished MacBook deals, or most refurbished laptop deals for that matter, aren't worth the cost. You can buy a brand-new system for about the same price, especially thanks to the best MacBook deals out there. But that's not the case with a deal Best Buy has available right now. You can get a Geek Squad Certified and refurbished MacBook Air, with an Intel 8th Gen Core i5,  for just $580 -- that saves you $320 off the usual $900 price. A newer model MacBook Air is going to cost you over $900, especially when you factor in taxes and shipping. This is the 2019 model, so while it is a few years old, you're still getting a laptop that can go the distance, as Apple's software updates usually keep older systems performing well.

Why you should buy this refurbished MacBook Air deal at Best Buy
Generally, we only recommend buying refurbished or renewed products straight from the manufacturer, but Best Buy's Geek Squad is the exception to that rule. That's because all refurbished and certified products go through rigorous testing, with detailing, sanitization, and cosmetic grading for the finished product done before they're put up for sale. In other words, they take their time to make sure they certify only good products in reasonable condition. Even if a bad egg slips by, they offer a 90-day warrant with extended warranty protection available -- if you're worried about extended coverage. Although extended warranties are available on an item-by-item basis, some may not qualify.

Read more