Thinking of upgrading your setup for creative work? Then you're probably wondering when's the best time to buy a MacBook. Apple's laptops remain some of the most popular choices among creatives, from graphic designers to video editors, and with good reason. But they also tend to be more expensive than comparable Windows alternatives. Buying at the right time can make a big difference.
We've been testing and reviewing MacBooks and tracking MacBook prices for over a decade, so we have a lot of experience to share. In the guide below, we'll consider when to buy a MacBook and some of the other things that you need to consider if you're aiming to get the best deal (check out our guide to the best MacBook Black Friday deals and the best Apple Black Friday deals for a head start there).
When's the best time to buy a MacBook?
The M3 MacBook Air (Image credit: Ian Evenden)
The best time to buy a MacBook is obviously when the prices are low. There are several major annual sales periods which are good times to hunt. But there are other things to bear in mind too. Older MacBooks often have the biggest deals, but whether or not it makes sense to buy a previous-generation device can depend on what you need in terms of specs. If you need beefy components, it can sometimes make more sense to go for a high-spec configuration of an older laptop rather than a lower-spec configuration of a new one – if the price is right.
Generally, the best time to buy a MacBook is around the major annual sale event. That means Amazon Prime Day in July and Prime Big Deal Days in October, Black Friday in November and the post-Christmas sales in late December and January. US readers might also find good deals around Presidents' Day the third Monday in February, Memorial Day the last Monday in May and Labor Day on the first Monday of September.
Black Friday 2024 falls on Friday 29 November, but remember that the sale at most retailers is now a lot longer than just one day. In fact, it lasts through much of November so it's a good idea to start tracking prices (or following our own roundup) throughout the month. Some MacBook deals tend to stay around for several days or even weeks, but others can come and go within a few hours.
MacBook release cycles
An M3 MacBook Pro that we had in to review (Image credit: Future)
Another thing to consider are Apple's MacBook release cycles. Unlike the iPhone and Apple Watch, for which new models arrive like clockwork every September, Apple doesn't have a fixed release cycle for MacBooks. We usually see at least one new MacBook every year, but sometimes Apple skips a year, and sometimes we get two releases in one year – in 2023, Apple released M2 Pro and Max-chipped MacBook Pros in January and then M3-chipped Pros in November, less than ten months later.
Logically, good MacBook deals tend to come up on the previous generation of laptops when Apple releases a new model. There are widespread rumours that Apple may be planning to launch new M4-chipped MacBooks in November 2024. If that happens, we would expect to see a drop in price on the current M3 model almost immediately. The timing would also be just around Black Friday, which increases the chances of deals even more.
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But when's the best time to buy a MacBook from the newest generation? Well, normally not in the first week of release. Most retailers usually advertise the full recommended retail price for at least the first week or so after a new MacBook is released. However, smallish deals can start to appear quite soon after that.
Amazon often has discounts of around $100 within the first month of release. We usually expect to see larger discounts around six months after release. For example, by the time of Amazon Prime Day in July of this year, Amazon had deals of up to $500 off higher-spec M3 MacBook Pros and up to $300 off entry-level models.
How to find MacBook deals
With so many online retailers offering Black Friday discounts on laptops, sorting through them to find the best price is a full-time job. It's our job, in fact, and we track prices here at Creative Bloq throughout the year, and particularly around the main sales. We keep tabs on all the major retailers, compare their prices and link to the best deals. Follow the site to keep up to date with offers.
If you're hunting yourself, Best Buy and Target tend to start their Black Friday deals quite early, at least in name. Walmart is also an option to check. However, we often find the best MacBook deals at B&H Photo and Amazon.
In the UK, Currys and Very sometimes have good MacBook deals, while, again, Amazon is often hard to beat.
Which MacBook?
The M3-chipped MacBook Pros (Image credit: Apple)
To get the best MacBook deal, make sure you know which MacBook you're after. There are two broad ranges: MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Within those, there are multiple models with different chips, configurations and sizes.
If you're a professional creative working with high-resolution video, especially raw video, or 3D modelling, you'll want a MacBook Pro. If you're not the MacBook Air will probably serve you fine, and they have the benefit of being lighter and more compact – even if you go for the 15-inch model.
You also need to decide on size and configuration, including how much storage space and RAM you need. Deciding this in advance will help you to choose the right product faster when you see a deal that looks promising. For example, decide that you want a 14in MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, you can compare prices between the M2 and M3 models to look for the best deal. Given that the M2 Pro/Max MacBook Pro 14 and 14 were only released 10 months before the M3 devices, they can be good buys since they're not much older.
The M2 Pro/Max MacBook Pro 14 and 16 were only released in January but were superseded by M3 models within 10 months (Image credit: Future)
A final consideration when choosing the best time to buy a MacBook is o be aware of how cheap MacBooks can go. It doesn't make sense to wait for a deal that's never going to come. I'd recommend going for an early Black Friday deal if it meets these ballpark figures.
M3 MacBook Pros start at $1,599 for the 14in M3 model with 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD. Upgrading to the M3 Pro chip and 18GB RAM takes the price up to $1,999. The 16in device starts at $2,499.00 (with the M3 Pro). In our many years of tracking MacBook prices, the best savings on MacBook Airs don't tend to be more than $300 / £250 at most.
On MacBook Pros, savings may reach $300 for entry-level configurations and up to as much as $600 for the high-spec configurations (we're talking Pro/Max models with 32GB memory and at least 1TB SSD).
Apple offers
If you're wondering when's the best time to buy a MacBook from Apple itself, the answer is that it doesn't make a lot of difference. Apple itself never runds direct discounts (other than Apple student discount). It does, however, offer trade in, giving up to an estimated $865 towards new MacBooks.
If you're considering trade in, finding the right moment involves striking a balance between when your existing MacBook is old enough to merit replacing but new enough to still be worth a decent amount in trade in. Apple does also tend to give away gift vouchers with select purchases around the time of Black Friday, but the value of the gift vouchers is often less than the discounted price of Apple products at third-party retailers.
If you're ready to start hunting today, see the best MacBook prices in your region below.
Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
