Best MacBook to Buy on Black Friday: Which Chip Gives You the Most Value?

Every Mac deal list you open next month will lead with the newest chip and the biggest "$ off" badge. That tells you what's cheap. It doesn't tell you which MacBook is worth your money, and that's the question you came with.

The best MacBook to buy on Black Friday for most people is a Plug Certified M1 MacBook Air, from $399.99 at Plug as of Oct 21, 2026. That's about $350 less than last year's lowest sale price on a new M4 MacBook Air ($749.99, per MacRumors). Choose the M2 MacBook Air, from $709.99, for a bigger display and MagSafe charging, and the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro, from $519.99, only if you need a fan.

The Short Answer: Pick by Budget and by Job

Pick the MacBook by what you'll spend and what the laptop has to do all day. Whether you're buying for yourself, a student or someone on your gift list, here is a quick guide to the three Macs in Plug's Black Friday MacBook collection:

• Best for tight budgets and first laptops: M1 MacBook Air, from $399.99. That price gets you 128GB of storage; $449.99 gets you 256GB, the version we'd point most people to. Apple's macOS Tahoe 26 supports it today.
• Best for a bigger screen and easy charging: M2 MacBook Air, from $709.99. A 13.6-inch display, MagSafe 3 charging, a newer chip and 512GB of storage in the listings at Plug today.
• Best for long, heavy sessions: 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro, from $519.99. It has a fan (the Airs don't), and Apple gives it a longer battery rating than the M1 Air.
• Best skipped by: anyone who needs the latest chip for years of demanding work. A new Mac on sale is the better buy there, and the section on new vs. certified below shows where that line falls.

Prices were read from Plug's Black Friday MacBook collection on Oct 21, 2026. Prices at Plug follow live market data and change often, so check the listing on the day you buy.

What Black Friday Actually Does to MacBook Prices

Black Friday mostly lowers the price of new MacBooks at retailers, not at Apple. Apple's own Black Friday offers usually come as a gift card with your purchase rather than a lower sticker price, while Amazon, Best Buy and other stores take the discounts off the price you pay.

Here is what the new-Mac deals looked like last year:

• Nov 18, 2025: MacRumors listed the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air (256GB) at $749.99, $249 off.
• Nov 28, 2025: MacRumors and 9to5Mac reported the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro at $1,349, down from $1,599.

Those were 2025 deals, and they're over. As of late October 2026, this year's Black Friday prices haven't been posted, so nobody can quote you this year's M4 or M5 sale price yet.

The dates are set, though. Black Friday is Nov 27, 2026. Cyber Monday is Nov 30, 2026.

This means the floor you're comparing against is roughly $750 for a new MacBook Air and $1,349 for an M5 MacBook Pro, if this year's discounts match last year's. A Plug Certified Mac sits well below both before Black Friday tech deals even start.

Chip by Chip: M1 vs M2 vs the Newest Macs

The M1 gives you the most laptop per dollar, the M2 buys a newer design and a faster chip, and the newest M4 and M5 models are for people who'll push a Mac hard for years. Here are the certified pre-owned MacBooks Plug lists today:

MacBook	From at Plug (Oct 21, 2026)	Storage at that price	What sets it apart	Best for
MacBook Air M1 13" (Late 2020)	$399.99 / $449.99	128GB / 256GB	Lowest price; 13.3-inch display; no MagSafe	Students, everyday work, gifts on a budget
MacBook Air M2 13" (Mid 2022)	$709.99	512GB	13.6-inch display; MagSafe 3; newer chip	A bigger screen and more storage
MacBook Pro M1 13" (Late 2020)	$519.99 / $619.99	256GB / 512GB	A fan for long jobs; longer battery rating	Long exports and heavy sessions

Specs come from Apple's tech specs pages for each model, not hands-on testing by Plug.

What the M2 Adds Over the M1

Apple lists the M2's memory bandwidth at 100GB/s. Think of that number as the width of the pipe that feeds the chip: the same sink fills faster through a wider pipe. This means the M2 has more room when you load it up with apps and large files.

The two Airs share the same battery rating on Apple's spec pages: up to 15 hours of wireless web and 18 hours of video playback. So you aren't paying extra for battery life when you step up to the M2.

The Price Gap, in Dollars

The 256GB M1 Air is $449.99 and the M2 Air is $709.99, a gap of $260. That $260 pays for:

• A bigger display: 13.6 inches against 13.3.
• MagSafe 3: a magnetic charging connector the M1 Air doesn't have.
• A slightly lighter body: 2.7 lb against 2.8 lb.
• Double the storage: 512GB against 256GB.
• The newer chip: the extra headroom described above.

If none of those matter to you, the M1 Air does the same everyday work and you save $260. For a closer look at the two chips, see this M1 vs. M2 MacBook Air value comparison.

Where the Newest Macs Fit

Apple lists the 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 from $1,299 and the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 from $1,999. Those are full prices for the latest chips. They make sense if you edit video, run heavy software every day or plan to keep the laptop as long as possible. For writing, school, browsing and streaming, you'd be paying for power you won't use.

The M1 MacBook Air: The Value Floor

The M1 MacBook Air is the lowest-priced way into a Mac at Plug, and for everyday work it's still enough. It starts at $399.99 for 128GB in Silver, and $449.99 buys 256GB in Space Gray. Plug lists those at 60% and 55% off retail.

There's also Plug's M1 Starter Pack, a ready-made bundle with 256GB of storage, from $439.99 in Space Gray, Silver or Gold. Check the listing to see what comes in the pack.

The M1 Air suits students, families, a first Mac and anyone who lives in a browser, documents and video calls. Is a 2020 laptop too old? Apple's own compatibility page lists the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) as supported by macOS Tahoe 26. Apple doesn't say how long that support will last.

Who should not pick it: anyone who keeps many apps and tabs open at once, edits video, or wants a laptop to grow into. 8GB of memory gets tight under that kind of load, and the M1 listings on Plug's collection page don't state memory, so check the product page before you buy. If you store photos or large files on the laptop itself, skip the 128GB model and go straight to 256GB.

The M2 MacBook Air: When It's Worth the Extra

The M2 MacBook Air is worth the extra money when you'll use the bigger screen and the extra storage every day. Plug lists it from $709.99 (512GB, 8GB memory, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, Starlight) and $729.99 in Space Gray, at 35% and 33% off retail.

Compare like for like. The M2 Airs at Plug today come with 512GB, so the fair comparison isn't the $399.99 128GB M1. It's another Mac with 512GB, such as the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro at $619.99.

The M2 is a good fit for:

• Long days on the laptop: the 13.6-inch display gives you more room for side-by-side windows.
• Busy homes and dorm desks: MagSafe 3 charges through a magnetic connector.
• People who keep files locally: 512GB holds a lot of photos and coursework without an external drive.

Who should skip it: anyone who wants 16GB of memory, since the M2 listings at Plug today show 8GB. If you only browse, write and stream, the M1 Air does that for $260 less.

The 13-Inch MacBook Pro: Who Needs the Fan

The 13-inch MacBook Pro is the pick for long, heavy jobs, because it has a fan and the Airs don't. Plug's MacBook Pro today is the 13-inch M1 (Late 2020), from $519.99 for 256GB with an 8-core GPU and $619.99 for 512GB, in Silver. Plug lists them at 64% and 58% off retail. There's no M2 or newer MacBook Pro in Plug's Black Friday MacBook collection right now.

Why does a fan matter? Exporting a long video or running a big project for an hour builds heat. A fan keeps the chip cool so it can hold its pace through that kind of work. Apple also rates the 13-inch Pro's battery longer than the M1 Air's.

The Pro costs $70 more than the 256GB M1 Air ($519.99 against $449.99). That's money well spent if you do sustained, heavy work. It isn't if you don't. The design is the older one, and for school, email and streaming the Air gives you the same chip for less.

New on Sale or Plug Certified?

A new Mac on sale wins when you need the latest chip and a brand-new battery. A Plug Certified Mac wins when the goal is the most laptop for the least money. Both are reasonable buys; they answer different questions. If you're still deciding, read whether refurbished Black Friday tech deals are worth it.

Here is the gap in numbers. Last year's lowest new M4 MacBook Air price was $749.99. A Plug Certified M1 Air starts at $399.99, a difference of $350. That's roughly half the price of the best new-Air deal of 2025.

Apple also lists a new lower-priced laptop, the MacBook Neo, from $599. If brand new is a must and your budget stops near $600, that's the one to compare. A 256GB M1 Air at Plug is about $150 less.

What you get with a Plug Certified Mac is shown in process and numbers:

• 90+ Point Inspection: every device is tested before it's listed.
• Battery health of 80% or higher.
• 12-Month Plug Warranty: cover for hardware and software faults under normal use.
• 30-day returns: see Plug's guarantee page for the terms.
• Free shipping on US orders.
• Grades that describe looks only: Good, Great or Excellent. Each grade gets the same full testing and the same warranty.

That's the difference between "used" and "certified." A private seller sells a Mac as-is. Plug tests it, certifies it and puts its warranty behind it. Every device carries our name and our warranty. That's our promise.

8GB or 16GB? Settle It Before You Buy

Settle memory before checkout, because you can't add more to a MacBook later. The memory is built in.

The rule of thumb from reviewers:

• 8GB: enough for light use like browsing, documents, streaming and video calls.
• 16GB: the safer choice if this is your main computer or you want to keep it three years or more.

Reviewers often steer buyers toward 16GB over 8GB, and that's worth weighing. A low price on an 8GB Mac is a good deal only if 8GB fits how you work.

What the listings show today: the M2 Air listings at Plug say 8GB. The M1 listings on the collection page don't state memory, so open each product page and read the specs rather than guessing. For comparison, last year's $749 M4 MacBook Air deal came with 16GB. If 16GB is a must and your budget allows it, that's a case where a new Mac on sale earns its price.

Check the Battery Before You Check Out

Check battery health on any Mac you didn't buy new, because it tells you how much charge the battery still holds compared with when it was new. Plug Certified Macs come with battery health of 80% or higher.

Battery health and battery life aren't the same thing. Battery life is the hours you get from a full charge. Battery health is how much a full charge holds now. A phone plan that shrinks your data cap each year is a fair comparison: you still get a "full" month, just a smaller one.

Why 80%? Apple designs MacBook batteries to keep up to 80% of their original capacity by the time they reach their maximum cycle count. That makes 80% the line Apple plans for after years of heavy use, and every Plug Certified Mac comes with battery health of 80% or higher.

Here is how to check it yourself:

1. Battery health: open System Settings > Battery, then click the info button next to Battery Health. Read the Maximum Capacity line.
2. Charge cycles: hold Option, click the Apple menu, choose System Information, then Hardware > Power. Find Cycle Count.

If you buy from a private seller, do this before you pay. With a Plug Certified Mac, Plug has already checked it, and the 12-Month Plug Warranty stands behind the result.

Your Pick, by Budget

Under $450, the M1 MacBook Air is the value floor: $399.99 for 128GB or $449.99 for 256GB. Around $520 to $620, the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro is for heavy, sustained work. Around $710 to $730, the M2 MacBook Air adds the bigger display, MagSafe and 512GB. Above $750, you're in new-Mac sale territory, where an M4 Air deal makes sense if you need 16GB and the latest chip.

Shopping for other Apple gear this season? See how much iPhones drop on Black Friday and whether Apple Watches and AirPods go on sale. If a phone is on your list too, browse the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 15, iPhone 16 or iPhone 17 Black Friday pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much are MacBook Airs on Black Friday?

In 2025, the deepest Black Friday cut on a new 13-inch M4 MacBook Air was about $250 off Apple's $999 list price, according to MacRumors' deal coverage. Bigger storage and memory configurations cost more, even on sale.

What is the price of an M4 MacBook Air?

Apple launched the M4 MacBook Air on March 12, 2025, at $999 for the 13-inch and $1,199 for the 15-inch. Stepping up to 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage cost $949.99 on sale in November 2025, $200 above the base model's best deal.

Do MacBooks ever come on sale?

Yes. Back-to-school season and new-model launches are the other times MacBook prices tend to drop. Amazon's Prime Day is another sale window, though which MacBook models it covers changes from year to year.