M5 MacBook Pro Discounts: Will Prices Drop Before or After Christmas?

M5 MacBook Pro discounts are already showing up this fall, but they start from a higher list price than a year ago. If you're deciding between buying now, waiting for Black Friday or holding out until after Christmas, last year's prices are the best map you have.

Going by last year, the best price on a new M5 MacBook Pro came before Christmas, not after. The base 14-inch model, listed at $1,599, dropped to $1,349 at Amazon on Black Friday 2025 and again on Dec 17, then sat at $1,449 through January, according to deal coverage from MacRumors and 9to5Mac. That is one model in one year, and Apple's list price is now $1,999.

Last Year's Price Ladder: The Low Came in Late November and December

The new-in-box price on the base 14-inch M5 fell steadily from launch to Black Friday, held there into mid-December, and climbed $100 in January. Here is how it moved, as reported by the outlets named (16GB of memory and 512GB of storage unless noted):

Date	Price	Reported by
Oct 22, 2025, launch day	$1,584 at Amazon ($15 off)	Mashable
Oct 31, 2025	$1,543 at Amazon ($56 off)	Tom's Guide
Nov 17, 2025	$1,476 ($123 off)	9to5Mac
Nov 25, 2025	$1,399.99 ($199 off)	MacRumors forums
Nov 28, 2025, Black Friday	$1,349 at Amazon ($250 off)	MacRumors
Dec 1, 2025, Cyber Monday	$1,349; 16GB/1TB $1,549; 24GB/1TB $1,749	Macworld, 9to5Mac
Dec 17, 2025	$1,349 at Amazon; about $1,399 at Best Buy	9to5Mac
Jan 2, 2026	$1,449 new at Amazon	9to5Toys
Jan 8 and Jan 20, 2026	$1,449 at Amazon ($150 off)	MacRumors

The price behaved like a tide. It went out a little each week through November, sat at low water for about three weeks, and came partway back in after the holidays. The worked number: $250 off a $1,599 list is about 16%, and the January price gave back $100 of that.

One January number did beat the holiday low. On Jan 2, 2026, 9to5Toys reported a Best Buy open-box unit (excellent condition) at $1,294.99. That was an open-box laptop, not a sealed one, so it is a different kind of purchase.

Why the Price Starts Higher Than It Did a Year Ago

Apple raised Mac and iPad prices on June 25, 2026, and the cheapest MacBook Pro went up with them. The base 14-inch M5 went on sale on Oct 22, 2025 at $1,599 with 512GB of storage. On Oct 22, 2026, Apple's own page listed the 14-inch M5 at $1,999 with 1TB.

The reports at the time named memory and storage costs as the reason, driven by AI data center demand soaking up supply. The higher-end models launched later, on March 11, 2026, at $2,199 for the 14-inch M5 Pro, $2,699 for the 16-inch M5 Pro, $3,599 for the 14-inch M5 Max and $3,899 for the 16-inch M5 Max, per Apple.

This means a familiar-looking discount buys less than it did. Take last year's $250 Black Friday cut off today's $1,999 and you land at $1,749, still above last year's $1,599 list price.

What's on Sale Right Now (as of Oct 23, 2026)

The deepest M5 MacBook Pro discounts this month are on the Pro and Max chips, not the base model. Here are the latest posted prices, listed below by model:

• 16-inch M5 Pro (18-core, 24GB, 1TB): $2,429 at Amazon, down from $2,999, or $570 off. MacRumors called it a new record low on Oct 21.
• 16-inch M5 Max (36GB, 2TB): $3,499 at Amazon and Best Buy, down from $4,399, or $900 off, in the same MacRumors report.
• 14-inch M5 (16GB, 1TB): around $1,837 at Amazon per CNET, about $162 under Apple's $1,999. Macworld had the same configuration at $1,886.31 in July.

These figures come from the publications named, not hands-on testing by Plug. Retailer prices move daily and deals end without notice, so read the retailer's own listing on the day you buy.

What Apple Does at the Holidays, and What It Doesn't

In 2025, Apple left its Mac prices alone and handed out gift cards instead. Its Black Friday shopping event ran from Friday, Nov 28 to Monday, Dec 1, 2025, and a qualifying MacBook Pro purchase came with a $200 Apple Gift Card, per Apple's newsroom. Amazon and Best Buy were the ones cutting the price.

Apple did change one thing for the holidays: its return window. Last year, products bought from Apple between Nov 1 and Dec 25, 2025 could be returned through Jan 8, 2026. For this year, check Apple's own Black Friday page and its sales and refund policy once they're posted, and use last year's terms as a guide.

If you're shopping for other Apple gear on the same trip, our pages on cheap AirPods and a cheap Apple Watch cover those, and the cheap Apple products roundup covers the rest.

If you're comparing offers, put a number on the gift card. A $200 Apple Gift Card is only worth $200 to you if you'll spend it at Apple anyway, while a $250 retailer cut comes off the price at checkout.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday or After Christmas?

For a new M5 MacBook Pro, late November through mid-December has been the window to watch. On the 2026 calendar, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving (Thursday, Nov 26), so Friday, Nov 27, and Cyber Monday is the Monday after, Nov 30. Christmas lands on a Friday, Dec 25. For the wider picture across Apple devices, see our guide on whether Apple products are cheaper on Black Friday or Christmas. If you want to check the live offers, the MacBook Pro Black Friday deals page collects them, and it helps to know how to spot a fake Black Friday deal before you click.

Last year, Black Friday and Cyber Monday matched on the base model at $1,349, and Cyber Monday also brought the 1TB configurations down $250. The same $1,349 price came back on Dec 17. By Jan 2, the new-in-box price was $1,449, and it was still there on Jan 20.

The M4 MacBook Pro followed the same shape a year earlier. MacRumors reported the base 14-inch M4 at $1,399.99 on Nov 20, 2024 and $1,399 on Nov 29, then $1,449 on Jan 8, 2025. The 14-inch M4 Pro was $250 off on Nov 20, and the 16-inch M4 Pro was $300 off on Nov 29.

In both years, the new-in-box price was lower in late November and December than in January. Two seasons is a pattern worth knowing, not a promise. The one after-Christmas exception was open-box stock, so if you're open to that, January is still worth a look.

A New Model Could Be Coming: What's Rumored

Press reports point to new MacBook Pro models as soon as this fall, but the details vary from outlet to outlet. AppleInsider, writing on Oct 19, 2026, expects a second Apple event in late October, and MacRumors has been tracking rumors of OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro models. On Oct 15, MacRumors also reported a rumored later OLED generation with M7 chips for late 2027.

These are press reports, not Apple announcements, and the details may change. Phones follow a similar pattern, which we cover in do older iPhones get cheaper when a new one launches.

So, are you about to buy right before the M5 gets replaced? Possibly. What that costs you depends on what you need. A newer model would bring new features, but an M5 bought this fall does the same work the day after a launch as the day before. If you need a laptop for school, work or a gift before the holidays, waiting on a rumor means going without one in the meantime.

Is the Previous Generation Enough?

For most people, yes. Apple says the M5 is up to 15% faster than the M4 on multithreaded CPU work and up to 30% faster on graphics, rising to 45% in apps that use ray tracing. Independent reviews from Tom's Hardware, Macworld and Wired measured roughly 10 to 20% more CPU speed and 35 to 50% more graphics speed, and some called the jump modest for M4 owners.

This means the biggest gains from the M5 chip land in AI and graphics-heavy work: 3D, video effects, running models on the laptop itself. Email, browsing, documents, video calls and photo edits already run well on earlier Apple silicon. If your work is mostly in that second group, you're paying for headroom you may not use.

If you go with an earlier MacBook, the chip matters less than the battery. Check battery health (Apple shows it as Maximum Capacity), not just the advertised battery life. Plug's line is 80%: every Plug Certified device ships with battery health at 80% or higher.

Ways to Pay Less Than the Sticker Price

If $1,999 is more than you want to spend, you have three routes, from closest-to-new to lowest-cost. Here is how they work:

1. A Retailer Sale on the Current Model

This is the simplest route if you want a sealed M5. Amazon and Best Buy have done the discounting on the M5 MacBook Pro so far, and right now that's about $162 off the base model and $570 to $900 off the 16-inch Pro and Max. You get a new laptop on the retailer's return policy.

2. Apple's Own Certified Store

Apple Certified Refurbished is Apple's own store for returned and previously owned Macs, and it already carries the M5. In October 2026 it listed a 14-inch M5 at $1,699 against $1,999 original, which is $300 or 15% off. If you searched for a refurbished M5 MacBook Pro, this is the closest thing to buying from Apple at a lower price. Stock changes often, so a model you find today may be gone tomorrow. Our guide on whether refurbished Black Friday deals are worth it walks through what to check.

3. A Plug Certified MacBook

If the newest chip isn't a must-have, an earlier-generation MacBook certified by Plug is a lower-cost route. At Plug, we put every MacBook through a 90+ Point Inspection, check that battery health is 80% or higher, and cover it with Plug's 12-Month Warranty. You also get 30-day returns and free shipping on US orders.

Plug's certified refurbished MacBook collection carries Plug Certified MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models from earlier generations. Which chips are in stock and what they cost changes often, so check the live collection for today's models and prices. For more ideas, see our guide to a cheap MacBook. Whichever grade you pick, Good, Great or Excellent, it describes looks only. Every device carries our name and our warranty. That's our promise.

What Each Option Costs and Covers

Option	Price seen for a 14-inch M5	Warranty	Returns
New from Apple	$1,999 list (Apple's page, Oct 22, 2026)	Apple's terms	14 days from receipt; extended over the holidays last year
New from a retailer	Around $1,837 at Amazon (CNET, Oct 2026)	Check the listing	The retailer's own policy
Apple Certified Refurbished	$1,699 (Apple's store, Oct 2026)	Apple's terms	Apple's terms
Plug Certified (earlier generations)	See the live collection; prices move	Plug's 12-Month Warranty	30-day returns

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the MacBook M5 go up in price?

Apple's June 25, 2026 increase hit some configurations by up to $500, Macworld reported in July. It wasn't specific to the M5 or to the MacBook Pro: iPads went up too, and Apple said it had "never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly."

Does Apple discount the MacBook Pro on Black Friday?

No, not on the price itself. There's also a catch if you buy early: Apple's 14-day price adjustment excludes limited-time sales events such as Black Friday, so a Black Friday price drop won't be refunded on a Mac you bought from Apple earlier in November. Retailer price-match terms are separate; check each one.

Is an Apple refurbished M5 MacBook Pro cheaper?

Yes, though the gap varies by chip. In October 2026, Apple's store listed the 14-inch M5 Pro at $380 to $480 under original, the 16-inch M5 Pro at $450 under, and M5 Max models at $620 to $750 under. A retailer sale can narrow it: Amazon's roughly $1,837 for a new base model is only about $138 above Apple's $1,699.

Should I wait for the next MacBook Pro?

That depends on your timeline. If you buy from Apple now and a new model is announced, Apple's standard return window is 14 days from receipt, which gives you some room to change your mind. Retailers set their own windows. If a rumored model would change what you buy, keep the receipt and the box until that window closes.

How long would an M5 MacBook Pro last?

Many people use a MacBook Pro for years, though Apple publishes no single lifespan for a Mac. What Apple does publish is a battery rating by charge cycles: many recent MacBook Pro batteries are rated for 1,000 cycles, and the figure varies by model. You can check the cycle count in your Mac's battery information.

A Simple Rule for Deciding

Buy now if you need the laptop and a retailer's price is under Apple's list. Last year, the new-in-box price was at its lowest between Black Friday on Nov 28 and mid-December, so waiting for that window costs you a few weeks, not months. Hold off past Christmas only if you can go without a laptop and you're willing to see whether the rumored new models arrive. And if the price, not the chip, is the problem, an earlier-generation Plug Certified MacBook is the lower-cost route, with Plug's 12-Month Warranty behind it.