Want the best MacBook on a budget? It's no longer the latest model, but the MacBook Air M1 is still an excellent laptop. And right now it's an even better deal.
The MacBook Air M1 is $799 at Amazon right now. It's the lowest price I've ever seen for this model, and I think it's an absolute steal. (Best Buy offers the same price.) This is a Memorial Day sale not to be missed.
It's since been surpassed by the MacBook Air M2, but we still think the MacBook Air M1 is one of the best MacBooks you can buy. It's an all-round impressive machine and it's great value for money at $799.
Running on the Apple M1 chip, this MacBook delivers excellent performance. We put it to the test by opening 20 Chrome tabs, streaming video in 1080p, and juggling between multiple applications at once, and the performance didn't stutter. The MacBook Air M1 can also handle tough tasks like photo and video editing with ease.
Despite all this performance, Apple didn't sacrifice portability. The MacBook Air M1 measures 0.6 inches thick and weighs just 2.8 pounds. And battery life is great with this laptop — our MacBook Air M1 lasted 14 hours and 41 minutes in our tests, enough for a full day's use.
No laptop is perfect, and the MacBook Air M1 does have a couple of issues. The bezels around the display are pretty thick, making this laptop's design look a little dated. We also wish it had a few more ports, as Apple has only included two Thunderbolt 3 USB ports on one side of the laptop and a headphone jack on the other.
Still, the MacBook Air M1 is an awesome device. I highly recommend picking one up now that it's at its lowest price ever. For more deals, stay tuned to our Memorial Day sales coverage.
