The MacBook Air M4 for $250 off is the best early Black Friday laptop deal — all-time lowest price

If you're planning on buying a MacBook for less during the big Black Friday sales, you may be eyeing up the M1 MacBook Air down to just $599 over at Walmart right now. Honestly, it's a solid choice, and you could do far worse for the price, considering what Apple's laptop brings to the table.

The thing is, the MacBook Air M4 at its lowest price ever on Amazon is simply the better buy.

With a $250 discount, that takes one of the best laptops of the year (and a personal favorite of mine) down to $749. I know, that's still pricier than the M1, and seeing a MacBook that low is tempting. But really, you'll be saving yourself in the long run with the M4 model.

Offering incredibly strong performance that breezes through workloads, 16GB of RAM as standard (that's double the M1's) and an updated, thin and lightweight design, grabbing the MacBook Air M4 for $150 more is the right move.

Lowest price!

Save $250

Apple 13" MacBook Air (M4/256GB): was $999 now $749 at Amazon

With the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 now down to its lowest price yet, you can save $250 on one of the best laptops you can buy today. Yes, you could get older models for less. Given this is only $150 more than the 5-year-old M1 MacBook Air, why would you even bother going ancient when the M4 chip powers through workloads at incredible speeds?
MacBook Air 13" M4 (16GB/512GB): was $1,199 now $949
MacBook Air 13" M4 (24GB/512GB): was $1,399 now $1,149

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This isn't to knock the MacBook Air M1. Despite launching in 2020, this laptop can still muster up some great speeds for working through documents, emails and more. At $599, this may even strike the right price for many.

But the M1 will soon be on its way out. Considering Apple's life cycle, the M1 MacBook Air will likely see its end of support in 2027 (Intel-based Macs are ending support next year). This doesn't leave you a lot of time with this laptop before it needs an upgrade, and in this market, longevity means value.

For just an extra $150, though, you'll get the best laptop we've tested this year. Not only did Apple knock $100 off the official price of the MacBook Air M4 at launch, taking it back down to the M1's cost, but Black Friday is now seeing it drop to its lowest price at $749.

With what this laptop offers, that's amazing value. Unlike the M1 model, the M4 will speed through multiple tasks at once, juggle dozens of browser tabs, handle photo and video editing, and even play some demanding games like Lies of P well. Just look at the difference in benchmarks in our lab tests:

That's nearly double the performance, and with 16GB of RAM compared to the 8GB of RAM on the M1 laptop, it's far more capable at handling the latest demanding apps simultaneously.

Throw in the sleeker, modern-looking design, with smaller display bezels for a bigger 13.6-inch screen (13.3 inches on the M1) and a MagSafe charging port so you don't have to sacrifice one of the two USB-C ports for charging, and there's a reason why the MacBook Air M4 excels.

There's a reason why we called the MacBook Air M4 the "top laptop value" in our review, and if you're able to squeeze out an extra $150 right now, you'll get a lot more out of the M4 over the M1 today.

If you're on the lookout for even more big sales, our Black Friday laptop deals roundup will help you save on your next machine. For even more of the latest deals, check out our Black Friday live blog.

More Black Friday Deals: Quick Links

• Amazon: 50% off Ring, Ninja, AirPods and more
• REI: half-off Arc'teryx, Patagonia and more
• Hoka: sneakers from $99
• Carhartt apparel: deals from $14
• TV sale: deals from $69 @ Best Buy
• Dell: monitors from $69, laptops from $299
• Best Buy: laptops from $149
• Lenovo: doorbuster laptop deals from $319
• Nike: apparel/sneakers from $7
• Walmart: holiday gifts from $15

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