Last-minute deal takes $400 off MacBook Pro 14-inch — lowest price ever

The MacBook Pro 2021 with a price drop tag — (Image credit: Future)

Normally as we get closer to the launch of new device, I'll advise people to steer clear of the previous generation model. But sometimes, there are exceptions, and the MacBook Pro happens to be a big one right now.

Rumor has is that the MacBook Pro with Apple's new M2 Pro chip is coming soon. And Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that we should see the upgraded laptops in early 2023. I think the most serious power users might want to wait, but if you've been tempted to buy one of the best laptops around, it's really hard to beat this price.

MacBook Pro 14" (M1 Pro/512GB): was $1,999 now $1,599 @ Best Buy
The 2021 MacBook Pro remains one of the best laptops you can buy. It sports Apple's powerful M1 Pro chip with 8 more GPU cores, a better Media Engine, and more memory bandwidth than the already incredible M1 chip. It's also Apple's first 14-inch MacBook Pro featuring a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display. Other specs include 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. You also get three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, SD card slot and MagSafe charging.

I've been using the MacBook Pro 14-inch for several months as my go-to system, and it's simply the best laptop I've ever used. As you'll see in our MacBook Pro 14-inch review, this is an awesome machine those who want the ultimate in performance, visual quality and computing comfort.

The M1 Pro chip inside this machine delivers screaming fast performance, whether you're juggling dozens of tabs, editing photos or transcoding large video files. The standard configuration comes with 16GB of unified memory and a 512GB SSD.

Alternatively, you can spring for a 16-core version on Best Buy for $2,099 right now, which is also $400 off. That model comes with 16GB of memory but a larger 1TB SSD.

Another key selling point for the current MacBook Pro is its 14-inch mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display. It's bright (about 500 nits in our testing), colorful and goes nearly edge to edge. And, no, I don't mind the notch up top, which houses the 1080p webcam. This is a great panel for watching video or creating or editing content.

We also really like the battery life offered by the MacBook Pro 14-inch. We recorded an excellent 14 hours and 9 minutes of endurance in the Tom's Guide battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits of screen brightness. And you can charge back up using the handy magnetic MagSafe charger.

The port selection on the MacBook Pro 14-inch is pretty solid, too. You get three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, MagSafe 3, a headphone jack and a SD memory card slot. The latter is especially great for those who need to transfer photos or videos quickly from a DSLR or mirrorless camera.

Add in a comfy Magic Keyboard that makes for speedy typing and a generously large trackpad and there's very little to dislike about this Apple laptop. The only thing missing really is an old-school USB-A port.

Overall, this is an amazingly good deal on the MacBook Pro 14-inch. We would act fast before it sells out. And see our Christmas deals page and best last-minute gifts hub for more great ideas.

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Mark Spoonauer is the global editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has covered technology for over 20 years. In addition to overseeing the direction of Tom's Guide, Mark specializes in covering all things mobile, having reviewed dozens of smartphones and other gadgets. He has spoken at key industry events and appears regularly on TV to discuss the latest trends, including Cheddar, Fox Business and other outlets. Mark was previously editor in chief of Laptop Mag, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer.