Black Friday just came early with the MacBook Air M2 for just $699 — and I just bought one

MacBook Air M2 with lowest price deal tag
(Image credit: Future)

As a die-hard Windows user, even I was surprised by how quickly I folded for this early Black Friday deal on the 13-inch MacBook Air M2. Apple's M series MacBooks are some of the best laptops you can buy for their thin builds, impressive power and insane battery life.

In fact, the M2 version of the Air in particular lasted over 14 hours in our testing. I'd long coveted one for editing videos and working across dozens of tabs at a time. At $300 off I could finally justify sending my everyday MSI gaming laptop to the chopping block. 

Right now, you can get an M2 MacBook Air for only $699 at Amazon. That's 30% off its normal price and easily the best early Black Friday laptop deal I've seen. 

MacBook Air 13 (M2/256GB): was $1,099 now $699 @ Amazon

MacBook Air 13 (M2/256GB): was $1,099 now $699 @ Amazon
The MacBook Air M2 is one of our most recommended laptops because it's remarkably light and thin yet sports a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, a speedy Apple M2 CPU w/ 8-core GPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and a crisp 1080p FaceTime camera. In our MacBook Air M2 review we lauded this Editor's Choice laptop for its versatility and battery life, so don't miss your chance to get one at a great discount.

MacBook Air M2 vs MacBook Air M1 composite image

MacBook Air M2 (left) vs MacBook Air M1 (right) (Image credit: Future)

As you'll see in our MacBook Air M2 review, this is more than just a generational chip leap from the M1 Air. Its bigger, brighter screen and upgraded 1080p webcam brings it nearly on par with the MacBook Air M3 for some serious value. Essentially, you're paying entry-level pricing for a Mac a powerful and sexy machine with modern specs that should last you years to come. I don't know about you, but this was too good for me to miss out on.

I spent most of late last year debating whether to buy an M1 MacBook Air on sale for $699. That's a great price for a MacBook no less one equipped with an M-series chip. Ultimately, I wasn't impressed by the previous model's design due to its chunky screen bezels and 720p webcam. The redesigned M2 corrected these pain points for a more modern-looking machine that feels like a steal for the price.

My job provided me with a MacBook Air M2 and its crisp 2560 x 1664 pixels resolution screen is gorgeous and gets bright enough to fight off the natural sunlight that floods my apartment. Paired with the Retina display's rich colors, this Air is the ultimate content creation station for most people. The M2 chip is constantly speedy despite having over 50 Chrome tabs open at any given time while using an app like Photoshop. In fact, this handles my everyday multitasking on par with my MSI gaming laptop which has 16GB of RAM. I was worried about going backwards to just 8GB with the Mac; however, the efficient chip and power make for a comparable experience.

That said, this machine is not going to edit 4K video as fast as a MacBook Pro and it's GPU isn't going to run the latest games beyond medium settings. Still, the M2 Air punches far above its weight, able to render 27 frames per second on the latest Tomb Raider game.

The main complaint I've stumbled upon in my research is that the SSD is slightly slower in the 256GB MacBook Air M2 than the M1 or M3 versions. That's because Apple switched from two NAND chips to a single one for this model. This change was reverted in the subsequent M3. Otherwise, the MacBook Air M2 is in the sweet spot— almost 90% the same as the latest MacBook Air M3 ($1,099) while drastically upgraded from the M1. I'd argue there's never been a better time to buy or upgrade your Mac.

Hunter Fenollol
Senior Editor, Smart Home

Hunter Fenollol is a Senior Editor for Tom’s Guide. He specializes in smart home gadgets and appliances. Prior to joining the team, Hunter reviewed computers, wearables, and mixed reality gear for publications that include CNN Underscored, Popular Mechanics, and Laptop Magazine. When he’s not testing out the latest cooking gadgets, you can likely find him playing a round of golf or out with friends feeding his paycheck to a QuickHit slot machine. Hunter started his career as an intern at Tom’s Guide back in 2019 while in college. He graduated from Long Island University Post with a degree in Communications and minor in Advertising. He has been vlogging ever since the iPhone 4 took front-facing cameras mainstream.

Read more
MacBook Air M2 with lowest price deal tag
The MacBook Air M2 is my everyday laptop and it’s selling at an all-time price low
MacBook Air M3 deals
My favorite MacBook Air is now $200 off — don’t miss out!
MacBook Air M3
Act fast! The MacBook Air M3 just dropped to its lowest ever price at Amazon
MacBook Air M3 13-inch held in hand with Tom's Guide Price Drop badge
Surprise! MacBook Air M3 is $200 off at Amazon — including all models in Midnight and Starlight
MacBook Air M3 13-inch with Tom's Guide Holiday Finds badge
Hurry! The MacBook Air M3 is $200 off at Amazon in last-minute deal
MacBook Air M3
Holy smokes! The MacBook Air M3 just fell to its lowest ever price at Amazon
Latest in Smart Home
HomePod with display concept render
Apple HomePod with display now rumored for late 2025 launch
Schneider Electric Pulse home energy panels.
The Smart Home Upgrade You’ve Been Missing
An Echo Show 10 with the Alexa Plus logo displayed on screen
Alexa+ — I have 4 big questions about Amazon's new AI assistant
An Abode home security menu on a TV screen
Abode now lets you check in on your smart home security system right from your Apple TV
Reolink Altas PT Ultra attached to side of home
Reolink Altas PT Ultra review: Long battery life and crisp 360-degree footage
Apple tvOS 18 new features
New tvOS 18 code hints at Apple's much rumored smart home hub
Latest in News
Google Chromecast
Google has a fix for broken Chromecasts as long as you didn't factory reset
NYTimes Connections
NYT Connections today hints and answers — Friday, March 14 (#642)
Nvidia ACE
I played with Nvidia's AI NPC prototypes — now they're real, and I fear I'll never finish a game again
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Biggest rumored differences
Intel CPU
Intel's Panther Lake appears in public for the first time — what we know about the new chip
OnePlus Pad 2 with keyboard
OnePlus Pad 2 Pro specs leak — this tablet is a beast