MacBook Cyber Monday LIVE: record low prices on M3 MacBook Pro and M2 Air

And we're off! It's CB Editor Georgia here, to get us started on the final phase of this epic sales weekend. I'll be sharing all the offers, plus buying advice and tips, all of which I've honed over many years of covering these deals. Thanks for being here!

I've already seen some record savings this year, including a very surprising $150 discount on the newest iteration of the MacBook line up – the M3 Pro. Now, you might not necessarily need that model, it is quite the beast, but if you do, you'll be able to get it for cheaper than expected at B&H Photo. This is obviously a record-low price, because it is so very new. See it below:

• MacBook M3: $1,599 $1,449 at B&H Photo

So, what do I know about MacBooks? Well, for a start I'm typing on one right now. The M2 MacBook Air (in starlight, thanks for asking). I love this laptop – it's thin, light and as powerful as I need it to be. Plus the battery life is excellent. 

The price on this model, which is the 13.6-inch version, has wavered since its release, but is currently sitting at its lowest price ever at B&H Photo. It's just $929 for the space grey version – that's $170 off the RRP. Actually that's the same price as Amazon has a renewed version on sale for, so that's not bad at all, is it?

It's the most basic version, which has 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. But other options are available (for more money). Just click through. 

• Get MacBook M2 13-inch: $1,099 $929 at B&H Photo

Before I go any further, did you know about Apple's gift card promotion this Cyber Monday? If not, then we have all of the details for you in our dedicated guide. 

Or for a quick summary – if you make a purchase directly from Apple today (November 24) through to Cyber Monday (November 27) then you'll receive a complimentary Apple gift card to use on your next purchase. 

The better the product, the better the reward. So if you buy a MacBook Air you can get up to $200 gift card, whereas accessories like AirPods and the Apple Watch will reap the minimum $50 gift card rewards. 

Apple pretty much never gives direct discounts on its products, which is why you won't see us covering many deals direct from Apple here on this blog. But this gift card situation brings some prices in line with other retailers, and in some cases is even better – if you know you're going to be able to spend that gift card, that is. If you didn't have something else to buy anyway then it isn't such a draw as a cash discount. 

• Shop Apple's Cyber Monday gift card offer

I haven't always been a big Apple fan, but MacBooks were my gateway device, and now I'm firmly inside the ecosystem. My first MacBook was in 2006, but I spilled juice on it and it didn't survive for long. 

But my re entry into the Apple World was through the M1 MacBook Air. The ability to sync between devices got me hooked, and now I'm iPhone, Apple Watch and MacBook-ed up. 

That M1 MacBook Air is still a very decent option for some users, by the way. Students, for example, or those who want some decent speed, reliability and battery life, but don't need to raw power of the M2 or M3 chips. 

I keep expecting that MacBook Air M1 to price drop to something silly, but it seems to have found a new baseline at $749 during these sales events. I mean, that is very cheap for what you get, but I live in hope we'll see something sub-$700 as time goes on. Right now, it's at $749 at Amazon. 

It's one of our best laptops for students and best laptops for blogging for a reason. See our MacBook Air M1 review.

Our deputy editor, Rosie, went to Apple HQ in London recently, and the Apple experts told her that one of the things that makes the new MacBook Pro M3 stand out is the camera. She mentioned that video calls on the older MacBook didn't have such great quality when it comes to images, but that the new M3 version is much better. 

We are in the process of reviewing it as we speak, so we'll report back!

I used to work at a secondhand tech store, and you'd be surprised how many amazing deals you can get on used products that are in like-new condition. if you're hoping to save some money this Black Friday and money is tight, then maybe consider buying a used Apple MacBook instead. 

If you're a bit wary or unsure of buying used and secondhand tech (which is totally valid) then maybe our guide to refurbished Apple tech might help put you at ease or answer any questions you have. 

Be aware that especially during big retail sales events, sometimes new products can fall below the price for a secondhand model if the deal is THAT good. But typically refurbished and secondhand products will be super cheap and save you money. Just make sure you get a warranty. 

It's quite late here in the UK. But I'll be here well into the early hours, in case anything special happens at midnight when Cyber Monday begins. I don't know what I'm expecting – a fanfare (that will make me jump, it's a bit eerie here), a celebratory parade... Or maybe just a bunch of rock bottom prices. Hopefully that. 

Black Friday seems to be getting longer every year. This is the first time any retailer has had an official 'week' of sales (thanks Amazon), which has meant much longer to shop for deals. It isn't so much like the old days of sales events when there would be flash sales and a fast moving pace. We've had pretty much the same deals since the beginning of the event so far. 

I'm hoping that will change tomorrow, but even if it doesn't we've had some record prices (some incremental, but still) so I won't be super disappointed. 

Obviously on Creative Bloq, we're mostly concerned with helping you to use your MacBook to complete your creative projects. But we do dabble in practical advice, too. Just take a second to look at your laptop screen. Is it clean? Look again... 

Well, mine isn't. And we have a guide to help with that: how to clean a MacBook screen. 

If you bag a shiny new MacBook, you want to keep it looking nice, and you also need that screen to be clear enough to see your detailed work clearly. So that's why you need it.

Let's talk screen sizes a moment. 

MacBooks come in four different sizes. 

MacBook Air: The OG Air is the 13-inch – the smallest, thinnest and lightest version. It's since been joined by the 15-inch, only available in the M2, not the original Intel or M1 versions, which gives you the benefit of the Air's portability and sleek build but with a screen a creative might need.

MacBook Pro: The 14-inch and the 16-inch versions are the classic Pro sizes, but a 13-inch version was added with the previous M2 line-up. This gave the power of the Pro to a more compact build. However, this hasn't been repeated in the M3 – probably because the power is geared towards a user who would need a giant screen (or at least a 14-inch one!).

But if that post raises more questions about which of the two MacBooks you should go for, we can help there too. 

In short, the MacBook Pro is more powerful. If you're a heavy user – a creative using lots of demanding software, for example, this one is for you. And of course, if you need the biggest screen then the Pro is your best option, with its 16-inch version.

The MacBook Air is for those who want portability, but don't need too much power. To be honest though, the M2 chip is a real game changer and will probably serve the majority of users pretty well (especially if you're just using Adobe software, for example... and it can even handle some 4K video editing if you're mostly just assembling footage).

Check out our MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro post for more info (note: this guide doesn't cover the M3 model, yet).

Cyber Monday officially starts in the UK in under an hour, just FYI... 

I know this blog is all about MacBooks, but let's not forget that Apple makes quite beautiful desktop setups too. I know creatives who love the pairing of the super compact Mac mini computer with Apple's 5K Retina Studio Display. You can save on that whole combo if you go to two retailers. B&H Photo has $100 off the Studio Display and Amazon has a very precise $109.01 off the 2023 Mac mini. £2,190 for a 100% Apple studio setup? It's not bad.

• Mac mini M2: was $799 now $699 at Amazon US
• Apple Studio Display: was £1,599 now £1,499 at B&H Photo

We've argued a fair bit in the past that the Mac line up is a little confusing, with it hard to know whether to recommend the Pro or Air. But, as we recently conceded, with the arrival of the M3 MacBook Pro, it all finally makes sense.

The M1 MacBook Air remains a team favourite, and as the first MacBook to feature Apple Silicon, it's still incredibly fast. and at $749 on Amazon, down 25%, it's also incredibly cheap (for a MacBook) right now.

Amazon's $250 saving on the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air  is one of the best deals we've seen this Black Friday, and the laptop is also one of our favourites – check out our rave M2 MacBook Air review.

For anyone up in the UK to see if prices changed at midnight as Cyber Monday officially began, I can tell you that.... they haven't. I've checked on all the major UK retailers and all the deals that we've been tracking over the weekend, and the prices are the same, so Cyber Monday deals are essentially Black Friday deals, at least for now. The good news is that most of those deals were already very good, and it looks like we've got at least another day to get record low prices on a range of MacBooks.

Here's a UK MacBook deal that I don't think we've flagged up yet this weekend, but it's worth mentioning because it's one of the cheapest MacBook deals I've ever seen. It's on the 2021 M1 MacBook Pro 13, so that's a last-gen version of what is the cheapest, smallest MacBook in the range, but still £899 is cheap for a MacBook Pro, and this would be step up for anyone who was considering that £799 M1 MacBook Air deal that's available at several retailers.

• MacBook Pro 13 (M1, 2020): was $1,299 now £899,97 at Laptops Direct

Remember that Cyber Monday will be your last chance to take advantage of Apple's ever-so-generous annual gift card promotion. Detecting sarcasm? Totally. For most people Apple's deal isn't great. You can get up to a $200 / £160 gift voucher, but to get the maximum value you'll need to buy an M2 MacBook Air. But there direct savings on these machines at third-party retailers.

To dive into the maths. In the UK, the Apple gift card offer will save you £10 if you buy a MacBook Air 15 and £40 if you buy and MacBook Air 13 (this is the extra saving that it represents beyond the direct deals offered by other retailers). But you only realise this saving if you spend more money with Apple in the future. In the US, if you buy an Air 15, you're directly losing out to the tune of $50 compared to Amazon's price, though the gift card is a $30 saving if you go for the Air 13.

Where Apple's offer does make more sense is if you want to also take advantage of an Apple trade in plan.

All three MacBook Airs remain on sale in the UK on Cyber Monday at the same low prices they've been at all weekend. Actually, the M1 MacBook Air is now a whole £2 cheaper than it was for most of the weekend, now just £797.97 at Amazon, less than £20 off the record low price. The M2 MacBook Airs are at record low prices, with £139 off this year's MacBook Air 15 at Amazon( now £1,254.97) and £209 off last year's 13-inch Air at Very (now £1,029.97).

I'm taking a break from the blog now, but we'll be back tomorrow to mop up the last MacBook Cyber Monday deals if they're still running. At the time of clocking off all of the deals listed above were still live, both in the US and UK. The best news for those that need a more powerful laptop is that this means there's still time to save on the new M3 MacBook Pros! Goodnight for now.

US deals:

• MacBook Pro 14 (M3): $1,599 $1,449 at Amazon and B&H Photo
• MacBook Pro 14 (M3 Pro): $1,999 $1,799 at B&H Photo and Amazon
• MacBook Pro 16 (M3 Pro): $2,499 $2,299 at Amazon and B&H Photo

UK deals

• MacBook Pro 14 (M3): £1,699 £1,549.97 at Amazon
• MacBook Pro 16 (M3 Pro): £2,599 £2,449 at Amazon

Morning MacBook deal hunters. I'm taking over this morning to dig up some good UK deals. There's a deal on Apple’s brand-new MacBook Air M2 at Amazon that I didn't believe at first, but it's real… so I've dropped them here just for you.

MacBook Air 15-inch (M2, 2023): £1,399 now £1,254.99 at Amazon

Turn back time, the price but not the quality with this good Apple MacBook Air 13.3-inch (2020) deal - for £949 £799 at Currys. This is a saving of £150, or 16%, on an older MacBook Air but one that will still suit most needs. The good thing about Apple is the tech lasts, so you needn't always go for the newest, most expensive MacBook.

Apple MacBook Air 13.3" (2020) - M1, 256 GB SSD, Space Grey: £799 £949