This Is The Cheapest New MacBook You Can Currently Buy

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Apple's MacBook lineup is widely liked for its impressive battery life, superior performance, and seamless integration with the company's other devices. While it doesn't include a ton of laptops, the MacBook Air and Pro models are available in a variety of configurations and have two size options each. However, when it comes to the price tag, MacBooks aren't particularly cheap. That's why Apple is reportedly working on a low-cost MacBook model that could take on cheap Windows laptops and Chromebooks. However, it's yet to be officially confirmed and may take a while to arrive. So, if you are in the market today for the cheapest brand-new MacBook model, which should you go for?

The 13-inch Apple MacBook Air with the M4 chip is the cheapest MacBook you can buy new right now. Its base model with 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage is available for as low as $850 on Amazon, down from its list price of $999. This price is not the lowest for the M4 MacBook Air, and it has gone down as low as $740, so you may score the MacBook even cheaper if you wait for the right moment. While you may think the MacBook Air version with the M3 and M2 chips may be cheaper, they are becoming pretty hard to come by and aren't really available for less than $900. Here's a look at what you can expect from the M4 MacBook Air and how it's a great laptop for most people.

The 2025 MacBook Air is a substantial upgrade over previous generations. While that may not look like it on the surface, the M4 chip inside, according to Apple, is twice as fast as the M1 chip and can deliver 23 times faster performance than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air models. Keep in mind, the last Intel-based MacBook Air came out just six years ago, in 2020.

Besides the impressive M4 chip, the latest MacBook Air has a new 12 MP Center Stage webcam that's also a big upgrade over the camera found in older MacBook Air models. You also get better multi-display support, and it can support up to two 6K external displays. Additionally, there is the same beautiful Liquid Retina display, unibody aluminum chassis, and built-in Touch ID support.

Connectivity options are good, with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support; however, port selection remains limited to two USB-C Thunderbolt ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Fortunately, the presence of the MagSafe port ensures you don't block the Thunderbolt port while charging the MacBook. The M4 MacBook Air has received glowing reviews from all over, with reviewers calling it "the best laptop for most people," praising the new camera, and highlighting its impressive performance. Unless you are doing heavy video editing or plan to play graphic-intensive games on your machine, the MacBook Air has plenty of power to keep you satisfied.