Apple’s M1 MacBook Air Just Hit $549, but This Laptop Is a Much Better Buy This Black Friday

When it comes to shopping for a new laptop this Black Friday, it’s easy to think that Walmart’s M1 MacBook Air for just $549 is the place to spend your money. And if that’s your budget, you’d be right. But if you can stretch an extra $100, Best Buy will sell you the newer M2 MacBook Air for just $649. And it’s worth every penny of that extra cash.

We’ll get into why that’s the case in a minute. But first, the boring stuff. The good news is that this deal is available right now and you can choose between starlight and midnight when ordering. But we suggest doing that soon because there’s no telling how long this Black Friday deal will last. We doubt it will be for long.

At just $649, this 13-inch M2 MacBook Air deal is a no-brainer. For starters, its M2 chip is notably faster when handing CPU-intensive tasks. Its GPU also has three extra cores which can make a big difference when you’re playing games and working with image and video-editing apps.

The good news continues when we move on to RAM, too. This M2 MacBook AIr has 16GB, twice that of the M1 MacBook Air Walmart is selling. That’ll allow it to run more apps simultaneously and make Apple Intelligence all the more responsive.

In terms of storage, you’ll get 256GB which isn’t a huge amount, granted. But it’s more than enough for most people’s web browsing and light app usage needs.

The M2 MacBook Airs wins even extend to its display, too. It’s larger (13.6 inches compared to the M1 model’s 13.3 inches) and is brighter which is important for use outdoors or in bright rooms. It’s also a Liquid Retina display, so offers improved ontrast and more colors. It’s just a better display in every way — and you’ll soon get used to that notch, don’t worry.

That notch also allows for an improved webcam, something CNET’s Dan Ackerman noted when reviewing the M2 MacBook Air. «Much more important to me is the new 1080-resolution webcam,» Ackerman explained after discussing the other benefits of the M2 model. «It’s the same hardware as the 14-/16-inch MacBook Pro camera, which is excellent, and a huge step up from the 720 camera MacBooks have been stuck with for years.»

All of that, and more, makes this M2 MacBook Air deal one that you won’t want to miss. Just be sure to pick your favorite color before ordering.

Why this deal matters

If you’re still wondering why this M2 MacBook Air deal is so good at this point, you’re probably looking for a Windows laptop. This machine has plenty of power, a long-lasting battery and comes in two gorgeous colors. If you’re a fan of MacOS and need a thin and light laptop, this is the deal for you.