Never pay full price for a MacBook Air seems to be the takeaway from the past few months. Apple unveiled its updated lineup of M3-powered MacBook Air laptops in early March, and all the M3s saw their first discounts three weeks later. The 8GB 15-inch MacBook Air is currently seeing its biggest drop so far, at $100 off; the 8GB 13-inch MacBook Air is also matching its initial $100 discount right now.

The M3 MacBook Pros are also discounted by up to $300. True, it's not exactly a fire sale, but any discount on a new, top-shelf MacBook is always welcome.

But you don't need the biggest and best to get a good deal—older M1 and M2 MacBook Airs are also seeing good sales right now.

The best deal on the M3 MacBook Air

The new M3 MacBook Air has corrected one of the biggest complaints about the M2's hard drive, ultimately making it 33% faster at write speeds and 82% faster at read speeds. Both the 15-inch and 13-inch M3 base models come with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You'll also get the usual backlit keyboard, 1080p HD web camera, and Touch ID, along with dual-monitor support, which used to be a MacBook Pro-only feature.

The best deal on the M2 MacBook Air

Last year's M2 MacBook Air laptop is also on sale; currently $849 (originally $999) for the 13.6-inch 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD model and $1,199 (originally $1,499) for the 15-inch 8GB RAM and 512 GB SSD model. This is the new lowest price the 15-inch 256GB SSD model has sold for, according to price-checking tools. It has the same RAM and storage as the M3, but there are some key differences between the two machines you should be aware of.

The best deal on the M1 MacBook Air

The 2020 M1 MacBook Air has also dropped in price and is perhaps the best all-around value for an entry-level laptop right now. Walmart has the M1 MacBook Air 13.3-inch laptop for $699 (it cost $999.99 prior to the launch of the M3), which is the lowest price I've seen after checking price comparison tools.

This M1 from 2020 has 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage with about 18 hours of battery life. If you're wondering if the M1 is relevant in 2024, Lifehacker's Senior Technology Editor Jake Peterson notes the M1 is still a fantastic computer even three years after its release. Yes, its specs pale in comparison to the new M3 chip and all of its new features, but the M1 is still enough for most people.

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