MacBook Air M1 plummets back down to its lowest price this year

(Image credit: Future)

Thanks to an extra $100 saving that's applied at the checkout, the MacBook Air M1 has now fallen to $849 (was $999) at Amazon.

This is a return to the cheapest price for Apple's premium laptop and one of the best MacBook deals available right now. We did see this price just two months ago in the back-to-school sales at Best Buy, so here's another chance to pick it up if you missed out back then.

It's very likely that this is also the lowest price we'll see for the MacBook Air M1 until the first Black Friday deals arrive closer to November. It's a good time to buy, then, if you don't want to wait another couple of months for the possibility of a slightly better deal towards the end of the year.

Today's best MacBook Air deal

MacBook Air M1 (256GB): $999 $849 at Amazon
Save $150 – The MacBook Air M1 is currently listed for $949 at Amazon, but an extra $100 discount is applied at the checkout to bring it down to its cheapest price this year. That's only $50 away from last year's record low, too. This top-of-the-line device features Apple's powerful M1 chip, 256GB of storage and a premium chassis. It currently sits as TechRadar's best value for money pick in our best laptop guide, so get it if you need a high-performance laptop for all your computing needs.

These significant price cuts on the last generation MacBook Air M1 are now more frequent following the recent launch of the MacBook Air M2 earlier this year. That newer device currently sits atop TechRadar's best laptop guide, but we still think the older model is one of the finest devices Apple has ever made and is arguably better value for money for most users.

That's because the jump in power between both generations isn't too significant. The M1 chip inside the older MacBook Air still impresses, delivering incredible performance across all tasks, including more intensive work such as photo editing and 4K video editing.

The battery life stands out, too, with up to 11 hours on a single charge that will last a full day at work, school or college. And, in terms of overall lifespan, it will also outlast many other cheap devices, so will save you money in the long run if you're able to invest now.

If your budget is smaller but you still want a new device, we've gathered together many more of the best laptop deals available today. You can find laptops from as low as $100, including everything from cheap Chromebooks to good value mid-range machines from the likes of HP, Asus and Dell.

You can also browse through the latest iPad deals if you'd like to stick within the Apple ecosystem but prefer the flexibility of a tablet.

James Pickard is a Deals Editor at TechRadar. After many years of scouring the net for the cheapest games and tech for his personal use, he decided to make it his job to share all the best bargains and coupon codes with you. James also has almost a decade of experience covering some of the biggest sales events of the year at Eurogamer and VG247, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. When not deals hunting or stacking coupon codes to get the biggest savings, James can be found on the PS5, watching a classic film noir or cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.