Pre-ordering Apple's new M3 MacBook Air? Here's how you can save $50.
SAVE $50: As of March 6, paid My Best Buy members (Plus/Total) will save $50 when they pre-order Apple's new M3 MacBook Airs through Best Buy (starting at $1,049).
Apple quietly announced an update to the MacBook Air line in a humble press release this week, bringing its M3 chip and a few new features to its lightweight 13- and 15-inch laptops. While they won't officially hit shelves until Friday, March, 8, you can pre-order them through select retailers ahead of time — and maybe save a little money in the process.
At the time of writing, the new M3 MacBook Airs were $50 off at Best Buy for paid members of its My Best Buy program (specifically, the Plus and Total tiers). That brings the 13-inch model down to a starting price of $1,049 and the 15-inch variant's base configuration to $1,249.
It's not the steepest discount in the world, but this is a rare opportunity to save on a brand-spanking-new laptop before it's formally available. This appears to be the first time Best Buy has run such a promotion; it didn't offer any discounts on M2-era preorders.
If you're not yet a My Best Buy member, you can sign up for the Plus tier for $49.99/year to unlock this exclusive deal (among many others) on top of free two-day shipping and an extended 60-day return window. The Total tier, meanwhile, costs $179.99/year and adds on free protection plans (including AppleCare+), 24/7 tech support, and a 20% discount on any repairs you might need.
The M3 MacBook Airs' new upgrades are solely internal but still noteworthy. That new silicone chip is said to make them 60 percent faster than the M1-powered MacBook Air from late 2020 and faster at performing AI tasks. They also add support for WiFi 6E as well as two external displays, with the caveat of needing to have their lids closed for the latter. (If you're thinking of using yours exclusively that way, consider the M2 Mac mini instead.) Otherwise, you get the same overall design, Liquid Retina display, RAM and storage configurations, and 18-hour battery life of the M2 generation.
If you're not sure if you should splurge on an upgrade just yet, check out Mashable's detailed comparison between the M3 and M2 MacBook Airs.
Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.
