If you’ve been looking for a deal on the best laptop for students, call off the search — we’ve found it for you.
The Apple MacBook Air M3 is much the same as the prior model, only with around 20% better performance in the same footprint, and improved AI potential thanks to an upgrade Neural Engine.
Better yet, you can get the 13-inch M3 for the same price as the M2 version when purchased at Amazon. I’m a little exasperated because I just bought the new MacBook Air M3 at full price and I’ve missed out on almost 20% off!
The retailer has knocked 18% off of the MSRP, bringing it down to just $898 in a variety of colorways.
You can get the Apple M3 MacBook Air on sale right now at Amazon for $898.99 but act fast because it’s a limited-time deal.
The MacBook Air saw a design shakeup with the M2 version, which we dubbed the ‘ultimate student laptop’ in our Apple MacBook Air M2 review.
That remains true of the M3 version (I’m currently typing this on one right now). The M3 chip is ideally suited to standard tasks but can crank up the performance for more complex ones when required.
In my experience, it’s just as comfortable web-browsing or sending emails as it is editing Photoshop files or even recording and editing audio. While there’s no fan inside so you may experience some thermal throttling under sustained loads, it does run absolutely silently.
For more power, the Apple MacBook Pro which we’ve also reviewed is worth a look, but that comes with a higher price tag.
- Read our Amazon Prime Day science deals page for big discounts on the best health and fitness kit and science gear as we enter the summer sales event.
This model comes with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of SSD space, which remains a contentious starting configuration among the Apple fanbase.
While this discount makes it easier to swallow, and Apple Silicon’s unified memory architecture means 8GB will go much further here than it would on older Intel-based models, you may feel like more is required. Still, with cloud storage like DropBox and Google Drive, you may also be pretty content — especially with such a stylish laptop that also has the latest M3 chip inside it.
Add to that up to 18 hours of battery life in a machine less than half an inch thin and you’ve got a recipe for a portable powerhouse.
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Key features: M3 chip, 13.6-inch display, 1080p FaceTime camera
Product launched: March 2024
Price history: Before this deal, we saw this price matched back in June. In fact, this price is a cent cheaper, making it the best we’ve seen.
Price comparison: Amazon: $898.99 | Walmart: $1034 | Best Buy: $899
Reviews consensus: A fantastic laptop for just about anyone, the MacBook Air is capable and portable in equal measure thanks to its lightweight design and great display. The M3 chip adds even more performance on top of the M2 version, too, and battery life remains fantastic.
TechRadar: ★★★★★ | Toms Guide: ★★★★½ | T3: ★★★★★
Featured in guides: Best laptop for students
✅ Buy it if: You want a laptop that makes light work of basic tasks and more complex ones alike, and comes in a slim, lightweight package.
❌ Don’t buy it if: You want more RAM or storage space — these Apple laptops can’t be upgraded after you’ve bought them, but you can spec-up at purchase to 24 GB and 2 TB respectively.
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