MacBook Black Friday deals 2021: What to expect in the sale this year on Apple pro and air laptops

We’ve got all the intel on getting a bargain on the must-have Mac computers

Monday 08 November 2021 07:34 EST

There’s money to be saved, and the discounts have already begun (iStock/The Independent)

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Black Friday is upon us. It might not be 26 November just yet, but retailers have already begun cutting prices ahead of the shopping event of the year. Currys and Amazon are among those to jump the starting gun and kick off their Black Friday sales almost three weeks early.

Conveniently, those two retailers are also where you are most likely to find yourself a discounted Apple MacBook laptop this Black Friday. That’s because Apple doesn’t usually take part in Black Friday, or any other sales events for that matter, and instead tends to offer gift vouchers alongside Mac computers stuck resolutely to their regular retail price.

And, before we dig any deeper, you should remember there’s more to Black Friday than MacBooks. The shopping event will see discounts on a huge range of products, including TVs, gaming, toys, home appliances, beauty and much more. These deals will be offered by retailers like Amazon, Very, Argos, Currys, John Lewis & Partners and many others.

Apple currently sells four versions of the MacBook laptop, with various configurations of air and pro models available from a number of retailers.

A key detail to consider is how Apple is currently switching from Intel to its own, in-house processors. All of today’s MacBooks use Apple’s new M1 processor, but older Intel-powered MacBooks are still available from other retailers. So do check this detail before adding anything to your basket, to make sure you know which model you are buying.

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Will there be MacBook deals on Black Friday 2021?

Yes, and some are available right now. A handful of retailers have thrown open the doors early, with Black Friday MacBook deals already available, a couple of weeks before the day itself. There are deals to be had on the latest, M1-powered MacBook air and 13-inch pro, as well as slightly older Intel-powered machines, too.

The good news about Apple rolling out its new M1-powered MacBooks is that older, Intel-powered laptops are still available from Currys, Amazon and others at discounted prices. Amazingly, we’re also already seeing new M1-powered MacBooks with their prices cut for Black Friday 2021.

When will MacBook Black Friday deals start?

They already have. Black Friday doesn’t officially take place until 26 November this year, with Cyber Monday falling on 29 November. But retailers like Amazon, Currys and Very are a keen bunch and have already begun their sales on current-and previous-generation MacBook air and pro laptops. Amazon’s Christmas Shop section, for example, already has £100 off the current 2020 Apple MacBook air with M1 chip (£899, Amazon.co.uk).

We expect these discounts to last until stock dries up, and for more MacBook deals to appear between now and the big day itself.

How much will MacBooks cost on Black Friday?

The current MacBook range starts at £999 for the entry-level MacBook air. Above this, the 13-inch MacBook pro (which is technically almost identical) starts at £1,299. Then we have the newest Apple laptops, in the form of the all-new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook pros. These are priced from £1,899 for the 14-inch model and £2,399 for the larger 16-inch laptop. Opt for the flagship 16-inch MacBook pro with the new M1 max chip, and you’ll be looking at a starting price of £3,299.

The very latest laptops are unlikely to receive much of a discount for Black Friday, if anything at all, since they are just a few weeks old. However, the M1-powered MacBook air and 13-inch pro, both from late-2020, should see discounts from various retailers throughout the Black Friday period, and during Cyber Monday too, which is on 29 November.

As for sale prices, we have already seen certain configurations of the M1 MacBook air reduced by £200, and £100 off the 13-inch MacBook pro, too.

If you are looking for a slightly older MacBook pro with an Intel processor, several models have had their prices cut by £100 at Very. The retailer has discounts on the 13-inch 2020 MacBook pro (£1,699, Very.co.uk), and the larger 16-inch MacBook pro from 2019 (£2,299, Very.co.uk).

Who has the best MacBook Black Friday deals?

We’ve already mentioned the £100 saving on the 2020 Apple MacBook air from Amazon, but there’s also a £132 saving to be had on the 2020 Apple MacBook pro with M1 chip (£1,167, Amazon.co.uk).

Elsewhere, Very has money off both the M1-powered MacBook air and MacBook pro. There’s a £70 saving to be had on the former (£929, Very.co.uk), and the M1-powered MacBook pro is reduced by £100 (£1,199, Very.co.uk).

Very also has a £200 saving on a model of M1 MacBook air with extra storage (£1,399, Very.co.uk) and £200 of a MacBook air with increased RAM (£1,149, Very.co.uk).

It’s still early days yet, with Black Friday itself falling on 26 November, so we expect to see more MacBook deals arrive from other retailers between now and then. As we mentioned earlier, Apple doesn’t usually take part in Black Friday to the same degree as everyone else. Instead, we expect it to give away a range of gift vouchers with qualifying purchases from its own store.

What were the best MacBook Black Friday deals last year?

Black Friday 2020 saw the prices of various MacBook models reduced by between £100 and £200. The then-new M1-powered laptops missed out on these discounts, but prices were cut on the slightly older, Intel-powered machines.

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