The MacBook Air is ultra-portable at just 2.7 pounds. (Amazon)(Amazon)
If you're the proud owner of an aging Mac or a curious PC user, the time to upgrade your gear is now. As part of this year's Black Friday laptop deals, the upgraded 2022 MacBook Air with 16GB RAM can be yours for just $749 — $250 off on Amazon. We're here to tell you, you cannot beat that price tag. At $749, you're paying the same price as the 8GB model but with double the memory, Apple’s lightning-fast M2 chip, a lightweight design and battery life that lasts for days.
Stream shows, chat on video and catch up on emails easily with this Apple powerhouse. Looking for other Apple discounts? There’s no shortage of great options this week.
There's a reason for the hype surrounding the latest iteration of these top-rated earbuds — many reasons, in fact. For starters, they offer rich, crisp sound and superior noise cancellation, allowing you to enjoy music, podcasts, audiobooks and more without outside commotion getting in the way. This model lets you control the volume simply by swiping the stem, and you'll receive four pairs of silicone tips in different sizes for customized comfort.
Our tech editor, Rick Broida, named these "best wireless earbuds overall," saying, "What you get here is even better ANC, a bump in battery life, extra-small ear tips for users with smaller ears and an adaptive-audio mode that adjusts noise-cancellation and transparency modes based on the sounds around you. Meanwhile, Apple's charging case now has a speaker (for use with Find My) and a USB-C port in place of Lightning (the better to match with the USB-C iPhone 15)."
Check out his roundup of the best wireless earbuds for a full review.
We don't need to tell you that it's waaay past time to get rid of your cable TV subscription, do we? This will give you instant access to more than 1.5 million movies and TV shows, all for less than the cost of a couple of movie tickets.
Pilot and aviation enthusiast Duke Armitage is a fan of noise-cancelling earbuds for travel, and this popular pick by Beats happens to be $50 off. "Few things are more irritating than listening to loud conversations or baby screams on a flight," he says. "This doesn't have to break the bank, as you can find a quality pair for $50 to $100."
These come with three tip sizes to ensure a snug fit. Other travel-friendly features? Transparency mode lets you switch off noise-cancelling to hear in-flight announcements or order a ginger ale, and you'll get hours of listening time before they need to be charged. Choose from black, white or red — whatever suits your jet-setting style.
Ready for some Apple picking? Yes, we realize it's not fall, but you'll want to pluck this bad boy from the ol' Amazon tree and add it to your cart because it's currently down to its all-time lowest price — and this is the most recent version! As the unofficial Goldilocks of tech (less bulky than a laptop but larger than a smartphone), this tablet keeps you connected on the go or at home, and you can use it for everything from reading books to taking notes to watching videos.
Broida named this the "best overall tablet," owing to its "under-the-hood improvements, including a faster processor, more RAM (4GB instead of 3GB), Bluetooth 5.0 (up from 4.2) and a USB-C charging port."
Check out his roundup of the best tablets of 2024 for a full review.
This MacBook Air has the same amount of RAM (16GB) that comes standard on the newest MacBook Air, without the high price tag.
Sales on Apple products are hit and miss (often more miss), but this MacBook Air is a surprising $250 off, marking one of the lowest prices we've seen. Since it's a 2022 model, stock is limited — so when it's gone, it's gone.
When it comes to high-performance laptops, there's a reason the MacBook Air is always in the conversation. In addition to some truly impressive specs, it comes with a Liquid Retina Display that makes everything — text, colors, video and so on — remarkably clear, crisp and vibrant. This model has a 13.6-inch screen, but there are larger options if you need more space.
You can bump up your storage to 512GB (though that does cost more). There's a front-facing camera for video calls and meetings that captures content in 1080p resolution — that's high-def. If you have an iPhone or iPad, all three devices are designed to work together seamlessly. Transfer content from one to the other with ease, or open a webpage on your laptop and keep reading on your phone when you leave the house.
This MacBook Air gets up to 18 hours of battery life on a single charge, and at only 2.7 pounds, it's easy to grab and go. Apple's M2 chip is particularly efficient, giving this computer some of the best staying power of any Apple device on the market.
Over 2,800 reviews have awarded this model five stars — not unexpected for a MacBook.
"I had never considered a Mac before, I was a lifelong Windows user," said one convert. "I'm setting up for part-time freelancing. ... I took the chance, and couldn’t be more pleased! Not only have I not slowed it down yet, but this fan-less machine base [hasn't] even gotten warm once! Super-fast feather-light workhorse! I'm still getting used to the [operating system] but that's been easier than I thought as well."
"I did a massive amount of research on what I would need in a computer," said another buyer. "I mostly use one for Word, Excel and financial documents. I needed a computer that would be in my budget, would be fast and effective, but also would meet all of my needs for maintaining my household and doing different projects for work and school. This has fit the bill beautifully. It runs well, has an amazing screen and picture, and is so much faster than my previous one!"
Another fan raved: "Love how slim and lightweight this is. If you own an iPhone, the integration is perfect. You can manage your messages, calls and emails on this device. Everything syncs up beautifully! ... I am shocked at how fast this machine moves and what quality the hidden speakers are. Phone calls and FaceTime are flawless. The new webcam is a welcome upgrade and the notch for it is subtle. The trackpad and keyboard are top-notch and respond perfectly. This is worth every penny. ... No more Windows stuff for me."
"My children are using these for their school and sometimes to play online games," a parent shared. "They had never used a Mac before but had used iPads, and had a small learning curve for these and were quickly comfortable using them on a daily basis."
Of course, even MacBooks aren't perfect. "This laptop is much more powerful, light, sleek and the keyboard is great," wrote another shopper. "My only gripe is that, when closed, the lid is slightly not lining up with the base. It is off very slightly."
"Expensive but the best," said a final fan. "Probably one of the better Apple light-duty laptops [I've] owned in last couple decades. Apple laptops are expensive compared to Windows products. The annualized life-cycle cost is higher than comparable non-Apple products because Apple makes their expensive products vintage too quickly (seems like planned obsolescence)."
If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.