Apple began selling refurbished M1 MacBooks at well below their original prices. As they’re as much as $500 below the regular price, these are outstanding options for anyone who wants a laptop with Apple’s speedy M-series processor but don’t have the cash for a new one.
There’s a wide range of used MacBook Air and MacBook Pro units currently in stock at the online Apple Store.
These are devices that were purchased then returned. Apple reconditions them and puts the products up for resale. Discounts run roughly 15% to 20%, but not all the usual configurations and colors are available.
Get a refurbished M1 MacBook Air
A refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Air built around an 8‑Core Apple M1 processor and 7-core GPU goes for $849, down from the regular $999. The laptop has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. It’s available in space grey, silver or gold.
A refurbished MacBook Air with M1 chip but an 8-core GPU, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is available for $1059, or $190 less than the regular price. It can be found in silver or space grey.
Increase the specs on the latter model to 8GB of RAM and 1TB of storage and the price is $1229, or $220 off. It’s available in gold or space grey.
Jump up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB and the cost is $1399, which is $250 below the cost of a non-refurbished model. Gold or space grey are the options.
And the priciest 13.3-inch MacBook Air refurb with an Apple M1 processor and 8‑core GPU is $1739. It comes with 16GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, and also includes with a $310 savings.
Visit Apple’s refurbished MacBook Air page for more details or to place an order.
Or a refurbished M1 MacBook Pro
Apple also offers large discounts off M1 MacBook Pro refurbs. A 13.3-inch model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is $1099, which is $200 off the price when new. It’s available in silver or space grey.
Increase the specifications to 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage and the cost is $1269, for a savings of $230. This variation can be found in silver or space grey.
Or switch up the specs to 16GB of RAM but 256GB of storage at the same $1269 price. It’s the same $230 savings, too. Identical color options are also available.
And a refurbished M1 MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is $1439, or $260 off. You can choose from space grey, silver or gold.
Increase the storage to 1TB and the price goes to $1609, but that’s a savings of $290 for buying a refurb. Silver or space grey are the options.
Jump up to a 2TB SSD for $1799, a drop of $500. This version is only available in space grey at this time.
Get more details, or take advantage of a deal, on Apple’s refurbished MacBook Pro page.
What is a refurbished Mac?
When Macs are bought but returned, “every unit is evaluated to ensure it meets Apple’s quality standards,” according to the computer-maker. Any defective modules are replaced, and the device is cleaned. It’s then repackaged, including appropriate manuals, cables and a new box. Then there’s a final QA inspection.
The company says that its refurbished products come with the “assurance that the unit meets Apple’s premiere quality standards, and that its defective components have been replaced by genuine Apple components.”
