Prime Day is always an advertising blitz of products — what are the good products and what’s crap? At Cult of Mac, we put together the best Amazon Prime Day deals on the products we’ve actually used, reviewed and love.
While the occasion is as artificial and arbitrary as ever, the pressure is actually real this year. Apple CEO Tim Cook warned earlier this week that prices are inevitably going to rise sometime soon. So if you’ve been thinking about a new computer, now may be the best time.
We review tons of products, from official Apple products to top accessories offered to our staff. Take a look at some of our top recommendations this Prime Day.
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
The best Amazon Prime Day deals on our favorite Apple gear
Prime Day is the time when Amazon claims to have tons of great deals on all its products. This year, it’s practically the whole work week. It officially runs from Tuesday, June 23 through Friday, June 26.
Many of the best deals showed up days before, as “early deals.” So the dates are mostly meaningless. And, if you follow Cult of Mac, you know that there are always great deals to be found on Apple gear.
Nonetheless, if you’re feeling spendy and you want to unbox something new, you should take a look at the Apple gear on offer this week.
Table of Contents: Best Amazon Prime Day deals
- MacBook deals
- AirPods, Beats and other headphones
- iPad deals
- Apple Watch deals
- iPhone deals
- AirTag deals
- Books about Apple
Best Amazon Prime Day deals on MacBook Air and MacBook Pro
16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro chip
Hands down the best 16-inch laptop you can buy right now, the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro chip packs the world's fastest CPU cores, 24GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD. With three Thunderbolt 5 ports, you can connect multiple displays and high-bandwidth accessories with ease.
- Excellent performance
- Long-battery life
- Stunning display
- Bulky and heavy
- RAM and storage upgrades are expensive
There’s no better laptop than the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Its powerful M5 Pro chip can handle anything you throw at it, whether you’re editing videos, playing games, or just browsing the web. That’s backed by a super-fast SSD that delivers speeds in excess of 10GB/s. The 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display also stands out for its brightness and colour accuracy.
If you want a workhorse laptop, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is the one to get. For Prime Day, you can get the M5 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro with 1TB storage and 24GB system memory for $2,549, down 8% from its $2,699 MSRP.
If you want even more RAM, the 48GB variant is available for as low as $2882, saving $217.
Buy from: Amazon
13-inch MacBook Air with M5 chip
The M5 MacBook Air delivers Apple’s unrivaled performance in an ultra-thin design backed by all-day use. It's the best laptop for students, professionals, and anyone looking for a reliable everyday Mac.
- Slim and lightweight design
- Superb performance
- All-day battery life
- Storage and memory upgrade options are expensive.
The M5 MacBook Air is the best laptop for most people. Unless you’re a power user, the Air will easily suffice all your computing needs: from photo editing to browsing the web and watching videos. It delivers all this in a sleek and lightweight package backed by all-day battery life and superfast charging speeds.
The 13-inch MacBook Air with 16GB unified memory and 512GB storage retails for $1,099. This Prime Day, Amazon is taking 14% off the price, bringing it down to $949. At that price point, you won’t find a better laptop.
If you want more storage, the 1TB model gets a 12% discount, dropping from $1,299 to $1,149.
Buy from: Amazon
13-inch MacBook Air with M3 chip
For anyone on a tight budget, the M3 MacBook Air is one of the easiest recommendations thanks to its strong performance, long battery life, and lightweight design. The M3 chip might be old, but it can still keep up with your everyday tasks with ease.
- Sleek and lightweight design
- All-day battery life
- Poor repairability
If you were considering buying a MacBook Neo this Prime Day, jump on this M3 MacBook Air deal right now. Discounted from $1299 to $799, the M3 MacBook Air comes with 16GB of unified memory and 512GB of storage. It’s significantly faster than the MacBook Neo and packs a lot more features.
For just $150 more, the M3 MacBook Air will deliver a noticeably better experience. If you are on a tight budget, this M3 MacBook Air deal is a no-brainer.
Buy from: Amazon
ASUS ProArt 5K display
- 5K Retina resolution
- Big 27-inch display
- Bright, vivid colors with P3 wide color
- Creaky plastic body
- No built-in camera or speakers
- 60 Hz refresh rate
If you want a new monitor for your Mac — whether it’s a Mac mini or a desktop setup for your MacBook — one of the best options is a 5K Retina display. And the Asus ProArt PA27JCV is the most affordable way into that world. You get the same size and resolution as Apple’s own Studio Display in a much more affordable package.
Apple’s offering starts at $1,599, while you can get Asus’s panel for only $649 this week. That’s nearly a $1,000 difference. While the Asus model has a much cheaper plastic body than Apple’s milled aluminum design, it’s an excellent choice if you want acres of space and beautiful crisp text on a budget.
Buy from: Amazon
Samsung T9 2 TB SSD
The Samsung T9 solid-state drive is small enough and tough enough to go almost anywhere. Connect it to your Mac, iPad or even iPhone via its USB-C port to transfer data at up to 10Gb/s. Available in a range of capacities from 1TB to 4TB.
- Small and portable
- Fast USB-C connectivity
- Works with all your computers
- Not Thunderbolt
Apple’s storage prices are pretty exorbitant, and with the AI-fueled supply constraints, it’s only going to get worse. If you need some more breathing room for video work or backups, now may be the last chance to get a big external SSD at a reasonable price.
This Samsung T9 external SSD has a whopping 2 TB of storage. It’s tons of space that will read and write super fast, perfect for a video library. You can pick it up for just $349.99, down from the full price of $574.99. You won’t see a deal like that again for a while.
Buy from: Amazon
Apple Magic Mouse
Magic Mouse is wireless and rechargeable, with an optimized foot design that lets it glide smoothly across your desk. The Multi-Touch surface allows you to perform simple gestures such as swiping between web pages and scrolling through documents. The rechargeable battery will power your Magic Mouse for about a month between charges.
- Multi-Touch gestures
- Slim design
- USB-C port on bottom
If you want the peak Apple experience, the Magic Mouse is one of a kind. It adds all the multitouch gestures that make the Mac a breeze to use in the traditional desktop mouse form factor. Maybe you keep your MacBook docked at a desk with an external display, but you don’t want to give up the inertial scrolling and gestures. Or, when you’re on the go, you want better ergonomics than your built-in trackpad. Either way, you can’t go wrong with the Magic Mouse.
Both colors are available with $20 off. Get the white one for $59.99 or the black one for $79.99.
Buy from: Amazon
AirPods, Beats and other deals on headphones
AirPods Pro 3
Apple's best wireless earbuds get even better, adding a heart rate monitor and tweaks that boost active noise cancellation and deliver even better audio quality.
- Supports Live Translation feature
- Foam-infused ear tips for better fit and ANC
- Built-in heart rate monitor
- Can function as hearing aids
- Only available in white
AirPods Pro 3 are my favorite earbuds. They fir perfectly in the coin pocket of my pants; I carry them everywhere I go. And the sound is absolutely stunning. The smart features and heavy integration with the iPhone are simply unparalleled. It took some time to adjust to the new in-ear tip design, but nine months in, I’ve fully adjusted. Now, they are simply excellent and impossibly tiny earbuds with no caveats.
Pick up a pair at a steep $70 discount, $179.99, down from the full price of $249.
Buy from: Amazon
Beats Solo 4 on-ear headphones
- 50 hours battery life
- Personalized Spatial Audio
- Apple and Android compatible
- Lossless audio over cable
- No active noise cancellation
If you want the same convenience of AirPods but don’t want to drop $399 on AirPods Max, you can try the Beats Solo 4. They have the same instant pairing that syncs across all your devices — no Bluetooth hassle. (Though you can still use Bluetooth to connect to other devices.)
Get the Beats Solo 4 at an incredible 50% off — that’s $99.95, down from $199.95. That incredible price applies for all the colors: blue, black and gold, matte black, metallic pink and cloud pink.
Buy from: Amazon
AirPods Max 2
Powered by the H2 chip, AirPods Max 2 delivers improved high-fidelity audio with deep bass, expansive mids and crisp highs for an unparalleled listening experience.
Up to 1.5x more active noise cancellation than the previous generation, fully immersing you in every sound.
- Excellent audio quality and ANC
- Same exquisite design as before
- Advanced software features like Adaptive Audio and Live Translation
- Same horrible Smart Case as before
- Don't fold up for travel
AirPods Max 2 rank among the best in audio quality and convenience. I was positively blown away by the incredible clarity and stellar quality when I reviewed them earlier this year. They have the latest Apple silicon inside, the H2 chip, which enables many of the same smart features found on AirPods Pro — adaptive audio, conversation awareness, personal volume, the whole lot.
They’re available at their lowest price ever, $399, down from the full price of $549. It’s a pretty substantial discount for new Apple gear.
Buy from: Amazon
Best Amazon Prime Day deals on iPad
iPad Air M4
Apple's popular midrange tablet features a large Liquid Retina Display, 12MP front/back camera with Center Stage, Wi-Fi 7 with Apple N1 modem, Touch ID, all-day battery life and choices of four storage sizes and four colors.
- Big, beautiful display
- Relatively thin and lightweight
- Powerful M4 chip
- Wi-Fi 7 and Apple N1 networking chip
- Lacks OLED screen and ProMotion
- Gets pricey at higher specs
Last year I upgraded from an M1 iPad Air to an M4 iPad Air, and bumped up my screen from 11 inches to 13 inches. I’m really glad I did, too. As I said in my review, it turned out to be quite a meaningful upgrade. My new one has essentially the same beautiful display, but with 100 more nits of brightness and that crucial two-inch increase in screen real estate. And of course the M4 chip means fast and smooth performance, not to mention some future-proofing against having to upgrade again anytime soon.
Best Amazon Prime Day deals on Apple Watch
Now is a great time to get a new Apple Watch — every model is currently at its lowest price ever. And you’ll need one of these if you want to update to watchOS 27 this fall.
Apple Watch SE 3
Apple Watch SE 3 offers health, fitness, connectivity, and safety features running on the powerful S10 chip. The smartwatch boasts an Always-On display, the double tap and wrist flick gestures, on-device Siri and fast charging.
- Packed with pro-level features
- Most affordable Apple Watch
- Lacks blood oxygen sensor, ECG sensor
I don’t expect to need a smartwatch on an expedition to the North Pole, so the basic Apple Watch SE 3 does all I need — it tracks how active I am, nudges me to get more exercise and shows me incoming texts and reminders so I don’t need to keep looking at my iPhone. One of Apple’s pricier models couldn’t do that any better. I love mine, which is clear in my review, “Apple Watch SE 3 is all the smartwatch you need.”
It’s always a good value at $249, but an Amazon Prime Day deal drops the cost by 20%. You can now pick up the 40mm variant of the Apple Watch SE 3 for only $199 – the lowest price it’s ever been. Alternatively, the 44mm variant is $229, which is also $50 below the usual cost.
— Ed Hardy
Apple Watch 11
The thinnest Apple Watch yet comes with 24-hour battery life. Plus, its Ion-X glass screen is 2x more scratch-resistant than the previous version.
- Supports hypertension notifications, sleep score and Workout Buddy.
- Aluminum case comes in space gray, jet black, rose gold and silver.
- Basically the same (fantastic) design as last year
As a proud owner of Apple Watch 10 — see my 5-star review — I can say with absolute confidence that any deal on the upgraded Apple Watch 11 is worth jumping on. Series 11 achieved new thinness, enhanced battery life and beefed up connectivity and durability. What’s not to love? And you can get various versions of it in 42mm and 46mm sizes on Amazon right now for about $120 off apiece.
Best Amazon Prime Day deals on iPhone
Belkin 3-in-1 charger
Top up your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods all at once with this 3-in-1 charger. Keep it on your nightstand or desk and use with StandBy.
- Fast 15W MagSafe charging
- Qi2 compatible
- Includes 40W power adapter
- Few Android devices use Qi2
If you’re all in on the Apple ecosystem of an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods, then you need a 3-in-1 charger like this in your life. I keep a desktop charger like this on my nightstand and at my desk, to keep my phone topped up all day long. And I have another 3-in-1 travel charger always ready to go in my luggage. Keep everything powered all night with a single outlet.
Once you get a 3-in-1 charger, you won’t ever go back. This model by Belkin is discounted 30%.
Buy from: Amazon
Anker MagGo Power Bank
This ultra-slim 10,000mAh magnetic battery pack is Qi2 certified, with 15W fast MagSafe-compatible charging on the go. For iPhone 17/16/15/14/13/12 series.
- Easy to pack and carry
- 15 watts of charging power for iPhone
- Display shows charging status
- Not the biggest capacity
- Not the fastest charging (now that Qi2.2 is out)
For charging on the go, there’s nothing better than a MagSafe battery pack. Just pop one of these on the back of your phone and you’ve got another full charge or two. You’ll be ready for an all-day outing full of walking directions in Maps, taking pictures and recording videos — the stuff that’s taxing on your battery. Not to mention if it’s sunny and your display is turned up to the max.
I always take a MagSafe battery (or two) (or three) with me when I’m out and about all day. These batteries from Anker are somewhat slim and add a whopping 10,000 mAh. That’s over double the capacity of the iPhone 17 Pro!
Buy from: Amazon
AirTag 2
The next generation of AirTag has its loudest speaker yet and an expanded Precision Finding range. It’s never been easier to follow and find your stuff.
AirTags have saved me so much time. Anything I’m concerned that I might misplace or accidentally leave behind gets one of these tracker tags. That especially includes my cat. They are so useful when traveling, as I never worry I’ll forget something in a hotel room: my AirTags won’t let me. Read my review to see why I really love these things.
The new Airtag 2 is normally $29, but Prime Day brings the first big sale, dropping the price by 17%. or you can save 10% off the cost of a 4-pack of Apple’s new tracker tags.
— Ed Hardy
Books about Apple
Apple: The First 50 Years
In time for Apple’s 50th anniversary, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent David Pogue tells the iconic company’s entire life story: how it was born, nearly died, was born again under Steve Jobs, and became, under CEO Tim Cook, the most valuable company in the world.
- Comprehensive: Covers all 50 years.
- Well designed
- Easy and fun to read
- Full color photos throughout
- Recent history not as in-depth
- Full color = higher price
Apple: The First 50 Years by David Pogue is the definitive history of our favorite Cupertino tech company. It’s an easy and highly entertaining read. You can get the hardcover copy, with beautiful color photos on nearly every page, at nearly half the regular price — just $26.50. That’s a 600 page book with textbook-quality print for the price of a couple paperback novels.
Buy from: Amazon
Steve Jobs in Exile
Drawing on previously unpublished materials and new interviews with the key players, Geoffrey Cain reveals the untold story of Steve Jobs’s “lost decade” — the formative years that shaped the icon we thought we knew.
Cain offers the definitive account of how failure transformed a brash wunderkind into a true business genius.
Steve Jobs in Exile is a great counterpart. It tells the story of Steve Jobs’ other venture, NeXT, which he founded in 1985 after being forced out of Apple. Read about the turbulent history of what happens when a young Jobs has all the money and the best talent in the world — and no one to tell him no. Pick it up for $25.36, nearly $10 off the regular price.
Buy from: Amazon
The Cult of Mac
The Cult of Mac is an in-depth look at Mac users and their unique, creative, and often very funny culture. This second edition brings the reader into the world of Apple today while also filling in the missing history since the 2004 edition, including the creation of Apple brand loyalty, the introduction of the iPhone, and the death of Steve Jobs.
The Cult of Mac is the definitive book on the culture of Apple users. Mac heads kept the company alive during the turbulent ’90s, and the passion has carried on through Steve Jobs’ second coming. This updated second edition covers Apple’s meteoric rise from the early days of the iPhone and the first years after Steve’s passing.
You’ve read the blog … now check out the book that started it all. It’s on sale at only $27.36, down from the full price hardcover at $39.95.
Buy from: Amazon
We’ll continue updating this post with more of the best Amazon Prime Day deals throughout the week.
D. Griffin Jones is a writer, podcaster and video producer for Cult of Mac. Griffin has been a passionate computer enthusiast since 2002, when he got his first PC — but since getting a Mac in 2008, he hasn’t turned back. His skills in graphic and web design, along with video and podcast editing, are self-taught over 20+ years. Griffin has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and has written several (unpublished) apps for Mac and iOS. His collection of old computers is made up of 40+ desktops, laptops, PDAs and devices, dating back to the early ’80s. He brings all of these creative and technical skills, along with a deep knowledge of Apple history, into his work for Cult of Mac.
