Best MacBook Prime Day Deals October 2026: Save on MacBook Air, Pro, Neo & Mac mini

MacBook Air

The M5 MacBook Air is the Mac we recommend for most people, and October Prime Day is an excellent time to look for a deal. Apple introduced the M5 models in March 2026 and another update isn’t expected until 2027, so there’s little reason to worry about your purchase immediately becoming outdated.

Apple now charges $1,299/£1,299 for the entry-level 13-inch model and $1,499/£1,499 for the 15-inch MacBook Air following its June price increases.

We consider a discount of $100/£100 or more worth considering, but Prime Day could push prices considerably lower. The previous lowest price we recorded for the entry-level 13-inch M5 model was around $900/£989, while the 15-inch model fell to around $1,100/£1,169.

U.S. Prime Day price: There’s $100 off the 15-inch MacBook Air with 512GB, we’d like to see that price go lower this Prime Day though.

Get 15-inch M5 MacBook Air (512GB/16GB) for $1,399

U.K. Prime Day price: You can save £134 on a 13-inch MacBook Air with M5.

Get 13-inch MacBook Air, M5 (1TB/16GB) for £1,465

MacBook Pro

Apple / Amazon

The current MacBook Pro lineup includes 14-inch and 16-inch models with M5, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and Prime Day could bring worthwhile savings after Apple’s June price increases.

There is one reason to consider waiting: Apple is rumored to be preparing a redesigned MacBook Pro before the end of 2026. If you already own an M4 Pro or M4 Max model, we’d wait, but anyone upgrading from Intel or an M1, M2 or M3 MacBook Pro should consider a strong Prime Day deal.

U.S. Prime Day price: There’s a $163 saving on the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro (1TB/16GB).

Get 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro (1TB/16GB) for $1,839

U.K. Prime Day price: There’s £100 off the 14-inch M5 Pro MacBook Pro.

Get MacBook Pro, 14-inch, M5, 1TB for £2,399

MacBook Neo

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The MacBook Neo remains Apple’s cheapest laptop, starting at $699/£699 following a $100/£100 price increase in June. It uses an A18 Pro chip and is aimed primarily at students, first-time Mac buyers and anyone who mainly needs a computer for web browsing, documents, streaming, video calls and other everyday tasks.

For October Prime Day, we’d regard $649 or less as a good U.S. deal, while anything approaching the previous $589.99 low would be excellent. In the U.K., £549 is the price to watch: that matches the lowest price we recorded during the previous Prime Day sale.

Bear in mind that the Neo has only 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD in its base configuration. If a discounted M5 MacBook Air is only moderately more expensive, the Air will be the better long-term purchase for most buyers.

U.S. Prime Day price: Amazon has a tiny saving of $9 off the MacBook Neo. We’d hold out for better savings.

Get MacBook Neo (256GB) for $690

U.K. Prime Day price: The U.K. Amazon currently has no MacBook Neo in stock, this may change when the Prime sale starts.

Watch Amazon's MacBook Neo page

Mac mini

Apple/Amazon

Apple refreshed the Mac mini in September, making October Prime Day the first major sales event for the new M6 and M5 Pro models.

The M6 Mac mini starts at $899/£899 and is the best choice for most buyers, while the M5 Pro model starts at $1,699/£1,699 and adds more CPU/GPU power, Thunderbolt 5 and support for up to 64GB of memory.

Because both models are so new, large discounts may be unlikely, but even a modest saving would be worth noting. Also watch for clearance deals on the older M4 and M4 Pro Mac mini.

U.S. Prime Day price: There’s $30 of the M5 Pro Mac mini, we’d like to see that price go lower.

Get M5 Pro Mac mini (24GB, 512GB) for $1,669

U.K. Prime Day price: There’s £75 off the M6 Mac mini (16GB, 256GB), a good saving considering how new and in demand these machines are.

Get M6 Mac mini (16GB, 256GB) for £823.97

iMac

Apple

The 24-inch M4 iMac is Apple’s all-in-one Mac, with a built-in 4.5K display, but it is now one of the older models in the lineup. Following Apple’s June price rises, it starts at $1,499/£1,499, making it harder to recommend at full price.

A strong Prime Day discount could make it more attractive, but we’d recommend waiting for Apple to update the iMac which is still using the M4 chip.

U.S. Prime Day price: There’s $43 of the M4 iMac (8-core GPU, 256GB/16GB) – we’d hold out for better savings though.

Get M4 iMac (8-core GPU, 256GB/16GB) for $1,456

U.K. Prime Day price: The M4 iMac (10-Core GPU, 256GB/16GB RAM) has £79 off – we’d like to see at least £100 off though.

Get M4 iMac (10-Core GPU, 256GB/16GB RAM) for £1,620

Mac Studio

Apple

Apple’s new M5 Max and M5 Ultra Mac Studio models went on sale in September, so big Prime Day discounts may be limited.

The M5 Max model starts at $2,499/£2,499 and is the best choice for most professional users, while the M5 Ultra starts at $5,499/£5,499 for much heavier workloads.

Any meaningful discount on the new models would be notable this soon after launch. Also watch for clearance deals on older M4 Max and M3 Ultra configurations.

U.S. Prime Day price: There’s $50 off the M5 Max, 512GB, 36GB.

Get M5 Max Mac Studio (36GB, 512GB) for $2,449

U.K. Prime Day price: Amazon U.K. has the M5 Max, 512GB, 36GB in stock, but at the full price.

Watch Amazon's mac studio page

Which MacBook should you buy?

Foundry

Apple’s current MacBook range falls into three clear categories:

MacBook Air M5: Best MacBook for most people

The M5 MacBook Air is our default recommendation for most buyers. It combines strong performance, long battery life and portability without the higher price of a MacBook Pro. With no replacement expected until 2027, a good Prime Day discount would be easy to recommend.

MacBook Neo: Best budget MacBook

The MacBook Neo is the cheapest MacBook and is best suited to students and anyone who mainly needs a laptop for web browsing, documents, streaming and video calls. If a discounted MacBook Air is only moderately more expensive, however, the Air is the better long-term buy.

MacBook Pro M5: Best for demanding work

The MacBook Pro is the better choice for video editing, software development, 3D work and other demanding tasks that benefit from sustained performance. Prime Day discounts could be worthwhile, although a redesigned MacBook Pro is rumored before the end of 2026.

MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max: Best for professional workloads

Choose an M5 Pro or M5 Max model if you need significantly more CPU and GPU performance, additional memory or greater connectivity. If you already own an M4 Pro or M4 Max model, there is little reason to upgrade.

For most Prime Day shoppers, we recommend starting with the 13-inch M5 MacBook Air. The MacBook Neo becomes especially compelling when heavily discounted, while MacBook Pro buyers should consider whether they need the additional performance and professional features enough to justify the considerably higher price.

Which Mac desktop should you buy?

Foundry

Mac mini M6: Best desktop for most people

The new M6 Mac mini is our default desktop recommendation. It starts at $899/£899 and is ideal for home offices, general productivity, coding, photo editing and less demanding creative work. Because it launched only in September, a significant Prime Day discount would be particularly attractive.

Mac mini M5 Pro: Best compact professional desktop

Choose the M5 Pro model if you need more CPU and GPU performance, Thunderbolt 5, greater memory bandwidth or more than 32GB of unified memory.

Mac Studio M5 Max: Best professional workstation

The M5 Max Mac Studio offers considerably greater GPU performance, more memory and more connectivity than the Mac mini and is our preferred Studio configuration for most professional users.

iMac: Best all-in-one

The M4 iMac remains the obvious choice if you want an integrated 4.5K display and minimal desk clutter, but its older M4 chip and $1,499/£1,499 starting price mean we’d only recommend it with a substantial discount.

Prime Day Mac & MacBook deals to avoid

The cheapest Mac isn’t always the best value. Rather than using Prime Day simply to spend less, use it as an opportunity to get better specifications for the same budget.

When buying a Mac in 2026, try to get as much RAM and storage as you can afford. Most current Macs now start with 16GB of unified memory, although some still have only 256GB of storage. The main exception for memory is the entry-level MacBook Neo, which has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

Because Apple silicon Macs can’t have their unified memory or internal storage upgraded later, it’s worth buying enough for your future needs. Memory is particularly important for demanding creative work, development and AI workloads.

For most buyers, prioritizing memory will provide greater long-term benefits than paying extra for a faster processor. Professional users may want 36GB or more, while 64GB or more can be worthwhile for demanding video production, software development and AI workloads.

• Don’t buy a MacBook Neo simply because it’s the cheapest Mac: If an M5 Air is only around $200/£200 more, the Air gives you 16GB RAM, better display support and considerably more headroom.
• Don’t pay close to full price for an M4 Mac mini: It has now been replaced. Clearance is only attractive if the discount properly reflects that.
• Don’t confuse M6 Mac mini with M5 Pro Mac mini: M6 is the mainstream chip; M5 Pro remains much faster for many professional workloads despite the apparently older number. Macworld
• Don’t buy a MacBook Pro purely because the discount looks enormous: Apple increased MSRP dramatically in June, so a “$400 off” deal may simply bring it closer to what the machine cost before the increase. Compare the actual selling price with the historic lows in your table.

Should you buy a MacBook or Mac during Prime Day?

October Prime Day is a good opportunity to buy a Mac, but whether you should take a deal depends on the model.

The M5 MacBook Air is particularly easy to recommend because it is not expected to be replaced until 2027. The new M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini are also safe purchases from a product-cycle perspective, although their recent launch means discounts may initially be smaller.

MacBook Pro buyers have a more difficult decision. The current M5 models are powerful machines and a large discount may outweigh the benefit of waiting, but a redesigned MacBook Pro is rumored before the end of 2026.

MacBook Neo buyers should watch the price closely. The previous Prime Day low was $589.99/£549, so a deal near or below those figures would be especially attractive.

We would avoid the iMac because of it’s typically high price and age.

Finally, remember that Amazon isn’t the only retailer likely to cut prices during Prime Day. Best Buy, Walmart and B&H in the U.S., and retailers including Currys, John Lewis and others in the U.K., may run competing promotions, so compare prices before buying.

Before you buy, keep the following in mind:

• Prime membership is required: Many of the best deals are exclusive to Amazon Prime members. If you’re not already subscribed, you might be able to take advantage of Amazon’s 30-day free trial or you could sign up for a month and cancel afterward. As well as getting free two-day shipping, Prime customers also get access to Prime Video and Music. Prime memberships cost $139 / £95 annually, or $14.99 / £8.99 / AU$6.99 every month.
• Other sales: If you miss Prime Day, you’ll have another chance to save during the Black Friday sales in November.
• Student Discounts: Students can get discounts at Apple’s Education Store. See: Apple’s U.S. Education Store or Apple’s U.K. Education Store.

Prime Day is available in multiple countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S.

Why you can trust Macworld’s recommendations

The MacBooks and Mac desktops picked here are all chosen by our editors, who have decades of experience with Apple devices. We’ve reviewed everything we recommend, and we only highlight deals that are genuinely good value.

The products selected in this article are at the best current price, usually at or near all-time low prices, and we’ve selected what we think is the best configuration for each product type. We know Apple is expensive, so we’ve chosen products at prices we would be willing to pay, so you can trust that our recommendations will steer you in the right direction.