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By itself, Apple is not a fan of discounts. Fortunately, you can rely on third-party retailers to keep sales going on all your devices. That’s where Amazon comes in. Amazon’s Prime Day sale runs from October 8 to 9, and you’ll find a variety of Apple Prime Day deals on MacBooks, AirPods, iPads, and more.
We don’t recommend anything we haven’t tried and we test it all year round. Do you want to read the full reviews? Check out our guides to the best MacBooks, best AirPods, best iPads, and best Apple Watches. You must be a Prime member to access deals during the sale, which is technically called Big Deal Days, but you can get a free trial and Prime offers plenty of fun perks. Below, we’ve rounded up the best discounts on our top-rated devices.
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MacBook Deals
Photography: apple
According to rumors, M4-powered MacBooks could launch this month. But the MacBook Pro with M3 was released just a year ago, so it’s still a great option. It includes a bright display with a mini LED panel and a 120Hz refresh rate, along with a 1080p webcam. It also comes with plenty of ports, including two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, an HDMI, a MagSafe charging port, a high-impedance headphone jack, and an SD card slot. We recommend it if you’re looking for a MacBook Pro without spending $2,000 or more.
The M3-powered MacBook Air (7/10, WIRED recommended) isn’t all that different from the M2 model, but it’s a great choice, especially if you want a reliable laptop for everyday tasks and a little more. It has a 13.6-inch LCD display and a notch with a 1080p webcam, while the M3 also offers a nice performance bump over the original M1. You can also use it with two external displays, which is an upgrade from the single external display support with older chips.
Photography: Brenda Stolyar
The 15-inch MacBook Air (8/10, WIRED recommended) is a great choice if you want a larger screen, but don’t want to spend the money on a MacBook Pro. It includes all the same features of the 13-inch MacBook Air, including a better build. modern and a 1080 webcam, along with an M3 chip. The base model comes equipped with an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU that handles tasks with ease. We recommend upgrading to at least 16GB of unified memory to ensure you can seamlessly handle dozens of apps and tabs running at the same time.
If you’re looking for an external display to pair with your MacBook, the Studio Display (9/10, WIRED recommended) is a great option. It has a large 27-inch screen that’s great for displaying multiple apps simultaneously, and the sharp screen delivers accurate colors. There’s also a 12-megapixel camera, along with built-in microphones and speakers, making it ideal for video calls. It doesn’t have HDR, so colors appear a little more saturated and contrasting to the neutral tones you’ll find on Apple’s Pro Display XDR, but the 5K resolution is surprisingly sharp.
iPad Deals
Photography: apple
This is Apple’s latest iPad Pro tablet (6/10, wired review). It comes with the most updates in a long time, including a larger and brighter screen, an improved OLED display, and a front camera that has been moved to landscape mode. It is also powered by the M4 chip (which launched in May), which offers smooth and snappy performance. It’s not that different from the M2-powered tablet, so if you don’t need the latest version, we highly recommend its predecessor if it’s on sale too.
This is the latest iPad Air (8/10, WIRED recommended), which came out in May. It comes in two sizes: 11 inches and 13 inches. The latter is not only larger but also brighter, making it excellent for use as a secondary screen for working or watching TV. It also comes equipped with an M2 processor (the same one that powers the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro coming in 2022), offering smooth performance. Apple moved the 12-megapixel front camera to landscape orientation, making it less awkward to use on video calls. It has a USB-C port, slim bezels, and Touch ID integrated into the top power button.
Photography: Apple; fake images
The iPad (10th generation) (7/10, WIRED review) is our top pick for most people. It comes with a large 10.9-inch Liquid Retina (IPS LCD) display, a Touch-ID sensor integrated into the power button, a USB-C port instead of Lightning, and a 12-megapixel rear camera (an upgrade from the of 8). megapixels). The 12MP selfie camera has been moved to the center of the iPad. It is powered by an A14 Bionic chip, which offers slightly faster performance and an improvement in graphics over its predecessor.
We no longer think the 9th generation iPad (8/10, WIRED recommended) is the best for most people (mainly because it’s three years old and has an older A13 Bionic chip). But it’s still a solid option if you want a budget tablet. It’s affordable and comes with a ton of great features, like 64GB of storage on the base model, a 12-megapixel rear camera (Center Stage compatible), a Touch ID-enabled physical home button, and a True Tone display. It’s also compatible with several accessories, including the first-generation Apple Pencil and Apple’s Smart Keyboard.
ipad miniPhotography: apple
Apple is expected to announce a new iPad Mini in November or early next year, so I recommend waiting for this one if you can. But if you can’t, this is still a great tablet. The 8.3-inch screen is ideal for drawing, taking notes, reading e-books, and watching movies. It also has Touch ID built into the power button, a front-facing camera with Center Stage, and an A15 Bionic processor (as seen in the iPhone 13) that can handle demanding apps or games.
This is the latest and most feature-rich Apple Pencil. It comes with a “squeeze” capability that activates the tool palette (but you can still use double-tap), a haptic motor inside that provides feedback when you squeeze the pen, and a built-in gyroscope sensor that lets you change the orientation of the pen. tools as you turn them for more precise control. It also comes with support for Apple’s Find My Network in case you lose it. However, it only works with iPad Air (M2) and iPad Pro (M4).
The second-generation Apple Pencil is one step below the new Apple Pencil Pro. It comes with tilt sensitivity, pressure sensitivity, handwriting support, and a double-tap feature that lets you quickly switch between tools by tapping the pencil. twice. It also supports wireless pairing and wireless charging, meaning it automatically charges magnetically when attached to the top edge of compatible iPads. As for compatibility, it works with iPad Mini (6th generation), iPad Air (4th generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later), and 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later).
AirPods Deals
Photography: Apple; fake images
In addition to above-average sound quality, with crisp highs, powerful bass, and excellent noise cancellation, the AirPods Pro (8/10, WIRED recommended) come with a ton of useful features. There’s Conversation Awareness, which reduces music and background noise when it detects you’re having a conversation, along with Adaptive Transparency mode that combines noise cancellation and transparency to adjust audio. Thanks to the U1 chip, they are also compatible with the Find My app in case you lose the headphones.
The Apple AirPods Max (8/10, WIRED recommended) offer rich bass, fantastic noise cancellation, and a huge soundstage. They also have excellent build quality, with soft fabric ear cups (which are replaceable) and a stretchy mesh headband. They integrate seamlessly with iOS devices and have the ability to automatically switch between iOS devices. Last month, Apple released a USB-C version. They are identical to the Lightning version except for the charging port. those are also for sale in selected colors.
Apple Watch deals
The Series 10 (8/10, WIRED recommends) has only been available for a month, but it’s already on sale. It’s our top pick of all Apple watches. It’s thinner and lighter than its predecessor, and it has fast charging and support for watchOS 11, so you’ll have access to features like Vitals (to check if you’re off your baseline each morning) and Training Load (where you can see how your workouts impact your physical condition). However, the most notable feature is the breathing disturbances, which uses the built-in accelerometer to notify you if you have sleep apnea.
The Ultra 2 (8/10, WIRED recommended) is our favorite smartwatch for outdoor sports. It has built-in dual-frequency precision GPS, offline maps (although you’ll have to download them to your iPhone), and the ability to view your cycling session as a live activity on your iPhone. It also has an Action button, which you can use to launch Backtrack (Apple’s navigation feature that creates virtual navigation routes in the Compass app that you can follow all the way home). It is powered by the S9 chip for increased performance, along with an ultra-wideband chip with improved precision seeking.
