Timing is everything. Honestly, if you’re looking for a Mac Black Friday sale, you’ve probably realized by now that Apple itself is kind of the worst place to buy. It’s true. They’ll give you a gift card—usually ranging from $50 to $200 depending on whether you’re grabbing a MacBook Air or a beefed-up Mac Studio—but that’s not a discount. That’s store credit. If you want cold, hard cash off the MSRP, you have to look elsewhere.
Retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo are where the real bloodbath happens.
We’ve seen the transition to Apple Silicon change the game. Remember Intel Macs? They’re basically paperweights now. If you see an Intel-based Mac on "clearance" during Black Friday, run. Don't do it. Even a base model M2 or M3 chip will absolutely lap the old Intel i7 or i9 processors in daily tasks. The efficiency is just on another level. This year, the focus is squarely on the M3 and the recently announced M4 family. Because Apple is aggressive with their release cycles, the "old" stock—which is still incredibly fast—gets slashed deep.
The Reality of Mac Black Friday Sale Discounts
Don't expect 50% off. It’s Apple. They guard their margins like a fortress. However, hitting that $150 to $250 discount range on current-gen hardware is very doable. If you’re hunting for the 13-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip, we often see that price tank to $799 or even $899. That’s the "sweet spot" for students or anyone who just needs a machine that works and doesn't die after three hours of Zoom calls.
The MacBook Pro is a different beast.
Last year, the M3 Pro and M3 Max models saw some staggering early-bird specials. B&H Photo is notorious for these "Flash Sales" that happen at 2:00 AM. You have to be fast. If you're looking for a Mac Black Friday sale on a high-end workstation, you’re looking for those $400+ discounts that usually only apply to the higher-tier RAM configurations. Speaking of RAM, stop buying 8GB. Just stop. Even if it’s on sale for a "steal," macOS Sequoia and whatever comes next are hungry. Aim for 16GB (or "18GB" in the newer architecture) if you want the machine to last until 2030.
Why the 14-inch MacBook Pro is the target
Most people think they want the 16-inch because of the screen real estate. It’s huge. It’s gorgeous. It’s also a brick in your backpack. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 or M4 chip is arguably the best laptop ever made, and it’s the one that sees the most competitive pricing during November.
Why? Because it's the high-volume seller.
Best Buy often bundles these with "Member Deals" through their My Best Buy Plus program. Sometimes the extra $50 membership fee pays for itself instantly because it unlocks a $300 discount on a MacBook Pro that everyone else is only discounting by $200. It’s a bit of a shell game, but the math usually checks out in your favor.
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The Refurbished Secret Nobody Talks About
You want a secret? Check the Apple Certified Refurbished store during the Black Friday window. Now, Apple won’t call these "Black Friday deals," but they often restock their refurbished inventory right as the holiday rush starts.
These aren't "used" in the way you think. They come with a brand-new outer shell, a brand-new battery, and the same one-year warranty as a retail unit.
I’ve seen M2 Max Mac Studios on the refurbished site for cheaper than any Black Friday sale on a brand-new M3 model. If you’re a video editor or a dev, the "previous-gen high-end" is almost always a better value than the "current-gen base-end."
- MacBook Air M2: Target price $799-$849.
- MacBook Air M3: Target price $899-$999.
- MacBook Pro 14-inch: Look for $1,449 as the "buy now" price.
- Mac Mini: If it hits $499, buy it immediately.
The Mac Mini is actually the dark horse of the Mac Black Friday sale. It’s already cheap. When it goes on sale, it becomes the most powerful computer in the world for under five hundred bucks. Just remember you need a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, which can eat into those savings if you aren't careful.
Avoid the "Base Model" Trap
There is a specific trick retailers use. They’ll advertise a "Mac Black Friday Sale!" in giant bold letters and show a picture of a MacBook Pro. Then you click it, and the discount only applies to the model with 256GB of storage.
In 2026, 256GB is nothing.
You’ll download three 4K movies or a couple of heavy apps, and your disk will be full. The system will slow down because it has no room for "swap memory." If you find a sale on a 512GB or 1TB model, jump on it. Those are rarer. Retailers use the base models as loss leaders to get you in the door, but the mid-tier specs are where the actual professional value lives.
Monitor the Price Trackers
Don't trust the "original price" listed on the site. Use something like CamelCamelCamel or Keepa. These tools show you the price history. Sometimes a retailer will raise the price in October just to "lower" it in November and call it a Black Friday deal. It’s a classic tactic. You want to see that the price is at an all-time low, not just a "discount" from a fake high.
Is the iMac worth it during Black Friday?
Honestly? Only if you love the aesthetic. The 24-inch iMac is a great family computer, but it rarely gets the massive $500 price cuts we see on the laptops. Since the M3 refresh, it’s been more stable in price. If you see a $100 or $150 discount, that’s about as good as it gets. Most people are better off getting a Mac Mini and a nice 27-inch 4K display from Dell or LG—you get more screen for less money.
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How to Prepare for the Drop
The "Black Friday" period isn't just one day anymore. It’s basically the whole month of November.
- Set Alerts: Use sites like Slickdeals or MacRumors. They have dedicated editors who do nothing but stare at price charts.
- Check Education Pricing: If you’re a student (or have a .edu email), check the Apple Education Store. Sometimes their year-round student price is actually better than a retailer's "sale" price.
- Trade-In Strategy: Apple’s trade-in values are okay, but you can usually get 20% more by selling on Swappa or eBay. Do this in October before the market gets flooded with everyone else trying to upgrade.
- Credit Card Rewards: Use a card like the Apple Card for 3% back (at Apple) or a Prime Visa for 5% back at Amazon. It's an "extra" discount on top of the sale.
When the sale goes live, the popular colors (Space Black and Midnight) sell out first. If you don't care about the color, the Silver models often stay in stock longer and sometimes get an extra $20 off just to move the inventory. It's a weird quirk of human psychology—everyone wants the "new" color, so the classic ones get ignored.
Focus on the specs that matter. Processor cores are great, but for 90% of people, the jump from M2 to M3 isn't as noticeable as the jump from 8GB to 16GB of RAM. If you find an older M2 Pro chip with high RAM for a lower price than a base M3, take the M2 Pro every single time.
The most important thing is to have your payment info saved. These deals, especially the ones on the high-end MacBook Pros, can vanish in minutes. If you see the configuration you want at a price that beats the "gift card" value of the Apple Store, don't overthink it. Pull the trigger.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Mac Search
Check your current machine’s battery cycle count and storage usage right now. If your battery is over 800 cycles or your storage is 90% full, you are the prime candidate for an upgrade. Map out the specific retailers you trust—Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H are the big three. Bookmark the specific configuration page you want, not just the general Mac category. Refresh those bookmarks starting the Monday before Thanksgiving. If the price hits your target, buy it immediately and opt for "In-Store Pickup" if available to avoid the shipping chaos that inevitably follows Black Friday.