The M5 MacBook Air is down to the lowest price we've seen since Apple's price hike
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Tech Why you can trust ZDNET : ZDNET's expert staff finds the best discounts and price drops from reputable sellers on a regular basis. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Our process 'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form. Close Home Tech Computing Laptops The M5 MacBook Air is down to the lowest price we've seen since Apple's price hike Apple increased prices in its official store, but Amazon has the lowest prices on the new 13-inch M5 MacBook Air right now. Written by Kyle Kucharski, Senior EditorSenior Editor Aug. 6, 2026 at 9:25 a.m. PT Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETMacBook Air M5 (13-inch) for $1,134 (save $65) ZD recommends 3/5 Editor's deal rating View at Amazon Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.The 13-inch Apple MacBook Air M5 is now on sale for back-to-school season, with the 13-inch starting at $1,134, or 13% off -- the lowest price we've seen since Apple's blanket price increase across its entire MacBook and iPad lineup in June. Also: I tried buying a MacBook Air from Apple today - shipping was delayed by over a monthThis means consumers are paying 15% to 25% more now than they would have on the same device a couple of months ago. While Amazon has changed its prices to match, some of the latest MacBook Air models are still less expensive there than at Apple. For example, the 13-inch MacBook Air M5 now starts at $1,199 in the Apple store, but it's $1,134 on Amazon -- not a major discount, but slightly lower. ZD recommends MacBook Air M5 (13-inch) for $1,134 (save $65) View at Amazon The increased cost is largely due to unprecedented demand for RAM and NAND flash storage from AI infrastructure companies, which are scooping it up for themselves, leading to a shortage for consumer electronics. This price increase should come as no surprise, however. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently warned of an impending price hike in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, admitting that it had reached a point where higher prices were "unavoidable."Also: Apple jacks up prices on its MacBooks and iPads - here's how much more you'll pay If you've been looking at snagging a new MacBook Air, this might be a final chance to grab one at a lower price until October Prime Day or Black Friday sales. The Air M5 earned our Editor's Choice for its features relative to cost, mature design, and thoroughly enjoyable user experience. It's still the jack-of-all-trades laptop I recommend to most people, with a thin-and-light build, fantastic battery life, and -- compared to the M4 -- more memory and faster storage.How I rated this deal I rated this deal a 3/5 because they're currently cheaper than the official Apple store, but not the lowest overall prices we've ever seen. Unfortunately, these prices might be as low as they can possibly go for now as companies grapple with the rising cost of device components, memory, and storage. When will this deal expire? Deals are subject to sell out or expire anytime, though ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best product deals for you to score the best savings. Our team of experts regularly checks in on the deals we share to ensure they are still live and obtainable. We're sorry if you've missed out on this deal, but don't fret -- we're constantly finding new chances to save and sharing them with you at ZDNET.com. Show more How do we rate deals at ZDNET? We aim to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter. ZDNET offers 33 years of experience, 30 hands-on product reviewers, and 10,000 square feet of lab space to ensure we bring you the best of tech. In 2025, we refined our approach to deals, developing a measurable system for sharing savings with readers like you. Our editor's deal rating badges are affixed to most of our deal content, making it easy to interpret our expertise to help you make the best purchase decision.At the core of this approach is a percentage-off-based system to classify savings offered on top-tech products, combined with a sliding-scale system based on our team members' expertise and several factors like frequency, brand or product recognition, and more. The result? Hand-crafted deals chosen specifically for ZDNET readers like you, fully backed by our experts. 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