Our favorite MacBook for college students is on sale, plus 20 more back-to-school laptop deals

By: Mashable Posted On: August 13, 2025 View: 0

That 13-inch M4 MacBook Air is still only $799, somehow.

Haley Henschel

on August 13, 2025

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a woman placing a 13-inch m4 apple macbook air into a backpack

Credit: Apple

Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Learn more about how we select deals.

There's more to consider than just what supplies to buy this year (though we'll help with that too.)

The best back-to-school laptop deals at a glance:

It's been [redacted] years since I've personally geared up for a new semester, but I still get excited for the back-to-school shopping season. That's because part of my job here at Mashable entails hunting down great laptop deals — and after Black Friday, this is the time when I see the best discounts. Many of our favorite laptops for college students are on sale right now, including popular MacBooks.

Even the Apple Store joins the fray. As part of its back-to-school sale, one of its rare direct savings events, every MacBook purchased there through Sept. 30 comes with a $100 discount and a free Apple accessory worth up to $199.

To help you start the semester with the right device, I've compiled a list of the best back-to-school laptop deals on MacBooks, Windows laptops, and Chromebooks, which I'll update throughout the season; the discounts should be plentiful up until Labor Day. Of note: The latest 13-inch MacBook Air is still less than $800 at Amazon; a well-specced Asus laptop has dipped under $1,000; and a lesser configuration of our favorite Chromebook is only $379.

A+ work, everyone.

Best MacBook deal

Credit: Apple

Why we like it

Apple's new M4 MacBook Air is a Mashable Choice Award winner and one of the easiest laptops to recommend for students. It's gorgeous, powerful, portable, quiet, and priced super competitively. Better yet, it's also been incredibly easy to find on sale. For back-to-school and college shoppers, Amazon and Best Buy have it marked down to $799, beating its Prime Day discount by $50. (The 15-inch version is also $200 off.)

For comparison's sake, the Apple Store is only offering a $100 student discount on both sizes of the M4 MacBook Air. However, it throws in your pick of a free accessory worth up to $199: AirPods 4 with ANC, AirPods Pro 2, a Magic Mouse, a Magic Trackpad, or a Magic Keyboard with a numeric keypad. Some shoppers will prefer the $200 straight-up discount from Amazon and Best Buy, but if you go the Apple Store freebie route, you can technically save even more.

More MacBook deals

Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $599 ~~$649~~ (save $150)
Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $999 ~~$1,199~~ (save $200)
Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,299 ~~$1,599~~ (save $300)
Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M3 Pro, 18GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,499 ~~$1,899~~ (save $400)
Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M4 Pro, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,699 ~~$1,999~~ (save $300)

Best Windows laptop deal

Credit: Asus

Why we like it

This 14-inch Asus laptop has incredible specs for the price: You get a nice OLED touchscreen display, a high-end Intel Core Ultra 9 Series 2 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD for only $900. That's more than enough power, memory, and storage to get you through four years of college. Plus, at just 0.59 inches thin and 2.82 pounds, it's easy to take on the go.

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Best Chromebook deal

Credit: Lenovo

Why we like it

An upgraded version of this 14-inch Lenovo hybrid is our current favorite Chromebook, combining solid performance with a long battery life. It's a Costco exclusive that's not on sale right now, but Best Buy's lesser variant (which is normally priced the same) is a whopping 37% off. It comes with a downgraded Intel Core i3 CPU and half the storage capacity, but the same great 2-in-1 design featuring a 2K touchscreen.

More Chromebook deals

UPDATE: Aug. 13, 2025, 12:40 p.m. EDT This story has been refreshed with the latest back-to-school laptop deals.

Topics Apple

Frequently Asked Questions

ARM-based laptops with Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors won't work with certain specialty apps, the biggest one being AutoCAD. As such, I don't recommend them for students. (It's kind of a shame because they tend to be fast and long-lasting.)

Haley Henschel

Senior Shopping Reporter

Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.

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