Best early October Prime Day MacBook deals: We're tracking Apple laptop prices

As Mashable's resident laptop expert, I'm in charge of sniffing out the best deals on Apple MacBooks ahead of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days (an "October Prime Day" sale slated for Oct. 7 to 8). And right now, I'm a little miffed.

You see, Amazon had several popular models from Apple's lineup marked down to record-low prices all throughout August and September. That includes the base configurations of the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air, its 15-inch counterpart, and the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro: They were only $799, $999, and $1,299, respectively (a $200 to $300 savings).

Now, a week before October Prime Day, those all-time lows have suddenly disappeared. All three base M4 MacBooks have gotten $50 to $100 more expensive since I checked their prices last week. They'll almost certainly dip back down again as soon as the sale starts, so it's just a matter of waiting, but Amazon's pre-sale coyness is annoying nonetheless.

With that in mind, I recommend not buying a MacBook until we see what Amazon brings to the table on Oct. 7 — with one exception. The retail giant has an upgraded M4 MacBook Air with 512GB of storage on sale for $999, or $200 off, for the time being. It's never been cheaper before, and Amazon's M4 MacBook Air discounts haven't exceeded $200 thus far, so I'd feel confident adding it to your cart prior to the sale's formal start time.

Below, I've outlined the details of that offer alongside the other early October Prime Day MacBook deals I'm tracking. Check back soon in case more record lows reappear ahead of schedule.

Best MacBook Air deal

Why we like it

Apple's latest MacBook Air offers quiet, Pro-level performance in an ultrathin form factor. It was 24% faster than its M3 predecessor in our CPU benchmark, and it features a new 12MP Center Stage camera in addition to open-lid support for two monitors.

This particular 13-inch model is my favorite MacBook for college students for two reasons: It's super portable, and it packs an ample amount of storage. (Most top public universities recommend getting a laptop with at least 512GB of room, or else you'll need to supplement it with an external hard drive down the road.) At $999, it's a great buy for those who still need a laptop for school, but also just anyone looking to upgrade from an older, pokier MacBook. Again, this is its best price to date.

Read Mashable's full review of the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air (M4).

More MacBook Air deals

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $899 $999 (save $100)

• Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $1,049 $1,199 (save $150)

MacBook Pro deals

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,399 $1,599 (save $200)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M4 Pro, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $2,249 $2,499 (save $250)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M4 Max, 36GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,869 $3,199 (save $330)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M4 Max, 36GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $3,099 $3,499 (save $400)