It ’s well - known that Macs or Apple Cartesian product in general are n’t precisely gaudy , at least compared with some of the Windows alternatives . But if you ’re on a tight budget and keen to go down the Apple route , there are some lower - priced choice available .
In this clause we will take care at the Mac mini , MacBook Air , 13 in MacBook Pro , and incoming - level iMac , and ask whether they are really a sensible budget choice or if you could get an even secure deal . We analyze each of our budget picks in contingent , but you could check out our in - depthMac buying guidefor more information .
The cheapest Mac
If it ’s a brand - new low - cost Mac you ’re after , there are really only two to prefer from :
macintosh mini – starting at £ 699/$699 this is the cheapest Mac you could buy . bribe the Mac miniskirt from Apple here .
MacBook Air – starting at £ 999/$999 is the cheapest Mac laptop you’re able to buy . corrupt the MacBook Air from Apple here .
However , if your budget stretches a little further , you may need to look at these two options :
13 in MacBook Pro – cost a little more than the MacBook Air you may also get a 13 in MacBook Pro for £ 1,299/$1,299.Buy the 13 in MacBook Pro from Apple here .
24 in iMac – the cheapest iMac you could buy is £ 1,249/$1,299.Buy the iMac from Apple here .
That ’s what you may corrupt novel – and we ’ll front at each alternative in more item below – but if you really want a chinchy Mac there are a few other avenues you should consider :
You could check out the current livestock onApple ’s Refurbished Store . Apple sells Macs that have been return to it . These Macs are serviced ( and repaired if necessary ) and ship with a full warranty . you could get some fantastic spate on good - as - new Macs . translate why you should corrupt a refurbished Mac .
You could also take a expression for the best heap and discount from various resellers here :
There is no motive to pay the full price for a Mac !
Best cheap Macs 2022
Mac mini
The cheapest Mac is the Mac miniskirt .
The mini has always been the cheapest Mac , but unluckily it ’s not as cheap as it once was : once upon a time it cost just £ 479/$499 . That ’s inflation for you !
However , at £ 699/$699 it ’s still the cheapest new Mac you could buy and the down price does n’t mean that it ’s not a potent Mac . For £ 699/$699 you are getting an Apple M1 Chip with 8‑Core CPU and 8‑Core GPU and 256 GB Storage . That ’s the exact same spec as you get with the £ 1,299/$1,299 13 in MacBook Pro for almost half the price .
Sure this is a computer that comes without a projection screen , keyboard or black eye . But nobody needs to spend a fortune on any of those peripheral , and perchance you already have a screen , keyboard and mouse .
One of the best thing about the Mac miniskirt is the collection of ports – which include two USB - A port wine as well as two Thunderbolt / USB 4 larboard and an HDMI port . If you require the elder USB - A then you wo n’t get it on an Apple laptop , unless you buy an adaptor . The addition of the HDMI port means you may plug away in two Monitor .
We exhaustively recommend the Mac mini : it ’s a heavy Mac for anyone who wants to run macOS without spend a fortune . Plus we have examine some great deals on it , so you do n’t have to pay full price ! See : Best Mac mini hatful .
MacBook Air
The MacBook Air for sure is n’t cheap , but it ’s Apple ’s cheapest laptop computer and the good alternative for most multitude .
In terms of how it compares to the Mac miniskirt , other than the higher price , the specification of this model are slightly less powerful than the Mac miniskirt : this MacBook Air has a 7 - Congress of Racial Equality GPU rather than a 8 - core GPU . This may not count to you if you are n’t plump to be running particularly intensive diligence , but it ’s worth preserve in mind . If you do desire the 8 - marrow GPU MacBook Air it will cost £ 1,249/$1,249 ( and for that you ’ll also get 512 GB storage ) .
At this point it ’s deserving mentioning the 24 in iMac that volunteer the same 7 - heart GPU as this entering - level MacBook Air , and the same 265 GB storage for £ 1,249/$1,299 . So the MacBook Air certainly looks a steal in equivalence .
Like the Mac miniskirt you may also be able to line up a discount on the MacBook Air on Apple ’s Refurbished Store or at an Apple reseller . In fact we have see some smashing mess for the MacBook Air , so you do n’t have to pay full price ! See : estimable MacBook line deals .
13in MacBook Pro
We ’re including the 13 in MacBook Pro here because , although it be a wad more than the Mac mini and entry - level MacBook Air , it is deserving consider paying a picayune more if you are considering the £ 1,249/$1,249 MacBook Air .
If you compare the £ 1,299/$1,299 MacBook Pro with the £ 1,249/$1,249 MacBook Air it might look like you are losing out in terms of storage ( there being 256 GB on the MacBook Pro and 512 GB on the MacBook Air ) , but if you are choose the more expensive atmosphere because you want the 8 - Core GPU then you will benefit from plunk the MacBook Pro as it has a fan to control that it can work considerably under stress .
You may even spot a deal on the 13 in MacBook Pro that means that you could get it for the same price as the MacBook Air . Check out ourMacBook Pro deals .
24in iMac
The 24 in iMac starts at £ 1,249/$1,299 , which is pretty unsatisfying because it used to jump at £ 1,049/$1,099 .
If you want an iMac this means you will be compensate the same as the price of an entry - level 13 in MacBook Pro , and a fraction more than the top - of - the - range MacBook Air . The crowing problem is that it does n’t represent a good deal because both MacBooks offer more major power for your money . desktop are for certain not cheaper and more powerful in this lawsuit !
Then there is the fact that the Mac miniskirt offers even more power for half the price – you just need to bring your own exhibit , mouse and keyboard .
But for some the iMac will be the Mac for them plainly because of its show , which is now 24 in and 45K. If you were to buy such a video display to go with your Mac mini you could be looking at a pretty big outlay .
If you desire an iMac check that you do n’t compensate more than you require to . Here are thebest iMac slew .
Which cheap Mac is best?
The best low - monetary value Mac for you depends on your needs .
If you are await for something portable then the MacBook Air , starting at £ 999/$999 , is a large alternative . But at almost £ 1,000/$1,000 that ’s still a high price to pay .
The Mac mini is Apple ’s garish Mac at £ 699/$699 , but you will postulate a disjoined proctor , mouse and keyboard . It ’s a dandy choice if you have a budget and already own these peripherals .
The main art object of advice we have though is not to shop at the Apple Store . Instead watch out for discounts anddeals at Apple resellers , and also for discounted Macs at Apple ’s own Refurbished Store where from time to time it even sink the price of the current Mac range . You might also require to read our article aboutbuying a refurbished Mac .
What we do n’t commend is buy a 2d hand Mac from someone on eBay or similar . The job with that is usually these arevery older Macs that Apple no longer supports , which stand for you end up with a misfire , and also there is no assurance for you that they will even work ( which is at least a benefit of buying renovate ) . Read : Should I bribe a second handwriting Mac ?
One last piece of advice . Apple is in the middle of a transition from Intel to it ’s own processors – which at this spirit level are known as M1 . You may see a deal on a Mac with an Old Intel processor and think that it will be a bargain , our recommendation is that you would be better off spend a little more and getting an M1 - power Mac . But if you are buy Intel we would steer clear of anything more than a duo of years old .
