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Aug 05, 2023

Apple’s 13

By Antonio G. Di Benedetto, a writer covering tech deals and The Verge’s Deals newsletter, buying guides, and gift guides. Previously, he spent 15 years in the photography industry. If you buy

By Antonio G. Di Benedetto, a writer covering tech deals and The Verge’s Deals newsletter, buying guides, and gift guides. Previously, he spent 15 years in the photography industry.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

The 13-inch Apple MacBook Air with M2 is on sale for its lowest price to date, dropping to just $899 ($200 off) for the base model at Best Buy. The M2 Air starts with 256GB of storage, 8GB of RAM, and an eight-core M2 processor, though if you prefer stepping up to the 512GB model with faster storage and a 10-core chip, that’s also $200 off and selling for an all-time low of $1,199 at Best Buy.

The M2 MacBook Air earned our top rank of all laptops not long after it was released in fall of 2022; at the time, it started at $1,199. It got a $100 price cut once Apple introduced the larger 15-inch version, so getting that same laptop for just $899 is a bit of a steal now. The M2 Air is an excellent everyday machine that’s super thin and light but plenty big on battery life. It also has MagSafe charging, allowing both of its Thunderbolt-capable high-speed USB-C ports to be used full-time for necessary peripherals and accessories.

The redesigned MacBook Air is a thin, lightweight device powered by Apple’s latest chip. The M2 model also touts a 1080p webcam and a better display than its predecessor while retaining features like long battery life and MagSafe charging.

Even laptops like the latest MacBook Airs still stand to benefit from a USB-C hub with a wider port selection. The Anker 555 8-in-1 USB-C hub is on sale for a new low price of $39.99 ($35 off) at Amazon. The 555 is fairly compact and offers one USB-C port for 100W Power Delivery, one 10Gbps USB-C port, two 10Gbps USB-A ports, SD and microSD card slots, an ethernet port, and an HDMI port capable of up to 4K 60Hz output.

I personally use this same hub with my M1 MacBook Air because it’s difficult to find one with specs that good at an affordable price — and the price is much more affordable now. Many other USB-C hubs in this range cheap out on the USB throughput speed or only top out at 4K 30Hz output. The Anker 555 ticks some nice boxes without making you spend the well over $100 that others call for.

This 8-in-1 USB-C hub delivers plenty of connectivity, including ethernet, a 4K / 60Hz capable HDMI port, microSD / SD card readers, USB-C, and USB-A. It can also power your laptop with up to 85W of power.

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