The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?

Save almost £400 on Apple’s 2021 MacBook Pro laptop following the 2023 model’s launch

The older model is still one of the best laptops around and features a blazing fast chip

Alex Lee
Friday 03 February 2023 12:45 GMT
The laptop saw the return of the MagSafe charger
The laptop saw the return of the MagSafe charger (The Independent)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

When we first laid our eyes on the shiny new 14in and 16in MacBook Pro laptops a week ago, we couldn’t help but notice that they, well, looked exactly the same as the 2021 models, with just more oomph on the inside thanks to some new chips.

While the 2023 M2 Pro and M2 Max chips see improvements to performance and battery life, they’re not cheap. Considering that the cheapest laptop in the range costs £2,149, you might want to opt for the older 14in and 16in MacBook Pro laptops from 2021 instead.

Not merely because they’re still one of the slickest, best-performing laptops around, but because, following the launch of the new laptops, third-party retailers have given both the older 2021 models a hefty price cut.

The 14in MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro chip is now £244 less than usual (was £1,899, now £1,655, Very.co.uk), while the 16in MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro chip has been discounted by almost £400 (was £2,399, now £2,005, Ao.com). This is everything you need to know about the deals.

Apple 14in MacBook Pro, M1 Pro, 2021: Was £1,899, now £1,655, Very.co.uk

(Apple)

When Apple released the new 14in and 16in MacBook Pros in 2021, it was a radical upgrade over its predecessors. Both feature slick and gently updated designs, bigger screens and new processors, but, just as importantly, our reviewer says that they saw “the return of popular features which had vanished from earlier versions: a slot for an SD card, an HDMI connector and, best of all: MagSafe”.

There hadn’t been an upgrade to the MacBooks on this scale since 2016, but the 2021 models have a new shape, new-look keyboard, improved camera for video calls and a significant boost to performance. You can get it with either the M1 Pro chip or the M1 Max chip, but the cheapest prices can be found on the M1 Pro model – that doesn’t mean you’re missing out, however.

The M1 chips are still blazing fast. “Demanding programs like Logic Pro open and perform at high speed, allowing users to be at their most creative and never held back by waiting for the machine to respond,” our writer said in their review of the 14in MacBook Pro with the M1 chip. “The power here is breathtakingly fast.”

Buy now

Apple 16in MacBook Pro, M1 Pro, 2021: Was £2,399, now £2,005, Ao.com

(Apple)

If you’d prefer to get the 2021 MacBook Pro with the larger screen, that one’s on sale too, with an even bigger discount of almost £400.

The 16in MacBook Pro laptop is basically identical to the 14in one, it just has a bigger screen and is slightly heavier, meaning it can fit in a bigger battery. So, there’s a 100Wh battery inside instead of the 70Wh one on the 14in MacBook Pro, giving you an extra three hours of life. Other than that, it all comes down to preference and price.

Buy now

Voucher codes

For the latest discounts on laptops and other tech offers, try the links below:

Still want the best of the best? Have a read of our 16in MacBook Pro M2 2023 laptop review

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in