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The weekend’s best deals: Apple MacBook Air, Resident Evil bundle, and more


The weekend’s best deals: Apple MacBook Air, Resident Evil bundle, and more

Ars Technica

It’s the weekend, which means it’s time for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a nice discount on Apple’s entry-level MacBook Air, which is currently down to $850 at Best Buy. That’s about $150 off Apple’s MSRP and tied for the lowest price we’ve seen from a major retailer since the laptop briefly dropped to $800 last December.

Note that this deal applies to the MacBook Air model that launched in 2020, not the variant that arrived earlier this year with a refreshed design and a faster M2 system-on-a-chip. If money is no object, we now recommend the latter as the best Apple laptop for most people. That said, the M1-based Air is still a fine alternative for those who need a Mac but can’t afford the $1,199 starting price of the M2 model. For the money, it’s still plenty performant, with excellent battery life, a study yet lightweight design, and a comfortable keyboard and trackpad. Just be aware that the 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD in this entry-level configuration is only really suitable for more casual needs. There’s still only two USB-C ports, too, and the built-in webcam remains mediocre. But for students or those who only need a laptop for lighter browsing, editing, and everyday work, there’s still value to be had at this deal price.
Besides MacBooks, our roundup also includes a notable Humble game bundle that packages 10 Resident Evil games—as well as a 50 percent off coupon for the newest entry in the series, Resident Evil Village—for $30. Not every RE game is a winner: RE4RE72019’s RE2 remake, and 2002’s remake of the original RE are excellent, but we were just lukewarm on Village, and the action-heavy excursions of RE5 and RE6 are, let’s say, a more acquired taste. Still, this is a great price for the majority of gaming’s most popular survival-horror franchise. If you already own some of these games, you can pay $1 or $10 to get a smaller selection of titles. And as with most Humble bundles, a portion of any purchases here will help support a charity. In this case, Humble says they’ll partially go toward Direct Relief and their efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine affected by the ongoing invasion by Russia.

Elsewhere, the Dealmaster includes the lowest price we’ve seen for the Apple Watch Series 7, a $50 discount on Microsoft’s Xbox Series S, lower-than-usual prices for Apple’s TV 4K and Nvidia’s Shield TV streamers, and several deals on Amazon and Google smart displays. You can see our full curated list of deals below.

Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

Featured deals of the day

The Apple Watch Series 7.
Enlarge / The Apple Watch Series 7.

Corey Gaskin

Electronics deals

Microsoft's Xbox Series S (left), next to the brawnier Xbox Series X (right).
Enlarge / Microsoft’s Xbox Series S (left), next to the brawnier Xbox Series X (right).

Sam Machkovech

Marshall's Emberton offers strong sound for a compact Bluetooth speaker.
Enlarge / Marshall’s Emberton offers strong sound for a compact Bluetooth speaker.

Jeff Dunn

Laptop and desktop PC deals

  • Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13.3-inch laptop (M1, 2560×1600, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $850 ($925) at Best Buy
  • HP Pavilion Aero (13z-be100) 13.3-inch laptop (Ryzen 5 5625U, 2560×1600, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $646 ($850) at HP (use code: SCHOOLHP5, configure RAM, SSD, display before checkout)
  • Lenovo Yoga 7i (Gen 7) 16-inch 2-in-1 laptop (Core i7-1260P, 2560×1600, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $860 ($1,050) at Lenovo (use codes: YOGADEALS + BTS2022)
  • Microsoft Surface Pro 8 13-inch tablet PC (Core i5-1135G7, 2880×1920, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) + Surface Pro Keyboard for $1,000 ($1,250) at Best Buy
  • Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) 14-inch gaming laptop (Ryzen 9 6900HS, 2560×1600 120 Hz, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Radeon RX 6700S GPU) for $1,400 ($1,600) at Best Buy
Apple's entry-level MacBook Air doesn't have the faster processor or more modern design of <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/07/2022-macbook-air-review-apples-clean-slate/">its follow-up</a>, but it's still a great notebook for those who want to save some cash, especially at its current deal price.
Enlarge / Apple’s entry-level MacBook Air doesn’t have the faster processor or more modern design of its follow-up, but it’s still a great notebook for those who want to save some cash, especially at its current deal price.

Lee Hutchinson

Microsoft's Surface Pro 8.
Enlarge / Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8.

Andrew Cunningham

TV and home entertainment deals

The Apple TV 4K with Apple's improved Siri Remote.
Enlarge / The Apple TV 4K with Apple’s improved Siri Remote.

Jeff Dunn

Video game deals

The action-horror game <em>Resident Evil Village</em>.
Enlarge / The action-horror game Resident Evil Village.

Capcom

The open-world delivery game <em>Death Stranding</em>.
Enlarge / The open-world delivery game Death Stranding.
The card-based roguelike <em>Slay the Spire</em>.
Enlarge / The card-based roguelike Slay the Spire.

Accessories and miscellaneous deals



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