Apple's most powerful MacBooks get the refurbished treatment — M3 Pro and M3 Max now up to $530 off

M3 MacBook Pro review
(Image credit: Future)

If you’ve ever wondered if there are any ways of saving money on Apple products at the Apple Store, then you’ll probably want to look at the refurbished section — where Apple has just added reconditioned versions of some of its most powerful laptops.

You can now buy Apple-refurbished MacBook Pros with M3 Pro and M3 Max chips inside, with some hefty discounts of up to $530 off full price on both the 14 and 16-inch models. These are some of Apple's best Macs and best MacBooks, and it remains the only way to get any money off a device from Apple directly, and there are some key reasons why it’s one of the best ways to save money on MacBooks and other Apple products.

Refurbished in house

When you buy a refurbished option anywhere else, you can’t guarantee the quality of the refurb. There may be poor-quality parts in use, or they might not have been tested well enough to make sure that it’s good to go to a new owner — they might be cheaper than Apple’s alternative, but you won’t get the peace of mind that comes with buying from Apple.

Apple uses official parts and in-house engineers to refurbish its machines, testing every little thing to make sure that the MacBook that you buy is as well presented as a brand new one. Even though that means that they’re more expensive than some refurbs, you’ll still save money — take the M3 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro, for example. If you were to buy one of those in the Apple Store at full price, you’d pay $3,199, whereas the Apple refurb of the same machine costs $480 less at $2,179. Even better, you’ll find a one-year warranty just as good as a brand-new machine on all officially refurbished machines, so there’s some extra peace of mind as well.

These are some stunning machines, and they tend to be very expensive — so any kind of saving on them is welcome.

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Tammy Rogers
Senior Staff Writer

As iMore's Senior Staff writer, Tammy uses her background in audio and Masters in screenwriting to pen engaging product reviews and informative buying guides. The resident audiophile (or audio weirdo), she's got an eye for detail and a love of top-quality sound. Apple is her bread and butter, with attention on HomeKit and Apple iPhone and Mac hardware. You won't find her far away from a keyboard even outside of working at iMore – in her spare time, she spends her free time writing feature-length and TV screenplays. Also known to enjoy driving digital cars around virtual circuits, to varying degrees of success. Just don't ask her about AirPods Max - you probably won't like her answer.