I split my time between home and pro studios - here are 5 Prime Day laptop deals every music maker should see

An Asus P16 laptop on a yellow background
(Image credit: Asus)

There are sales and savings popping up everywhere at the moment, thanks to the Prime Day music deals. So if you’re on the hunt for a new laptop for music production, it’s a great time to strike while the iron’s a lot cheaper than usual.

As Prime Day is now nearly a Prime week, running from July 8th to the 11th, we can reasonably expect that this year will see more discounts than ever before, becoming an event more akin to a summer Black Friday than its origins as just a single day of deals. That means more prices being slashed, and more time to save big on the music gear you want.

I’m a laptop user who moves frequently between a proper analogue recording studio and my home studio, and my MacBook is my most prized possession. I spent a lot of time researching what to go for before I bought it, and in my job as a gear reviewer, I’ve reviewed a few laptops in my time. Add in an early stint as a young man working in a computer repair shop, and it’s fair to say I know a few things about computers.

Coupled with my job finding the best deals for musicians, I’ve elected to scour all the websites with major sales, including Amazon, to pick out the best deals for musicians looking to take the plunge.

Whether you’ve got a small budget or a large one I’ve picked out a selection of laptops that will cover all bases, and every single one is more than capable of handling the task of producing music. I’ve ordered them by price too, to make it easier to browse.

Top laptop deals

MacBook Air M1
MacBook Air M1: was $699 now $649 at Walmart

The MacBook Air M1 is a truly amazing bit of kit. The first of the next-gen Apple Silicon chips it’s a brilliant laptop for music making on a budget, and I’m honestly surprised you can still pick them up new. For just north of $500, the M1 chip will more than hold up to the demands of the home producer, letting you run a DAW, soft synths, and plenty of effects without any noticeable stutter or lag. Having owned one before I upgraded to a MacBook Pro, I can assure you that for the majority of music makers, an M1 will do just fine.

Dell 14 Plus
Save 32%
Dell 14 Plus: was $1,249 now $849 at Dell

If you prefer a Windows machine but don’t want to spend loads then this is a great deal. While it’s not quite as good as the M1 chip, the Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU alongside 32GB RAM will handle intermediate-level music production tasks, giving you plenty of power to run a good number of tracks and software instruments. Dell laptops are known for being particularly robust, and the 2.5K screen will ensure it looks great while doing so.

MacBook Air M4
Save 14%
MacBook Air M4: was $1,199 now $1,026 at Amazon

If you’ve got a bit more to spend but still value portability, this MacBook Air M4 is just north of $1k over at Amazon. It’s got oodles of power with 16GB of unified memory that will give you plenty of power for running concurrent reverb plugins, yet it’s small and lightweight enough to carry around anywhere in a backpack. One thing to note with a MacBook Air is the lack of ports, with just two Thunderbolt 4 ports on this one. This means you might want to take that money saved and invest in a good USB hub.

MacBook Pro M4
Save 10%
MacBook Pro M4: was $1,999 now $1,799 at Amazon

For those who love MacOS and want optimal power for more complex projects and scoring, you’ll want to look at the MacBook Pro M4. Apple’s latest chip is packing some serious heft, and it’ll put up with the most rigorous strain from projects with hundreds of tracks in its stride. I have the MacBook Pro M3, and so far, I’ve yet to find anything beyond its capabilities, despite running some huge sessions recorded on a 48-channel desk.

Asus ProArt P16
Asus ProArt P16: was $2,369 now $2,189 at Amazon

It ain’t cheap, but for those who want one of the best laptops with the most power possible, the Asus ProArt P16 is an absolute beast. I recently reviewed one, and it survived up to the 400-track mark using the D-Verb test in Pro Tools, so I can’t imagine many musicians running into the limit of this machine any time soon. It’s got a gorgeous screen, and I really loved the aesthetic, which is minimal and very classy looking for a Windows laptop. It’s got an AI chip and an additional GPU, so it’ll multitask for any kind of content creation, video editing, and even gaming.

Read more: Asus ProArt P16 review

TOPICS
Matt McCracken
Junior Deals Writer

Matt is a Junior Deals Writer here at MusicRadar. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on audio interfaces, studio headphones, studio monitors, and pretty much anything else home recording-related. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for various music sites including Guitar World, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog. A regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and producing bands, he's currently studying Sound Engineering and Music Production at Spirit Studios in the UK.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.