The new M4 MacBook Pro laptops can be bought with hundreds of dollars off the list price ahead of Black Friday... just not from Apple.

They were launched less than two months ago, they are outstanding products, and yet Amazon is offering substantial discounts on them.

So what are the best Black Friday MacBook deals so far? For me, it's the MacBook Air M2 for $749 on Amazon, which is $150 off. Meanwhile, the brand-new MacBook Pro 14-inch with the M4 chip is $125 off.

The M4 represents as much of a philosophical shift as it does a performance upgrade. It is Apple acknowledging that if you’re buying a laptop with “Pro” in the name, than it should be a better machine.

At the core of the MacBook Air is Apple’s powerful M2 chip. This 2022 processor is engineered specifically for Macs and delivers impressive speed and efficiency. Whether you’re juggling multiple applications, editing videos or simply browsing the web, the M2 chip ensures great performance that can handle it all without breaking a sweat.

Apple has encouraged its display panel suppliers to scale up their investments in laptop-sized OLED displays, Taiwanese research firm TrendForce

Apple's latest MacBook Pro is a powerhouse of a laptop for professionals and prosumers. But if you're just looking for something to browse the web and stream Netflix, stick with the MacBook Air.

The M4 MacBook Pro is pretty stellar. Apple made it far better than the previous generation — without increasing the cost. That includes bumping up the memory of the base configuration to 16GB, improving the webcam,

AM EST This story has been updated with new laptop deals ahead of Black Friday. Black Friday is the absolute best time for finding good deals on laptops. (I would know: I've tracked them for Mashable since 2019.