ZDNET's best laptop for 2024 is $500 off on Amazon ahead of October Prime Day

At the time of this writing, Amazon’s October Prime Day event is only a few days away, and laptops are selling like hotcakes. I’ve had difficulty finding a good laptop because they’re either sold out or the discount is minimal. Luckily, I stumbled across a great deal on the 2023 Apple MacBook Pro M3 Max, and I’d like to share it with you.

Also: The best October Prime Day deals live now

The model won the top spot on ZDNET’s list of the best laptops for 2024, beating out rivals like the Dell XPS 16 and Alienware m18 R2. A major factor in earning the number one placement is the M3 Max chipset. I won’t bore you with all the details on what makes the hardware so good, but what you need to know is its 16-core CPU is 50 percent faster than the M2 Max chip. The 40-core GPU sees a similar upgrade as it is 20 percent faster than the old M2 Max.

In practice, the M3 Max SoC (system on a chip) allows for “desktop-class performance”. Jason Hiner, who is the Editor-in-Chief of ZDNET, tested the laptop when it launched last year. According to his findings, this MacBook Pro model can rival the performance of the Mac Studio with the M2 Ultra chip “which came out less than six months before it”. And that Mac Studio was already “one of ZDNET”s top-rated products of 2023.”

Its high performance effectively ruins desktop computers for many users. Why have a full desktop setup when you can buy the MacBook? With the right docking station, you can turn the laptop into the center of your portable desktop workstation. Of course, I can’t forget to mention all of the other great features on the M3 Max MacBook Pro. It has a 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, a screen that Jason called the best he had “seen in a laptop”.

The model can operate at full capacity even when running on battery. What’s more, the Space Black color was applied with a special “anodization process” that makes the laptop resistant to fingerprints.

Also: The 20+ best Apple deals for October Prime Day

I also find the timing of this sale particularly interesting because recent rumors suggest that Apple will be holding a second Fall event later in October. No one knows exactly when it’ll take place, although I believe it could be around October 15. At the event, we expect to see the first M4 MacBooks. It’s likely Apple has cut the price of the M3 Max MacBook Pro to make room for the new series.

Although it’ll soon be considered the “old model,” this laptop still has a long life ahead. Apple’s MacBook Pro with the M3 Max chip is selling for $2,999 on Amazon. It is still expensive, but it is well worth the investment.