Very is offering shoppers up to £850 off Apple products when they trade in an old laptop, with the amount depending on the gadget's age, model, and condition. The deal covers the popular Apple MacBook Air (M5, 2026) 13-inch, which typically retails at £1299.
The MacBook Air features a 10-core CPU, an 8-core GPU, 16GB of Unified Memory, and a 512GB SSD, and can handle essays, dissertations, research papers, creative projects and more. It weighs about 1.24 kg, making it easy to carry around campus, as one fan noted in a review: "Extremely light and slim. Fits into a standard university backpack alongside books without adding extra weight on my commute."
Battery life and performance praised
The MacBook Air also carries up to 18 hours of battery life, ideal for long library sessions. One shopper shared: "Bought this for my degree and it's been worth every penny. The battery easily lasts two full days of light note-taking, and it weighs practically nothing in my bag."
For those who prefer alternatives, the HP OmniBook 3 OLED 14" Laptop offers up to 41 hours of battery with a Snapdragon X processor and built-in AI, on sale at Curry's for £599 (down from £799). The Asus Zenbook 14 14In AMD Ryzen7 16GB 1TB Laptop is also on sale for £799 (from £849), featuring a sharp display, up to 14 hours of battery life, and standard ports like HDMI and USB-A.
MacBook Air drawbacks and alternatives
Some shoppers have noted the MacBook Air's limited ports as a drawback, with one critical review reading: "Having only two USB-C ports on one side is frustrating. When I'm in a lecture, I can't plug in a standard USB flash drive or hook up to a classroom projector without carrying a multi-port hub or dongle in my bag at all times."
Despite that, the M5 chip boosts CPU performance and unified memory, delivering smoother multitasking. It works seamlessly with existing Apple products, as one review noted: "The best valued laptop with the best premium feeling. Works perfectly in line with my existing Apple ecosystem set up." Apple Intelligence is built into the device, and it comes in four colours: Sky Blue, Silver, Starlight, and Midnight.
Shoppers have praised its silent running, with one user sharing: "Fast, completely silent, and the screen is super crisp for reading long PDFs and research papers. Switches between apps instantly," while another added: "Completely silent because there are no cooling fans. Perfect for quiet library environments, and the keyboard is very comfortable for long essay writing sessions." A fourth noted: "Bought this for my daughter going off to uni. She can take it into lectures all day without carrying a charger around. Easily lasts through back-to-back seminars and library study sessions."
Budget-friendly options and iPhone trade-in
For those on a limited budget, the MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 2026) 13-inch is available at Very for £799 and is also included in the trade-in deal. It has up to 16 hours of battery life and comes in Silver, Blush, Citrus or Indigo with a colour-co-ordinated keyboard.
Very's trade-in offer also covers iPhones, with shoppers claiming up to £560 when trading in an old device for the iPhone 17e (£599). Speculation is mounting that Apple plans to reveal the new iPhone 18 lineup at a September event, though Apple hasn't confirmed the exact device name yet.
