Best laptop deals: Top picks from budget to extreme

Whether you’re buying a new laptop for school or trying to find a high-end gaming laptop, the holidays can be the best time of the year to find laptop deals. So we’ve been scouring the web daily to find you laptop deals you don’t want to miss while the goings are good.

Mind you, not all advertised laptop deals are actually deals, so we’ve only included the ones we consider actual bargains—and we’ve explained why. We’ll add new laptop deals as we see them daily and remove any expired sales. Right now, we’re seeing strong discounts on gaming laptops, Microsoft Surface devices, Dell laptops, and more. If you’re looking for Chromebooks we’ve got those deals in here too!

We’ve provided a handy list of laptop-specific shopping tips at the end of this post, and immediately below are the deals themselves.

Holiday laptop deals

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Gaming Lenovo

From: Walmart

Was: $849.99

Now: $749 ($100.99 off)

Lenovo probably isn’t the first name you think of when it comes to gaming machines, but they do make nice laptops, and this one has some very nice specs. The IdeaPad 3 Gaming has a 15.6-inch display with 1080p resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. The CPU is a Zen 3-based AMD Ryzen 5 5600H, which has 6 cores and 12 threads, and a max boost clock to 4.2GHz. It also has 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, with graphics are handled by the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050–a 1080p laptop GPU that brings DLSS and real-time ray tracing to laptops in an affordable package. This is a solid laptop, a great price for a 1080p gaming machine.

See the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Gaming at Walmart

M1 MacBook Air Apple

From: Best Buy

Was: $999.99

Now: $899.99 ($100 off)

The M1 MacBook was one of the hottest laptops of 2021 (albeit introduced in late 2020) due to its M1 ARM-based chip. Well, the ultra-light macOS beast is back and at its lowest price yet. Whether you’re a college student or a business professional, you really can’t go wrong with the MacBook Air. It doesn’t run Windows, but it’ll do everything you need from basic web browsing to portable video and photo editing. It’s not a replacement for a desktop monster with a solid GPU, but for on-the-go productivity the M1 MacBook Air is a solid choice.

See the M1 MacBook Air at Best Buy

HP 17-by4061nr HP

From: Walmart

Was: $679

Now: $499 ($130 off)

Whether you’re a student or a business professional, the HP 17-by4061nr can get the job done. It’s designed to handle productivity tasks like browsing the web, writing papers, and so on. It comes with a quad-core Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i5-1135G7, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB NVMe SSD. It’s already rocking Windows 11, and it has 802.11ac Wi-Fi and an Ethernet port depending on what kind of connection you need. HP says you can expect about 6.5 hours of mixed usage with this laptop and the 17.3-inch display has a resolution of 1080p.

See the HP 17-by4061nr at Walmart

Dell Inspiron 3000 Dell

From: Dell.com

Was: $518.99

New: $329.99 ($189 off)

Dell’s Inspiron line is a go-to choice for sturdy laptops for business, study, and everyday use. This one is available at an excellent price. It has a 15.6-inch 1080p display, an Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i3-1115G4 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB NVMe drive. It has 802.11ac Wi-Fi, two USB 3.2 ports, one USB 2.0, and 1 HDMI 1.4 out. The notebook weighs in at 3.82 pounds, which is a little heavy given the lack of an optical drive, but still shouldn’t weigh down your backpack. This is a well-equipped laptop with a good-sized screen. It’s running Windows 11 in S mode, but you can quickly and easily perform a free one-way upgrade to full Windows. Given the smaller amount of RAM this isn’t a laptop that can do a lot of advanced tasks, but for opening spreadsheets, editing text documents, and running a web browser it’ll be just great. It would also work for some light photo editing, but you wouldn’t want to edit a video on it. It’s a nice choice for students, basic everyday tasks, or travel.

See the Dell Inspiron 15 3000 at Dell.com

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Lenovo

From: Best Buy

Was: $619.99

Now: $449.99 ($170 off)

If you need an everyday laptop with a lot of RAM and a touchscreen, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is for you. It’s rocking 12GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and an Intel “Tiger Like” quad-core, eight thread Core i5-1135G7. The display is 15.6 inches with a resolution of 1080p. This laptop isn’t a convertible, but if you need a touchscreen for certain apps or convenience, it’s there. It’s running Windows 11 in S Mode, but you can do a one-way upgrade to full Windows 11.

See the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 at Best Buy

Vostro 5301 Dell

From: Dell.com

Was: $1,712.87

Now: $749 ($963.87 off)

The Dell Vostro 5301 is an excellent business laptop. However, you might be able to sneak in a little lightweight gaming on the side during off hours thanks to the onboard GeForce MX350 GPU. This laptop is packing an Intel “Tiger Lake” quad-core, eight thread Core i7-1165G7 with Iris Xe onboard. You’re getting 8GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage as well. For ports, it has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 type-C port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 standard ports, and HDMI 1.4b. The display is 13.3 inches at 1080p resolution with a max brightness of 300 nits.

See the Dell Vostro 5301 at Dell.com

Asus VivoBook 15 F513 Asus

From: Office Depot

Was: $749.99

Now: $549.99 ($200 off)

This VivoBook is rocking 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. That’s not a ton of storage, but if you have most of your files in the cloud it’s manageable. The display is 15.6 inches with 1080p resolution. For ports, it has three USB ports, one HDMI out, and Wi-Fi 6. Normally, we wouldn’t recommend this as an everyday laptop. However, as a travel laptop, it’s light and easy to carry while still offering good performance.

See the Asus VivoBook 15 F514 at Office Depot

Samsung Chromebook 4 Samsung

From: Walmart

Was: $229

Now: $119 ($110 off)

We’re not big fans of the 1366-by-768 displays in 2021, but when they come in a nice package for about $100, we make exceptions. This Samsung Chromebook 4 has an 11.6-inch display with the aforementioned resolution. It features an Intel Celeron N4020, which is typical for Chromebooks, as well as 4GB RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. Samsung makes some very usable PCs and this clamshell rocking Chrome OS should be a nice little laptop to tote around. It’ll run Android apps from Google Play and Linux for those who need it. Samsung says you can expect about 12.5 hours of battery life with mixed usage.

See the Samsung Chromebook 4 at Walmart

HP Spectre x360 14

HP

From: HP

Was: $1,399.99

Now: $1099.99 ($300 off)

If you’re looking for the best thin and light laptop money can buy, you’ve come to the right place.

This 14-inch HP Spectre convertible strikes a great balance between performance (from Intel’s Tiger Lake CPUs) and design, even if it’s a little on the heavy side at 3 pounds. Its 1920×1280 IPS display is another highlight, whether you’re making use of the 360-degree hinge and touchscreen or not. The deal highlighted here is on the model we reviewed, but all configurations are currently discounted.

See the HP Spectre x360 14 at HP.com

Asus ROG Flow X13 Asus

From: Best Buy

Was: $1,499.99

Now: $1249.99 ($250 off)

Asus ROG Flow X13 is a nice gaming laptop with good specs. It’s not huge, but it does have HDMI out if you want to game on a larger screen. The display, while on the smaller side, is pretty nice with a maximum 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1920-by-1200 with a 16:10 aspect ratio. It has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU, which will offer high to ultra graphics capabilities, and 16GB of RAM for snappy responsiveness. It also has 512GB of NVMe SSD onboard storage, Windows 11 Home, and Wi-Fi 6 for wireless capability.

See the Asus Rog Flow X13 at Best Buy

HP Victus 16t-d000 HP

From: HP.com

Was: $999.99

Now: $799.99 ($200 off)

HP is offering a very nice gaming laptop at an excellent price. They’re even tossing in an HP Omen Blast gaming headset for free.

The HP Victus 16t-d000 features a 16.1-inch 1080p display with a boost to 144Hz and a maximum brightness of 250 nits. Driving that screen is a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, which will provide some nice graphics capabilities with high graphics settings, depending on the game. This RTX GPU also supports DLSS and real-time ray tracing. In addition, It has 8GB of RAM, a 256GB NVMe M.2 SSD, and a six-core, twelve thread Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i5-11400H CPU. To get this deal you need to use the checkout code HOLIDAY5. The free headset will be added automatically at checkout.

See the HP Victus 16t-d000 at HP.com

Lenovo Yoga 6 Lenovo

From: Best Buy

Was: $949.99

Now: $749.99 ($200 off)

The Yoga 6 features a Ryzen 7 5700U mobile processor, which has 8 cores and 16 threads. Ryzen processors are great for productivity applications and this laptop is designed for exactly that. It features a 13.3-inch touch display with 1080p resolution and it’ll run Windows 11. For storage, you get 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. It’s also packing Wi-Fi 6 and it weighs less than three pounds.

See the Lenovo Yoga 6 at Best Buy

Lenovo Flex 5 Lenovo

From: Walmart

Was: $490.50

Now: $349 ($141.50 off)

The Lenovo Flex 5 is an excellent convertible to get on the cheap. It features a 14-inch display with 1080p resolution, 4GB of RAM, and a quad-core, eight thread Ryzen 3 5300U with a boost to 3.8GHz. Onboard storage is pretty paltry at 128GB, but if you have a cloud storage plan that should help to keep access to your critical files without downloading them all—or you could drop in a bigger SSD of your choice. This convertible has 802.11ac Wi-Fi, a 720p webcam, 2W Dolby Audio speakers, and it’s all wrapped up in a 3.3-pound package. With touch included and a free upgrade to Windows 11, this laptop would be fantastic for travel or for a student.

See the Lenovo Flex 5 at Walmart

Dell XPS 13 Dell

From: Dell.com

Was: $1,010

Now: $899 ($110 off)

Dell’s XPS laptops consistently receive some of the highest review scores on PCWorld, including the Editors’ Choice Award we awarded the 2020 XPS 13 in our review last year. Dell has put the more modern 11th-gen XPS on sale, with 8GB of memory, 256GB SSD and a 13.3-inch 1080p screen. If you want a small, powerful, laptop, we’d absolutely recommend this deal.

See the Dell XPS 13 on Dell.com

Lenovo IdeaPad 3i Lenovo

From: Walmart

Was: $709.99

New: $449 ($260.99 off)

The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is a nice everyday use laptop. It has 512GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, which is more than enough for web browsing and whatnot. This laptop is running Windows 11 Home and the processor is a quad-core, eight thread Intel “Comet Lake” Core i5-10210U. That’s a generation behind, but it’s still a capable processor. The screen is also 14-inches with a 1080p resolution.

See the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i at Walmart

Asus VivoBook 15 F313 Asus

From: Office Depot

Was: $549.99

Now: $379.99 ($170 off)

A sale on the Asus VivoBook 15 is something of a theme this year and this one is just excellent. If you need a basic laptop for travel or for a student with a Microsoft 365 or Google One subscription for cloud subscription this PC will work nicely. It features a dual-core, four thread Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i3-1115G4, it has 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB NVMe SSD. The display is 15.6 inches with 1080p resolution, and it’s packing Wi-Fi 6.

See the Asus VivoBook 15 F313 at Office Depot

Asus 14-inch Chromebook Asus

From: Costco

Was: $349.99

Now: $149.99 ($200 off)

A $200 Chromebook is the sweet spot in terms of value and this one has it in spades. It has a 14-inch 1080p display, the usual 4GB of RAM, and a whopping 128GB of onboard storage. The CPU is an Intel Celeron N4020, which is standard stuff for a Chromebook. Wireless capability is the 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. There’s also a 720p webcam, two standard USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, two Type-C USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports with support for DisplayPort, and an SD card reader. This is an excellent Chromebook for a student or anyone who needs an extremely simple laptop for travel.

See the Asus C424MA Chromebook at Costco

Gateway 14.1-inch Ultra Slim Notebook Gateway

From: Walmart

Was: $499

Now: $429 ($70 off)

Walmart’s resurrected Gateway PC lineup already offers a lot of value at regular prices, and this sale kicks that up a notch. This 14.1-inch 1080p laptop comes packing a quad-core Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i5-1135G7. The computer is raring to go with 16GB of RAM, and with this Core i5’s integrated Iris Xe graphics it’ll be surprisingly capable at running games (though still don’t think of this as a gaming laptop). The PC has a 512GB SSD, a fingerprint scanner for Windows Hello, it’s Windows 11-ready, and it weighs in at just four pounds. That’s a stunning combination of specs for just $429.

See the Gateway 14.1-inch Ultra Slim at Walmart.

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Lenovo

From: B&H Photo and Video

Was: $609

Now: $529 ($80 off)

A lot of the holiday deal laptops have “Tiger Lake” 11th-generation Intel CPUs, but this deal goes back one generation to “Ice Lake.” Those 10th-gen chips still offer plenty of punch and are worth considering when you’re getting a laptop like this at this price. This IdeaPad 5 offers a quad-core, eight thread Core i5-1035G1 with a boost to 3.6GHz. It has 8GB of RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD, and a 15.6-inch 1080p TN display. You can get a lot of things done with a laptop like this at a price just above $500. While the CPU is slightly aged, the Wi-Fi is not, as this comes with Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) as well as Bluetooth 5.1. For ports it has one Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 with DisplayPort support and two standard USB 3.2 Gen 1. It also has an SD card reader and HDMI 1.4b out. It’s a nice-looking laptop with solid features at an excellent price.

See the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 at B&H

Acer Chromebook 315 Acer

From: Walmart

Was: $289

Now: $216.94 ($72.06 off)

If you’d like something a little beefier than the Lenovo Chromebook at Best Buy, take a look at this deal at Walmart. The Acer 315 is a 15.6-inch laptop with a 1080p touch display. Again, this is not a convertible laptop so no bending back the keyboard for a tablet-like experience. The processor is the Intel Celeron N4020, which is pretty standard for Chromebooks. It has 4GB of RAM, 64GB of onboard storage, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.0. For a Chromebook there’s really nothing here to look down on and with the price around $200 this deal is simply outsanding.

See the Acer Chromebook 315 at Walmart

Gigabyte G5 MD Gigabyte

From: Newegg

Was: $1,199.00

Now: $899 ($300 off after $100 rebate)

Gaming laptops are tough to find at a discount right now, and this one is a decidedly mixed bag of pros and cons. Inside is a Core i5-11400H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD behind a 144Hz 1080p screen. The RTX 3050 Ti is usually considered to be a bum deal compared to the RTX 3060…if you can find one? And, whoa—there’s a $100 rebate card you need to fill out? If you’re willing to jump through these hoops, though, the price and savings aren’t bad at all. This offer ends just before midnight Pacific time on Tuesday, November 30.

See the Gigabyte G5 MD at Newegg

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 [NEW] Mark Hachman / IDG

From: Best Buy

Was: $1,099.99

Now: $899.99 ($200 off)

It doesn’t come with a Type Cover or Surface Pen, but if you’d like the latest and greatest of the Surface Pro line, the 8 is on sale at Best Buy. It comes equipped with a Core i5, 128GB of onboard storage, and 8GB of RAM. In our review, we gave the Surface Pro 8, 4.5 out of 5 stars and an Editors’ Choice Award. “The Surface Pro 8 offers an excellent upgrade to Microsoft’s tablet lineup, with superior performance, inking, and audio, with good value for the money,” we said. That value is even better today, as it’s $100 cheaper than other retailers right now.

See the Surface Pro 8 at Best Buy

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go (Platinum) Microsoft

From: Microsoft Store

Was: $899.99

Now: $699.99 ($200 off)

We gave the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go, Microsoft’s 12.4-inch budget laptop, 3.5 stars out of 5 in our Surface Laptop Go review. We felt it was a little overpriced. Dropping the price by $200 on its premium version (Core i5/8GB RAM/256GB SSD) certainly helps! Just be aware that the Laptop Go’s display is sub-1080p quality—but, in our experience, it didn’t really matter.

See the Surface Laptop Go on Microsoft.com

Microsoft Surface Go 2 Microsoft

From: Microsoft Store

Was: $549.99

Now: $399.99 ($150 off)

The Microsoft Surface Go 2 is the perfect travel companion because it’s so compact and lightweight. In addition to its miniscule size, the display is exceptionally bright and the fanless design means it runs quiet. However, the essential Type Cover keyboard is sold separately at $129.99, so it’s not quite as cheap as it seems at first blush—but this is still a great price for this laptop-tablet hybrid. You’ll also find $150 off models with a more powerful Core M3 processor.

See the Microsoft Surface Go 2 on Microsoft.com

Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Lenovo

From: Walmart.com

Was: $299.99

Now: $209.00 ($90.99 off)

If you like the concept of a Chrome OS tablet but think that the Chromebook Plus V2 price is too high, consider the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet, which we looked at last year. You can buy the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet for $229.99 at Walmart, which is $70 off the $299.99 MSRP. This tablet ships with 4GB of memory and 64GB of integrated storage.

Support runs through June 2029, which could be the longest support lifespan of this holiday’s deals.

Buy the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook at Walmart

Holiday laptop deal buying tips

If you’ve shopped online before for laptop deals around the holidays, you’re probably aware that there’s a vast range of laptop configurations available.

A good place to start is with the processor. Buy laptops with Intel 10-series Core chips or higher, such as the Core i5-10510U, or the Core i7-11800H (for even more details see our Intel 10th-gen mobile CPU buying guide); or go with an AMD Ryzen processor (but not an AMD Athlon or A-series chip). Avoid laptops with Pentium or Celeron processors unless it’s a Chromebook (running Chrome OS). You’re going to need to pay attention with gaming laptops, too, as some GPUs, like the RTX 3050 Ti, don’t offer