Why You Can Trust CNET Best laptop deals for Labor Day 2020 still available now
Whether you're shopping to go back to school, working remotely or getting into gaming, Labor Day weekend is a good time to buy a laptop.
The Labor Day laptop deals are going fast. But if you're on the hunt for a new laptop this fall, whether for work or college, it's still possible to find great price cuts on Best Buy , Amazon and NewEgg. And since your three-day weekend plans likely involve activities that are more entertaining than shopping for a new laptop, I've done the legwork for you.
Here are the best Labor Day laptop deals I found, from budget models to sleek two-in-one convertibles. I'll keep this list updated as more deals appear and others expire. All but one of the laptops feature roomy 15.6-inch displays since you will probably spend more time at home this year than commuting or traveling for work or pleasure, making screen real estate more valuable than portability.
Read more: Best laptops of 2020
And if you're a college student or are buying for a college student and eyeing the deals below from Best Buy, you should note that Best Buy's Student Deals program provides additional savings -- usually $100 or $150 -- on top of any current discounts Best Buy is offering. To qualify for Student Deals, you need to be in college and have a My Best Buy membership (it's free to sign up). The fine print for college eligibility says you must be "a college student actively enrolled in at least one course at a post-secondary educational institution or a parent or legal guardian ('Parent') of a student actively enrolled at primary, secondary or post-secondary educational institution."
This budget laptop features a full HD (1,920x1,080-pixel) display powered by an eighth-gen Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics. For storage, it supplies a 512GB SSD. Missing out on a current, 10th-gen Intel CPU is a bit disappointing, but getting a full HD display at this price is a boon when many budget models offer only 1,366x768-pixel resolution. And while the MX250 doesn't turn this laptop into a gaming machine, it does offer a boost from the integrated Intel graphics that most budget laptops offer. Lastly, getting 512GB of solid-state storage is a pleasant surprise when 256GB is usually on offer at this price.
This sleek two-in-one convertible from HP features an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. With a full HD (1,920x1,080-pixel) resolution, the 15.6-inch touchscreen can rotate 360 degrees into tablet mode.
Dell's top-end Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 convertible boasts an all-aluminum chassis that's thinner, lighter and sturdier than the midrange Inspiron 5000 that feature metal lids and keyboard decks but flimsy plastic bottom panels. This model supplies a 10th-gen Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD with 32GB of fast Optane memory.
Microsoft's MacBook clone is thin and light with a fantastic trackpad and keyboard combo and offers a notable power boost over 2018's Surface Laptop 2. At 2,496x1,6644 pixels, the 15-inch touch display offers a resolution above the usual full HD. This Surface Laptop 3 model features an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. The biggest downside we found in our full review was a comparably short battery life, but that's less of an issue when you can't leave your home.
For only $99 more than the above Asus model, you get some gaming capability and increased durability. This 15.6-inch laptop features a ninth-gen Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, GeForce GTX 1650 graphics and a 512 GB SSD. The GTX 1650 GPU has enough muscle to power casual games such as Fortnite and CS:GO at full HD resolution. The laptop passed MIL-STD-810G tests to prove it can withstand environmental hazards including extreme temperatures, rain, humidity, sand and dust.
The only laptop with a screen smaller than 15.6 inches on this list is this two-in-one convertible from Acer because it serves up a high-res display powered by a modern CPU and ample RAM along with ample storage. The 13.5-inch touchscreen has a 2K (2,256x1,504-pixel) resolution. Inside, you get a 10th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.
This is one of the least expensive RTX-based gaming laptops you'll find. This 15.6-inch gaming laptop features a ninth-gen Core i7 CPU, an ample 16GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU. The SSD is a bit on the small size at 256GB. Still, the RTX 2060 graphics will power AAA titles at full HD resolution on the speedy 144Hz display.