Why You Can Trust CNET Best Laptop Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook, Surface, Acer and More
Whether you're looking for a laptop under $500 or you want to save $500 off a higher-end model, these are some of the best laptop deals around.
Whether you're working from home or penning that novel, getting a new laptop can increase your productivity and save you time. While laptops are certainly an investment, there are a lot of great deals going on right now -- including deals under $500. Even if you want something high-end like an Apple MacBook or Dell gaming laptop, you'll very likely find something that fits what you're looking for. Some of these discounts are due to price slashing, availability of open-box items or trade-in programs. Below is a collection of our favorite deals for you to check out.
Be sure to grab anything you like quickly, since deals can expire without notice. Because of that, we'll be updating this article with the best available deals we can find. If you don't see the right laptop for you now, be sure to check back later to find something that fits your needs.
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Best laptop deals and PC sales
- Best Laptops for 2024
- Best MacBook Deals
- Best Gaming Laptop Deals
- Best Dell Laptop Deals
- Best Lenovo Laptop Deals
- Best Chromebooks for 2024
- Best Desktop Computer Deals
The Acer Aspire 3 is a solid mid-range option with budget pricing. It has a mid-range AMD Ryzen 5 5700U, which is a processor that can easily handle most productivity and day-to-day tasks. There's also 512GB of storage and 16GB, although the latter is standard, which isn't a deal breaker, but something to keep in mind.
The HP 15 laptop has an entry-level Intel Core i3-1215U, which will work fine for the majority of productivity costs. It also has a large, 15.6-inch screen running an FHD resolution and, more importantly, 8GB of RAM, which is about the minimum we'd like to see. The same goes for the 256GB storage.
This Asus laptop works well for a multitude of needs. It has a 16-inch screen with a 1,920x1,080-pixel HD resolution, perfect for watching movies and gaming. The AMD Ryzen 7 5000 is also an excellent high-range processor. It has 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which is a decent amount of both.
While the Acer Nitro 5 bills itself as a gaming laptop, it's a pretty great all-around laptop. It comes with a better entry-level RTX3050 that runs a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution screen that can hit a 144Hz refresh rate. The midrange Intel 12th Gen Core i5 processor is also pretty great, although the 8GB of RAM is on the lower end of what we'd recommend.
If you're looking for a budget-friendly gaming laptop, the Dell G15 is an excellent option that's regularly suggested. It comes with a 13th Gen Intel Core i5-13450HX processor, so it's a good entry-to-midrange laptop. You also get a reasonable 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
Apple's M2 MacBook Air 13 is still a great option if you're looking for a thin and light laptop in the Apple ecosystem. It comes with an M2 chip, one generation old but still very powerful, as well as 8GB and 256GB of storage, both of which are on par with what we'd expect to see from Apple at this price. You can also get up to $825 in trade-in value.
If you're in the market for the MacBook Pro, Best Buy has some fabulous deals right now including this one. You get 24GB of RAM and 1000GB of storage on the 13-inch screen, a configuration that usually sets you back over $2,000.
The Surface Pro 9 is updated from the previous gen Surface Pro 8, with new 12th-gen chips, as well as an option for a Microsoft SQ 3 processor with 5G wireless. And right now you can get it for hundreds off at Walmart.
What should you look for in a laptop deal?
One of the biggest things to consider is which laptop configuration is on sale. Often, with the best laptop deals, only a specific version of the laptop is on sale, and making any changes could affect the price. This means that sometimes you find the 512GB model is cheaper than the 256GB option or a similar situation.
When are the best laptop deals available?
Generally, you'll find the best laptop deals during back-to-school shopping time in late summer or early fall and a bit later in the year during annual Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events. There are laptop deals throughout the year, but if you're looking for the best deal and can afford to wait, these are typically the best times to buy one.
Which retailers usually offer the best laptop deals?
You can usually find deals across a variety of retailers when it comes to laptops. Best Buy, Amazon, Newegg and other retailers tend to offer sales on more specific models, while manufacturers including HP, Lenovo and Dell usually host larger sales that cover more models and configurations. If you're looking for a specific model, you'll want to keep checking back weekly for the latest set of deals.