Today’s best laptop deals: Save big on work, school, home use, and gaming

If you’re looking to score a fast laptop at a killer price, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re on the hunt for a blazing fast gaming rig, an affordable laptop under $500, or an everyday Chromebook, we’ve assembled a list of the best laptop deals available right now, using our finely honed editorial judgement (and thousands of hours of testing experience) to only recommend truly compelling deals on worthwhile notebooks.

We’ve separated the recommendations below by best laptop deals under $500, best home use laptop deals, best gaming laptop deals, and best premium laptop deals, to make it easier to find a notebook that fits your budget and needs. For more options, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now.

Best laptop deals (at a glance)

Lenovo Flex 3, $349 ($130 off at Best Buy)

Lenovo IdeaPad 1, $479.99 ($320 off at Best Buy)

Acer Aspire 3, $499.99 ($100 off at Adorama)

HP Envy x360, $569.99 ($379.01 off at Adorama)

Samsung Galaxy Book4, $649.99 ($250 off at Best Buy)

Asus VivoBook S15, $649.99 ($200 off at Adorama)

Lenovo Flex 7, $1,039.99 ($220 off at Adorama)

Dell XPS 15, $1,099 ($200 off at Dell)

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1, $1,250.99 ($399 off at Best Buy)

Alienware m16 R2, $1,399.99 ($300 off at Dell)

Best laptop deals under $500

Lenovo

Lenovo

Lenovo

Lenovo Flex 3: $349 ($130 off at Best Buy)

Sometimes all you need is an affordable laptop for surfing the web and composing e-mail exchanges. If you’re in the market for such a laptop, the Lenovo Flex 3 is definitely worth considering. It’s powered by a Pentium Silver N6000 processor, which is suitable for general browsing and streaming Netflix, but not much else. It’s not the fastest processor we’ve ever seen here at PCWorld, but you’ve also got to temper your expectations, as this laptop is specifically designed with basic tasks in mind. However, according to Best Buy reviews, the 1080p touchscreen display is pretty darn crisp, making this machine an excellent value.

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Lenovo

Lenovo

Lenovo

Lenovo IdeaPad 1: $479.99 ($320 off at Best Buy)

The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 is another nice laptop for everyday use, but the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U CPU is a better performer than the Flex 3’s Pentium Silver N6000. It’s not the newest technology out there, but it should be plenty speedy when running Microsoft Office, Adobe PDF, and so on. The 15.6-inch 1080p display is also touch-enabled with a 60Hz refresh rate, which is good enough for daily activities. Finally, the IdeaPad 1 is packing 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD–a good amount of memory and storage for the price. Don’t wait, pick it up now.

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Acer

Acer

Acer

Acer Aspire 3: $499.99 ($100 off at Adorama)

I know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but the Acer Aspire 3 is a truly fantastic sub-$500 laptop for casual use. The Intel Core i7-1165G7 is a few generations old at this point, but it’s fast enough to handle web browsing as well as office work. The laptop also comes loaded with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage–which is better than what we typically see in this price range (it’s usually 8GB of memory and 128GB of SSD storage). In addition to the 15.6-inch 1080p display, which is perfect for day-to-day activities like scrolling through your social media feed and watching Netflix, it also weighs approximately 3.75 pounds, making it a pretty travel-friendly machine.

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Best for home use

Samsung

Samsung

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Book4: $649.99 ($250 off at Best Buy)

Here at PCWorld, we really like Samsung’s Galaxy Book series of laptops. The Galaxy Book4 Ultra, a top-tier configuration we reviewed in April, earned 4.5 out of 5 stars plus an Editor’s Choice Award. While we loved the Book4’s stunning OLED screen and phenomenal battery life, it’s prohibitively expensive. If you’re looking for a more affordable version and don’t need all the bells and whistles, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 is a good option for day-to-day use–it comes with an Intel Core 7 Series 1 150U processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. Connectivity options include one HDMI, two USB-A 3.2, and two USB-C, so you shouldn’t have to carry an adapter around with you. At the end of the day, if it’s a reliable laptop you’re after, then look no further than the Galaxy Book4.

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Asus

Asus

Asus

Asus VivoBook S15: $649.99 ($200 off at Adorama)

The Asus VivoBook S15 is a nice laptop for streaming your favorite shows, general web browsing, and so on. It comes loaded up with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU and AMD Radeon Graphics, so it should be smooth sailing when it comes to your daily tasks. The 15.6-inch 1080p display is fine for movie watching or doom scrolling, but if you need a sharper screen for editing work, for example, you should hook up to an external monitor. Fortunately for you, the VivoBook S15 also comes with a wide array of connectivity options: you’re getting one HDMI, one 3.5mm combo audio jack, one USB 2.0 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C. Other features include a backlit chiclet keyboard and a 720p webcam with a physical privacy shutter.

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Best gaming laptop deals

Dell

Dell

Dell

Alienware m16 R2: $1,399.99 ($300 off at Dell)

The Alienware m16 R2 is a powerful gaming laptop with a high refresh rate display. In addition to the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, you’re also getting a 16-inch display with a 2560×1600 resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate. So, what does it all mean? Basically, the hardware should have no problem running most games with the graphics dialed up. The visuals should look fluid, too–this is helpful when playing faster-paced titles. Plus, when we reviewed a similar configuration back in March, we awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars plus an Editor’s Choice award. The build quality and performance are truly top-notch.

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Best premium laptop deals

HP

HP

HP

HP Envy x360: $569.99 ($379.01 off at Adorama)

The HP Envy x360 is powerful, lightweight, and versatile. The 2-in-1 form factor means you can fold the screen back and use the laptop like a tablet, and it comes equipped with a good amount of RAM (16GB) and storage (512GB SSD). The 1080p display is quite large at 15.6-inches and is touch-enabled, which is perfect for habitual notetakers and doodlers. The keyboard is also full-sized and has backlighting–this is great for when you’re using the laptop in low light environments.

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Lenovo

Lenovo

Lenovo

Lenovo Flex 7: $1,039.99 ($220 off at Adorama)

The Lenovo Flex 7 is a great laptop for those who want an affordable 2-in-1. You’re getting a lightweight design as well as a decent amount of power for just over $1,000. It has an Intel Core i7-1355U CPU, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. Zipping through spreadsheet work, light use tasks, and so on should be no problem for this machine. In addition to the 2-in-1 form factor, in which the screen swings back 360 degrees, it also weighs just 3.53 pounds. That means you can easily slip it in a backpack or messenger back and take it with you anywhere.

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Dell

Dell

Dell

Dell XPS 15: $1,099 ($200 off at Dell)

Dell’s XPS line of laptops are known for their premium builds, lightweight form factors, and powerful internals. They’re also known for their jack of all trades performance, as they’re equipped to handle tasks both big and small. The Dell XPS 15 that’s on sale today, although we haven’t personally tested this configuration, shows a lot of promise given the specs. The Intel Core i7-13620H CPU is capable of tackling day-to-day work as well as more demanding applications. The 1200p display, which measures 15.6 inches, also has a maximum brightness of 500 nits. If that number holds true, then you’re in for a vibrant picture.

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Lenovo

Lenovo

Lenovo

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1: $1,250.99 ($399 off at Best Buy)

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 is a powerful, versatile machine with a stunning 4K display. What more could you ask for? Underneath the hood, you’ll find an Intel Core i7-1360P CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage–so it should have no issues zipping through daily activities, spreadsheet work, and so on. The 14-inch touch display, which has a resolution of 3840×2400 (4K!), is a real stunner, too. This is the kind of display that’s meant for watching movies, graphically-intensive work, and so on. It also comes with a stylus, which is great because you don’t have to pay extra for a standalone accessory.

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FAQ
1.
How much RAM will I need in my laptop?

You’ll want at least 8GB, though 16GB is preferable, especially if you play games. Don’t buy laptops with under 4GB of RAM or 128GB of SSD storage—though on a Chromebook or a budget Windows machine, this configuration is acceptable. Check out our article on how much RAM does a laptop need for more in-depth info.

2.
What’s the difference between a Chromebook and a Windows laptop?

The one big difference between a Chromebook and a Windows laptop is the operating system. Chromebooks run ChromeOS and Windows run, well, Microsoft Windows. Chromebooks make good everyday machines because they’re designed for browsing the web, checking e-mail, and so on. They use less resources and are generally more affordable than the Windows variety. They also don’t need antivirus protection. A Windows laptop is a lot more versatile in what it can do, and not just in terms of running local programs. You can really pump a Windows laptop up with a ton of RAM, storage, and so on.

3.
When should I look for a laptop deal?

You’ll likely find the best laptop deals during Prime Day (mid-July), Black Friday (November 29th), and back-to-school season (June-August). Sure, you’ll find good laptop deals throughout the year, but if you really want to save big, we’d recommend scoping out your favorite online retailers during those times.

4.
Which retailers offer the best deals?

You can find all kinds of deals across a wide range of online retailers such as Newegg, Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, and so on. However, we’d recommend checking out deals from laptop manufacturers like Lenovo, HP, and Dell. You’ll usually find many different configurations on sale and the discounts can be pretty darn steep.

For more options, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now.

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