Best Black Friday laptop deals: Save on machines from Apple, Microsoft, Lenovo, ASUS and others

It’s Black Friday, which means it’s a decent time to be on the hunt for a new notebook. To help you avoid wasting cash, we’ve researched reviews, checked price histories and rounded up a few Black Friday laptop deals that are genuinely cheaper than usual.

The discounts include several notebooks we’ve tested and recommended at their best prices to date. Apple's latest MacBook Air is available for a new low of $844, for one, while the newest Microsoft Surface Laptop is $300 off. The top recommendation in our Chromebook buying guide is on sale, too, as is our pick for the best Windows notebook for those on a budget.

We’ll be updating this post through Black Friday prices as prices change and more deals pop up. Just keep in mind that many of the deals below are for pre-configured models; if you want to spec out your machine more precisely, it’s still worth buying directly from a manufacturer.

Engadget

• Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M3) for $844 at Amazon ($255 off MSRP): The latest MacBook Air is our pick for the best laptop you can buy. It ticks nearly all the boxes for those who prefer macOS, from its premium design and comfy keyboard to its lengthy battery life and capable performance for everyday use. We gave it a score of 90 in our review. A recent Bloomberg report said that Apple will likely release a minor refresh early next year, but this is a new low for the current base model, which includes Apple’s M3 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. If you want more storage, the 512GB variant is down to an all-time low of $1,049. Also at Best Buy for $5 more.

• Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M3) for $1,044 at Amazon ($255 off): The 15-inch MacBook Air is more or less identical to the 13-inch version in terms of features and performance, but it has a more spacious display and better speakers. It is about 0.6 pounds heavier, though. This is the best price to date for the base model with an M3 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, but a version with double the storage space is available for a new low of $1,234 as well. Also at Best Buy.

• Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M2) for $749 at Amazon ($250 off): If you’re on a tighter budget, the last-generation MacBook Air gets you most of the things we love about the newer M3 model at a lower price. The main sacrifices are a slightly lesser chip, technically slower storage in the base model and no ability to connect to two external monitors. This ties the lowest price we’ve seen for the entry-level variant, which includes an M2 chip, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Also at Best Buy.

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

• Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4 Pro) for $2,099 at Amazon ($300 off): The recently updated MacBook Pro is more laptop than most people need, but it's still a powerhouse for coders, media editors and those with more demanding needs. We gave it a 92 in our review earlier this month. Just keep in mind that there’s no USB-A port and, as with all Apple laptops, effectively no way to upgrade the device after purchase. This is the largest discount yet for the configuration with Apple’s M4 Pro chip, 24GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. A version with 512GB of storage is $250 off and down to a low of $1,749 as well. Also at Best Buy.

• Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M4 Pro) for $2,199 at Amazon ($300 off): The 16-inch MacBook Pro adds a roomier display and a couple extra hours of battery life to the same excellent performance, build quality and mini-LED display of its smaller counterpart. The downside is that it’s heavier at 4.7 pounds. This is an all-time low for the config with an M4 Pro chip, 24GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Also at Best Buy.

• Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch) for $899 at Amazon ($300 off): We gave the latest Surface Laptop a review score of 88 earlier this year, and we currently recommend it as a great mainstream ultraportable in our laptop buying guide. The caveat is that it runs on an ARM processor, which performs well but may not work with every app or peripheral you use. If you can live with that, though, the bright 120Hz display, upscale aluminum design and long battery life all impress. This configuration with a Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is technically available for $800 at Micro Center, but only with in-store pick up. Otherwise, this is the best price we’ve seen. If you prefer a bigger screen, a 15-inch version with a Snapdragon X Elite chip and 256GB of storage is down to a low of $1,095. Also at Best Buy.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

• HP Pavilion Aero 13 for $580 at HP ($320 off): The HP Pavilion Aero is the budget pick in our laptop buying guide. It feels a bit cheap, and its webcam is poor, but it’s thin and light, it has a decent port selection and its IPS display is solid for the money. This config with a Ryzen 5 8640 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD should be fast enough for typical web browsing, word processing and light photo editing. This ties the best price we could find for the 2024 model since its release.

• Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus for $369 at Best Buy ($130 off): The Flex 5i Chromebook Plus tops our guide to the best Chromebooks. We like that its IPS touchscreen has a tall 16:10 aspect ratio, as it makes the device better-suited to word processing and reading web pages. It runs just fine for the basic tasks you’re meant to do with Chrome OS, and both its keyboard and trackpad feel reliable. Its battery life is mediocre, however, and at 3.6 pounds it’s fairly heavy for a 14-inch notebook. This discount is $20 more than the lowest price we’ve ever seen, and it’s been live for a weeks now, but it’s still a decent way off this config’s typical street price. It includes an Intel Core i3-1315U chip, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of eMMC storage.

• ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) gaming laptop for $700 at Best Buy ($400 off): Although it’s a 2023 model, this configuration of the A16 should do the job for value-minded buyers. It comes with a 16-inch 165Hz 1,920 x 1,200 display, an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and an AMD Radeon RX 7700S GPU. You’ll still have to deal with the usual trade-offs of a cheaper gaming laptop: It can get warm under load, it’s bulky, the keyboard isn’t great and the screen is somewhat dim. But it’s powerful enough to run newer games in 1080p, the chassis is generally sturdy, and the battery can reach double-digit hours when you aren’t gaming. This discount is $20 above than the config’s all-time low but ties the best price we’ve seen otherwise.

Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

• ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) gaming laptop for $1,615 at Amazon ($285 off): While not a top pick in any of our guides, this configuration of the ROG Strix G16 should be a solid value for those in search of a 16-inch all-rounder gaming notebook. It includes an Intel Core i9-14900X chip, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, which should be enough to run many games at high-ish settings without much hassle. The overall build doesn’t feel cheap, and the 2,560 x 1,600 240Hz display is both sharp and fast. The RAM and storage are user-upgradeable, too, though the battery life and 720p webcam aren’t ideal. This deal matches an all-time low. Another model with a 1080p panel, a Core i7-13650HX chip and a RTX 4060 GPU is on sale for a low of $1,100, but you’ll have to turn down game settings more frequently to get decent frame rates with that one.

• Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, M4) for $899 at Amazon ($100 off, clip $50 coupon): The iPad Pro is still overkill for most people, but its class-leading OLED display, remarkably slim frame and powerful M4 chip make it a tremendous tablet. It can work as a laptop replacement for certain creative types, but you’ll have to live with iPadOS’ continued shortcomings in multitasking, file management and other computer-y tasks. If you’re thinking of making the switch — or if you’ve just got money to burn and want a more portable companion to your current laptop — this matches the lowest price we’ve seen for the latest 11-inch model. Just clip the $50 on-page coupon. If you’re willing to pay for a roomier display, the 13-inch iPad Pro is also on sale for a low of $1,099.

Expired Black Friday deals

• Alienware M18 R2 gaming laptop for $2,200 at Amazon ($500 off): The M18 R2 is an iteration of the top 18-inch pick in our gaming laptop buying guide. It’s an absolute tank, but it’s put together well, and this configuration can blow through new games at high settings in 1080p or 1440p. It comes with a 165Hz 2,560 x 1,600 panel, an Intel Core i9-14900HX chip, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 GPU. While this deal price is far from cheap, it's a new low for this variant. A lower-spec model is also on sale for $1,900, though that one will run into issues sooner with more demanding games.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-black-friday-laptop-deals-save-on-machines-from-apple-microsoft-lenovo-asus-and-others-151347387.html?src=rss