Black Friday is a few weeks away, but that doesn’t mean the deals aren’t already popping up. We’ve got eyes on a handful of marked-down laptops ahead of the big sales, and they’re devices we’ve tested personally. Right now, we’re seeing big deals on laptops from Apple, Dell, Microsoft, Samsung, and more.
Also: The best Black Friday deals live now
From Apple’s MacBook Air M3, which is $100 off on Amazon, to Samsung’s thin and light Galaxy Book 4 Edge<!–> for a whopping $500 off at Best Buy, these are our favorite deals we’ve found so far after combing through product listings ahead of Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales.
Our favorite early Black Friday laptop deals
–>Kerry Wan/ZDNET
Current price: $1,099
Original price: $999
The MacBook Air M3 is as high-performing as it is ultraportable. The latest in Apple silicon provides a powerful and battery-efficient core to one of the thinnest and lightest laptops out there. With a 13.6-inch liquid retina display, 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU, the MacBook Air set the standard in portability and continues to push the limits for what an ultraportable laptop can do.
Review:M3 MacBook Air review: Apple’s AI computer for the masses has arrived
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Current price: $699
Original price: $999
Dell’s Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is a well-rounded laptop that can easily swap between different use cases, both due to its 2-in-1 form factor, and solid hardware. The Intel Core 7 processor, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage make for a device that gives a lot of bang for your buck, especially at this price.
Review: One of the most versatile laptops I’ve tested is a crowd-pleaser with solid hardware
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Current price: $1,199
Original price: $1,399
Microsoft’s flagship Copilot+ PC is a sleek, well-optimized laptop with a marathon battery. We named it our top pick for best overall battery life out of all the laptops we tested in 2024 thanks to the energy-efficient Snapdragon X Elite processor, which keeps it running cool while also providing stand-out performance.
Review:I tried Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop Copilot+ PC and it beat my MacBook Air in 3 ways
: $749 (save $150 at Best Buy): The Vivobook S 15 was one of our favorite Copilot+ PCs to go hands-on with this year. The 15-inch 3K OLED display exudes premium, and the ultraportable form factor makes for a sleek device for students and hybrid workers alike.
Dell XPS 15<!–>: $1,491 (save $85 at Amazon): Dell’s flagship XPS 15 laptop is as versatile as it is well-equipped; neither too big nor too small. The 2024 version with the Intel Core i7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD is a device that will last your whole time at school, and it’s currently $85 off.
Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1–>: $449 (save $350 at Best Buy): Lenovo’s Yoga line has a devoted following thanks to its flexibility and durability, both under the hood and in its physical form factor. The 16-inch device with the AMD Ryzen 5 chip is on sale for under $500, which is a steal.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook<!–>: $200 (save $20 at Amazon): If you need a lightweight device with a good webcam, it doesn’t get more affordable than Lenovo’s IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook. Already at just a few hundred bucks, you can save some extra cash ahead of Black Friday.
Best early Black Friday gaming laptop deals
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 9–>: $2,456 (save $813 at Lenovo): Lenovo’s 9th-generation Legion Pro 7i is a powerful gaming machine with tons of storage at an accessible price point.
Asus ROG Strix G17<!–> (2022) Gaming Laptop: $1,100 (save $100 at Amazon): The ROG Strix G17 from Asus’ 2022 lineup is marked down to make room for the 2024 models, but that doesn’t mean this machine can’t handle high-end gaming. It’s got 16GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU and bold design for $100 off.
AOC 16-inch Gaming Laptop–>: $579 (save $1,120 at Amazon): Armed with an AMD Ryzen 7 and 16GB of RAM, this budget gaming machine is over half off, making a solid choice for a travel device or cloud gaming.
FAQs
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday occurs the day after Thanksgiving, so this year, it falls on Friday, Nov. 29th, 2024.
When is Cyber Monday?
Cyber Monday falls on the Monday immediately after Black Friday. So this year, it’s on Monday, Dec. 2nd, 2024.
Are laptop deals really better on Black Friday?
Absolutely. Amazon has added tons of devices from all the big brands over the past few years to hype up their Black Friday sales events, and they’ve gotten quite good. For example, when Amazon first started selling Apple’s MacBooks and MacBook Pros at discounted rates, it was one of the first online retail outlets to do so.
What’s the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Black Friday has traditionally been a more general sale day to kick off the holiday shopping season. Cyber Monday specifically refers to sales offered by online retailers that aren’t available in physical brick-and-mortar stores. These deals are often sharply discounted, as retailers can adjust prices far easier online than on physical products on a shelf.
How did we choose these Black Friday deals?
There are tons of laptop deals out there, but we only highlight products we’ve either gone hands-on with personally or would actually consider ourselves. For example, laptops come in a myriad of configurations and versions. If we’ve tested one model that we recommend, but a lower- or higher-end configuration is on sale, we’d still feel confident recommending it.
We also looked over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we’re recommending. Our recommendations may also be based on our own testing — in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter.
Where can you shop the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals?
The biggest retailers for laptops (that also have the best sales) are Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and B&H Photo Video, and many of our top-rated sales come from these destinations.
