Whether you’re on the hunt for a souped-up gaming machine or an everyday Chromebook, Black Friday is the best time to look for a discounted laptop. Some retailers tout big savings that aren’t really savings at all, but a lot of notebooks can be found at a hearty discount.
And that’s where we come in (cue the majestic trumpets)! The team at PCWorld has compiled a list of worthwhile laptop deals from all over the web. We’ve included deals from laptop manufacturers like Dell and Lenovo, as well as sales from online retailers like Best Buy and eBay. After you’ve had a good look at the laptops we’ve highlighted, head down to the bottom of the article to learn more about what to expect from Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Black Friday mainstream laptop deals
Sometimes all you need is a respectable, baseline-level machine. Personally, I use a low-powered laptop for writing, watching Netflix, checking email, and so on. I dig the simplicity. So, if you’re not a gamer and have no intention of muscling through processor-intensive programs, check out the list below.
- Lenovo 14 Slim 7, Intel Core i7-1260P CPU/Intel Iris Xe graphics/16GB RAM/1TB SSD/14-inch 1800p display, $699 ($400 off at B&H)
- Dell XPS 13 Laptop, Intel Core i5-1230U CPU/Intel Iris Xe graphics/8GB RAM/256GB SSD/13.4-inch 1200p display, $599 ($200 off at Dell)
- HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook, Intel Core i3-1215U CPU/Intel Iris Xe graphics/8GB RAM/128GB SSD/13.5-inch 1504p touch display, $1,099 ($220 off at HP)
- Microsoft Surface Pro 9, Intel Core i5-1235U CPU/16GB RAM/256GB SSD/13-inch 1920p touch display, $999.99 ($540 off at Best Buy)
- Dell Inspiron 15 Laptop, AMD Ryzen 7 5700U CPU/AMD Radeon graphics/16GB RAM/1TB SSD/15.6-inch 1080p display, $449.99 ($200 off at Dell)
- Dell XPS 15 Laptop, Intel Core i7-13700H CPU/Intel Arc A370M graphics/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/15.6-inch 1200p display, $1,099 ($300 off at Dell)
- Lenovo IdeaPad 1, AMD Ryzen 5 5500U CPU/AMD Radeon Vega 7 graphics/8GB RAM/256GB SSD/14-inch 1080p display, $229.99 ($190 off at Microcenter)
- HP Pavilion Laptop, Intel Core i5-1335U CPU/Intel Iris Xe graphics/8GB RAM/256GB SSD/15.6-inch 1080p display, $429.99 ($480 off at HP)
- Apple MacBook Air, Apple M2 CPU/Apple (10-Core) GPU/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/15.3-inch 1864p display, $1,499 ($200 off at B&H)
- Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, Intel Core i7-1255U CPU/Intel Iris Xe graphics/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/13.5-inch 1504p touch display, $1,219 ($450 off at B&H)
My top pick: The Dell XPS 13 is a great everyday laptop for just $600. The Intel Core i5-12300U CPU will allow you to zip right through productivity tasks.
Black Friday gaming laptop deals
Calling all gamers! There’s no better time to scoop up a blisteringly-fast gaming machine. The laptops below are both powerful and reasonably priced, and should be able to blitz through most games.
- MSI Thin GF63, Intel Core i5-12450H CPU/Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU/8GB RAM/512GB SSD/15.6-inch 1080p display, $599 ($300 off at B&H)
- HP Omen, Intel Core i7-13700HX CPU/Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU/16GB RAM/1TB SSD/17.3-inch 1440p display, $1,649.99 ($750 off at eBay)
- Gigabyte Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i7-12650H CPU/Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/15.6-inch 1080p display, $799.99 ($300 off at Best Buy)
- Dell G16 Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i7-12700H CPU/Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU/16GB RAM/1TB SSD/16-inch 1600p display, $949.99 ($450 off at Dell)
- Acer Predator Helios Neo, Intel Core i5-13500HX CPU/Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/16-inch 1200p display, $799.99 ($400 off at Best Buy)
- Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU/Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/14-inch 1440p display, $1,199.99 ($400 off at Best Buy)
- Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i, Intel Core i7-13700H CPU/Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/16-inch 1600p display, $969 ($250 off at B&H)
My top pick: The RTX-powered MSI Thin GF63 is on sale for just $599, which is positively bananas. Not only does this machine include Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, but it also weighs a little over four pounds, which is considered lightweight for a gaming laptop. Given the hardware inside (an Intel Core i5-12450H CPU and the aforementioned RTX 4050 GPU), you should also be able to play most games on the Medium or High graphics preset, too. It’s rare to find gaming laptops with discrete GPUs going this cheap, so don’t miss out while it’s available!
Black Friday 2-in-1 laptop deals
Convertible laptops are a fantastic option for the frequent traveler. You can prop them up like a tent for video conferencing or fold the screen all the way back and, boom, you’ve got a tablet! The picks below are powerful, versatile, and lightweight. Hope you find something that catches your eye.
- Samsung Galaxy Book3 360, Intel Core i7-1360P CPU/Intel Iris Xe graphics/16GB RAM/1TB SSD/15.6-inch 1080 display, $999.99 ($550 off at Best Buy)
- Dell Inspiron 2-in-1, Intel Core i7-1260P CPU/Intel Iris Xe graphics/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/16-inch 1200p touch display, $899.99 ($350 off at Best Buy)
- Lenovo Yoga 7i, Intel Core i5-1335U CPU/Intel Iris Xe graphics/8GB RAM/512GB SSD/14-inch 1400p touch display, $637.99 ($212 off at Lenovo)
- Dell XPS 2-in-1 Laptop, Intel Core i7-1250U CPU/Intel Iris Xe graphics/16GB RAM/1TB SSD/13-inch 1920p touch display, $1,049 ($200 off at Dell)
- HP Envy 2-in-1, AMD Ryzen 7 7730U CPU/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/15.6-inch 1080p touch display, $649.99 ($400 off at Best Buy)
- HP Spectre x360, Intel Core i7-13700H CPU/Intel Iris Xe graphics/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/16-inch 1920p touch display, $1,099.99 ($600 off at HP)
My top pick: The Dell Inspiron 2-in-1 is a fantastic pick because it’s powerful enough for day-to-day productivity and the 1200p display is both spacious and touch-enabled.
FAQ
When is Black Friday 2023?
Black Friday is on Friday, Nov 24th. If you consider yourself an avid deals hunter, we’d suggest going online in the early hours to take advantage of the best deals. Deals tend to change and expire at a breakneck pace.
When is Cyber Monday 2023?
Cyber Monday is on Monday, Nov 27th. For the best deals, we’d recommend logging on at midnight, as stock tends to deplete rather quickly.
Are Black Friday/Cyber Monday laptop deals lower quality?
No, there’s nothing about the laptops themselves that should suggest you’re buying a poorer quality machine. In fact, we’ve seen some really high-end laptops go on sale this year. That said, when it comes to more “commodity” tech gear—lets say wireless earbuds—you may find so-called “deals” on low-quality no-name brands rather than the earbud models you’d really be interested in. But when it comes to laptops, we’re only recommending models from the big names like HP, Lenovo, Dell, etc.
Are Black Friday/Cyber Monday laptop deals really worth it?
Yes, Black Friday sales do include some great laptops at legitimate discounts. Of course, some retailers will tag a laptop as a “deal,” when in fact the selling price is no different than what the machine sold for most of the the year. But at PCWorld, we do our best to look at pricing histories and highlight the deals that have reached or dropped below all-time-low pricing.
Which retailers have the best Black Friday/Cyber Monday laptop deals?
You should definitely scope out Lenovo, HP, Dell, and other laptop manufacturers’ websites. Online retailers like Amazon, Newegg, and Best Buy will also have solid deals, no doubt, but probably not as wide a variety as you’ll find from the manufacturers themselves.
Which laptops does PCWorld recommend, the deals notwithstanding?
Hey, the site is called PCWorld, so we test and review an insane amount of laptops. To see our top picks, you can check out our master list of the best laptops of 2023. We also have more granular selections for the best laptops under $1,000, the best laptops under $500, and the best laptops for students. Come Black Friday, there’s a good chance that many of our picks will be discounted, so if you’re looking for something specific, check out the best pick articles.
