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)
- Acer Aspire 3, $299.99 ($22 off at Amazon)
- Lenovo Flex 3 Chromebook, $328.99 ($150.01 off at Best Buy)
- HP Dragonfly Pro One, $669 ($730 off at Adorama)
- HP Envy x360, $699.99 ($300 off at Amazon)
- Dell Inspiron 14, $699.99 ($300 off at Best Buy)
- Gigabyte Aorus 15, $949 ($150 off at Amazon)
- Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro, $1,211.99 ($238 off at Amazon)
- MSI Katana 17, $1,269 ($130 off at Amazon)
Best laptop deals under $500
Acer Aspire 3: $299.99 ($22 off at Amazon)
The Acer Aspire 3 is a great laptop for everyday tasks, office work, and Zoom calls. You’re getting an AMD Ryzen 3 7320U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of SSD storage. The 1920×1080 display also measures 15.6 inches, which is pretty spacious. The thin, light design makes it super travel-friendly as well.
Lenovo Flex 3 Chromebook: $328.99 ($150.01 off at Best Buy)
Sometimes all you need is an affordable laptop for browsing social media and composing e-mail exchanges. If you’re in the market for such a laptop, the Lenovo Flex 3 Chromebook is definitely worth considering. It’s powered by a Pentium Silver N6000 processor, which is suitable for web browsing and streaming Disney+, 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.
That said, because it’s a Chromebook, you’re stuck using Google’s ecosystem (aka ChromeOS). If you’re looking for a Windows alternative, check out the laptop below.
Best for home use
HP Dragonfly Pro One: $669 ($730 off at Adorama)
The HP Dragonfly Pro One is a good laptop if you’re a serial multitasker. This baby is packing an AMD Ryzen 7 7736U CPU as well as 16GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage, so it should be capable of handling a bunch of open tabs and more demanding applications. The 14-inch touch display has a resolution of 1920×1200 and a maximum brightness of 400 nits, which means the picture should be sharp and vibrant. The Ceramic White colorway is also just plain gorgeous and a welcome departure from the grey rectangles we’ve grown accustomed to seeing.
HP Envy x360: $699.99 ($300 off at Amazon)
The HP Envy x360 is a great laptop with a powerful Intel Core Ultra 5 125U processor and a versatile convertible form factor. It’s zippy enough for general browsing and productivity tasks, and the convertible form factor means you can fold the screen all the way back.
Being able to use a laptop in different positions is useful if you’re a frequent traveler, especially when using the device in a cramped space like an airplane seat. The 15.6-inch 1080p display is also nice as it has touch capability. This is good news if you’re a regular doodler or note taker.
Dell Inspiron 14: $699.99 ($300 off at Best Buy)
The Dell Inspiron 14 offers a versatile 2-in-1 form factor, loads of storage space, and a powerful Intel Core 7 Series 1 processor. Not only is it powerful enough for office or school work, but it’s also lightweight at 3.77 pounds. The 2-in-1 form factor is nice, too. This allows you to rotate the screen all the way around, so you can use the laptop like a tablet or prop it up like a tent. Finally, you should have plenty of room for your files and applications thanks to the 1TB of SSD storage.
Best gaming laptop deals
HP Victus: $599 ($380 off at Walmart)
The HP Victus contains powerful hardware for the price. It’s outfitted with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card and an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU, so it should have no problem running most modern games. The 15.6-inch 1080p display also has a 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium technology built-in, so gameplay should be fluid. The 8GB of RAM is pretty light for a gaming laptop, but you can always upgrade later on if need be. If you’re looking for more details regarding this laptop, be sure to check out PCWorld’s comprehensive write-up.
Gigabyte
Gigabyte
Gigabyte
Gigabyte Aorus 15: $949 ($150 off at Amazon)
The Gigabyte Aorus 15 deserves a call-out because of its wickedly fast 360Hz refresh rate display. That’s an incredibly high number, so this display should churn out silky-smooth visuals, which is important during more intensive matches.
It also comes with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU and an Intel Core i5-12500H CPU, meaning it has enough juice to run most games on the Medium or High graphics settings, but you may want to dial those settings back on more modern titles. The display, measuring a roomy 15.6-inches, is pretty spacious with a resolution of 1920×1080. It’s not the highest resolution we’ve ever seen, but it’s perfectly fine for most games.
MSI Katana 17: $1,269 ($130 off at Amazon)
The MSI Katana 17 is a great option for those who like to game on a big screen. The 1080p display measures a massive 17.3 inches, which is absolutely humongous! It’s the kind of screen I’d love to play Sid Meier’s Civilization VI on because I like being able to see every miniscule detail.
You’re also getting an Intel Core i7 CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. That’s a good amount of power right there! This machine should have no issues running graphically intensive games.
Best premium laptop deals
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: $1,211.99 ($238 off at Amazon)
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro features a lightweight form factor, a stunning OLED display, and a good keyboard. In our review, we called it an “elegant all-rounder for business professionals” and awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars and an Editors’ Choice badge.
Although we liked the laptop’s low weight and 1080p webcam, the 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED display is the real standout. It has a refresh rate of up to 120Hz as well as high contrast and amazing color reproduction. Not only is this display perfect for office work and day-to-day activities, but it’s also great for watching movies on.
FAQ
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.
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.
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.
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.