The best laptop deals you can get right now

If you want a great laptop, you’re going to have to fork over a ton of money, right? Not necessarily. There are dozens of good laptops on the market at various price points. While it can feel overwhelming to find the right one for your needs (some are better suited for, say, college students, whereas others are ideal for gamers), that’s why we’ve come up with this list of some of the best laptop deals available right now.

In addition to the latest deals, we’ll share each discounted model’s best features (and downsides) to give you more clarity during your shopping journey. And if you need to do more research, you can also check out our guides to the best laptops on the market and the top cheap laptops as well.

Just remember that Prime Day 2022 is coming up and will start on July 12th. There’s no guarantee we’ll see stellar laptop deals on the model of your dreams, but it’s very possible we may. So if you can wait a little bit to buy a laptop, you might save some money. If not, continue reading for the best deals to be had at this moment.

MacBook Air

The MacBook Air equipped with Apple’s M1 processor is the best laptop for most people, offering a good combination of all the features the average laptop user needs at a reasonable price. Apple’s entry-level laptop is faster than most Windows laptops at this price point, and it handles demanding photo and video editing apps like Photoshop and Adobe Premiere with finesse, especially compared to its Intel-powered predecessors. Thankfully, all that power doesn’t come at the cost of battery life either. In fact, we found that it lasted between eight and ten hours — even when we played the game Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

In addition to offering excellent performance, the laptop also comes with other nice-to-have features, including a comfortable keyboard and an excellent trackpad. Just note its 720p webcam isn’t particularly good, so if a high-resolution webcam matters a lot to you, you may want to buy one separately. Also, be aware that, due to the limitations of the M1 chip, you can only use one external display at a time.

The base MacBook Air with the M1 chip has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD and starts at $999, although we frequently find it on sale for a little less. Right now, for example, you can buy the base model for $899 ($100 off) in gray from B&H Photo. If you live near a Micro Center, you can even buy it for $829 instead. For additional storage, the 512GB model with an eight-core GPU is also on sale in rose gold at Amazon, dropping to $1,179.99 (about $70 off). You can also buy the laptop in other colors for $20 more at B&H Photo. Read our review.

MacBook Pro

At the moment, the MacBook Pro lineup consists of the newer 14- and 16-inch models released in late 2021 and the 13-inch MacBook Pro that just saw a revision with the M2 processor in mid-2022. However, given it was just released, we likely won’t see any significant discounts anytime soon.

There’s a deal on its predecessor, the 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro, which is similar to the MacBook Air and shares the same M1 processor, but with a Touch Bar. Unlike the fan-less MacBook Air, it’s capable of running at peak performance longer because of its fan. Right now, you can buy the 13-inch MacBook Pro for $1,099 ($200 off) at Best Buy when you choose the model equipped with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage. Read our review of the 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro.

On the other hand, the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros are equipped with the faster M1 Pro processors, and you can go up to an M1 Max CPU if you’d like to spend more money for faster performance. No matter what you get, these laptops boast incredible performance with some of the longest-lasting batteries we’ve tested yet. Right now, the model equipped with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is $200 off at Best Buy, selling for $1,799 instead. You can also save $200 when you buy the 14-inch model with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD for $2,299 from Amazon. If you prefer the 16-inch, you can get it with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD for the same price from Amazon and Best Buy ($200 off). Read our review of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.

16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro (2021, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

The new 16-inch MacBook Pro is a creative powerhouse equipped with Apple’s latest silicon. Configurable with either the M1 Pro or M1 Max, the 16-inch screen can be lent out to up to three external displays and a 4K TV simultaneously thanks to its vast array of ports.

Photo by Monica Chin / The Verge

HP Spectre x360 14

On the market for an excellent 2-in-1? The HP Spectre x360 14 is the best you can buy. It also happens to be our favorite Windows laptop. This convertible looks as great as it performs, boasting a gorgeous 3:2 aspect ratio OLED display, a comfortable keyboard and a smooth touchpad. Beyond being a looker, it’s also powerful, with long battery life and speakers that sound great. If you flip the screen around, it becomes a pretty terrific tablet, with a built-in stylus that can magnetically latch on the side of the chassis.

While we found more things to praise than to complain about, there are some issues to be aware of. The touchpad feels stiff, and the laptop does contain some preinstalled bloatware. And, starting at $1,519.99, this convertible doesn’t come cheap either. Thankfully, however, HP is selling the HP Spectre x360 14 with 512GB of storage and 8GB of onboard memory for $1049.99. Even better, this model is powered by the Intel Core i7-1195G7 processor, which is still speedy despite being a last-gen chip. Read our review.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Lenovo Yoga 9i

Lenovo’s 14-inch Yoga 9i is our favorite laptop for multimedia entertainment. The convertible is equipped with fantastic speakers that deliver the best sound we’ve ever heard for a laptop this size. It also comes with an excellent 1080p touchscreen and other perks, including a built-in stylus and a battery life that will last all day. Just note, however, that it does come with bloatware that can be challenging to uninstall, and we found the 16:9 screen relatively cramped and dim.

At the moment, Lenovo’s taking up to $490 off various configurations of the laptop. Regularly $1,319, right now, you can, for instance, buy the model equipped with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and an Intel Core i5 processor for $1,104.99 from Lenovo when you use the code YOGACTODEAL. Read our review.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales/ The Verge

Asus ROG Zephyrus G15

Gamers hunting for a laptop will love Asus’ ROG Zephyrus G15, which we consider to be the best gaming laptop on the market. It’s powerful enough to handle demanding games like Red Dead Redemption II, yet it’s also one of the lightest gaming laptops, so you can lug it around wherever you want. Plus, it comes equipped with a speedy 165Hz QHD display, a great port selection, good battery life, as well as a comfortable keyboard and touchpad. However, just be aware it doesn’t feature a webcam.

Asus’ ROG Zephyrus G15 typically sells for $1,849.99, but you can currently buy it equipped with 16GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and an AMD Ryzen 9 processor for $1,572.99 from Best Buy.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 (16GB RAM, 1TB SSD)

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 is one of the best gaming laptops that you can currently purchase. Despite not having a webcam, it’s tough to beat the performance for the cost.

Photo by Monica Chin / The Verge

Acer Swift 3

Acer’s Swift 3 is a great, somewhat budget-friendly laptop for college students. While it’s not much of a looker, this portable laptop offers solid performance, a durable build, and good seven-hour battery life. The 14-inch, 1080p IPS screen is also spacious enough for multitasking while, say, researching for and writing a paper. Plus, it comes with the ports you need – including USB-C, USB-A, and an HDMI – and it has a backlit keyboard so you can easily see and type on the keyboard at night. Just be aware that it does come with preinstalled bloatware, and the display isn’t particularly bright, which could be a problem if you need to do more artistic work or video editing. Normally $899.99, you can currently buy Acer’s Swift 3 equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and Intel Iris Xe graphics for $799.99 from Acer. Read our review.

Acer Swift 3 (8GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

Acer’s Swift 3 laptop features a 14-inch 1080p IPS display, an Intel i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. It also sports a fingerprint reader for easy sign-in and a backlit keyboard, making typing in low-light situations a breeze.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano is the lightest ThinkPad you can currently buy from Lenovo, yet it still offers great performance in a light package. With its exceptional build quality, along with business-targeted security and management features, we think it’s particularly ideal for business travel. Other features we liked include its 16:10 display and the physical privacy shutter for its webcam, although we wished there were more ports and the battery life were less than average. Right now, Lenovo’s selling the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano for $1,487.40 instead of $2,479 when you use code THINKJUNE and buy the model with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and an Intel Core i5 processor. Read our review.

Photography by Monica Chin / The Verge

HP Envy x360 13

If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly laptop than Lenovo’s ThinkPad, HP’s Envy x360 13 convertible is the best you can get for under $1,000. Despite its relatively low price tag, it boasts a slick design with a bright, colorful screen. Plus, the battery lasts all day, and the performance is good enough that it can even tackle some light gaming. However, just note it does come with a 16:9 aspect ratio screen (16:10 is generally better for productivity) as well as preinstalled bloatware. Also, while the laptop does offer a microSD slot, two USB-A, and a USB-C port, it lacks both Thunderbolt 3 and HDMI. Nevertheless, it’s still a good laptop. HP is taking $100 off when you buy the model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, selling it for $999.99 instead. Read our review.

Photo by Monica Chin / The Verge

HP Pavilion Aero 13

Need a Windows laptop that’s even more budget-friendly? HP’s Pavilion Aero 13 is an excellent choice. Weighing just 2.1 pounds, it’s lighter, thinner, and thus more portable than HP’s Envy x360 13, yet still boasts speedy performance. Plus, unlike HP’s Envy x360 13, it offers a more vertically-spacious 16:10 screen that’s surprisingly bright for a laptop in this price range. Its battery life is much better than HP’s Envy x360 13, although, unfortunately, it does come with bloatware, doesn’t feel anywhere near as sturdy in terms of design, and its speakers’ audio quality isn’t very good. You can currently buy the laptop equipped with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $679.99 instead of $889.99 from HP. Just note this model comes with AMD’s Ryzen 5 processor, which is less powerful than the model we tested offered. Read our review.