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Best laptop deals ahead of Black Friday: MacBooks, Dell Inspiron, Alienware, and more

UPDATE: Oct. 28, 2023, 5:00 a.m. EDT This story has been updated with the latest laptop deals, pricing, and availability.

The only thing better than a great laptop is a great laptop that’s on sale. To help Mashable readers find their next computer, we’re compiling a running list of the best laptop deals across major retailers right here every week. From the latest Apple MacBooks to cheap Chromebooks for homework, versatile 2-in-1s for streaming and drawing, and premium gaming machines with a ton of horsepower, read on for our top picks as of Oct. 28 (categorized by price) — including a handful of early Black Friday laptop deals at Best Buy and Dell.

Best laptop deals under $300

Why we like it

This Dell Inspiron 15 features a 12th-generation Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and a 15.6-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s a spec sheet we rarely see at this price point: Most cheap, entry-level PCs under $300 have dinky Intel Celeron N Series CPUs, 4GB of RAM, pokier eMMC flash storage, and 60Hz refresh rates. It’s down to $299.99 on Dell’s website (normally $379.99) during its Black Friday Sneak Peek sale — that’s a fantastic price for these specs.

More laptop deals under $300

Best laptop deals under $600

Why we like it

Dell’s 16-inch Inspiron laptop also punches above its current price point with 16GB of RAM (up from the 8GB we typically encounter in models under $600), a whole terabyte of storage, and a peppy AMD Ryzen 7 7730U processor — it’s stellar for multitasking. We spotted it on sale for just $599.99 on Dell.com, which is 40% off its suggested retail price of $999.99.

More laptop deals under $600

Best laptop deals under $900

Why we like it

The 13-inch MacBook Air from late 2020 nabbed a Mashable Choice Award upon release for its zippy M1 chip, quiet fanless design, and 18-hour battery life. We’re still recommending it three years later as the best budget MacBook, and right now you can buy its 256GB base model for $749.99 (normally $999) via Amazon and Best Buy. That matches its record-low Prime Day price from July, which has been holding relatively steady ever since.

Read Mashable’s review of the Apple MacBook Air (2020).

More laptop deals under $900

Laptop deals under $1,200

Why we like it

This year’s 15-inch version of the M2 MacBook Air upgrades it with a slightly larger (but just as pretty) Liquid Retina display and two extra speakers (six instead of four). Best of all, it still only weighs about three pounds. Best Buy and Amazon both have the 256GB model marked down to its all-time low of $1,049 (normally $1,299), though the former shaves an additional $50 off for paid My Best Buy members as part of its Black Friday Early Access sale.

Read Mashable’s review of the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air.

More laptop deals under $1,200

Laptop deals over $1,200

Why we like it

The Alienware x14 R2 earned an Editor’s Choice Award from the experts at PCMag (which is owned by Mashable’s publisher, ZiffDavis), who deemed it “a near-flawless compact gaming laptop.” This especially beefy configuration comes equipped with a 14-inch QHD+ 165Hz display, a 13th-gen Intel Core i7 H-Series processor, 32GB of RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics; it should be able to plow through demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Starfield. You can snag it for $1,699.99 (down 15% from its $1,999.99 MSRP) when you order it directly through Dell’s website.

More laptop deals over $1,200

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