It’s Cyber Monday, which means it’s a decent time to be on the hunt for a new notebook. To help you avoid wasting cash, we’ve researched reviews, checked price histories and rounded up a few Cyber Monday laptop deals that are genuinely decent.
To be candid, most of the better discounts available today are the same ones we saw on Black Friday. In fact, a few are slightly worse. But that still means several notebooks we recommended in our various buying guides are cheaper than usual. The latest MacBook Air is $200 off, for instance, while Microsoft's latest Surface Laptop has received a $300 cut. Our favorite Chromebook and gaming laptop are each discounted as well.
Before you dive in, just keep in mind that many of the deals below are for pre-configured models from third-party retailers. If you want to spec out your notebook more precisely, it's still worth buying directly from the manufacturer.
Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M3) for $899 at Best Buy ($200 off MSRP): The latest MacBook Air is our pick for the best laptop you can buy. It ticks nearly all the boxes for those who prefer macOS, from its premium design and comfy keyboard to its lengthy battery life and capable performance for everyday use. We gave it a score of 90 in our review. A recent Bloomberg report said that Apple will likely release a minor refresh early next year, but this is a decent price for the current base model, which includes Apple’s M3 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Amazon had it available for around $850 during Black Friday, but this is its lowest price otherwise. If you want more storage, the 512GB variant is also within $50 of its all-time low at $1,099.
Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M3) for $1,234 at Amazon ($265 off): The 15-inch MacBook Air is more or less identical to the 13-inch version in terms of features and performance, but it has a more spacious display and better speakers. It is about 0.6 pounds heavier, though. This is the best price to date for the base model with an M3 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Also at Best Buy for $1,299.
Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M2) for $799 at Amazon ($200 off): If you’re on a tighter budget, the last-generation MacBook Air gets you most of the things we love about the newer M3 model at a lower price. The main sacrifices are a slightly lesser chip, technically slower storage in the base model and no ability to connect to two external monitors. This deal is for the entry-level variant, which includes an M2 chip, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Again, it's $50 more than the all-time low we saw during Black Friday but still $200 less than buying from Apple directly. Also at Best Buy.
Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4 Pro) for $1,749 at Amazon ($250 off): The recently updated MacBook Pro is more laptop than most people need, but it's still a powerhouse for coders, media editors and those with more demanding needs. We gave it a 92 in our review earlier this month. Just keep in mind that there’s no USB-A port and, as with all Apple laptops, effectively no way to upgrade the device after purchase. This is the largest discount yet for the configuration with Apple’s M4 Pro chip, 24GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. A version with 1TB of storage is $50 above its all-time low at $2,149 as well.
Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M4 Pro) for $2,249 at Amazon ($250 off): The 16-inch MacBook Pro adds a roomier display and a couple extra hours of battery life to the same excellent performance, build quality and mini-LED display of its smaller counterpart. The downside is that it’s heavier at 4.7 pounds. This config includes an M4 Pro chip, 24GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. As with the other MacBook deals above, it was $50 cheaper on Black Friday, but this deal is still $250 off its usual going rate. Also at B&H.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch) for $899 at Amazon ($300 off): We gave the latest Surface Laptop a review score of 88 earlier this year, and we currently recommend it as a great mainstream ultraportable in our laptop buying guide. The caveat is that it runs on an ARM processor, which performs well but may not work with every app or peripheral you use. If you can live with that, though, the bright 120Hz display, upscale aluminum design and long battery life all impress. This configuration includes a Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. It was technically available for $800 at Micro Center last week, but only with in-store pick up. Otherwise, this matches the best price we’ve seen. If you prefer a bigger screen, a 15-inch version with a quicker Snapdragon X Elite chip and a 256GB SSD is down to a low of $1,053. Also at Best Buy.
HP Pavilion Aero 13 for $600 at HP ($300 off): The HP Pavilion Aero is the budget pick in our laptop buying guide. It feels a bit cheap, and its webcam is poor, but it’s thin and light, it has a decent port selection and its IPS display is solid for the money. This config with a Ryzen 5 8640U chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD should be fast enough for typical web browsing, word processing and light photo editing. This is within $20 of the best price we could find for the 2024 model since its release.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 12) for $1,099 at Lenovo ($500 off): The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is an honorable mention in our laptop buying guide, and it earned a score of 87 in our review earlier this year. Its performance wasn’t quite top-of-the-line in benchmark testing, but it was still fast enough to handle the kind of web browsing, media editing and even light gaming that most people do with a notebook. The design is reasonably thin (0.6 inches), light (2.4 pounds) and highly durable, with a healthy array of ports (HDMI 2.1 included) and the kind of bouncy, responsive keyboard we’ve come to love from the ThinkPad line. The matte display virtually eliminates glare as well, though the 1080p webcam is just OK, and the side-mounted power button is somewhat awkward to press. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for the config with Intel's Core Ultra 5 135U chip, 16GB of (non-upgradeable) RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 14-inch 1,920 x 1,200 display. Just enter the coupon code X1G12TDDEAL at checkout. Other configs are similarly discounted, including a more powerful model with a Core Ultra 7 155U chip and 32GB of RAM for $1,391. Use the code HOLIDAYTHINKDB for that one.
Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus for $349 at Best Buy ($150 off): The Flex 5i Chromebook Plus tops our guide to the best Chromebooks. We like that its IPS touchscreen has a tall 16:10 aspect ratio, as it makes the device better-suited to word processing and reading web pages. It runs just fine for the basic tasks you’re meant to do with Chrome OS, and both its keyboard and trackpad feel reliable. Its battery life is mediocre, however, and at 3.6 pounds it’s fairly heavy for a 14-inch notebook. This ties the lowest price we’ve seen for the config with an Intel Core i3-1315U chip, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of eMMC storage.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) for $1,650 at Best Buy ($350 off): The 14-inch ROG Zephyrus G14 is the top pick in our guide to the best gaming laptops. We gave it a score of 91 in our review this past April, praising its aluminum and (relatively) understated chassis, beautiful 120Hz OLED display and sufficient port selection. It can get toasty under load, and we wish the RAM was user-upgradeable, but this config can handle more demanding fare at high settings and the screen’s native 2.8K resolution without much trouble. It comes with a Ryzen 9 8945HS chip, 32GB of memory, a 1TB SSD and an RTX 4070 GPU. You may not want to completely max out certain games, but you can still get over 60 fps much of the time. In general, you’d buy this because it gets that level of power from a design that’s more portable and elegant than most gaming machines. Outside of one drop to $1,600 back in July, this ties the best price we’ve seen.
ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) for $1,615 at Amazon ($285 off): While not a top pick in any of our guides, this configuration of the ROG Strix G16 should be a solid value for those in search of a 16-inch all-rounder gaming notebook. It includes an Intel Core i9-14900X chip, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, which should be enough to run many games at high-ish settings without much hassle. The overall build doesn’t feel cheap, and the 2,560 x 1,600 240Hz display is both sharp and fast. The RAM and storage are user-upgradeable, too, though the battery life and 720p webcam aren’t ideal. This deal matches an all-time low. Another model with a 1080p panel, a Core i7-13650HX chip and a RTX 4060 GPU is on sale for a low of $1,100, but you’ll have to turn down game settings more frequently to get decent frame rates with that one.
Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, M4) for $849 at Amazon ($100 off, clip $50 coupon): The iPad Pro is still overkill for most people, but its class-leading OLED display, remarkably slim frame and powerful M4 chip make it a tremendous tablet. It can work as a laptop replacement for certain creative types, but you’ll have to live with iPadOS’ continued shortcomings in multitasking, file management and other computer-y tasks. If you’re thinking of making the switch — or if you’ve just got money to burn and want a more portable companion to your current laptop — this matches the lowest price we’ve seen for the latest 11-inch model. Just clip the $50 on-page coupon. If you’re willing to pay for a roomier display, the 13-inch iPad Pro is also on sale for a low of $1,099.
Cyber Monday laptop deals that are no longer available
Alienware M18 R2 for $2,300 at Dell ($500 off): The M18 R2 is an iteration of the top 18-inch pick in our gaming laptop buying guide. It’s an absolute tank, but it’s put together well, and this configuration can blow through new games at high settings in 1080p or 1440p. It comes with a 165Hz 2,560 x 1,600 panel, an Intel Core i9-14900HX chip, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 GPU. This deal is $100 more than the price we saw on Black Friday, though it's still a good ways off the notebook's usual going rate. A lower-spec model is on sale for a new low of $1,700, though that one will run into issues sooner with more demanding games.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-cyber-monday-laptop-deals-for-2024-save-on-notebooks-from-apple-microsoft-lenovo-and-more-195505288.html?src=rss
