I found October Prime Day laptop deals that reverse the price hikes on MacBook Air, Dell XPS 13, and more

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I've had a weird year as Mashable's resident laptop reporter. In recent months, many of the models I've covered and tested have gotten anywhere from $100 to $950 more expensive due to the ongoing memory crisis, making it harder to pinpoint truly great values on the market. That's why I've been particularly antsy for Prime Big Deal Days, Amazon's 48-hour "October Prime Day" sale: It's getting the ball rolling on holiday tech deals that negate a lot of those price hikes.

As of Oct. 6, the first day of the sale, I've already spotted some particularly excellent MacBook deals on Amazon. That includes a long-awaited $200 discount on the M5 MacBook Air, which brings the 13-inch model down to $1,099 for the first time since June. Finally!

If you'd prefer a Windows laptop, I'm seeing some decent deals on Microsoft Surface devices and select gaming laptops on Amazon at the moment. But be sure to shop around a bit before adding anything to your cart: There are also great PC deals to be had at Best Buy and Walmart, which are both running their own sitewide sales this week. So far, my personal favorite Windows laptop deal anywhere is Best Buy's 25% discount on the Dell XPS 13, my top MacBook Neo alternative.

Below, I'm keeping a running guide to the best October Prime Day laptop deals I've found across the web. I'll continue to update it as Prime Big Deal Days progresses through Oct. 7, so check back often if you don't see any models with your must-have specs yet.

Best budget laptop deal (under $1,000)

Dell's new XPS 13 is a premium-built budget laptop that one-ups Apple's MacBook Neo with a much lighter design, a sharper, smoother touchscreen display, and a backlit keyboard. It also has a much better battery life than the Neo, lasting roughly 19 hours in our video rundown test. The Neo died just before the 15-hour mark.

Best Buy has two 512GB configurations of the XPS 13 on sale for $200 off during its Techtober savings event (starting from just $599.99), a discount that more than erases their price increases from last month. For comparison's sake, a comparable MacBook Neo with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is stuck at its regular sale price of $789.99 on Amazon — a meager $9 off.

More budget laptop deals (under $1,000)

• HP OmniBook 3 16 (Snapdragon X, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $599.99 $1,149.99 (save $550)

• HP OmniBook X Flip 14 (AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $699.99 $1,299.99 (save $600)

• Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1 16 (AMD Ryzen AI 7 445, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $849.99 $1,549.99 (save $700)

• Dell 14S (Intel Core Ultra 7 355, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $899.99 $1,599.99 (save $700)

• Dell 16S (Intel Core Ultra 7 355, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $899.99 $1,599.99 (save $700)

Best MacBook deal

No guide to the best Prime Day laptop deals would be complete without the latest MacBook discounts. The M5 MacBook Air is a fabulous all-rounder with incredibly fast performance, a premium haptic touchpad, a vibrant display, and a polished design. We like the 15-inch model best for most macOS users because it has nicer speakers, a better GPU, and a roomier display, but the 13-inch size is better if you prioritize portability. I recommend it for college students in particular.

The M5 MacBook Air is $200 off at Amazon and Best Buy right now, a discount that brings it back to its pre-price hike rates. (Apple's entire MacBook lineup got price increases in June due to increased component costs.) Choose from either size and any color or configuration starting at just $1,099.

Read Mashable's full review of the Apple MacBook Air (M5).

More MacBook Air deals

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,399 $1,599 (save $200)

• Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,599 $1,799 (save $200)

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,599 $1,799 (save 200)

• Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,799 $1,999 (save $200)

MacBook Pro deals

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,839 $1,999 (save $160)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,039 $2,199 (save $160)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Pro with 18-core CPU/20-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $2,699 $3,199 (save $500)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Max, 36GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $3,499 $4,099 (save $600)

Best Prime Day Windows laptop deal

The redesigned OmniBook Ultra 14 is one of the best and prettiest Windows laptops I've tried. (It's another great MacBook alternative, I might add.) It has a glorious 2.8K 120Hz OLED display, a haptic touchpad, a very quiet keyboard, and a thin, elegant design featuring an anti-smudge finish and metallic accents around the edges of its chassis. Best Buy has several configurations of on sale for the lowest prices I've seen all year, with savings of up to 30%.

More Windows laptop deals

• Acer Swift 16 AI (Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,099.99 $1,549.99 (save $450)

• Microsoft Surface Laptop, 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X2 Plus, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,099.99 $1,599.99 (save $500)

• Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro (Intel Core Ultra 7 356H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,199.99 $1,799.99 (sae $600)

• Microsoft Surface Laptop, 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X2 Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,279.99 $1,699.99 (save $420)

• Microsoft Surface Pro, 13-inch (Snapdragon X2 Plus, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Keyboard & Pen Bundle — $1,299.99 $1,779.98 (save $479.99)

• Microsoft Surface Laptop, 15-inch (Snapdragon X2 Plus, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,384.99 $1,699.99 (save $315)

• Microsoft Surface Laptop, 15-inch (Snapdragon X2 Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,499.99 $1,799.99 (save $300)

• Asus Zenbook S14 (Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,499.99 $1,799.99 (save $400)

• Asus Zenbook A14 (Snapdragon X2 Elite, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,599.99 $1,799.99 (save $200)

• HP OmniBook X Flip 16 (Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,649.99 $2,249.99 (save $600)

• Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Aura Edition (Intel Core Ultra 7 356H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,899.99 $2,699.99 (save $800)

• Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra (Intel Core Ultra 7 356H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,669.99 $3,799.99 (save $1,130)

Best gaming laptop deal

Now cheaper than ever, this 16-inch Acer gaming laptop nets you mid-tier RTX 5070 graphics at an RTX 5060 price point. (Note that it's sold out on Acer's website.) It has a good amount of storage, a four-zone RGB keyboard, and a crisp 2.5K display with a premium 180Hz refresh rate that'll make fast-paced shooters look buttery smooth. I found a slightly less expensive RTX 5070 MSI gaming laptop at Walmart, but it had a 144Hz display with a much lousier 1080p resolution.

Mashable Deals

More gaming laptop deals

• Alienware Aurora 16 (Intel Core 7 240H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,099 $1,899.99 (save $800.99)

• Acer Nitro V 16 (Intel Core 7 240H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,149.99 $1,629.99 (save $480)

• MSI Cyborg 17 (Intel Core 7 240H, Nvidia Geforce RTX 5060, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,189 $1,399.99 (save $210.99)

• Acer Nitro 16S AI (AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,274.99 $1,499.99 (save $225)

• Lenovo LOQ (AMD Ryzen 7 250, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,399.99 $1,649.99 (save $250)

• HP Omen 16 (AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,829.99 $2,599.99 (save $770)

• Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 16 (Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,899.99 $2,649.99 (save $750)

• Alienware 16X Aurora (Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,949.99 $2,899.99 (save $950)

• HP Omen Transcend 14 (Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,039.99 $2,999.99 (save $960)

• Acer Predator Neo 16 (Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,224.99 $2,774.99 (save $550)

• MSI Crosshair A16 HX (AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,294 $2,699 (save $405)

• HP Omen Max 16 (Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,774.99 $3,899.99 (save $1,125)

• Asus ROG Strix G16 (Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $3,249.99 $3,899.99 (save $650)

• Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, 23GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $3,899.99 $4,399.99 (save $500)

How I picked the best October Prime Day laptop deals

The Mashable team and I have tested dozens of laptops this year, and my job involves constantly monitoring their prices for any notable changes.

My top October Prime Day deals on laptops include Amazon's lowest prices on select models in at least three months, according to historical data on the price-tracking site camelcamelcamel. The deals I've highlighted elsewhere feature models that are sitting at their lowest prices of the year so far, to the best of my knowledge.

I've cross-checked all of my picks across various retailers to make sure they're the best deals anywhere. In one case, this alerted me to a deal that's even better than advertised. Walmart says its $1,100 Alienware Aurora 16 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 240H processor, RTX 5050 graphics, 16GB RAM, and 512GB storage is $150 off, but it's really $801 off: Dell usually sells the same configuration for $1,900.

I've also come across one instance where Amazon managed to beat Best Buy's price on a 13.8-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 by a cool $120.