The best Black Friday deals we’re seeing on Macbooks and other laptops

By The Verge | Created at 2024-11-28 16:50:36 | Updated at 2024-11-28 19:51:04 3 hours ago

A laptop is one of the larger tech purchases for most people, so Black Friday is a good time to make that investment. Windows laptops, MacBooks, and even Chromebooks all have their regular cadence of discounts and sales promotions from retailers like Best Buy, but this time of year is often when you can save a few hundred bucks and get a quality machine that should easily last more than a few years.

Yes, the timing can feel slightly awkward because CES is right around the corner in January, and all the big Windows laptop makers debut new generations of products there. But those anticipated models can take another couple of months to actually hit store shelves — and even longer before they see any sizable sales. If you’re in need of a laptop for productivity, content creation, or gaming and you’re in the market now, these are your best options.

The best MacBook deals

The last-gen 13-inch MacBook Air with an M2 chip, 256GB of storage, and recently upgraded 16GB of RAM is matching its all-time low of $749 ($250 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The 2022 laptop is still an excellent performer for everyday productivity work, as well as students doing the lightest touch of content creation.
However, the newer (current) 13-inch MacBook Air with an M3 chip, a 256GB SSD, and 16GB of RAM is now $844 ($255 off) at Amazon and $849 at Best Buy. If you can afford the extra $95 over the M2 deal, I say go for it. The M3 is a little more performant with a newer chip and faster storage, and it supports two external displays when you close its lid.

The MacBook Air M3 is a jack-of-all-trades, with a balanced combination of performance and power efficiency. It also now supports dual displays with the lid closed, and the storage speed is noticeably faster. You don’t need to think about if this laptop will meet your needs — it just will. Read our review.

If you want a larger laptop from Apple, the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air with base 256GB storage and 16GB of RAM is going for $1,044 ($255 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. That’s matching the lowest price we’ve seen for Apple’s larger Air, which sports an excellent display and a couple of extra speakers over the 13-inch that sound great.

The entry-level MacBook Pro with M4 starts with 16GB of RAM — double that of its predecessor — and a 512GB SSD for the same starting price of $1,599. It also gets a third USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 port and comes in a new space black option. Read our review.

Stepping up to a 14-inch MacBook Pro with a faster M4 Pro chip, 24GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD right now will run you $1,749 ($250 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The M4 Pro has more CPU and GPU cores than the base M4, making it even better for content creation workflows. You also get more RAM and Thunderbolt 5 ports, which are faster and a little more futureproof. The M4 Pro model is also more readily available right now, as the base M4 MacBook is seeing some shipment delays.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro starts with 24GB of RAM and offers more computing cores (14 for the CPU and 20 for the GPU) compared to the 14-inch model. It also picks up Thunderbolt 5 ports and a new 12-megapixel Center Stage camera.

The best Windows laptop deals

The new Surface Pro maintains its winning form factor, which sets it apart from traditional laptops. It now houses the battery efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chipset, however, and the detachable keyboard has been improved with bolder, brighter keys and a Copilot button. Read our review.

Microsoft’s base version of its 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7 is on sale for $899.99 ($300 off) at Best Buy with a Snapdragon X Plus processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. The Arm-based laptop offers excellent, MacBook Air-like battery life that easily lasts through a day of work. It performs well, though Windows on Arm does have some compatibility issues with some games and software — so be sure what you need to work is supported.

The 15-inch Surface Laptop offers more connectivity options than the smaller 13.8-inch model. It gains a second Thunderbolt 4 port and a USB-A port but touts the same AI-ready Snapdragon X Elite chipset, a Copilot key, and design tweaks to minimize display bezels. Read our review.

Lenovo’s Intel Lunar Lake-powered has a sizable 15.3-inch IPS display with a crisp 2880 x 1800 resolution, as well as some loud speakers and a great keyboard. It’s got far from the best trackpad, but the Core Ultra 7 256V processor inside it is a pretty snappy performer for an everyday Windows machine. Read our review.

The Dell XPS 13 is down to its all-time low of $999.99 ($500 off) at Best Buy with a Snapdragon X Elite chip, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. This particular model is especially worth it since it’s the configuration with a lovely 13.4-inch OLED touchscreen — and 2560 x 1600 resolution — in a very portable package that offers great battery life and value.

Asus’ dual-screen laptop has a pair of 14-inch OLED touchscreens, each with 2880 x 1800 resolution. The removable keyboard can cover one of the screens for conventional single-monitor laptop use or be used wirelessly with the laptop propped up in dual-screen mode via its kickstand.

The best gaming laptop deals

MSI’s Cyborg 14 is a portable, modestly-specced gaming laptop. It’s got a 1920 x 1200 display with 144Hz refresh, an Intel Core i7 13620H processor, RTX 4060 discrete graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD — all in a fairly slim and affordable package, complete with see-through chassis.

The MSI Stealth A16 AI Plus is on sale at Best Buy with a new Ryzen AI 9 chip, an RTX 4070 GPU, 32GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD for $1,699.99 ($300 off), matching its best price to date. The mid-tier Stealth is one of MSI’s best-selling gaming laptops, as it balances a whole lot of gaming performance without the eye-watering prices of higher-end models. The 16-inch laptop isn’t exactly small, but it’s thin enough to take places, and its QHD panel supports up to a speedy 240Hz refresh rate.

A 16-inch gaming laptop sporting a 1920 x 1200 display with 165Hz refresh, an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX processor, an RTX 4070 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Asus’ TUF line is known for offering value, and this model ticks a lot of the right boxes for a gaming-centric machine without breaking the bank.

Alienware’s M16 R2 is notable for finally doing away with its protruding butt, resulting in a sleeker design. It also packs an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU, an RTX 4070 GPU, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD, all for $1,299.99 ($600 off) at Best Buy. Dell’s Alienware models usually cost a hefty premium, but this deal makes its 240Hz screen and RTX 4070 (which is the M16 R2’s highest-end GPU option) much more affordable.

The ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is one of the fastest gaming laptops you can get, thanks to its AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D processor and Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU. With 32GB of RAM, 1TB storage, and a 240Hz 1440p screen, it’s the high-end laptop to beat.

A mid-tier version of the 2024 Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 is on sale for $1,599.99 ($400 off) at Best Buy with an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, an RTX 4070, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD. This year’s redesign of the Zephyrus models made the G14 and G16 look a little less quirky and gamer-y, and instead something more akin to a MacBook (with a strip of animated LED lighting, of course). The styling change may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they still have the gaming performance where it counts in a laptop, one you won’t feel like you have to make awkward excuses for in a meeting.
If you want even more horsepower for gaming in a sleek and not overly-big laptop, the same Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 is available in a configuration with an Intel Core Ultra 9, an RTX 4090, 32GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD. This config normally runs $3,499.99, but it’s currently down to $2,999.99 ($400 off) at Best Buy, which matches its all-time low. A mobile 4090 GPU and 32GB of RAM is more than enough to run AAA games on very high settings, and they’ll look great on the G16’s 240Hz QHD OLED display.

The best Chromebook deals

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus — which features a lovely 15.6-inch OLED display, an Intel Core 3 Series 1 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage — is down to $599.99 ($100 off) Best Buy. The latest version of Samsung’s higher-end Chromebook is one of the first with Google’s new Quick Insert button, which repurposes the Caps Lock key to double as a shortcut for Gemini AI help or other, non-AI productivity tasks.

The last-gen Acer Chromebook Spin 714 still offers a solid package with fast Intel processors and Thunderbolt 4 support, while boasting an HDMI port and a garaged stylus.

The Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 is the most affordable Chromebook with the new Plus label. It has a 12th Gen Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 1080p screen for just under $400. Read our review.