Science

The best laptop deals for August: Shop back-to-school sales on HP, Apple, and more

August 2, 20240

UPDATE: Aug. 3, 2024, 5:00 a.m. EDT This story has been updated with new laptop deals, pricing, and availability.

Shop the best laptop deals this week:

The very best laptop deals at a glance:
Best laptop deal under $300

Dell Inspiron 15 3520

$299.99 at Dell.com
(save $80)



Best laptop deal under $600

HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c

$499.99 at HP.com
(save $290)



Best laptop deal under $900

HP OmniBook X 14-fe0013dx

$899.99 at Best Buy
(save $300)



Best laptop deal under $1,200

Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch

$1,099 at Amazon and Best Buy
(save $200)



A new laptop is almost certainly a splurge, but keeping your eyes peeled for deals can make it much easier to take the leap on an upgrade. The good news is that you’ve got options at a variety of price points via Best Buy, Amazon, and beyond, whether you’re looking for an everyday workhorse, a cheap Chromebook for homework, a 2-in-1 Windows PC for drawing, or a powerful premium gaming laptop.

The back-to-school season is an especially prime time for laptop deals as retailers drop prices to entice students (plus their parents and teachers) gearing up for the fall semester. We expect to see better-than-usual discounts across tech retailers and OEMs through early September.

SEE ALSO:

60+ best back-to-school deals for students on a budget

Read on for our running list of the best laptop deals as of August 3. (And if you don’t see any models that check all the boxes on your spec wish list, come back soon: We add new picks every other week.)

Note: Retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart occasionally list incorrect MSRPs for laptops, making deals appear better or worse than they really are. If an MSRP you see below differs from the one shown on the laptop’s product page, it’s because we cross-checked it with the machine’s manufacturer and corrected it.

Best laptop deal under $300

Credit: Dell


Our pick: Dell Inspiron 15 3520 (Intel Core i3-1215U, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

$299.99
at Dell.com

$379.99
Save $80.00



Why we like it

This entry-level Dell laptop features a 12th-generation (2022) Intel Core i3 CPU, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and a 15.6-inch non-touch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s nothing spectacular and a little outdated, but this is a spec sheet we rarely see at this price point. (Hell, even some nicer laptops don’t have 120Hz refresh rates — M3 Apple MacBook Air included!)

It’s marked down to $299.99 during Dell’s Back to School Sale, which is a 21% discount that made it $30 cheaper than the 256GB model at the time of writing.

More laptop deals under $300

Best laptop deal under $600

Credit: HP


HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c (Intel Core i3-128GB SSD)

$499.99
at HP.com

$789.99
Save $290.00



Why we like it

Read Mashable’s full review of the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c.

The HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c is a 14-inch ChromeOS convertible that supports Gemini AI features like “Help me write,” generative wallpapers, and Google Photos’ Magic Editor. Its dim display and noisy, low-res webcam didn’t impress Mashable tech editor Kim Gedeon when she tried it earlier this year, but “its robust aluminum chassis, flexible postures (e.g., tablet and tent modes), wide range of ports, and fantastic keyboard may leave you hooked,” she said. (It walked away with a 4/5 rating.)

The configuration with a 12th-gen Intel Core i3 CPU, 8GB of memory, and 128GB of SSD storage is marked down to just $499.99 on HP’s website during its Back to School Sale. That’s a 37% savings and $10 away from the lowest price we’ve ever seen it hit.

More laptop deals under $600

Best laptop deal under $900

Credit: HP


HP OmniBook X 14-fe0013dx (Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

$899.99
at Best Buy

$1,199.99
Save $300.00



Why we like it

Read Mashable’s full review of the HP OmniBook X 14.

This Mashable Choice Award-winning Copilot+ PC is one of the best Windows laptops we’ve tested all year — it’s “a serious MacBook competitor” that’s faster and longer-lasting than Apple’s 15-inch M3 Air, said Gedeon.

The Meteor Silver model with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite CPU, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage has fallen to a new record-low of $899.99 at Best Buy. (It’s usually priced at $1,199.99 there.) For comparison’s sake, the same configuration was $949.99 on HP’s website when we last checked.

More laptop deals under $900

Best laptop deal under $1,200

Credit: Apple


Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD)

$1,099.00
at Amazon and Best Buy

$1,299.00
Save $200.00



Why we like it

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

Apple’s latest MacBook Air takes the excellent design of its predecessor and upgrades it with a faster processor, support for WiFi 6E, and the ability to drive two external displays with its lid closed. It’s our current favorite MacBook for most people and another Mashable Choice Award winner.

The base configuration of the 15-inch model (which has two more speakers than the 13-inch version) normally retails for $1,299, but you’ll pay $1,099 if you buy it from Amazon or Best Buy. That’s 15% off and $50 away from its all-time low price from Amazon Prime Day.

More laptop deals under $1,200

https://mashable.com/article/best-laptop-deals