There are some fantastic laptop deals happening right now, just in time for heading back to school. While you could browse the general Best Buy back to school sale or the Walmart back to school sale, your best bet is to scroll down and see everything rounded up together. The best student laptop deals are plentiful right now, so we’ve picked out our favorites.
That includes some of our favorite brands, such as the ones seen in the HP back to school sale and the Dell back to school sale, but we’ve also looked at less obvious retailers by checking out the Staples back to school sale. Read on while we take you through it all. We’ve picked out super cheap Chromebooks as well as high-end gaming laptops and MacBooks, among others. Bear in mind that all these deals are likely to end soon, so if one appeals, buy it before you miss out.
Acer Chromebook 315 — $179, was $249
Chromebooks are a great option if you don’t want to spend a ton of money and just need something that’s relatively simple and not powerful. This Acer Chromebook 315 is a great example of that since it comes with an Intel Celeron N4020, which is relatively underpowered, but it’s still enough to handle ChromeOS, and the same goes for the 4GB of RAM. The only big downside is the 64Gb of internal storage, which means you may want to supplement it with one of these external hard drive deals for those times where you don’t want to rely on cloud storage. Besides that, you get a larger 15.6-inch screen running a 1366 x 768 resolution, which is not too bad, while the batter should last you around 10-12 hours or so depending on your usage and brightness levels.
Lenovo Ideapad 1i 15 — $330, was $500
Of course, one of the downsides of using a Chromebook is that you don’t get access to Windows, so if you really need that for your applications, then the Lenovo Ideapad 1i is a good alternative that’s also pretty budget-friendly. It comes with an entry-level Intel Core i3-1215U under the hood, which should be powerful enough for most basic tasks, while the 256GB of storage is solid, especially if you mostly rely on cloud storage. That said, you only get 8GB of RAM, which is the bare minimum, and you may run into issues with having too many apps and tabs open. Luckily, you get a pretty large 15.6-inch screen that runs FHD, so it’s good for streaming and other entertainment when you’re home.
HP Envy 2-in-1 14-inch Touchscreen laptop — $580, was $880
For a relatively inexpensive way of enjoying the benefits of a 2-in-1 laptop, check out the HP Envy 2-in-1 14-inch Touchscreen laptop. It has an AMD Ryzen 5 8640Hs processor, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of SSD storage. Standing out from that is the 14-inch WUXGA IPS display which has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 and can be switched out to work in presentation mode or as a tablet if you prefer to be more tactile with how you work. The screen also has Corning Gorilla Glass NBT so it’s built to withstand a rugged lifestyle and any accidental damage. There’s also HP Fast Charge support so you can go from 0% battery life to 50% in just 30 minutes which is perfect for that class you might have forgotten about.
Dell Inspiron 16 — $700, was $1,000
For a sizeable screen from a reputable brand, check out the Dell Inspiron 16. It has an Intel Core 7 150U processor along with 16GB of memory and 1TB of SSD storage so it’s well suited for general tasks and storing all your files while you study. It also has a great looking screen with a 16-inch 2.5K display with 2560 x 1600 resolution, 300 nits of brightness, and anti-glare properties. The 16:10 aspect ratio further helps here while there’s Dolby Atmos sound which helps when you’re relaxing with your favorite shows. Other key extras include a full HD webcam with wide dynamic range and temporal noise reduction so you get a sharp image no matter what the background lighting conditions.
Apple M2 MacBook Air 13 — $799, was $999
The MacBook Air is one of the thinnest and lightest laptops on the market while still being relatively powerful. A lot of that is due to the M2 chip that sits under the hood, which is not only powerful but runs relatively cool, enough so that the MacBook Air doesn’t have any fans, making it whisper quiet. It has a 13.6-inch screen with a 2560 x 1664 on the gorgeous Retina Display and is probably one of the best you’ll find at this price point, while the battery is easily something that will last you between 15-20 hours, depending on your usage. That said, you’re only get 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, both of which are a bit on the lower side, but to be expected for the MacBook.
LG gram 17 — $1,000, was $1,400
A lot of folks value having a very thin laptop, but if you’re also the type of person who prefers having a larger screen, then you may want to consider the LG gram 17. You see, even though it has a 17-inch screen, it’s only 0.7 inches thick, which is absolutely tiny for something like that. It also has surprisingly powerful specs under the hood, with an Intel Core i7-1360P CPU and 16GB of DDR5 RAM, both of which will give you an excellent day-to-day experience for both work and home use. Its only big downside is that it’s a bit on the flimsier side, which makes sense given its size and thinness, but that’s not a dealbreaker, especially if you’re generally careful with your things.
ASUS TUF 15 — $1,100, was $1,400
There are a lot of gaming laptops out there, and quite a few are unsurprisingly expensive, but this TUF lineup from Asus aims to bring down the price quite significantly while still offering a quality product. For example, this Asus TUF 15 comes with an RTX 4070 under the hood, which is a powerful GPU, and should let you handle 1080p gaming with relative ease. That’s great because it has a 15.6-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and an impressive 144Hz refresh rate, which should be relatively easy to hit without too many graphical compromises. It also comes with an Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB RAM, so you’ll also get a pretty smooth experience, although don’t expect a super-long battery life which is pretty standard for most of the best gaming laptops.
ASUS Vivobook Pro 16 — $1,300, was $1,800
The Asus Vivobook Pro 16 is actually quite impressive since it does a little bit of everything. For example, it’s pretty small and lightweight, and yet still runs a strong RTX 4060 under the hood, as well as an incredibly powerful Intel Core i9-13980HX, so you can game, work, do creative stuff, and pretty much anything else you can think of. On top of that, it has an absolutely gorgeous 16-inch OLED screen that runs a 3200 x 2000 resolution, so it’s very high-quality, and it can even hit a 120Hz refresh rate. As such, this is easily one of the most versatile laptops on the list and well worth the price, even without the discount.
AppleM3 MacBook Pro 14 — $1,699, was $1,999
We don’t want to exclude those who are in the Apple ecosystem and need a more powerful laptop, which is why we’re happy to see this M3 MacBook Pro 14 on sale for such a solid price. In fact, this configuration has the upgraded M3 Pro chip, so it’s the even more powerful version of Apple’s latest chip. As for the screen, it’s 14.2-inch and has a 3024 x 1964 resolution on the same excellent-quality Retina Display you’re familiar with, and the 120Hz refresh rate will give you a smooth day-to-day experience. You’ll also be happy to know that you get a much more respectable 18GB of RAM, although the storage is still on the lower end at 512GB, although that’s fixed with an external hard drive.
Apple M3 MacBook Pro 16 — $1,999, was $2,499
If you want one of the best laptops that Apple has to offer, then this configuration of the M3 Pro MacBook Pro 16 is the way to go, and it even has a substantial discount on it. It’s a great option for those who want to do graphics design and need a larger screen to do it, and luckily, you still get a solid 18GB of RAM. Storage is on the lower side, which is a shame, but that’s not a dealbreaker, especially since the 16.2-inch screen size with a 3456 x 2234 resolution is pretty excellent all-around for graphical work.
