If you’re getting ready to return to a classroom (or have someone in your family that is) then you already know it is ‘Back to School’ season. While its a frustrating sign that summer is ending, it is also a great time to pick up some wonderful deals. Best Buy, for example, is having wonderful offers on laptops, tablets, small TVs and mini fridges for your dorm, and even Apple products to start Fall ’24 off right. Tap the button below if you want to enter Best Buy’s Back to School portal directly (it’s oddly hard to find from the main site) or keep reading to find some of our top picks in the sale.
Dell Inspiron 15 Touch Screen Laptop — $480, was $630
This Dell laptop has all of the essentials you’ll need for essay writing, data entry, YouTube tutorial viewing, and using basic software — a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and a numpad. But, what it also has is a touchscreen, which is a pretty nice bonus on a laptop of this size. What it also means is that even in cramped desk spaces and lecture halls you’ll be able to take advantage of the quick precision that we’d normally associated with a mouse. This is especially important due to the large, 15.6 inch screen that the laptop has. Overall, this is an affordable laptop that will serve you well where it counts for getting things done.
Apple MacBook Air (M2) — $799, was $999
If you want one of the best MacBook deals from the Best Buy sale, check out this deal on the M2 version of the MacBook Air. It has 8GB of RAM, 256GB of internal storage space, and a 13.6 inch retina display with a 2560 x 1664p resolution. We like it for its thin chassis, the great performance of the M2 chip, and its delightful keyboard. Our Apple MacBook Air M2 review goes into details about the laptop’s performance, its unique balance of chassis size and performance, and makes an overall compelling argument for it as the one of the best MacBooks you can buy. Separately, we compare the M3 and M2 MacBook Air for you. For many, the M2 is the better choice due to similar capabilities and a lower price.
Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 — $1,300, was $1,650
The Lenovo Yoga 9i is the best Lenovo laptop out there at the moment, in part because of the chance to get it with an OLED screen and in part because of the convenience of having that in the 2-in-1 laptop format. This version has a 14-inch 4K at 60Hz OLED screen with a 3840 x 2400p resolution. It’s packed with an Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 1 processor and has 32GB of RAM and a full terabyte of storage space. Our Lenovo Yoga 9i review really only found one true flaw with the laptop, a shorter-than-expected battery life. However, we don’t expect you to be in a outlet-free bubble for long enough on most campuses to really run into this as an issue. If you want a laptop that can double as a gorgeous tablet, this is the one for you.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro — $110, was $190
There’s an admitted focus on collegiate and high school back to school offerings when it comes to looking at tech. It’s not unfounded, either, as the amount of computer-based work soars from the later high school years into college. But the grade schooler of 2024 can benefit from a tablet as well, like this Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro. It’s designed for kids 6 to 12 and has robust parental controls and easily adjustable screen time limits. With it, your child can do basic web browsing for homework help or read eBooks, and (with your permission) take advantage of the one year of included Amazon Kids+ content, which features ad-free books, plus fun games and apps. This tablet has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, though the storage is expandable.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ — $180, was $220
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is an affordable tablet that takes care of all of the basics and provides a wonderful middle ground between the small screen of your phone and the larger computer screen. It’s 11 inches from diagonal to diagonal and displays in 1920 x 1200p resolution at a smooth 90Hz. It can also be used, at least to some degree, as a multi-tasking tool as it can run multiple apps at the same time, though with 4GB of RAM one will need to be reasonable with their demands of it in this regard.
Apple iPad 9 (Wi-Fi, 64GB) — $250, was $330
This deal on the Apple iPad 9 is the best way to score an iPad for this fall, as it is the cheapest of the best back to school iPad deals. Part of this is because it isn’t a member of the latest generation of iPads, but we really think that isn’t so bad. For one, it’s got a 2160 x 1620p resolution, a nice 10.2 inch screen, and 3GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. It’s perfect for reading assignments, checking YouTube tutorials, and of course slacking off with some apps. As our Apple iPad 9 review mentions, this iPad is very similar to the ones that came before it in the base iPad line. In other words, you probably already know what to expect if you’re a previous iPad user and just want an upgrade.
Insignia 24-inch Class F20 1080p Fire TV — $90, was $110
When you go to Best Buy, you can expect some good deals on Insignia stuff, as it is their in-house brand. And they’ve cooked up something great with this underrated small screen TV. Small TVs like this have a big problem — they’re usually only 720p. Even for the least picky among us, that’s just too fuzzy. So, in addition to having a Fire TV operating system and an Alexa Voice Remote, where happy to report that this little screen can do it all in 1080p. This is our favorite of the many back to school TV deals going on right now for those heading off to a cramped dorm.
Toshiba 43-inch Class C350 Series 4K Fire TV — $180, was $280
Another Fire TV, but definitely bigger and better. The Toshiba 43-inch Class C350 pulls the resolution up to 4K and brings in some better features for the user that make it more than the average small TV. Here, get HDR10 for better color depth, AI upscaling to make even older content close to 4K quality, and features like the auto low latency gaming mode for reduced input lag while gaming. This TV is great for your if you want something that can increase picture quality somewhat, have something big enough to sit around with some pals, and still not break the bank.
TCL 43-inch Class Q6 4K QLED Google TV — $300, was $350
Another 43-inch, 4K TV, but this time with even better screen tech. This TV, considering its size and price, is probably one of the best QLED TVs for your dorm. QLED TVs are known for their brightness and, of the two big advanced TV types (OLED and QLED), being a bit on the cheaper side. Again, that’s compared to other TVs with advanced screen tech. If you’re shopping on a budget and have a small space but still want a great screen, be sure to check this deal out.
Keurig K-Mini Plus — $74, was $110
When mom and dad aren’t around to ensure you’ll get out of bed, you’ll want to reach to a cup of coffee instead. This single-serve coffee maker uses convenient K-Cup Pods (not scoops of grounds) to make you a quick cup of coffee while you get ready for class. One nice thing about this coffee maker is you can choose to get between 6 and 12 ounces from each brew and there’s a “Strong” button to get a stronger hit when you really need it. And, if there’s one thing that college study groups are synonymous with, its coffee time, so also be sure to stock up with this excellent while you’re at it to be the hero host.
Insignia 2.6 Cu. Ft. Mini Fridge — $80, was $150
Your dorm room will almost certainly come with a small fridge, but the emphasis will be on the small. Picking up a 2.6 cubic foot mini fridge, like this one from Best Buy’s Insignia, is a great way to keep your drinks, cheese, and even skin and beauty products cool and longer lasting. With three shelves and a can rack, you’ll be able to get everything you need inside, whether you’re looking to make sure you have fresh and cool fruit every morning or enough drinks for a weekend get together.
Insignia Portable Ice Maker — $100, was $126
Whether you want to turn that coffee into iced coffee or pour a Coke over ice, you’re not likely to have a good ice situation in your dorm. This portable ice maker can sit on your shelf or under your desk and holds 1.5 pounds of ice. It produces it quickly, too, with each batch taking between 6 and 13 minutes to come out. And, if you were to feed this machine water and empty the ice out as fast as you could, you would technically be able to make 19 pounds of ice in a single day with it. Finally, note that you can make both small and large ice cubes with this ice maker, depending on your preferences.
