Black Friday laptop deals are some of the biggest offers on the shelves come November, with record low prices, hefty discounts, and extraordinary value across the price range. Whether you're after a budget Chromebook or a luxury Ultrabook, we see plenty of diversity on the shelves year after year, and now that stock and demand have levelled out we're back to big bucks savings.
Last year's Black Friday laptop deals, for example, offered excellent value in the lower mid-range. We were seeing cheaper machines from Acer and Asus packing some serious specs into a sub-$500 / £500 price point - we're talking 16GB RAM and 1TB SSDs in some cases. That said, these offers will be appearing throughout the year as well - so it certainly pays to keep your eye out over the coming months.
We've been tracking the annual sales for years now, watching every Black Friday laptop deal and flash sale jump onto the shelves in the Fall. That means we know what a good deal looks like and where to find the best of the best. We're bringing you all that experience right here, with a full guide to everything we expect to see in 2023.
If you're after Black Friday gaming deals, it's also worth keeping an eye on the best gaming laptops available as well.
When will Black Friday laptop deals officially start?
Black Friday laptop deals will officially launch on November 24, but we generally see the main sales starting from Thanksgiving week. That means we're right in the middle of this year's sale, with more retailers launching their official discounts and some even starting to run off the shelves.
Where will the best Black Friday laptop deals be?
Given the fact that Black Friday laptop deals are some of the most in-demand discounts of the weekend, it's no surprise that all of the major retailers break out the big guns around this sales event. We're already seeing some excellent early offers from retailers in both the US and UK, as well, and considering the potential shipping delays earlier in the year, it may well pay off to shop a little early. If you want to get a head start you'll find all our go-to stores just below.
US:
Amazon: regular discounts on budget and mid-range machines
Dell: record low prices on XPS and super cheap Inspiron prices
Best Buy: offering price guarantee for My Best Buy members
HP: frequent flash sales with super low prices
Lenovo: heavy discounts on everyday laptops and Legion gaming
Walmart: best for budget friendly Chromebooks and laptops
Microsoft: discounts on Surface devices and Windows machines
Newegg: additional rebates and price guarantees available
UK:
Amazon: speedy delivery and a wide range of machines
Currys: often offers additional software and accessories for free
Argos: budget prices and same day delivery often available
Dell: offers excellent discounts on budget and premium models
John Lewis: big savings on high end laptops with excellent warranties
AO: sometimes offers record low prices but stock moves quickly
Laptops Direct: super low prices but £5 shipping fees for faster delivery
Ebuyer: best for refurbished laptops and accessories
Very: often price matches other retailers with plenty of stock
What to expect from Black Friday laptop deals
Last year's Black Friday laptop deals offered some excellent discounts in the entry level and mid-range areas. We're optimistic for more of this action in 2023, with entry level models like the HP Pavilion, Acer Aspire 3, Dell Inspiron 15 3000, and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 falling further into this bracket this November.
That means you can expect to find an Intel i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD inside one of the laptops above for between $259-$349 during the height of the sale (and potentially well before then). We'd expect to see the majority of these machines at retailers like Dell and Walmart, with Best Buy and Amazon both lacking slightly in this price range last year (head to Currys and Argos in the UK).
If you're looking for something a little more substantial, it's worth noting that the Dell XPS tends to take the jump from elite ultrabook to mid-range level pricing in Black Friday laptop deals. This is a particularly competitive space, with retailers all pushing their flashier machines for new record low prices. That's why we expect the biggest value to be on laptops priced between $500 and $800 (£500-£800) this year; you'll likely find an Intel i7 processor in there, and, depending on the actual model you choose, potentially 8-16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD.
The biggest savings will likely hit the premium end of the spectrum in this year's Black Friday laptop deals. This is the $1,000+ / £1,000+ machines that have plenty of wiggle room on their costs due to the sheer size of their price tag. We often see high-end configurations of the Dell XPS 13 in this category, but also mid-range MacBooks and starter Black Friday gaming laptop deals as well. This year we're expecting some of the biggest offers to land on M2 MacBook models, the Dell XPS 13, the Razer Blade 14, and the HP Spectre x360.
What should you look for in Black Friday laptop deals?
If you are already looking for Black Friday-level laptop deals, it's worth keeping in mind the kinds of specs and features you're after for your cash. There are a few easy to spot hallmarks of a good deal, though, which is helpful considering it's difficult to work out whether you really are looking at a Black Friday-level offer or not.
If you're after a cheap Chromebook, for example, we'd recommend waiting for one with at least 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage for under $150 / £150 (you can check out Black Friday Samsung deals for more). However, for a Windows machine with a similar entry level spec (4GB RAM, 128GB SSD storage, i3 processor), you'd be better off aiming for a $249 / £249 price tag to make an early buy worthwhile.
Once you double up your RAM and potentially think about moving up to an Intel i5 processor, $299-$499 / £299-£499 is a strong sales price that we tend to see in official Black Friday laptop deals (and would be well worth a punt ahead of them). However, of course, that is all depending on the price of the actual machine you're buying - these prices are geared towards more budget-minded models like the Dell Inspiron 3000 or Lenovo IdeaPad 3, as opposed to the MacBook and Dell XPS configurations on offer.
If you're moving more into the mid-range ahead of this year's Black Friday laptop deals, it's worth making sure that you're picking up a 2-in-1 convertible display, extra long battery life, or a super slim bezel on your machine while also potentially moving up to 512GB of SSD storage space. We would expect to see prices on these kinds of machines sitting at between $499 and $699 / £499-£699 over Black Friday, and you might even find some particularly strong deals on the big name ultrabooks in this category as well.
Once you move up beyond this price tag, early Black Friday laptop deals start to become a lot easier to discern. That's because these models, regardless of the configuration, rarely introduce new record low prices. If you spot a MacBook Air M1 for under $849.99, or a Dell XPS 13 for under $649, for example, you can already assume you're getting a good deal.
Is Black Friday a good time to buy a laptop?
Black Friday is an excellent time to buy a laptop, with some of the year's lowest prices up for grabs. That's because the majority of brands announce their new models at the start of the year, giving each new device (and all the latest generation tech under the hood) plenty of time to settle into the shelves before November rolls around. On top of that, brands and retailers know they will have new stock to compete with once January turns up - so are more likely to go even further with price drops to end out the year.
Do laptop prices drop on Black Friday?
Laptop prices do drop on Black Friday, but they also generally drop from mid-October onwards. This sales season extends far beyond the Thanksgiving week that we're used to - with discounts from a range of retailers kicking off as early as October 1. That said, the biggest flash sales tend to take place on the big day itself.
Last year's best Black Friday laptop deals in the US
Last year's best Black Friday laptop deals in the UK
Of course, if you're after something a little more portable, be sure to check out the best Black Friday iPad deals we expect to see this year. On the other hand, those after a desktop could do well with this year's Black Friday gaming PC deals as well. We're also looking to Black Friday gaming monitor deals for more setup inspiration as well.
