Technology

The best laptop deals we found for Amazon Prime Day

Amazon isn’t known for offering the best deals for laptops, but its ongoing Prime Big Deal Days sales event has a few solid discounts — and there are a bunch more if you factor in Best Buy’s “48-hour Flash Sale” counter-programming. If you’re in the market for a new MacBook, Windows productivity machine (including new Copilot Plus PCs), or even a gaming laptop, we’ve got you covered with a handful of worthwhile options.

While a specialized electronics retailer like Best Buy may be better known for everyday laptop discounts, Amazon has its fair share. This is especially the case if you’re shopping for MacBooks, some of which Amazon currently has for their lowest prices to date. Granted, you’re not going to get the breadth of options for RAM and storage sizes like you do directly from Apple, but it’s not uncommon to get as much as $400 off some base- and mid-spec configurations (on the pricier MacBook Pros, at least).

Here are the best laptop deals we scrounged for Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days and some neighboring sales.

The best Prime Day deals on Windows laptops

The 2024 Asus Zenbook Duo laptop is on sale for $1,201.74 (around $298 off) at Amazon. Spec-wise, it’s got an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD. However, its most unique qualities are by far its dual 14-inch OLED touchscreens (with included stylus), one of which is revealed by removing its wireless keyboard deck to allow a multi-screen desktop-like setup you can bring anywhere.

It may look a bit bonkers, but the Zenbook Duo allows for 19.8 inches of screen real estate in a package you can throw in your everyday bag and bring with you to the coffee shop. Talk about a power move. Read our review.

Asus Zenbook Duo in its Dual Screen mode.Asus Zenbook Duo in its Dual Screen mode.

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 Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge is on sale in both its 14-inch configuration for as low as $799.99 (a massive $550 off) at Best Buy and in its 16-inch configuration for $1,249.99 ($200 off) at Best Buy. Either model gets you an Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. It doesn’t have the outright best performance of the recent crop of Windows Copilot Plus PCs running Arm chips, but it’s definitely one of the prettiest to look at with its thin-and-light frame and excellent OLED screen. Plus, its power-sipping processor helps it last all day like a modern MacBook. Read our review.

An open and powered on silver laptop against a background of different colored squares.An open and powered on silver laptop against a background of different colored squares.

Samsung’s first entry in the Copilot Plus PC world, running Windows on Arm with a Snapdragon X Elite processor. The Galaxy Book4 Edge comes in two sizes, the 14-inch and 16-inch, both of which feature vivid OLED touchscreen displays with 120Hz refresh rate and all-day battery life. Read our review.

The latest Microsoft Surface Pro with a Snapdragon Elite X processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD in sapphire blue is $1,199.99 ($300 off) at Best Buy. The 2-in-1 offers great performance as long as you don’t need certain apps that are lacking full support for Windows on Arm. Its detachable keyboard now has Bluetooth so you can use it separately from the tablet, and the 13-inch, 2880 x 1920 OLED you get in this configuration looks great and sports a speedy 120Hz refresh. It’s a great all-around package if you’re seeking a 2-in-1 with great battery life. Read our review.

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

The 2024 Microsoft Surface Laptop is on sale for $1,399.99 ($200 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. Much like the Surface Pro, Microsoft’s latest Surface Laptop is sporting a Snapdragon X Elite Arm processor that offers excellent battery life and standby time. It’s got a 13.8-inch touchscreen and comes with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD in this discounted configuration. It’s a great performer if you want a portable Windows laptop for everyday use that can last all day, though be sure to check if any creative apps you plan to use have Arm support or work fine in emulation. Read our review.

The 13.8-inch Surface Laptop is the most affordable of Microsoft’s 2024 Copilot Plus models. The MacBook rival uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chipsets — which are said to offer substantial performance and battery life improvements — and its keyboard is the first with a dedicated Copilot key.

We haven’t tested the 2024 Asus TUF A16, but at $699.99 ($400 off) at Best Buy, it seems like a solid value for some midrange gaming needs. The TUF has a speedy 165Hz display with 1200p resolution that, while not the highest resolution for a 16-inch panel, shouldn’t be as demanding as running a QHD or 4K display. Those graphics are powered by an all-AMD setup with a Ryzen 7 chip and Radeon RX7700S GPU. It’s the same video card we tested in the Framework Laptop 16, which offered some fair benchmarking scores in various games. (That modular laptop’s issues were owed more to glitches and cooling issues than poor GPU performance.)

A 16-inch gaming laptop sporting a 1920 x 1200 display with 165Hz refresh, AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processor, Radeon RX7700S GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD.

The best Prime Day deals on Apple MacBooks

The 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD is on sale for $1,299 ($300 off) at both Best Buy and Amazon. Or, you can step up to more RAM and storage with 16GB / 1TB for $1,699 ($300 off) at Amazon. That may be a steeper cost, but the extra RAM is especially worth it in the long haul.

This model of MacBook may be a bit of an awkward middle child between the MacBook Air and the beefier 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros with Pro / Max chips, but it’s still a nice laptop for light creative workflows and all-day battery life (and then some). Compared to a MacBook Air, it has more ports, including an HDMI-out and SD card slot, but it only has two USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 ports compared to the three on the more “pro” MacBook Pros.

Apple’s new entry-level model for the MacBook Pro line is now a 14-inch laptop powered by the new base M3 processor. It uses a similar design to the pricier 14-inch MacBook Pro with Apple’s Pro- / Max-series chips but is offered at a lower price with the similar ports and less RAM.

Speaking of MacBook Airs, the 13- and 15-inch M3 models are currently available for their best prices to date. You can get the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air for $849 ($250 off) at Amazon or the larger 15-inch model for $1,044 ($255 off) at Amazon or Best Buy. Both of these cheap-as-can-be configurations come with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

The M3 generation of Airs are mostly spec-bumped models, though they do also have Wi-Fi 6E support and the ability to output video to two monitors when their lids are closed. Both are great for everyday work / home use and have great battery life that mostly ensures you don’t have to even worry about charging until the end of the day.

The choice of 13-inch vs. 15-inch really just comes down to personal preference if you want a larger screen (obviously). The 15-inch also has much better speakers, but if you’re the type to always wear headphones, it quickly becomes less of an advantage.

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.

A photo of Apple’s M3-powered MacBook Air laptop.A photo of Apple’s M3-powered MacBook Air laptop.

The 15-inch MacBook Air is also equipped with Apple’s M3 chip. It features a larger display and better speaker array than the 13-inch MacBook Air M3. Read our review.

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Update, October 9th: Adjusted prices.

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