Here at WIRED, we test a lot of laptops. We know how hard it is to spot a genuinely good deal on them. To help, we’ve sifted through the web to find the best deals currently available. Be sure to check out our many product roundups, including the Best Laptops, Gaming Laptops, and Cheap Laptops, to see our more of our top recommendations.
Updated May 27, 2022: We’ve added new devices from Lenovo, Dell, Asus, MSI, and Logitech.
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Best Cheap Laptop Deals
Cheap laptops come in many forms, from super-cheap Chromebooks to kid-friendly, first-laptop models to surprisingly well-specced productivity machines, all for $700 or less. You can find more of our favorite cheap laptops here.
Dell’s XPS range (rightly) gets a lot of praise, but with solid AMD Ryzen 7 chips, its Inspiron Touch laptops are beginning to make a value-for-money splash. You get a whole lot of power under the hood here—from 16 GB of RAM and an AMD Ryzen 5000 series processor to a good 512-GB chunk of SSD storage.
If your needs are more basic, 8 GB of RAM and a mid-rate processor may be enough. This model gets you a productivity-friendly Ryzen 5 chip, a suitable 512-GB SSD, 8 GB of RAM and FHD 120-Hz display. A solid package for under $450.
Save $29 more by entering code EXTRA5 at checkout
Another device featuring the ever-impressive and value-exuding AMD Ryzen 5 chip is this IdeaPad 3. It’s already reduced, but you can get an extra $29 off by entering the code EXTRA5 at checkout. Your cash will get you 8 GB of RAM, a 256-GB SSD, and a whopping 1-TB HDD—making this a great device if you’re a file hoarder. It’s not flashy, but it’s slim and a sensible size for getting work done.
Best Laptop Deals
You may have come here looking for an outright bargain, but these are decent deals on some more luxe machines.
The LG Gram range usually gets recognized for the low weight and large displays of the 16-inch and 17-inch models. However, the principle does extend to the 14-inch version, making it supremely light in addition to housing an ideally sized productivity screen. This LG Gram 14 is also a 2-in-1, offering a tablet option via its 360-hinge. It’s a top-spec model too, with an Intel Core i7 processor.
The new Galaxy Book 2 range has just landed, but the previous iterations are well worth considering—especially with newly discounted prices. The regular Pro model offers up an AMOLED display (beautiful color and deep blacks), Intel Core i5 CPU, and 8 GB of RAM in a well-built, stylish design.
Best Gaming Laptop Deals
Gaming laptops generally don’t come cheap, so it’s always nice to buy them on sale. Below are some powerhouse and value machines.
This machine doesn’t offer the very top tier of gaming laptop performance anymore, on account of its older Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti mobile GPU, this Lenovo Legion 7 with a potent RTX 3080 and Ryzen 9 5900HX combination comes pretty close. Along with a simple but robust design, you get 16 GB of RAM and a 1-terabyte SSD for storage.
The Legion 7 may be Lenovo’s highest-end and most impressive gaming laptop, but the Legion 5 is no slouch either. The specs here aren’t the best-of-the-best but hit a sweet spot when it comes to value. With this model, you get an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor, mid-tier RTX 3060 graphics card, 16 GB of RAM, and a 512-GB SSD.
You might not be looking for a super-high-horsepower gaming machine, and that’s OK. There’s plenty on offer with a lot of invitingly priced devices with low-end graphics cards (GPUs) these days. The GF65 features a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, Intel Core i5-10400H, and 8 GB of RAM. These are the latest specs and are far from the most high-end, but will get the job done for low-end games.
If you’re after the most entry-level gaming laptop, then a machine with a Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU is what you’re looking for. For less than $700, you still get a 144-Hz panel, Intel i5 CPU, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256-GB SSD. It’s a combo to facilitate basic gaming needs, but it’s a typically trustworthy brand, and it’ll get the job done.
Best Laptop Accessory Deals
Working on the sofa is all well and good, but there’s plenty of room to make your desk setup more comfortable and simply better. Here are a few deals on top accessories from monitors for a second screen to a quality webcam for Zoom meetings.
The Logitech Pro Stream Webcam is a no-frills option for all your Zoom calls and Teams meetings. It hasn’t made our list of top webcams, but several Logitech cams do. You get the useful option of opting for 30 frames per second at the full 1080p resolution or going for the smoother 60 fps at 720p if you desire. It also has autofocus, a 78-degree field of view, and two omnidirectional microphones to make sure you’re heard loud and clear. Logitech offers its own Capture software for tinkering with options like a blurred background, filters, and more.
The best gaming mouse we’ve tested is currently discounted. The Prime offers up magnetic optical switches, 5 programmable buttons, and an 18,000-CPI optical sensor. And, don’t forget that all-important RGB lighting. It’s a no-frills gaming mouse that’s speedy and doesn’t overwhelm you with too many buttons. This is well worth considering for avid gamers.
Gaming monitors with high refresh rates used to be prohibitively expensive—especially with boosted 1440p resolutions. Thankfully, they’ve begun to drop in price over the last couple of years. With this Asus TUF, a brand we rate highly here at WIRED for gaming gear, you get that speedy 144-Hz refresh rate, 1440p resolutions, 1-ms response time, and FreeSync Premium, and it’s well-sized for a bedroom desk setup at 32 inches.
How to Buy a Refurbished Laptop
Buying refurbished is relatively straightforward, with retailers and manufacturers offering restored devices at a cut price. Retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, and Walmart sell these laptops. Brands like Apple, Dell, and Lenovo also sell refurbished models in their own stores.
The key thing to navigate is what “refurbished” means on each of these websites so you know exactly what you’re getting. First, buying refurbished can often mean you get a device that’s been tested to still be in good working order or restored to meet standards, along with a new warranty.
For example, here’s an excerpt from Best Buy’s refurbished laptop policy: “A refurbished item has been inspected, repaired, and restored to like-new, clean, working condition and includes all parts and accessories. These are generally electronics that have been returned for some reason … Because they’ve been through a careful inspection process to ensure they’re working as good as new, the best refurbished laptop is actually less likely to have defects or issues than one that comes from the factory … Most refurbished items are covered by the Best Buy Return & Exchange Promise and come with a minimum 90-day warranty.”
These policies typically differ between retailers, so it is always worth checking whether there is a thorough testing process and that they are refurbished to a “good as new” standard and if the product comes with a new warranty that lasts a period of time should you encounter any early issues. It’s also worth checking the refund and return policies in your state or country to see what recourse you may have should you run into any issues outside of warranty.
