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The best laptop deals for August: Shop back-to-school sales on HP, Apple, and more

It's one of the best times of the year to upgrade your PC.
By Haley Henschel  on 
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a close-up of a person carrying an hp omnibook x 14
The Mashable Choice Award-winning HP OmniBook X 14 has a new record-low price this month. Credit: HP
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There's more to consider than just what supplies to buy this year (though we'll help with that too.)

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UPDATE: Aug. 2, 2024, 12:00 p.m. EDT This story has been updated with new laptop deals, pricing, and availability.

The very best laptop deals at a glance:
Best laptop deal under $300
Dell Inspiron 15 3520
$299.99 at Dell.com (save $80)
the Dell Inspiron 15 352
Best laptop deal under $600
HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c
$499.99 at HP.com (save $290)
the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c in tent mode
Best laptop deal under $900
HP OmniBook X 14-fe0013dx
$899.99 at Best Buy (save $300)
the HP OmniBook X 14-fe0013dx
Best laptop deal under $1,200
Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch
$1,099 at Amazon and Best Buy (save $200)
the 15-inch m3 apple macbook air

A new laptop is almost certainly a splurge, but keeping your eyes peeled for deals can make it much easier to take the leap on an upgrade. The good news is that you've got options at a variety of price points via Best Buy, Amazon, and beyond, whether you're looking for an everyday workhorse, a cheap Chromebook for homework, a 2-in-1 Windows PC for drawing, or a powerful premium gaming laptop.

The back-to-school season is an especially prime time for laptop deals as retailers drop prices to entice students (plus their parents and teachers) gearing up for the fall semester. We expect to see better-than-usual discounts across tech retailers and OEMs through early September.

SEE ALSO: 60+ best back-to-school deals for students on a budget

Read on for our running list of the best laptop deals as of August 2. (And if you don't see any models that check all the boxes on your spec wish list, come back soon: We add new picks every other week.)

Note: Retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart occasionally list incorrect MSRPs for laptops, making deals appear better or worse than they really are. If an MSRP you see below differs from the one shown on the laptop's product page, it's because we cross-checked it with the machine's manufacturer and corrected it.

Best laptop deal under $300

the Dell Inspiron 15 352
Credit: Dell
Our pick: Dell Inspiron 15 3520 (Intel Core i3-1215U, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
$299.99 at Dell.com
$379.99 Save $80.00

Why we like it

This entry-level Dell laptop features a 12th-generation (2022) Intel Core i3 CPU, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and a 15.6-inch non-touch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It's nothing spectacular and a little outdated, but this is a spec sheet we rarely see at this price point. (Hell, even some nicer laptops don't have 120Hz refresh rates — M3 Apple MacBook Air included!)

It's marked down to $299.99 during Dell's Back to School Sale, which is a 21% discount that made it $30 cheaper than the 256GB model at the time of writing.

More laptop deals under $300

Best laptop deal under $600

the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c in tent mode
Credit: HP
HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c (Intel Core i3-128GB SSD)
$499.99 at HP.com
$789.99 Save $290.00

Why we like it

Read Mashable's full review of the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c.

The HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c is a 14-inch ChromeOS convertible that supports Gemini AI features like "Help me write," generative wallpapers, and Google Photos' Magic Editor. Its dim display and noisy, low-res webcam didn't impress Mashable tech editor Kim Gedeon when she tried it earlier this year, but "its robust aluminum chassis, flexible postures (e.g., tablet and tent modes), wide range of ports, and fantastic keyboard may leave you hooked," she said. (It walked away with a 4/5 rating.)

The configuration with a 12th-gen Intel Core i3 CPU, 8GB of memory, and 128GB of SSD storage is marked down to just $499.99 on HP's website during its Back to School Sale. That's a 37% savings and $10 away from the lowest price we've ever seen it hit.

More laptop deals under $600

Best laptop deal under $900

the HP OmniBook X 14-fe0013dx
Credit: HP
HP OmniBook X 14-fe0013dx (Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
$899.99 at Best Buy
$1,199.99 Save $300.00

Why we like it

Read Mashable's full review of the HP OmniBook X 14.

Related Stories

This Mashable Choice Award-winning Copilot+ PC is one of the best Windows laptops we've tested all year — it's "a serious MacBook competitor" that's faster and longer-lasting than Apple's 15-inch M3 Air, said Gedeon.

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The Meteor Silver model with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Elite CPU, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage has fallen to a new record-low of $899.99 at Best Buy. (It's usually priced at $1,199.99 there.) For comparison's sake, the same configuration was $949.99 on HP's website when we last checked.

More laptop deals under $900

Best laptop deal under $1,200

the 15-inch m3 apple macbook air
Credit: Apple
Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD)
$1,099.00 at Amazon and Best Buy
$1,299.00 Save $200.00

Why we like it

Read Mashable's full review of the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air.

Apple's latest MacBook Air takes the excellent design of its predecessor and upgrades it with a faster processor, support for WiFi 6E, and the ability to drive two external displays with its lid closed. It's our current favorite MacBook for most people and another Mashable Choice Award winner.

The base configuration of the 15-inch model (which has two more speakers than the 13-inch version) normally retails for $1,299, but you'll pay $1,099 if you buy it from Amazon or Best Buy. That's 15% off and $50 away from its all-time low price from Amazon Prime Day.

More laptop deals under $1,200

Topics Apple Dell HP Lenovo Microsoft

Frequently Asked Questions

There are several times throughout the year when we see extra-low prices on laptops:

  • Around Amazon Prime Day and its fall counterpart (which typically happen in July and October, respectively)

  • During back-to-school sales in July and August (which come to a head over Labor Day weekend)

  • When retailers' Black Friday and holiday deals are in full swing from October to December

  • Whenever manufacturers unveil next-generation models

The same timing applies, said Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard, who tracks Apple deals year-round: She recommends purchasing a Mac or MacBook around Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday to nab the best deal. Shoppers should also keep an eye out for discounts during back-to-school season and right after new models are announced, Allard said.

Best Buy tends to be the best major retailer for laptop deals, followed by Amazon and Walmart. That said, all three sell a lot of discontinued models and often inflate original list prices, making their deals look better than they actually are. (Amazon and Walmart are also rife with sketchy listings from third-party sellers outside of major shopping holidays like Black Friday.) As such, we always cross-check model numbers and prices with manufacturers' direct websites and look for deals there, too.

We're partial to Acer, Apple, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, LG, Microsoft, MSI, Razer, and Samsung. They're reputable brands that typically tick most (or all) of the right boxes when it comes to innovative features, durable build quality, and overall value.

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Haley Henschel
Senior Shopping Reporter

Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.

Haley received a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and honed her sifting and winnowing skills at The Daily Cardinal. She previously covered politics for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, investigated exotic pet ownership for Wisconsin Watch, and blogged for some of your favorite reality stars.

In her free time, Haley enjoys playing video games, drawing, taking walks on Lake Michigan, and spending time with her parrot (Melon) and dog (Pierogi). She really, really wants to get back into horseback riding. You can follow her on X at @haleyhenschel or reach her via email at [email protected].

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