The best October Prime Day laptop deals erase price hikes on the MacBook Air, Dell XPS 13, and more
Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core 5 320, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
(save $200)
Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD)
(save $150)
HP OmniBook Ultra 14 (Intel Core Ultra 7 356H, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD)
(save $600)
I’ve had a weird year as Mashable’s resident laptop reporter. In recent months, many of the models I’ve covered and tested have gotten anywhere from $100 to $950 more expensive due to the ongoing memory crisis, making it harder to pinpoint truly great values on the market. That’s why I’ve been particularly antsy for Prime Big Deal Days, Amazon’s 48-hour “October Prime Day” sale: It’s getting the ball rolling on holiday tech deals that negate a lot of those price hikes.
On Oct. 6, the first day of the sale, I’ve already spotted some particularly excellent MacBook deals on Amazon. That includes a long-awaited $200 discount on the M5 MacBook Air, which brings the 13-inch model down to $1,099 for the first time since June. Finally!
Everything you need to know about October Prime Day, according to someone who covers it every year
If you’d prefer a Windows laptop, I’d advise you to shop not-on-Amazon: Most of its PC deals involve no-name brands and third-party sellers that you should avoid. I’m seeing much better and more legitimate ones at Best Buy, Walmart, and Costco, which just so happen to be running their own sitewide sales this week. So far, my personal favorite Windows laptop deal anywhere is Best Buy’s 25% discount on the Dell XPS 13, my top MacBook Neo alternative.
Below, I’m keeping a running list of the best October Prime Day laptop deals I’ve found across the web. I’ll continue to update it as Prime Big Deal Days progresses through Oct. 7, so check back often if you don’t see any models with your must-have specs yet.
Best budget laptop deal (under $1,000)
Dell’s new XPS 13 is a premium-built budget laptop that one-ups Apple’s MacBook Neo with a much lighter design, a sharper, smoother touchscreen display, and a backlit keyboard. It also has a much better battery life than the Neo, lasting roughly 19 hours in our video rundown test (compared to the Neo’s 15-ish hours).
Best Buy has two configurations of the XPS 13 on sale for $200 off during its Techtober savings event. The base model with 8GB of memory is now just $599.99, while an upgraded version with 16GB of RAM is only $799.99. (That more than negates their price increases from last month.) Both have an entry-level Intel Core 5 320 chip and 512GB of storage.
For comparison’s sake, a comparable MacBook Neo with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is stuck at its regular sale price of $789.99 on Amazon — a meager $9 off.
More budget laptop deals (under $1,000)
-
HP OmniBook 3 16 (Snapdragon X, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $599.99
$1,149.99(save $550) -
HP OmniBook X Flip 14 (AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $699.99
$1,299.99(save $600) -
Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1 16 (AMD Ryzen AI 7 445, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $849.99
$1,549.99(save $700) -
Dell 14S (Intel Core Ultra 7 355, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $899.99
$1,599.99(save $700) -
Dell 16S (Intel Core Ultra 7 355, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $899.99
$1,599.99(save $700)
Best MacBook deal
The M5 MacBook Air is a fabulous all-rounder with incredibly fast performance, a premium haptic touchpad, a vibrant display, and a polished design. We like the 15-inch model best for most macOS users because it has nicer speakers, a better GPU, and a roomier display, but the 13-inch size is better if you prioritize portability. I recommend it for college students in particular.
The M5 MacBook Air is $200 off at Amazon and Best Buy right now, a discount that brings it back to its pre-price hike rates. (Apple’s entire MacBook lineup got price increases in June due to increased component costs.) Choose from either size and any color or configuration starting at just $1,099.
Read Mashable’s full review of the Apple MacBook Air (M5).
More MacBook Air deals
-
Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,399
$1,599(save $200) -
Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,599
$1,799(save $200) -
Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,599
$1,799(save 200) -
Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,799
$1,999(save $200)
MacBook Pro deals
-
Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,839
$1,999(save $160) -
Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,039
$2,199(save $160) -
Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Pro with 18-core CPU/20-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $2,699
$3,199(save $500) -
Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Max, 36GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $3,499
$4,099(save $600)
Best Windows laptop deal
at Best Buy
$1,999.99
Save $600
at Best Buy
$2,249.99
Save $450.00
The redesigned OmniBook Ultra 14 is one of the best and prettiest Windows laptops I’ve tried this year. (It’s another great MacBook alternative, I might add.) It has a glorious 2.8K 120Hz OLED display, a haptic touchpad, a very quiet keyboard, and a thin, elegant design featuring an anti-smudge finish and metallic accents around the edges of its chassis.
Best Buy has three configurations of this guy on sale for the lowest prices I’ve seen all year. One is my review unit, which has a “stone blue” finish and a speedy Snapdragon X2 Elite chip. (It’s just as fast or faster than the M5 MacBook Air and Pro, depending on the task.) It usually retails for $2,249.99, but it’s yours for just $1,799.99 — a 20% savings.
If you’d rather avoid ARM-based Snapdragon chips, which aren’t compatible with as many games and certain specialty software, I’ve also spotted two “silk sand” (beige) Intel models on sale for up to 30% off. The cheaper one with an Intel Core Ultra 7 356H chip, 16GB RAM, and 1TB storage now just $1,399.99 (normally $1,999.99). The upgraded model with an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H chip, 32GB RAM, and 1TB storage is only $1,899.99 (normally $2,399.99).
More Windows laptop deals
-
Acer Swift 16 AI (Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,099.99
$1,549.99(save $450) -
Microsoft Surface Laptop, 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X2 Plus, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,299.99
$1,599.99(save $300) -
Microsoft Surface Laptop, 15-inch (Snapdragon X2 Plus, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,399.99
$1,699.99(save $300) -
Microsoft Surface Laptop, 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X2 Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,399.99
$1,699.99(save $300) -
Microsoft Surface Laptop, 15-inch (Snapdragon X2 Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,499.99
$1,799.99(save $300) -
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Aura Edition (Intel Core Ultra 7 356H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,899.99
$2,699.99(save $800)
Gaming laptops
-
Alienware Aurora 16 (Intel Core 7 240H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,099
$1,899.99(save $800.99) -
Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 16 (Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,899.99
$2,649.99(save $750)
How I picked the best October Prime Day laptop deals
The Mashable team and I have tested dozens of laptops this year, and my job involves constantly monitoring their prices for any notable changes.
The MacBook deals I’ve endorsed here involve the lowest prices on select Air and Pro models in at least three months, according to historical data on the Amazon price-tracking site camelcamelcamel. The Windows laptop deals I’ve chosen feature models that are sitting at their lowest prices of the year so far, from what I’ve seen.
I’ve cross-checked all of my picks across various retailers to make sure they’re the best deals anywhere. In one case, this alerted me to a deal that’s even better than advertised. Walmart says its $1,100 Alienware Aurora 16 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 240H processor, RTX 5050 graphics, 16GB RAM, and 512GB storage is $150 off, but it’s really $801 off: Dell usually sells the same configuration for $1,900.
