I write about laptops all year long. See the top 6 early Black Friday laptop deals (so far).
As Black Friday approaches, tech enthusiasts and shoppers alike are gearing up for some of the best deals of the year, particularly on laptops. Early promotions have already surfaced, showcasing significant discounts on popular models, making it an ideal time for those in the market for a new device. Notably, the Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) is available for $749.99, representing a savings of $249.01. This ultraportable laptop is highly praised for its lightweight design and impressive performance, making it a perfect choice for students and professionals alike. For those looking for something even more powerful, the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro is currently priced at $1,473, down from $1,599, and boasts the longest battery life of any MacBook tested to date, at over 21 hours.
Gamers have not been left out of the early Black Friday sales, with the Alienware 16X Aurora gaming laptop priced at $1,649.99, a $350 discount from its regular price. This model features cutting-edge specifications, including an Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, making it a top contender for gaming performance. Additionally, budget-conscious shoppers will find the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus available for $349, saving $250 off its regular price. This Chromebook is praised for its build quality and performance, making it an excellent choice for everyday tasks.
With Black Friday set for November 28, these early deals indicate that shoppers should act quickly, as many of these offers may not be available when the holiday shopping rush begins. Retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Costco are already matching or beating previous price lows, ensuring that consumers have access to some of the best laptop deals of the season. Whether you’re looking for a high-performance gaming machine, a reliable everyday Chromebook, or a sleek MacBook, the current sales present a fantastic opportunity to upgrade your tech without breaking the bank.
The best early Black Friday laptop deals at a glance:
Best MacBook deal
Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD)
$749.99
(save $249.01)
Get Deal
Best gaming laptop deal
Alienware 16X Aurora (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD)
$1,649.99
(save $350)
Get Deal
Best Chromebook deal
Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (Intel Core i3-1315U, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD)
$349
(save $250)
Get Deal
I write about all things
laptops
here at Mashable, and whenever a family member or friend comes to me for shopping recommendations, I always tell them this: “Unless it’s an emergency, don’t buy anything until
Black Friday
.”
My logic is simple. The year-end shopping season is when I see the
deepest discounts
on laptops emerge across
Amazon
,
Best Buy
, and other major tech retailers. It’s partly because these stores know that people are looking for good, giftable buys ahead of the holidays, but it’s
also
because they’re trying to offload their current inventories ahead of next-gen refreshes at the start of the following year. Enter: Record-low prices on
MacBooks
,
Windows laptops
, and
Chromebooks
. Voila: An upgrade that’s normally out of your budget is suddenly affordable.
SEE ALSO:
The 55+ best early Black Friday deals: Get big savings on MacBooks, Nintendo Switch 2, Keurig, and Samsung gear
I should note that most of the absolute
best
Black Friday laptop deals won’t appear until Black Friday proper, which falls on Nov. 28 this year. However, I’ve stumbled upon half a dozen early offers that I don’t expect to get much cheaper next week. (They’re mainly MacBooks and Chromebooks so far; I’m not obsessed with any Windows laptop deals just yet — they’re fine but not amazing.) If you see a deal featured in my list below, it’s because I’d happily add it to my own cart right now if I was in the market for a new PC.
The M4 Apple MacBook Airs
Apple’s latest
MacBook Air
is lightweight, quiet, and faster than 83% of the laptops in our entire testing database — it’s a really impressive ultraportable. The 15-inch model is my top pick for most people, but the 13-inch model is great for
college students
and other users who want something a little cheaper and more portable. Both sizes were regularly on sale on Amazon for $200 off earlier this fall, and I really didn’t think they’d get any cheaper at this point in their life cycles (considering they’re still well under a year old). Shockingly, they’re now $250 off in the lead-up to Black Friday.
For what it’s worth,
Costco
is the only retailer that’s been able to match Amazon’s all-time lows on the M4 MacBook Airs thus far, and it’s not reserving them for members, either. However, a one- to two-day delivery time à la
Amazon Prime
will cost you $9.86. (Standard shipping is free, and Costco members get the option of in-store pickup.)
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Credit: Apple
Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD)
$749.99
at Amazon and Costco
$999
Save $249.01
Â
Get Deal
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Credit: Apple
Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD)
$949.99
at Amazon and Costco
$1,199
Save $249.01
Â
Get Deal
The 14-inch M5 Apple MacBook Pro
The all-new MacBook Pro is my splurge pick if you want an Apple laptop with even more power, a brighter 120Hz display, more ports for creative work, and crazy-good stamina. (At 21 hours and 17 minutes, it has the longest battery life of any MacBook we’ve ever tried, and
our tech editor loved it
.) It debuted in mid-October at a starting price of $1,599 and hasn’t stopped getting cheaper since. At the time of writing, the base configuration with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is marked down to just $1,473 — a savings of just over $125.
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Credit: Apple
Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
$1,473
at Amazon
$1,599
Save $126
Â
Get Deal
A refurbished 13-inch M3 Apple MacBook Air
If you’re in the market for a dirt-cheap-but-not-too-outdated MacBook, Best Buy has a refurbished 13-inch MacBook Air with last year’s M3 chip on sale for only $569.99. (Walmart usually sells the
M1 model from 2020
for $599, so this is a genuine steal.) It has a 1080p FaceTime camera and closed-lid support for two external displays, whereas the newer M4 version has a nicer 12MP webcam and open-lid support for two monitors. It also comes with half the RAM as the latest model and runs about 24% slower. Still, it’s a fine pick for simple everyday tasks like web browsing and sending emails.
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Credit: Apple
Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) – Geek Squad Certified Refurbished
$569.99
at Best Buy
$849
Save $279.01
Â
Get Deal
The Alienware 16X Aurora
For most people, the Alienware 16X Aurora is my new favorite gaming laptop, a mid-range model featuring a 240Hz matte display, one-zone RGB backlighting, an Intel Arrow Lake processor, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series graphics. Notably, it comes with a “Stealth Mode” hotkey that turns down its fan noise and backlighting while boosting its battery life — a nice-to-have when you’re not using it for gaming. The variant I tested has a high-end Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, an RTX 5070 GPU, 32GB of memory, and 1TB of storage; it’s already pretty fairly priced at $1,999.99, but Dell is currently selling it for $1,649.99 (or 18% off) as an
early Black Friday deal
. Other configurations with lesser specs
start at just $1,349.99
.
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Credit: Alienware
Alienware 16X Aurora (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD)
$1,649.99
at Dell
$1,999.99
Save $350
Â
Get Deal
The Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus
Lenovo’s convertible Chromebook Plus is my
favorite Chromebook for most buyers
because of its stellar build quality, decent performance, great speakers, nice keyboard, and 12-hour battery life. There are two configurations available: One with an Intel Core i5-1334U processor and 256GB of storage, and another with a less powerful Intel Core i3-1315U processor and 128GB of storage. They both retail for $599 at full price.
The first configuration is the model we tested, and it’s a Costco exclusive (though you can buy it without a membership). It’s marked down to $529.99 ahead of Black Friday, which is actually the first time I’ve ever seen it on sale. The other, more pared-down version is a worse value at full price, but Best Buy is currently selling it for $349 (or $250 off), making it a great option for budget buyers with basic needs.
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Credit: Lenovo
Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (Intel Core i5-1334U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD)
$529.99
at Costco
$599.99
Save $70
Â
Get Deal
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Credit: Lenovo
Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (Intel Core i3-1315U, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD)
$349
at Best Buy
$599
Save $250
Â
Get Deal
The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514
Acer’s all-new
Chromebook Plus Spin 514
features an unrivaled 18-hour battery life and a fast processor (relatively speaking) with an NPU that supports two exclusive AI features. The version Acer sells on its website has 16GB of memory, a backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader, and a 2.8K touchscreen display. It’s overkill for most people, but it’s worth considering if you want a high-end, super-future-proofed Chromebook. It’s on sale for $769.99 right now (normally $799.99). That’s not a huge discount, but it’s never been on sale before.
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Credit: Acer
Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 (MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD)
$769.99
at Acer
$799.99
Save $30
Â
Get Deal
