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If you’re in the market for a laptop and want to make a smart purchase, you’re in luck. Amazon’s Prime Day deals are set for October 8 and 9, featuring many of our favorite laptops on sale. If you’re unsure about which one to choose, we offer a comprehensive guide on selecting a laptop, along with recommendations for the Best Laptops, Best Budget Laptops, Best MacBooks, and Best Chromebooks.
We continuously test throughout the year and verify all listed prices against third-party sources. This ensures you get the best deals on a variety of machines, including Windows laptops, Chromebooks, and MacBooks. Remember, you’ll need an Amazon Prime membership to access these discounted prices, but you can sign up for a free trial, which also provides various benefits.
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Best Laptop Deals
Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
The MacBook Air powered by the M3 chip (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is quite similar to the M2 model but remains an excellent option for everyday tasks and beyond. It features a sleek 13.6-inch LCD display with a notch for the 1080p webcam. Thanks to the M3 chip, performance receives a noticeable boost compared to the original M1 model. It also supports dual external displays, an improvement over the previous model’s single display capability.
Rumors suggest that M4-powered MacBooks might arrive soon. However, the MacBook Pro with M3, launched just a year ago, remains a solid choice. It boasts a brighter display with mini LED technology and a 120-Hz refresh rate, along with a 1080p webcam. The device is equipped with multiple ports, including two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, an HDMI, a MagSafe charging port, a headphone jack, and an SD card slot. This is a recommended option for those wanting a MacBook Pro without paying over $2,000.
For those looking for a larger MacBook, the 15-inch Air (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is an excellent alternative. It shares the same features as its smaller counterpart and includes an M3 chip under the hood. The base model comes with an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, efficiently managing various tasks. However, consider upgrading to at least 16 GB of RAM for improved multitasking performance.
The Razer Blade 18 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a powerhouse packed in an elegant design, featuring an impressive 18-inch Mini LED display with a 300-Hz refresh rate and G-Sync compatibility. It also includes Nvidia’s RTX 4070 graphics card and a Thunderbolt 5 port for faster data transfers.
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This versatile 2-in-1 Chromebook is great for on-the-go use. Its 14-inch IPS LCD display, with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels, delivers sharp visuals, while the speakers provide surprisingly loud and decent sound quality. The Intel Core i3 ensures smooth performance, though the battery life is not exceptional, it can typically last a full workday on a single charge.
This Chromebook (7/10, WIRED Recommends) holds the title of “Best Battery Life” in our Best Chromebooks guide, offering 10 to 11 hours of use on a single charge. However, it comes with some drawbacks, such as a lower-end MediaTek 520 processor and only 4 GB of RAM, which can hinder performance when multitasking. The display quality isn’t the best, and the storage is somewhat limited at 64 GB. Nevertheless, if the primary goal is to avoid constant charging and save money, it’s a suitable option, best for simple internet browsing and word processing tasks.
For those seeking budget-friendly laptops, our top choice offers an Intel Core i5 or an AMD 5000 series processor, 8 GB of RAM, and a 15.6-inch IPS display (1,920 x 1,080 pixels). It comes equipped with various ports, such as Ethernet, USB, USB-C, HDMI, and a headphone jack. Weighing only 4 pounds, it is also remarkably portable and capable of handling most daily tasks.
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The Surface Pro (6/10, WIRED Review) is our favorite 2-in-1 option, albeit a bit pricey. It performs admirably as a tablet, but we suggest pairing it with the Flex Keyboard for better usability. Buying it at full price isn’t recommended, so if you’ve been eyeing it, consider purchasing during a sale.
The Acer Nitro V (8/10, WIRED Recommends) may not be the latest pick in our guides, but it still stands out as a capable gaming laptop. It’s powerful enough to handle a majority of popular games and features an upgraded Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a 144-Hz 1080p display.
Tablet Deals
Do you really need a laptop? Some impressive tablets could suffice for most users.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
The OnePlus Pad 2 stands out as the best Android tablet available. Compared to the original model, it features several enhancements, including a larger 12.1-inch LCD screen that is brighter and sharper. The tablet is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, the leading processor for most 2024 Android phones, and offers double the RAM and storage. While it discontinues the green color option and lacks biometric authentication, it’s a fantastic upgrade overall, boasting an intuitive multitasking capacity with three apps displayed simultaneously.
At a competitive price, the original OnePlus Pad (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is still a worthwhile buy. Available for $350, it features an 11.61-inch LCD screen with a 144-Hz refresh rate and a robust MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset for seamless usability, complemented by OnePlus’ excellent software experience.
Photograph: Apple; Getty Images
If you’re within the Apple ecosystem, the latest 10th-generation iPad (7/10, WIRED Review) is on sale and is our top recommendation for most iPad users. It features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina (IPS LCD) display, a touch ID sensor integrated into the power button, a USB-C port, and a 12-megapixel rear camera. Powered by the A14 Bionic chip, it can easily handle most tasks expected of a basic tablet. Rumors suggest more iPads may launch later this year, but even so, this model remains a solid choice at its current price.
For a budget-friendly option, the 2021 basic iPad (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is still commendable. While it uses the outdated A13 Bionic chip and is three years old, it offers good value for casual tablet users. The base model includes 64 GB of storage, a 12-megapixel rear camera, a physical Touch ID-enabled home button, and a True Tone display. It also supports various accessories, including the first-generation Apple Pencil and Apple’s Smart Keyboard.
The latest iPad Pro (6/10, WIRED Review) comes with many upgrades, including a larger and brighter display, and a front-facing camera now positioned in landscape mode with an updated OLED screen. It’s powered by the latest M4 chip, delivering fast and seamless performance. If the Pro isn’t necessary but you want a larger screen, the 13-inch iPad Air (8/10, WIRED Recommends) with M2 is also on sale for $749, a $50 discount.
Photograph: Nena Farrell
The Tab S9+ (7/10, WIRED Recommends) boasts a 12.4-inch display, a 120-Hz OLED refresh rate, and impressive performance with an IP68 rating for water resistance. It’s a fantastic option for those looking for a device powerful enough for work during the day while being capable of streaming content at night. The smaller Tab S9, which shares most of these features but has a smaller screen, is also currently available at a discounted price of $684 ($116 off).
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