Best Black Friday laptop deals 2021: Where to find the best sales

Whether you’re buying a new laptop for school or trying to find a gaming laptop, Black Friday can be the best time of the year to find laptop deals. This year, more than others, you should act fast! The ongoing supply chain shortages mean that there may be fewer PCs this holiday season and they might take longer to ship. We’ve provided a handy list of laptop-specific shopping tips at the end of this post, below the deals themselves.

Not all laptop deals are actually deals, and we’ve only added the ones we consider actual bargains—and we’ve explained why. Right now, there’s a bunch! We’ll add new laptop deals as we see them and remove older details once they’ve sold out. (We’re seeing strong discounts on gaming laptops, Microsoft Surface devices and Dell laptops right now.) We’re keeping tabs on Black Friday laptop deals as they happen!

Black Friday laptop deals

Dell XPS 13

Dell

From: Dell.com

Was: $1,009.99

Now: $699.00 ($310.99 off)

Dell’s XPS laptops consistently receive some of the highest review scores on PCWorld, including the Editors’ Choice Award we awarded the 2020 XPS 13 in our review last year. Dell has put the more modern 11th-gen XPS on sale for Black Friday, with 8GB of memory, 256GB SSD and a 13.3-inch 1080p screen. If you want a small, powerful, laptop, we’d absolutely recommend this deal.

See the Dell XPS 13 on Dell.com

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 13.3-inch

Best Buy / Samsung

From: Best Buy

Was: $1,399.99

Now: $899.99 ($500 off)

We reviewed the 15-inch Samsung Galaxy Pro 360 earlier this year and awarded it an Editor’s Choice award for its ultra-thin, ultra-light chassis, beautiful display and audio, and long battery life. We’d expect you’ll receive a similar experience from the 13-inch model. The only real knock against this laptop was its premium price, which the Black Friday discount alleviates.

See the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 13.3-inch at Best Buy

Razer Blade 15

Best Buy / Razer

From: Best Buy

Was: $2,999.99

Now: $1,599.99 ($1,400 off)

Razer gaming laptops like the Razer Blade 14 score very, very well in our tests, and we expect you’ll like this Razer Blade 15, too, paired with a massive price cut. Yesteryear’s premium gaming laptop is today’s quasi-budget gaming laptop: There’s a 10th-gen Core i7-10875H hiding behind the 300Hz 1080p screen, paired with an GeForce RTX 2080 Super GPU. Inside is a 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM.

Even better? If this configuration isn’t for you, you have options on similar models, including a Razer Blade 15 with a Core i7-10750H, RTX 2070, 16GB of memory, and a 512GB SSD, for $1,399 ($900 off). The catch, if there is one, is the screen: a lovely 4K OLED that will run at just a standard 60Hz refresh rate.

See the Razer Blade 15 at Best Buy

Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel (CC314-72G-72SX)

Acer

From: Amazon

Was: $1,499.99

Now: $869.99 ($630 off)

Acer’s ConceptD 3 Ezel beat the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio to market by several months, and outperformed it in several categories, save graphics. (Our Surface Laptop Studio review compares the two.) The ConceptD 3 Ezel features the same pull-forward design as the Surface Laptop Studio, with a discrete Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU that’s perfect for light gaming. This is a creator’s PC, however, and its ships with a pen.

The lowest price we’ve seen for this laptop was $1,260. Expect this terrific deal to sell out quick!

See the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel at Amazon

MSI Pulse GL66

Newegg / MSI

From: Newegg.com

Was: $1,499.00

Now: $1,099.00 after $100 rebate ($400 off)

It’s fairly rare this year to see a discounted gaming notebook with an 11th-gen Core chip inside of it. This is a pretty decent combination of components: a Core i7-11800H, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, 16GB of memory, and a 1TB hard drive/512GB SSD, all behind a 144Hz 15.6-inch 1080p screen. If this sells out, consider the MSI Katana GF66 at Adorama, another 15-inch gaming notebook with a Core i5-11400H, RTX 3050, 8GB RAM/512GB SSD, for $849 ($200 off).

See the MSI Pulse GL66 at Newegg

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 15.6″

Samsung / Best Buy

From: Best Buy

Was: $1,499.99

Now: $999.99 ($500 off)

This premium “Evo”-class 360-degree convertible laptop is on sale for 33 percent off for Black Friday, and appears to be at its lowest price in months. Inside is an 11th-gen Core i7-1165G7, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Though the display is “just” 1080p, it’s a Samsung OLED, which means it will look fantastic. Yes, this is a premium general-purpose laptop, and priced well to boot. The only things to watch out for? All the ports are USB-C (not Thunderbolt), necessitating a USB-C dongle for legacy devices. The webcam isn’t really fantastic, either, possibly necessitating a standalone webcam.

See the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro at Best Buy

Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-55-53E5)

From: Amazon

Amazon / Acer

Was: $839.99

Now: $684.99 ($155 off)

Acer’s Nitro 5 is now at an all-time low, down from $727 in August. This budget gaming laptop houses a Core i5-10300H processor, RTX 3050 graphics, and a 15.6-inch 144Hz screen. There’s only 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD, though, which looks very similar to other discounted budget gaming laptops in this roundup.

(Amazon appears to be playing some pricing games — this deal was originally assigned an $949 MSRP earlier, and the price has since dipped by about $10. Ignore this, as this is still a solid deal.)

See the Acer Nitro 5 on Amazon

Gigabyte G5 MD

Gigabyte

From: Newegg

Was: $1,199.00

Now: $849 ($250 off plus $100 after rebate)

Gaming laptops are tough to find at a discount right now, and this one is a decidedly mixed bag of pros and cons. Inside is a Core i5-11400H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD behind a 144Hz 1080p screen. The RTX 3050 Ti is usually considered to be a bum deal compared to the RTX 3060…if you can find one? And, whoa—there’s a $100 rebate card you need to fill out? If you’re willing to jump through these hoops, though, the price and savings aren’t bad at all.

See the Gigabyte G5 MD at Newegg

Gigabyte Aero HDR 17.3-inch

Gigabyte AERO

From: Adorama

Was: $2,499

Now: $1,999 ($500 off)

If you’re looking for a premium powerhouse to play games on, the Gigabyte Aero HDR 17.3-inch is a great option, as it has some seriously powerful guts. Inside you’ll find an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card, an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, and 1TB of SSD storage.

See the Gigabyte Aero HDR 17.3-inch at Adorama

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 + Signature Type Cover + Surface Pen bundle

Microsoft

From: Target

Was: $1,128.99

Now: $849.99 ($279 off)

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7 debuted in Feb. 2020, and our Surface Pro 7 review showed that it absolutely dominated the laptop market. Sure, we now have the Surface Pro 8 (with Thunderbolt), but this is the right SP7 configuration at a very good price.

See the Surface Pro 7 bundle at Target.com

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go (Platinum)

Microsoft

From: Microsoft Store

Was: $899.99

Now: $699.99 ($200 off)

We gave the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go, Microsoft’s 12.4-inch budget laptop, 3.5 stars out of 5 in our Surface Laptop Go review. We felt it was a little overpriced. Dropping the price by $200 on its premium version (Core i5/8GB RAM/256GB SSD) certainly helps! Just be aware that the Laptop Go’s display is sub-1080p quality—but, in our experience, it didn’t really matter.

See the Surface Laptop Go on Microsoft.com

Microsoft Surface Go 2

Microsoft

From: Microsoft Store

Was: $549.99

Now: $399.99 ($150 off)

The Microsoft Surface Go 2 is the perfect travel companion because it’s so compact and lightweight. In addition to its miniscule size, the display is exceptionally bright and the fanless design means it’s quiet. However, the essential Type Cover keyboard is sold separately at $129.99, so it’s not quite as cheap as it seems at first blush—but this is still a great price for this laptop-tablet hybrid. You’ll also find $150 off models with a more powerful Core M3 processor.

See the Microsoft Surface Go 2 on Microsoft.com

MSI GP66 Leopard 11UH-032

MSI

From: Newegg

Was: $2,299

Now: $1,799 ($400 off plus $100 after rebate)

If you’re looking for a powerful gaming laptop to take with you to college, the MSI GP66 Leopard 11UH-032 is where it’s at. Under the hood, you’ll find 16GB of memory, 1TB of NVMe SSD storage, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU behind a 240Hz display. It also has a diverse selection of ports, which eliminates the need for an adapter.

See the MSI GP66 Leopard 11UH-032 on Newegg

Lenovo Ideapad Slim 7i 82A60015US

Microsoft

From: Microsoft Store

Was: $949.99

Now: $599.99 ($350 off)

If you’re looking for a steady, dependable, general-purpose PC, the Lenovo Ideapad Slim does the trick. With an 11th-gen Core chip, 14-inch 1080p screen, 8GB of memory, and a 512GB SSD, there’s nothing that particularly stands out. At the same time, nearly a third off the price is simply a solid deal. For reference, here’s our review of a related IdeaPad Slim.

See the Lenovo Ideapad Slim 7i 82A60015US at Microsoft

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i (82D2000QUS)

Lenovo / Microsoft

From: Microsoft Store

Was: $1,759.99

Now: $999.99 ($760 off)

The larger cousin of the IdeaPad Slim 7i, this is an Evo PC, the premium Intel collaborative brand with PC makers. Inside it is a Core i7-1195G7, 16GB of memory, and a 512GB SSD. The selling point? a lovely 14-inch 4K touchscreen and a lovely, leather-bonded chassis.

See the IdeaPad Slim 9i 82D2000QUS at Microsoft

HP Envy 17t-ch100

HP

From: HP.com

Was: $1,199.99

Now: $699.99 ($500 off)

Our review of the last-gen Envy 17t sums up this laptop quite nicely: a massive 17-inch screen is this laptop’s appeal, complete with a wide variety of ports to counteract the hefty 5.6lb weight. Expect performance to be decent, though not outstanding, with solid audio. The HP Envy keyboards are excellent.

See the HP Envy 17t-ch100 at HP.com

Dell Vostro 3400 Laptop

Dell

From: Dell.com

Was: $1,184.28

Now: $629 ($555.28 off)

If you were considering the Lenovo deal above but prefer a Dell instead, basically the same configuration (Intel 11th-gen Core i5/8GB RAM/512GB SSD) with a 14-inch display is on sale for the same price.

For a larger 15.6-inch display and 512GB of storage, Dell is also offering the Dell Vostro 3510 for $579.00. Just make sure you’re buying the Vostro 3510 with the 1080p display, as the offer seems to default to a subpar1366x768 display instead. A Vostro 3510 with an 11th-gen Core i7 (not necessary, but nice) is on sale for $629, 54 percent or $726 off.

See the Dell Vostro 3400 at Dell.com

Dell Inspiron 3511 Laptop

Office Depot / Dell

From: Office Depot

Was: $899.99

Now: $529.99 ($370 off)

If you prefer a Dell Inspiron consumer laptop rather than a Vostro laptop instead, this Office Depot deal is arguably better: an 11th-gen Core i7, 16GB of memory, and a 512GB SSD, all behind a 15.6-inch 1080p screen. You can buy this online, but Office Depot should have this laptop in-store as well. Nothing fancy here — just solid all-around specifications. Want something a bit smaller? Dell’s 13.3-inch Inspiron (Core i5-11320H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) is $649.99 at Costco, or $250 off.

See the Dell Inspiron 3511 at Office Depot

Dell Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 14-inch

Dell

From: Best Buy

Was: $799.99

Now: $599.99 ($200 off)

The Dell Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 is a good option for most people, as it’s pretty well-rounded. The AMD Ryzen 5 5000 Series is considered a medium tier processor that’s zippy enough to handle most tasks. The Inspiron is also packing 8GB of memory, and integrated Radeon graphics in its processor. In other words, it’s capable of multitasking and some light gaming.

See the Dell Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 13-inch on Best Buy

LG Gram 16-inch 2-in-1

Costco / LG

From: Costco

Was: $1,699.99

Now: $1,299.97 ($400.02 off)

If you love big, lightweight general-purpose productivity laptops with high-resolution screens, the LG Gram 16-inch fits the bill. Weighing in at just over 3.2 pounds (light for a 16-inch laptop!) the Gram boasts a 16-inch 2,560×1,600 IPS display, just a bit more than a 1440p display. We’ve seen this laptop for $1,799.99 elsewhere, so even the “MSRP” is a discount. Note: This is a Costco deal, so you’ll need to be a member to be able to access it.

See the LG Gram 16-inch 2-in-1 at Costco

HP Spectre x360 14

HP

From: HP

Was: $1,399.99

Now: $949.99 ($450 off)

(Now discounted an additional $50!) If you’re looking for the best thin and light laptop money can buy, you’ve come to the right place.

This 14-inch HP Spectre convertible strikes a great balance between performance (from Intel’s Tiger Lake CPUs) and design, even if it’s a little on the heavy side at 3 pounds. Its 1920×1280 IPS display is another highlight, whether you’re making use of the 360-degree hinge and touchscreen or not. The deal highlighted here is on the model we reviewed, but all configurations are currently discounted.

See the HP Spectre x360 14 at HP.com

Black Friday laptop buying tips

If you’ve shopped online before for Black Friday laptop deals, you’re probably aware that there’s a vast range of laptop configurations available.

A good place to start is with the processor. Buy laptops with Intel 10-series Core chips or higher, such as the Core i5-10510U, or the Core i7-11800H (for even more details see our Intel 10th-gen mobile CPU buying guide); or go with an AMD Ryzen processor (but not an AMD Athlon or A-series chip). Avoid laptops with Pentium or Celeron processors unless it’s a Chromebook (running Chrome OS). You’re going to need to pay attention with gaming laptops, too, as some GPUs, like the RTX 3050 Ti, don’t offer much boost over their RTX 2xxx-series cousins, and Nvidia has dropped the Max-Q designation on certain low-power options. Our laptop CPU and GPU cheat sheet can help you shop smart.

Display resolution is a gotcha.

Don’t buy laptops with 4GB of RAM or 128GB of SSD storage—though on a Chromebook, this configuration is acceptable. We have more explanation in our laptops versus Chromebooks buying guide, as well as in our primer on how to buy a budget Black Friday laptop without getting screwed.

Reviews can be helpful. Even if you can’t find a review of a specific configuration, try related models. They’ll often give you a good idea of the build quality and performance. Also buy from brands you trust. Amazon’s daily laptop deals right now are full of brands we’ve never tested or talked to (Broage, Teclast, DaySky, Jumper) and it’s just a good idea to be wary.

Most older laptops will run Windows 10, and that’s fine—there’s no rush to upgrade. Windows 10 S, though annoying, can be switched out of easily if you find it on a budget laptop. If you want to buy a Windows 10 PC with the intent of upgrading it to Windows 11, we recommend you start here with a list of older laptops that are Windows 11-eligible.

Where can you find Black Friday laptop deals?

Amazon Amazon has quietly begun its Black Friday sales, with a specific “computers and video games” section and a daily laptop deals page as well. B&H Photo B&H is currently running its Black Friday deals.Best Buy Best Buy is honoring its “Best Buy Black Friday Prices Guaranteed” sales where it will refund the difference of any product whose price dips before Nov. 26, when sales officially start.Costco Black Friday sales began Nov. 1 and will run through Nov. 29.Dell Dell’s sales are part of its Black Friday deals.HP.com HP is hosting its own Black Friday deals. The company has posted its Black Friday sales here, beginning Nov. 25.Lenovo.com is hosting its own doorbusters and Black Friday deals on laptops and other devices.Microsoft Microsoft is running its Black Friday deals.Office Depot is hosting its own Black Friday deals, but you’ll have to click through from this page to find its laptop deals.Staples.com is hosting its own Black Friday deals on laptops.Target Target’s Black Friday deals are live.Walmart Walmart’s “Black Friday Deals for Days” is going on now. Updated on November 26th with additional deals for Black Friday, and to remove expired deals.