Laptops are still one of the most useful pieces of tech you can buy but they are expensive. Never fear, though, because deals can always be found on a wide range of brands and models if you know where to look – and we do.
In this guide, we’ll show you where to find the best deals and importantly, how to figure out if a deal is legitimate or just a clever ploy to get you to think it’s a bargain.
We also have a dedicated round-up for the best budget laptop deals if you want something cheaper.
Best places to buy laptops
You’ll find some great laptop deals on sites including:
And in the UK:
You can go directly to manufacturers too, such as:
You can find loads more good deals on all things tech on our main deals site. We do the shopping so you don’t have to spend hours trawling for the best.
What to look for in laptop deals
There are often decent savings on Microsoft’s Surface range at the moment, as the company is trying to shift older generation Intel models. The same is often true of other brands and a device that’s only the previous generation is still new enough to buy and will still last many years.
Retailers like Currys PC World, John Lewis, Argos and AO almost always have plenty of deals on laptops. With the right offer, you’ll be able to pick up a half-decent machine for around £300 instead of £500, for example – not bad. You’ll find a similar situation at US retailers like Best Buy.
You might also see reductions on budget laptops but bear in mind that you are getting what you pay for here – they might be fine for web browsing and Netflix, but they’ll be slow and unreliable for anything more challenging than that. That’s especially true of Chromebooks, which pair low specs with a simple OS for wallet-friendly prices but a slightly more limited feature set.
Higher-ticket items like a Surface Pro or HP’s ultrabooks may still be expensive at around $800/£800 or over a grand, but you might be able to save hundreds on the RRP. See our dedicated round-up of the best Microsoft Surface deals.
Apple’s MacBooks are a little trickier to get discounts on, as offers are rare, but you can often pick up a model that’s a year or two old for less than the RRP (and still get great performance), and it’s also always worth checking out Apple’s official refurbished store.
Amazon usually has some of the biggest bargains. If you find that you’re missing out on Amazon’s Lightning deals, which run for just a few hours and offer limited stock, we’d recommend signing up for Amazon’s 30-day free trial of Prime, which will get you access to deals 30 minutes before everyone else.
Plus, you’ll get free next-day delivery with the Prime trial, as well as access to Prime Instant Video and more. Sign up for Prime now.
If you’re not sure whether a deal is good or not make sure you check the manufacturer’s website for the official RRP (recommended retail price) and other retailers to see if they have an even cheaper price or possibly something to lure you like cashback or a free gift. There are also free tools out there such as the Camelcamelcamel price tracker and Honey plugin which can automatically try various voucher codes for you.
You might also want to use Trustpilot to find out if a retailer is trustworthy, for those times you find a great price but you’ve never heard of the company. If in doubt, pay with a credit card for security or simply stick to a major retailer.
Laptop Buying Guides
Tech Advisor has loads of content to help you find your way around buying a laptop, including advice on peripherals and accessories. We’ve put all these articles in one place here.
If you want to know what the best laptops are, see our dedicated round up of the top devices, all expertly reviewed.
If you don’t want to splash out too much on a premium machine, we also have a guide on the best budget laptops of the year. It goes through what to look out for in terms of screen, processor, software storage and memory and more.
While we’re on the topic of budget, students may also want to see our article on the best laptops for students and for studying.
Another popular option now laptop-tablet hybrid. We’ve also compiled a guide on the best 2-in-1 laptops, full of our expert reviews. In terms of peripherals, we’ve also created guides on the best Solid State Drives (SSD) and the best USB PD Power Banks for Laptops.
Author: Chris Martin, Reviews Editor
Tech Advisor's Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more.