The 12 best Black Friday Dell deals 2024: Early sales available now

Dell released a squad of high-performing, versatile laptops this year, including the XPS 16, our pick for best Windows laptop of 2024, and the Alienware m18 R2, our favorite gaming laptop. With high-end hardware, bold design, and adaptable form factors, it's no wonder that Dell devices have performed so well. Ahead of Black Friday, we're already seeing some unbeatable deals. 

Also: The best Black Friday deals live now

If you've been looking at scoring a new XPS or Inspiron, now is the time to do it, with Dell's "hot sales" already live on its site and more markdowns at Best Buy. These deals are no joke. The XPS 15, for example, is currently over $2,000 off its regular price. As we get closer to Black Friday/Cyber Monday, however, we might see inventory dwindle. 

We rounded up all the early Black Friday Dell deals and highlighted these deals as the most impactful. We've gone hands-on with virtually all of these device and can vouch for their performance, so you can make a more informed buying decision. 

Our favorite early Dell laptop deals for Black Friday 2024

Dell XPS 13 Laptop: $1,000 (save $399 at Best Buy): The most compact version of Dell's flagship XPS line is an ultraportable powerhouse, and it's $400 off right now at Best Buy for the config with the Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and 16GB of RAM.  Dell Inspiron 2-in-1 16 Laptop: $699 (save $450 at Best Buy): This 16-inch convertible laptop/tablet combo comes with powerful enough hardware to handle a variety of use cases, with a touchscreen and plenty of storage for the average user.  Alienware 27 Gaming Monitor: $249 (save $130 at Dell): If you're in the market for a better, bigger monitor, you can't ask for much more than this 27-inch, QHD (2560 x 1440) resolution display with a variable 165Hz refresh rate for only $249.  Alienware m18 R2 Gaming Laptop: $1,899 (save $500 at Dell): the m18 R2 is a beast, to put it simply. Stacked with high-end hardware and a huge 18-inch display, it's one of the best-performing gaming laptops we've reviewed this year. Just note that this laptop is not exactly lightweight. Dell XPS 15 Laptop: $746 (save $2,053 at Best Buy): The mid-sized XPS 15 is one of our favorite laptops of 2024. It's equally suited for a work machine in the office as an entertainment device, thanks to its gorgeous OLED display and a generous selection of ports. Right now it's marked down over $2,000 at Best Buy -- an incredible deal for a laptop of this caliber. 

Additional early Black Friday Dell deals

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Dell XPS 16 Laptop: $2,299 (save $750 at Best Buy): Dell's flagship XPS 16 laptop is as versatile as it is well-equipped; neither too big nor too small. The configuration with the Intel Evo Edition Core Ultra 9, 32GB of memory, and 1TB of storage tops off its high-performing hardware with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, making a complete package for virtually any use case: from productivity to creative tasks to gaming. Alienware m16 R2 Gaming Laptop: $1,499 (save $400 at Best Buy): If the m18 R2 is a little too massive, the m16 scales back the big display for a more sensible 16-inch form factor. However, it still comes with all the powerful hardware ready to tackle top-end gaming with graphics settings on full blast.  Dell Inspiron 15 Laptop: $279 (save $100 at Dell): If you're in the market for a budget laptop that has lots of storage, the Inspiron 15 with the Intel Core i3 processor has a 512GB SSD for only $100 off the regular price.  Dell 22 Monitor SE2225H: $69 (save $20 at Dell): This inexpensive 22-inch monitor is priced extremely well for what it offers. If you're looking for an inexpensive secondary display, this one has a Full HD (1920 × 1080) resolution for less than $70.  Dell XPS 14 Laptop: $1,599 (Save $500 at Best Buy): Dell's 14-inch XPS features a slick OLED display and fast 32GB of memory, paired with its iconic minimalist keyboard and sleek form factor. This is a solid high-performance machine that can handle demanding workloads while still being portable enough for hybrid workers. Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming Desktop: $1,499 (Save $400 at Dell): If you're looking for a gaming desktop, Dell has those on sale, too. The Alienware Aurora is a mid-range gaming PC that won't cost an arm and a leg. It comes with 16GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, and a barrage of ports for every peripheral and gaming accessory you can muster.  G15 Gaming Laptop: $949 (Save $250 at Dell): The 15.6-inch, Full-HD, 360Hz display on this laptop isn't just great for gaming -- creators and designers will also appreciate the blazing-fast refresh rate and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card.

FAQs

When is Black Friday?

Black Friday occurs the day after Thanksgiving. This year, it's on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. 

When is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday falls on the Monday immediately after Black Friday. This year, it's on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. 

Are laptop deals really better on Black Friday?

Absolutely! Amazon has added tons of devices from all the big brands over the past few years to hype up their Black Friday sales events, and they've gotten quite good. For example, when Amazon first started selling Apple's MacBooks and MacBook Pros at discounted rates, it was one of the first online retail outlets to do so. 

What's the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

Black Friday has traditionally been a more general sale day to kick off the holiday shopping season. Cyber Monday specifically refers to sales offered by online retailers that aren't available in physical brick-and-mortar stores. These deals are often sharply discounted, as retailers can adjust prices far more easily online than on physical products on a shelf. 

How did we choose these Black Friday deals?

There are tons of Chromebook deals out there, but we only highlight products we've either gone hands-on with personally or would consider ourselves. For example, laptops and Chromebooks come in a myriad of configurations and versions. If we've tested one model that we recommend, but a lower- or higher-end configuration is on sale, we'd still feel confident recommending it. 

We also looked over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we're recommending. Our recommendations may also be based on our own testing -- in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter. 

Where can you shop the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals? 

The biggest retailers for laptops (that also have the best sales) are Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and B&H Photo Video, and many of our top-rated sales come from these destinations. 

What are the best Black Friday 2024 deals?

ZDNET's experts have been searching through Black Friday sales live now to find the best discounts by category. These are the best Black Friday deals so far, by category:

You can also find the best Black Friday deals by price:

And the best Black Friday deals by retailer: