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

Black Friday is a few weeks away, but that doesn't mean the deals aren't already popping up. We've got eyes on a handful of marked-down laptops ahead of the big sales, and they're devices we've tested personally. Right now, we're seeing big deals on laptops from Apple, Dell, Microsoft, Samsung, and more.

Also: The best Black Friday deals live now

From Apple's MacBook Air M3, which is $100 off on Amazon, to Samsung's thin and light Galaxy Book 4 Edge for a whopping $500 off at Best Buy, these are our favorite deals we've found so far after combing through product listings ahead of Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. 

Our favorite early Black Friday laptop deals

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Apple MacBook Air M3 (13-inch): $999 (save $100 at Amazon): The MacBook Air with the M3 chip remains one of the thinnest, lightest laptops available (it's also our pick for the best lightweight laptop you can buy). With Apple's powerful M3 chip on board, this laptop can easily handle demanding workflows like video editing and graphic design.  Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1: $699 (save $300 at Best Buy): One of our top-rated flexible laptops is $300 off ahead of Cyber Monday, making it even more accessible. Microsoft Surface Laptop: $1,199 (save $200 at Amazon): Microsoft's flagship Copilot+ PC is our top pick for best battery life laptop of 2024. Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge: $849 (save $500 at Best Buy): Samsung's first Copilot+ PC just came out this summer, and we were crazy about its thin and light form factor and gorgeous AMOLED display. Alienware m16 R2: $1,999 (save $600 at Dell): Stacked with powerful hardware, this is one of the best gaming rigs of 2024. The high-end hardware might usually be out of reach for many, but with $600 off, it's much more accessible. 

Best early Black Friday laptop deals for students

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET Asus Vivobook S 15: $749 (save $150 at Best Buy): The Vivobook S 15 was one of our favorite Copilot+ PCs to go hands-on with this year. The 15-inch 3K OLED display exudes premium, and the ultraportable form factor makes for a sleek device for students and hybrid workers alike.  Dell XPS 15: $1,491 (save $85 at Amazon): Dell's flagship XPS 15 laptop is as versatile as it is well-equipped; neither too big nor too small. The 2024 version with the Intel Core i7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD is a device that will last your whole time at school, and it's currently $85 off. Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1: $449 (save $350 at Best Buy): Lenovo's Yoga line has a devoted following thanks to its flexibility and durability, both under the hood and in its physical form factor. The 16-inch device with the AMD Ryzen 5 chip is on sale for under $500, which is a steal.  Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook: $200 (save $20 at Amazon): If you need a lightweight device with a good webcam, it doesn't get more affordable than Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook. Already at just a few hundred bucks, you can save some extra cash ahead of Black Friday.

Best early Black Friday gaming laptop deals

Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 9: $2,456 (save $813 at Lenovo): Lenovo's 9th-generation Legion Pro 7i is a powerful gaming machine with tons of storage at an accessible price point.     Asus ROG Strix G17 (2022) Gaming Laptop: $1,100 (save $100 at Amazon): The ROG Strix G17 from Asus' 2022 lineup is marked down to make room for the 2024 models, but that doesn't mean this machine can't handle high-end gaming. It's got 16GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU and bold design for $100 off. 
AOC 16-inch Gaming Laptop: $579 (save $1,120 at Amazon): Armed with an AMD Ryzen 7 and 16GB of RAM, this budget gaming machine is over half off, making a solid choice for a travel device or cloud gaming.   

FAQs

When is Black Friday?

Black Friday occurs the day after Thanksgiving, so this year, it falls on Friday, Nov. 29th, 2024. 

When is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday falls on the Monday immediately after Black Friday. So this year, it's on Monday, Dec. 2nd, 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 easier online than on physical products on a shelf. 

How did we choose these Black Friday deals?

There are tons of laptop deals out there, but we only highlight products we've either gone hands-on with personally or would actually consider ourselves. For example, laptops 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.