The best laptop deals in January 2025

A Microsoft Surface laptop, HP laptop and Asus laptop on a green background

There are fewer laptop deals available to kick off 2025 but I've still found some strong offers this week on everything from cheap Chromebooks to powerful Apple devices. Check out my top picks below from major retailers and manufacturers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Dell, and more.

I've considered price, quality and value for money for this hand-picked selection, which also features many laptops fully recommended by TechRadar's expert reviewers who assemble and regularly update our best laptops guide.

Have confidence that, however much you spend, you're getting a quality device that has likely been fully tried and tested by us. And, where it hasn't, we've looked at the performance of previous models, user reviews, the manufacturer's history and other factors to determine whether it's worth buying.

Today's best laptop deals - quick links

The best laptop deals in January 2025

Dell  Inspiron 15
Dell Inspiron 15: was $599.99 now $449.99

Display - 15.6 inches
Processor - Intel i7
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 512GB

If you want a Windows machine then this configuration of the Dell Inspiron 15 is an excellent buy and terrific value for money. You get an Intel i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD to ensure excellent overall performance and enough essential speedy storage for the price. It's a top buy right now if you have a reasonable budget and need a strong mid-range laptop for general everyday use, admin tasks, light work, or schoolwork.

Asus Chromebook Plus CX34
Asus Chromebook Plus CX34: was $399 now $329

Display - 14 inches
Processor - Intel i3
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 128GB

💰 Low price for a reasonably powerful laptop
✅ Good processor and RAM for light use
❌ ChromeOS has some limits

This Asus Chromebook Plus is great value for money if you need a basic everyday device but don't want to compromise too heavily on performance like you would with a sub-$200 laptop. An Intel i3 processor and 8GB of RAM is a decent pairing with the lightweight ChromeOS, so it's capable of general tasks and light use, such as web browsing, sending emails, word processing and watching videos. Just be aware it's missing some advanced features of a Windows machine and has limited storage, but benefits include better performance with cheaper components and excellent battery life.

Dell  Inspiron 15
Dell Inspiron 15: was $329.99 now $249.99

Display - 15.6 inches
Processor - Intel i3
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 256GB

💰 Today's best cheap Windows laptop
✅ Good entry-level performance for the price
❌ Some weaker and older components

If you want a cheaper option then this configuration of the Dell Inspiron 15 is an excellent buy and terrific value for money. You get an Intel i3 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD to ensure good overall performance and enough essential speedy storage for the price. It's a top buy right now if you're on a budget and need a laptop for general everyday use, admin tasks, light work, or schoolwork.

HP 15 Laptop
HP 15 Laptop: was $579.99 now $329.99

Display - 15 inches
Processor - AMD Ryzen 5
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 512GB

💰 Huge $250 saving
✅ Decent CPU, with lots of RAM and storage
❌ Some dated components

There's a big $250 saving available on this powerful HP 15 Laptop is the latest Best Buy sale. Yes, some of the components are from the previous generation, but there's still a mid-range AMD Ryzen 5 processor and 8GB of RAM that ensure overall performance is strong for everyday use – plus there's a reasonable 512GB of storage. Overall, it's a great option to handle all everyday jobs, some more advanced work and light multitasking.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2, 2022)
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2, 2022): was $999 now $799

Display - 13.6 inches
Processor - Apple M2
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 256GB

This upgraded version of the older MacBook Air M2 with 16GB of RAM is currently cheaper than the even older 8GB version so you might as well get this model. While not the most powerful MacBook out there, this version with the M2 chip remains an excellent all-rounder, especially when it comes to day-to-day tasks like browsing the internet and writing up documents. You'll struggle to find a better value laptop than this, though if you have the extra $100 in your budget it's worth upgrading to the M3.

Dell XPS 14
Dell XPS 14: was $1,499.99 now $1,299.99

Display - 14 inches
Processor - Intel Core Ultra 7
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 512GB

💰 Great price yet for the Dell XPS 14
✅ Built with modern, high-end components
❌ Bad webcam and weak speakers

Here's an amazing high-end laptop deal in the current Dell sale: the newest and latest Dell XPS 14 is $200 off. This is a great price for this 2024 machine which features a powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD on its baseline configuration. Get it for an all-around high-end laptop for all of your everyday work and creative needs.

Where to buy the best laptop deals

Amazon: discounts on Chromebooks and laptops, plus the best MacBook prices

Amazon: discounts on Chromebooks and laptops, plus the best MacBook prices
Amazon has a regularly rotating selection of laptop deals, though you do have to wade through a lot of junk sold by third-party sellers. Still, it's often the best place to go for cheap Chromebooks and mid-range devices, so worth a look if your budget is around $500 or less. For those after a more premium device, Amazon often has the best prices available across the Apple MacBook range – but these tend to sell out quickly.

Best Buy: low prices for Chromebooks, mid-range laptops and Apple devices

Best Buy: low prices for Chromebooks, mid-range laptops and Apple devices
Best Buy always has a strong selection of laptop deals that cover a full range of prices and use cases. You can often find cheap Chromebooks for under $200 and discounts of up to $500 on dozens of Windows laptops. Plus, it often price matches (or beats) Amazon for deals on premium Apple MacBooks - which are sometimes even cheaper for My Best Buy members.

Dell: regular flash sales on Inspiron and XPS laptops

Dell: regular flash sales on Inspiron and XPS laptops
Dell's always has a selection of deals on its most laptops devices, but if you time it right during a major event or flash sale you can get some record-low prices. This includes several limited-time offers on well-built versions of it's Inspiron and XPS devices that feature high-end components or better-than-average specs for the price.

HP: weekly deals and 24-hour flash sales

HP: weekly deals and 24-hour flash sales
There's a new selection of laptop deals available at HP each week so you can save on Chromebooks, traditional devices and 2-in-1 machines all the time. Some of these are excellent value for money, but watch out for the devices that skimp on storage in order to drive the price down. The very limited 24-hour offers are usually the best value, but you have to snap those up quickly.

Target: cheap new and refurbished laptops

Target: cheap new and refurbished laptops
Target usually has a small selection of laptop deals available, including various new and refurbished options. If you're looking to spend more on a powerful device then your choices are limited and we'd suggest trying elsewhere like Best Buy or Amazon. However, we have seen a few big discounts on high-end laptops from the likes of Microsoft, HP and Lenovo when it has them in stock.

Lenovo: savings of up to 70% on laptops

Lenovo: savings of up to 70% on laptops
The official Lenovo store doesn't present its deals in the most easy-to-digest way but you can sometimes find a good laptop offer or two amongst the chaos. We try to pick them out and share them up top when we find them. If you want to brave the store for yourself then you can regularly find savings on the manufacturer's ThinkPad, IdeaPad, Duet and Yoga devices.

Microsoft: big savings on Surface devices

Microsoft: big savings on Surface devices
Going direct to Microsoft is usually the best option if you're interested in one of the manufacturer's popular Surface devices. Sales are live on a regular basis with extra discounts on the latest Surface Pro and Surface Laptop devices. There are sometimes discounted bundles on older generation models with vital accessories such as a Keyboard Cover included for free.

Laptop deals: our buying advice

It can be overwhelming looking for laptop deals if you're not sure where to start. You may have an idea of how much you want to spend, what you need the device for or what key features you want included, but how do convert that information into the right laptop and ensure you pay the right price?

Well, that's what we're here for. We hunt down the best laptop deals each week and share them with your right here so you can bag exactly what you're after at a good price.

Here are a few words of advice from us based on our experience hunting down the best laptop deals and a little explainer on the process we go through to ensure we surface only the best offers on this page.

How much should I spend on a laptop?

The answer to this ultimately comes down to what you need the laptop to do. Below, we've looked at several different price brackets and what you can expect from a laptop in each range. Use that to give you an idea of how far your budget will go or what you need to spend to get the right laptop deal for you.

When to spend under $200 on a laptop

👍 You just need a basic laptop: Laptops under $200 are not very powerful and are usually slightly older, but are fine for basic everyday tasks such as web browsing, sending emails, video calls and watching videos.

🔋 Battery life and portability are key: In this price range, a lot of laptops are either 11 inches or 14 inches - that's great for on-the-go use. Plus, with less demanding components, these devices can last up to 20 hours.

🌐 You use a lot of web applications: Storage space on these laptops is limited, but that's less of an issue if you use Google Docs or Microsoft 365 as productivity apps and rely more on cloud storage for files and photos.

When to spend $200 - $400 on a laptop

Extra power to cover the basics: Laptops in this price range are still relatively basic, but some upgrades give you extra power to boost performance.

💻 You prefer a large display: More laptops are available with a 15-inch or 17-inch display once you cross over $200, so consider these options if you'd like a bigger screen.

🧘‍♀️ You'd like a flexible 2-in-1 device: 2-in-1 devices offer the functionality of a laptop with the versatility of a tablet and you can get some good value options in this price bracket.

When to spend $400 - $600 on a laptop

You need all-around performance: As we hit the mid-range for a laptop, these devices generally offer solid all-around performance for your work and leisure needs with powerful components, up-to-date features and lots of storage.

🛠 Multitasking: If you always end up with dozens of tabs or programs open at once, you'll want to consider a laptop in this price range so you avoid slowdown.

😲 More options: Traditional laptops, 2-in-1 machines, Surface devices and premium Chromebooks are all well-represented in this price range so you have lots of choices depending on your needs and preferences.

When to spend $600 - $800 on a laptop

📈 You want a powerful device: Laptops in this price range are packed with powerful high-end components, so this is how to spend your money if you need a serious workhorse machine.

🤖 More advanced tech: Laptops in this price bracket often come with premium upgrades included as standard, such as high-resolution 4K displays, a touchscreen, impressive battery life, backlit keyboards, improved speakers and more.

🎮 Light gaming: You won't be running modern games in the highest quality, but if you like to play indie games, undemanding current releases or classic favorites in your downtime, then some of these devices are powerful enough to do so.

When to spend over $800 on a laptop

🤑 Get the best money can buy: When you spend over $800 you get some of the best laptops money can buy that are filled with the latest technology. These are premium options are built with high performance, advanced workloads and longevity in mind.

A long-term investment: Buy a cheap laptop and you may have to replace it in a couple of years. Buy one of these and you've got a modern device that will last five years or more with ease.

🎨 Creative powerhouses: Into creative tasks such as photo and video editing or music creation? Many laptops in this price range – especially MacBooks – are designed with those tasks in mind so will excel in those areas.

Apple MacBook Air and Dell XPS 13 on purple background

(Image credit: Future)

How we choose the best laptop deals

It all comes down to what's included in the price. We've been tracking all the best laptop deals for a number of years now, so we have a solid idea of what level of performance and components you can get for your money. Using that as a baseline, we can pick out the treasures from the trash.

We also take into consideration what you might need a laptop for based on the money you have to spend. So, if it's just a basic device for some light work, general browsing and media streaming, there's no point recommending a $1,000 laptop as it would be completely unnecessary. Instead, we look at devices between $100 - $300 that could handle those tasks and recommend some laptop deals accordingly.

However, if there's a particularly good reason to spend a little extra money (maybe for some extra performance-boosting RAM or a healthy storage upgrade) then we'll mention that too for your consideration. Sometimes it's worth that investment to better future-proof yourself and end up with a noticeably better device.

Our search takes us across all the major and specialist retailers, so you can be sure we've taken a comprehensive look across the web to pick out the best laptop deals. All the laptops you see here are hand-picked and judged by a real human, too, so each one is given a proper and detailed assessment before it gets added.

Want more laptop deals?

If you want to continue your research into the best laptop deals any further, you can check out all the latest Chromebook deals for even cheaper devices running the efficient Chrome OS.

We've also got an eye on all the best MacBook deals available right now - and there are some terrific savings on Apple devices. Our roundup of the latest Apple promo codes or our Apple student discount guide could help you there, too.

And for the gamers, you'd be better suited over on our guide to this week's cheap gaming laptop deals as the models on this page are built with browsing, work and general use in mind - not gaming.

James Pickard
Senior Deals Editor

James Pickard is a Deals Editor at TechRadar. After many years of scouring the net for the cheapest games and tech for his personal use, he decided to make it his job to share all the best bargains and coupon codes with you. James also has almost a decade of experience covering some of the biggest sales events of the year at Eurogamer and VG247, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. When not deals hunting or stacking coupon codes to get the biggest savings, James can be found on the PS5, watching a classic film noir or cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.