- 42% of daily X users have a negative view of it - losing the block feature won't help
- How hackers could have remotely controlled millions of cars
- The MDR That Sees It All
- PostgreSQL 17 packs big performance and feature enhancements
- In a surprise twist, Meta is suddenly crushing Apple in the innovation battle
Best early Prime Day laptop deals to shop in October 2024
Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale kicks off next month, and that means big deals on laptops are on the horizon. We’ve taken a look at all the best early deals from the top manufacturers, including Apple, Asus, Lenovo, Acer, and more for the best deals on machines for every budget that you can shop now.
Also: The best October Prime Day deals live now
From Apple’s industry-leading MacBook Pro to light and accessible Chromebooks, these are the most impactful early deals we’ve seen. Although Prime Day doesn’t officially kick off until Oct. 8-9, some solid deals are live now so you can get ahead of the crowds.
Our favorite early Amazon October Prime Day laptop deals
- Apple MacBook Pro M3 14-inch for $1,299 (19% off): Apple’s M3 MacBook Pro is our tested pick for the best laptop out there in terms of performance and hardware. At just $1,299, this is one of the lowest price points we’ve seen.
- Apple MacBook Air M3 13-inch for $929 (15% off): The MacBook Air with the M3 chip remains one of the thinnest, lightest laptops available. With Apple’s powerful M3 chip on board, this is a laptop that can multitask demanding tasks with ease.
- Apple MacBook Air M2 13-inch for $849 (15% off): The previous version of Apple’s MacBook Air with the M2 processor is no slouch. The MacBook Air with 2022’s M2 chip allows for some additional savings.
- Acer Nitro 16 Gaming Laptop for $957 (25% off): This staple from Acer’s gaming series features a 16-inch display with a blazing 165Hz refresh rate along with 1TB of storage.
- Asus Zenbook Duo Laptop for $1,504 (11% off): Asus’ Duo is a game-changing machine with its dual 14-inch OLED displays and powerful hardware, allowing for a wide range of configurations that creatives will love.
- Current price: $1,299
- Original price: $1,599
Apple’s M3 MacBook Pro sets the standard for performance and portability, with 8GB of RAM and a 512GB hard drive. The cool and battery-efficient M3 processor is industry-respected for blazing through productivity tasks and demanding workloads like editing 4K video, graphic design, entertainment, and multitasking.
- Current price: $929
- Original price: $1,099
The MacBook Air M3 is as high-performing as it is ultraportable. The latest in Apple silicon provides a powerful and battery-efficient core to a thin and light laptop that is under half an inch thin. With a 13.6-inch liquid retina display, 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU, the MacBook Air set the standard in portability and continues to push the limits for what an ultraportable laptop can do.
- Current price: $849
- Original price: $999
If you’re looking to save a little bit more on a light and thin MacBook Air, the previous version with the M2 chip is not a huge jump in processing power but almost $100 cheaper. The M2 version features a 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU like last year’s version, as well as the same 500-nit liquid retina display that supports 1 billion colors for vibrant images.
- Current price: $957
- Original price: $1,299
As one of our favorite gaming laptops, Acer’s Nitro 16 is a high-powered machine for a competitive price, especially as gaming laptops go. You’ve got an AMD Ryzen 7 processor and 16GB of RAM paired with an Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics card, making it a solid machine for someone who doesn’t need the absolute top of the line for gaming but a machine that can blaze through their favorite titles on the cloud.
- Current price: $1,504
- Original price: $1,699
The Zenbook Duo challenged what a laptop could look like with its dual-screen form factor, and then committed to its design by making both displays 3K OLEDs with silky-smooth 120Hz refresh rates. Creators will gravitate to these gorgeous displays, but the powerful hardware on board (Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and 32GB of RAM) seals the deal as a performant machine for outside-the-box thinkers.
More October Prime Day 2024 laptop deals
- ASUS ROG Strix G16 for $1,277 (9% off): As one of the most respected lines of gaming laptops, Asus’ ROG Strix G16 offers commendable hardware (an Intel Core i7 CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU) on a 16-inch, FHD 165Hz display.
- Lenovo IdeaPad 1 for $399 (save $50): Lenovo’s IdeaPads are designed to be accessible, well-rounded laptops for a diverse range of users, and the IdeaPad 1 is a solid option. The 8GB of RAM and 512 GB of memory on board are an accessible configuration for a machine that’s well-equipped for the basics at a price that you can’t argue with.
- Asus Chromebook CM14 Laptop for $168 (40% off) – Asus’ CM14 is a sleek and lightweight Chromebook that comes loaded with the streamlined ChromeOS for getting the basics done on an efficient machine. And for this price, you can’t ask for a more affordable device.
FAQs
When is Amazon’s October Prime Day 2024?
Amazon Prime Day event lasts from Tuesday, Oct. 8 through Wednesday, Oct. 9, but there are noteworthy deals both before and after those days.
Are laptops really cheaper on Prime Day?
Amazon hasn’t historically been the premiere destination for laptop deals, but the ones it lists for Prime Day have been too good to ignore. The MacBook deals, for example, were pretty major when they first dropped, since Apple is notorious for being restrictive about sales. The deals on Prime Day have gotten better each year, with more and more manufacturers participating with a broader range of devices.
How did we choose these October Prime Day deals?
We searched for laptop deals on Amazon that are significant markdowns from their regular prices, and on products that we have either gone hands-on ourselves or can vouch for as solid laptops worth consideration. We also used various price trackers to ensure that a claimed deal wasn’t spurious.
We have concentrated on quality products from leading vendors, as discounts on these laptops are likely to be most sought-after by potential buyers.
When compiling the list of the best deals, we considered the following:
- Price: Naturally, the price point of our recommended laptops has to include a worthwhile discount. While some discounts are small in relation to an overall price tag – for example, $30 off a $150 device – and other discounts are in the hundreds of dollars, we wanted to ensure that in any case, it’s value for money.
- Features: We included a range of laptops with features sure to appeal to you, including different screen sizes, processors, memory options, and storage. Furthermore, these laptops include varying levels of security, parental lock options, and display resolutions.
- Use cases: At ZDNET, we also took into account different use cases. You might be in the market for a budget-friendly, basic laptop for a child, for example, or you may need a future-proof laptop suitable for work. Or, it might be a gaming device you’re after. So, we have compiled a set of recommendations based on different purposes.
