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The best laptop deals in the UK for August 2024

There are huge savings to be had on Asus, Lenovo and Apple models

Steve Hogarty
Tech writer
Friday 02 August 2024 18:24 BST
We only recommend budget-friendly laptops and brands we’ve tested, so we know they’re not rubbish
We only recommend budget-friendly laptops and brands we’ve tested, so we know they’re not rubbish (The Independent)

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Louise Thomas

Louise Thomas

Editor

Laptop slowing to a crawl? Did that last browser tab finally push your tireless friend to breaking point? It might be time to upgrade your laptop. Helpfully, we’ve rounded up the best laptop deals in the UK this August to help you grab a portable PC or MacBook at a great price.

The rise of remote working means more of us than ever are shopping around for the best laptop deals, although, finding the ideal machine depends on how you plan to use it.

The latest trend in the market is the two-in-one, or foldable, laptop. The device can be used as a traditional laptop but also folded over to form a touchscreen tablet. The extra versatility has captured the imagination of PC users, with most major brands now producing multiple two-in-one models.

It’s also important to know how to spot a good budget option. Chromebooks, for instance, started out life as cheap, less-powerful alternatives to traditional laptops, but some have developed into genuine rivals to Windows and Apple products. The price has remained impressively low for many Chromebooks, meaning they’re a solid choice for most people’s personal and professional lives.

So, which laptop should you buy? From lightweight notebooks to the two-in-one Swiss Army knives of the market to dedicated gaming setups, we’ve scoured the internet for the best laptop deals the UK has to offer.

Read more: Best laptops for 2024, reviewed

The best laptop deals for August 2024 in the UK are:

  • Asus Vivobook Pro 15: Was £1,199.99, now £699.99, Asus.com
  • Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3: Was £299, now £179, Currys.co.uk
  • Apple MacBook Pro (M3, 2023): Was £1,699, now £1,539.97, Amazon.co.uk
  • Apple MacBook Air with M2 chip: Was £1,149, now £899, Amazon.co.uk

Best Windows laptop deals in August 2024:

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3: Was £299, now £179, Currys.co.uk

(The Independent)

A stylish and compact Chromebook, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 runs on the Chrome operating system, so you can’t use regular Windows apps here, but that means it boots up almost instantly and is as straightforward and easy to use as your smartphone.

Buy now

Asus Vivobook Pro 15: Was £1,199.99, now £699.99, Asus.com

(Asus)

The Vivobook Pro 15 is a powerful laptop capable of handling demanding tasks, such as media editing and video rendering. It runs on a fast AMD Ryzen 7 processor backed up by 16GB of RAM, and the dedicated GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card gives it enough performance for gaming on the go.

Buy now

Asus TUF FX507ZC4 gaming laptop: Was £749.99, now £629.99, Amazon.co.uk

(Amazon )

Save almost £100 on this gaming laptop from Asus. It is powered by an Intel core i5 processor and has a large 512GB solid-state drive. There’s also 8GB of RAM for easy multitasking. Other features include an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 4GB graphics card, USB-C 3.2 connectivity, fast charging and more than 16 hours of video playback per charge.

Buy now

Lenovo ideapad slim 5: Was £660, now £594, Lenovo.com

(Lenovo)

There’s £66 off the Lenovo ideapad slim 5 – an excellent mid-range Windows laptop running on the powerful AMD Ryzen 5 processor with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The 14in screen is geared for productivity, with the thin bezels and subtly protruding webcam giving you plenty of screen real estate to play around with. The larger chassis means a bigger battery life, too, so there’s less stress should you accidentally leave your charger at home.

Buy now

Asus Chromebook plus CX403CBA: Was £399.99, now £259.99, Amazon.co.uk

(Asus)

A Chromebook designed by trusted brand Asus, this basic model runs on the lightweight Chrome operating system, meaning it can’t run regular Windows software but boots up almost instantly and doesn’t get bogged down in unnecessary software as time goes on. The Intel i3 processor is powerful enough to handle plenty of open apps, while the slim design and large 14in display is spacious enough for work and watching entertainment on the go.

Buy now

Best Apple MacBook deals in August 2024

Apple MacBook Pro (M3, 2023): Was £1,699, now £1,539.97, Amazon.co.uk

(Apple)

Here’s a £129 saving on the newest baseline MacBook Pro at Very. The 14in laptop runs on the entry-level edition of Apple’s latest M3 processor, giving it a huge performance boost over older MacBooks.

Buy now

Apple MacBook Air with M2 chip: Was £1,149, now £899, Amazon.co.uk

(Apple)

The M2-powered MacBook Air gives you top-tier MacBook performance in a thinner and lighter form factor. The more powerful Pro benefits from bigger and stronger fans, meaning it can really push the boat out when it comes to performance, while the smaller MacBook Air dials performance back a little, in favour of comfort and portability. Right now, there’s a discount to be found at Amazon.

Buy now

How we choose the best laptop deals

We’re constantly scouring the internet for discounts on the best laptops we’ve tried and tested from brands we know and trust. Our deals include the best available prices on the most popular laptops, like the MacBook Air, as well as deep discounts on laptops to suit a range of users.

We won’t recommend a laptop simply because it’s cheap. We factor in things like quality, durability, reliability and security when collating the top laptop deals, so you can be sure you’re getting a good deal on a great device.

How to know if a laptop deal is worth it

Because most laptops can be configured with extra RAM, bigger hard drives and better displays, it can sometimes be hard to tell if a discount is actually worthwhile.

Our team of IndyBest experts have decades of experience testing and reviewing laptops. We track prices over time and know how much you should expect to spend on the latest tech, and we know a misleading discount when we see one.

Are there any key specs you should look for in a laptop?

Start by looking at the processor (or CPU) – specifically the generation it belongs to. There are two major CPU brands. Intel’s latest processors are 13th and 14th generation, while AMD recently launched its 9000-series processors. The best deals tend to be found on laptops using last-generation CPUs, which are still speedy enough for most users.

Generally speaking, the rest of the laptop specs will be designed around the CPU. RAM is the next most important specification to look for. 16GB is ideal, but expensive, while 8GB is fine for everyday purposes.

Hard drive capacity isn’t as important as it used to be, thanks to cloud-based storage and entertainment streaming. 256GB will do in a pinch, and 512GB will be plenty for the average user.

Your specific needs will determine which specs you should look for after that. For gaming and multimedia work like video editing, a discrete GPU (a separate graphics processing unit, usually made by Nvidia or AMD) will give you an enormous performance boost.

If you don’t plan on using your laptop for demanding tasks, you’ll save a lot of money by sticking with the standard option of an integrated GPU.

Want to know which laptop to buy? Check out our list of the best

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