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  1. Amazon Prime Day 2024

I Test Laptops for a Living. These Are the Best Prime Day Deals on Laptops I Recommend.

Updated
A collage of products with current deals.
Dave Gershgorn

By Dave Gershgorn and Wirecutter Deals Team

Dave Gershgorn has been a Wirecutter writer covering laptops since 2021. The Wirecutter Deals team hunts for top sales on Wirecutter picks.

I’m one of Wirecutter’s resident laptop experts.

I’ve been covering this space since 2015, and I know it’s a particularly confusing time to buy a computer.

Microsoft and other Windows laptop makers are rolling out new “AI PCs” to compete with Apple’s MacBooks. You’ve probably seen a lot of jargon and untested claims about how these AI chips will give your computer the ability to generate useful text and images or otherwise improve your productivity or creativity.

Wirecutter has been busy testing new laptops as they’re released to compare them against our tried-and-true picks. After all, AI features might sound cool at the moment, but when you splurge on a new laptop, you expect it to be a reliable workhorse for years. And if you can find something that Wirecutter has tested and recommends on sale, that’s even better.

The Wirecutter Deals team has rounded up the best Prime Day deals on our favorite laptops—all of which have been vetted by our team through our extensive testing process and should last for years to come.

An Amazon Prime account may be required to secure the deal prices below.

Our upgrade pick for best MacBook, the 2024, M3 Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch.
Photo: Dave Gershgorn

What we like: Our upgrade pick for the best MacBook. A significantly larger screen and better speakers only adds more to like to the MacBook Air lineup. Powerful M3 processor is significantly faster than older models and can power two external displays.

Other things to know: Better for editing audio or video than the 13-inch version. Has two Thunderbolt USB-C ports capable of 40 gigabits per second, a MagSafe 3 port, and a headphone jack. Deal for our recommended specs, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD.

Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022, 13-Inch, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD) — Top Pick
Best Buy deal price: $800; street price: $950
Amazon deal price: $800; street price: $950

What we like: Our top pick for the best MacBook. Compared with previous generations, it has a brighter display, better webcam, MagSafe magnetic port, and other design updates that make for an overall better experience. Great option for everyday work tasks, browsing, streaming media, and playing App Store games.

Other things to know: We think the less expensive M2-based model is a better buy than the newer M3 MacBook unless you want to use two monitors. Not ideal for editing or processing large media files for extended periods. Comes with 8 GB RAM and a 256 GB SSD.

What we like: Our budget pick from our guide to the best MacBooks. Has enough processing power, memory, and storage for most day-to-day work. Approximately 14-hour battery life. Lightweight with solid construction, a comfortable keyboard, and industry-leading customer support.

Other things to know: M1 processor is starting to show its age after three years. Comes with 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 13.3-inch Retina display, one 3.5 mm jack, and two Thunderbolt 3 ports.

What we like: A specced out version of our upgrade pick for the best MacBook. Large, vibrant display. Sharp 1080p notched webcam. Slim, lightweight design includes a MagSafe charging port, two USB-C ports, and headphone jack. Great for editing audio, photos, and videos.

Other things to know: Specs include M3 processor, 16 GB RAM, and 512 GB SSD—notably more than the base model's 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD. Better for more intensive tasks. M4 isn't far off (probably). Can power two external displays. Be sure to clip the on-page coupon to get the deal price.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 sitting, opened and displaying an orange screensaver.
Photo: Michael Hession

Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (CP714-2W-56B2) — Upgrade Pick
Best Buy deal price: $470; street price: $650

What we like: Our upgrade pick for the best Chromebook. A great choice if you want a lighter Chromebook with longer battery life, more storage, and a more flattering 1440p webcam. Reliable keyboard and trackpad. Vivid 14-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen display.

Other things to know: It’s uncomfortable to hold as a tablet. Comes with our recommended specs of Intel Core i5-1335U processor, 8 GB of memory, and 256 GB SSD. Has guaranteed update support through June 2032.

What we like: Another good Chromebook for streaming games. The only model with an Ethernet port to provide a reliable internet connection for streaming. Has a vivid 16-inch, 2560×1600 display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a responsive, comfortable RGB keyboard.

Other things to know: We don’t recommend getting a Chromebook to stream games over Wi-Fi; you're likely to encounter frustrating hiccups. Specs include Intel Core i5-1240P processor, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD. Deal matches previous low.

Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 (256 GB) — Budget Pick
Amazon deal price: $374; street price: $500

What we like: Our budget pick for the best Chromebook. A less expensive option that doesn’t sacrifice performance. Can handle everyday workloads with ease. Has a comfortable, backlit keyboard and a light, compact body. Will last about a full day of work or classes on a charge.

Other things to know: Its non-touch display isn’t as tall, vibrant, or convenient as that of our top pick. Has a 1080p webcam with a built-in privacy shutter and a variety of useful ports.

A Lenovo Slim 7i Gen 9 (14” Intel) laptop showing an abstract home screen background, sitting on a green surface.
Photo: Michael Hession

What we like: Our runner-up pick for the best Windows ultrabook. Offers fast performance, a long battery life, a reliable keyboard and trackpad, an accurate fingerprint reader and a 360-degree hinge. Just as portable as our top pick.

Other things to know: Difficult to open one-handed. Nearly as good as our top pick, but its display is a bit smaller and a bit dimmer, and its webcam isn’t as high-def. Store pickup required, but may be delayed depending on location.

The Huanuo HNLD15 lap desk, our choice for the best lap desk for travel, shown in black holding an open laptop computer.
Photo: Michael Hession

Huanuo HNLD15 Lap Desk — Also Great
Amazon deal price: $16; street price: $24

What we like: Our lap desk pick for travel. Light and compact. Fold-out lap rest and adjustable angled lid. Comfortably cradles a 13-inch laptop or typical sketchbook. Roomy hidden compartment keeps small items at hand.

Other things to know: Made almost entirely of plastic, but still sturdy and robust. One-year warranty. Lightning deal for the black color; clip the on-page coupon.

What we like: Our upgrade pick for the best portable monitor. Vibrant, sharp OLED display that offers the best contrast of any portable monitor we tested. Great color and image quality. Convenient kickstand.

Other things to know: 15.6-inch display. Hidden ports behind the screen (instead of out the side) include two 60 W USB-C ports, mini HDMI port, and a headphone jack.

Apple Pencil (2nd Generation) — Top Pick
Amazon deal price: $80; street price: $95

What we like: Our top pick for the best stylus for drawing on higher-end iPads. Offers best-in-class accuracy and speed. Features pressure sensitivity along with tilt recognition and palm rejection. Charges magnetically through your iPad. Offers a convenient double-tapping feature.

Other things to know: Compatible only with iPads that have USB-C ports, and not the most recent 10th-generation iPad. Doesn’t work with older iPads.

What we like: Another good option from our guide to the best portable laptop charger. Compact. Lightweight. Intuitively designed. AC outlet, USB-C PD port, and two USB-A ports. Will charge even the most power-hungry laptops. Comes with a 45W wall charger, unlike most competitors.

Other things to know: Superfluous nylon wrist strap and built-in flashlight. This model is a former pick but was discontinued. It’s still a good charger if you can find it on sale. Clip the on-page coupon to get the deal.

Tonmom Laptop Stand — Also Great
Amazon deal price: $8; street price: $10

What we like: Our portable laptop stand pick. Sturdy enough for laptops up to 15 inches. Easy to set up, collapses to a thick stick. Seven different height settings to lift laptop from 4 to 7 inches. Ideal for toting between workspaces.

Other things to know: Adjusting between heights is a little finicky—you need to double-check that the stand is fully locked before placing a laptop on it. Weighs just over half a pound. On sale in black.

Logitech Crayon iPad Stylus (USB-C) — Also Great
Amazon deal price: $50; street price: $65

What we like: Our pick for an iPad stylus that is better for note-taking than drawing. A snap to set up, it writes smoothly, and its palm rejection works well. Seven hours of battery life. Plus, it works with every iPad made after 2018.

Other things to know: Lacks pressure sensitivity, which is important for drawing and painting. Charges via USB-C but doesn’t come with a cable. Delayed shipping.

Epomaker EK21 Number Pad — Another Good Option
Amazon deal price: $32; street price: $40

What we like: Another good basic number pad that we like in our guide to the best mechanical keyboards. Great to type on and has PBT keycaps, hot-swappable switches, and an RGB backlight.

Other things to know: Three connection options, including wired, Bluetooth, and USB dongle. You can program macros for it in VIA software. Limited switches available. Be sure to clip the on-page coupon to get the deal price.

What we like: Our top pick for the best microfiber cleaning cloth. The most absorbent, durable, and affordable microfiber cloth we tested. Holds up well through multiple washes.

Other things to know: Made of essentially the same materials as all other microfiber cloths. Held 31 tablespoons of water during our test before leaking.

Dell S2722QC 27-Inch Monitor — Budget Pick
Dell deal price: $237; street price: $320

What we like: Our budget pick for the best 4K monitor. A great high-resolution monitor that balances high-end features with a competitive price. Offers impressive contrast and color accuracy, plus USB-C connectivity to keep your laptop charged while it’s attached to the display.

Other things to know: Comes covered by Dell’s Premium Panel Exchange policy. Includes USB hub with two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A ports, two HDMI ports, and one USB-C port. Refresh rate is not ideal for gaming.

Asus ROG Strix XG349C Monitor (34-inch) — Also Great
Amazon deal price: $650; street price: $780

What we like: Our ultrawide monitor pick for gaming. High refresh rate and deeply curved, ultrawide screen for a more immersive feel.  Good color accuracy, a solid stand, and a refresh rate that can reach 180 Hz. Convenient USB hub.

Other things to know: Monitor’s USB-C port doesn’t supply enough power to charge most laptops. Curved screen not ideal for photo or design work. New low price.

Asus ZenScreen MB16ACV Portable Monitor — Top Pick
Amazon deal price: $160; street price: $210

What we like: Our top pick for a simple, high-quality portable monitor. 15.6-inch display with sharp 1080p resolution. Integrated stand lets you use it in landscape and portrait orientations with ease. Bright screen makes it a great second work monitor.

Other things to know: Only has one USB-C port to connect it to a laptop or computer. Additional software required to get features such as auto-rotate and USB-A compatibility.

ViewSonic VX1655-4K-OLED Portable Monitor — Upgrade Pick
Amazon deal price: $420; street price: $500
Best Buy deal price: $420; street price: $500

What we like: Our upgrade pick for the best portable monitor. Vibrant, sharp OLED display that offers the best contrast of any portable monitor we tested. Great color and image quality. Convenient kickstand.

Other things to know: 15.6-inch display. Hidden ports behind the screen (instead of out the side) include two 60 W USB-C ports, mini HDMI port, and a headphone jack.

Keychron V3 Mechanical Keyboard — Budget Pick
Amazon deal price: $60; street price: $75

What we like: Our budget pick for the best gaming keyboard. Sturdy, affordable, and the smoothest, most comfortable keyboard we've typed on. Best build quality of all keyboards we tested.

Other things to know: Limited one-year warranty. Our previous top pick for the best mechanical keyboard, replaced by the newer model. Fully hot-swappable switch and replaceable keycaps. Lacks wireless and shine-through backlighting. Comes with K Pro Brown switches.

What we like: Our budget pick for the best laptop sleeve and MacBook Pro case. Fits laptops better and offers more protection than most similarly priced options. The stiff polyester fabric is a little bit more water-resistant than that of some of our other picks.

Other things to know: Its front pocket, which barely holds a laptop charger, adds bulk. Surprisingly attractive, but not particularly sleek or refined. Deal price is for the black color that fits a 14-inch MacBook Pro.

What we like: Another good mechanical keyboard if you want a budget option with better aesthetics. Compared with our budget pick, it has higher-quality PBT keycaps and looks nicer. Comes with keycaps for Windows and macOS.

Other things to know: Only has white backlight and lacks hot-swap. Only available with red or brown switches. If you’re willing to spend more for RGB or hot-swap, you’re better off with our top picks instead.

What we like: Our budget compact mechanical keyboard pick. Feels better to type on than any other cheap mechanical keyboard we tested. Comes with keycaps for Windows and Mac, and can connect to up to three devices via Bluetooth. Has replaceable ABS keycaps.

Other things to know: The thinner ABS keycaps and non-lubricated stabilizers feel and sound cheaper, and will wear out sooner. Included USB cable is too short for some desks. Is not fully programmable.

Epomaker TH80 Pro 75% Mechanical Keyboard — Top Pick
Amazon deal price: $54; street price: $85

What we like: Our top pick for the best 75% compact mechanical keyboard. Excellent typing feel thanks to thick PBT keycaps, lubricated stabilizers, and a sturdy plastic case. Also features RGB, hot-swap, wireless connectivity, a physical knob, and programmability. Has all the keys that most people use and none that they don’t.

Other things to know: Comes with keycaps for Windows and Mac. Automatically swaps between operating system layouts when connected. Available in all colors and switch combos.

An iPad in a silver case sitting on a yellow background.
Photo: Dave Gershgorn

Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, M4, 256 GB) — Top Pick
Amazon deal price: $900; street price: $1,000

What we like: Our top pick for the best pro tablet includes plenty of upgrades over the previous generation. M4 chip is very competitive against the processing power of modern Windows laptops. Vibrant OLED display. Work seamlessly within an iOS system. iPadOS is easy to use and simple to update, back up, and restore.

Other things to know: Still isn’t a great laptop replacement. Coders, web developers, media editors, and anyone who needs to use a lot of external accessories are likely to find iPadOS limiting. Isn’t user-repairable. No headphone jack. Clip the on-page coupon.

Apple iPad (10th-generation, 64 GB) — Top Pick
Amazon deal price: $300; street price: $340

What we like: Our top iPad tablet pick. Ditches the Home button and offers more color options, faster processing power, better rear cameras, USB-C, and an improved FaceTime camera over the 9th-gen iPad, which has been discontinued. Retains the 10-hour battery life of its predecessors.

Other things to know: No headphone jack or home button. Swaps out Lightning port for USB-C.

What we like: Our budget pick for best Android tablet. Surprisingly good for watching videos, reading, or very light web browsing. Best suited to Amazon Prime videos and other Amazon content. USB-C charging (finally).

Other things to know: Only 32 GB storage. Low-resolution 1280 x 800 screen. Doesn’t have access to the Google Play store or any of Google’s apps. Comes with lock-screen display ads that can be disabled for an extra $15. The 64GB is available for just $5 more.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Tablet (128 GB) — Upgrade Pick
Amazon deal price: $600; street price: $700

What we like: Our upgrade pick for the best Android tablet provides the best Android experience. 11-inch OLED screen is sharper and brighter than our top pick. Fast Qualcomm processor gives speedy performance and supports the best multitasking features we've seen so far.

Other things to know: Water resistant, which is uncommon for tablets. 128 GB internal storage, plus a microSD slot. Promised updates through 2028. USB-C cable and S Pen stylus included, but charger is not included in box.

Google Pixel Tablet (128 GB) — Top Pick
Amazon deal price: $350; street price: $470

What we like: Our top Android tablet pick has a long-lasting battery and Google’s latest processor, which allows it to capably handle gaming, streaming media, and light work tasks. The stunning 11-inch LCD screen has a resolution of 2560×1600. Included speaker dock turns it into an excellent smart-home device.

Other things to know: Scheduled to receive system updates through 2026 and security updates through 2028. Stylus support is limited so if you want a tablet that you can draw or write on, this one may not be right for your needs.

What we like: Our budget pick for best Android tablet. Surprisingly good for watching videos, reading, or very light web browsing. Best suited to Amazon Prime videos and other Amazon content. USB-C charging (finally).

Other things to know: Only 32 GB storage. Low-resolution 1280 x 800 screen. Doesn’t have access to the Google Play store or any of Google’s apps. Comes with lock-screen display ads that can be disabled for an extra $15. The 64GB is available for just $5 more.

Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet Kids Edition — Budget Pick
Amazon deal price: $70; street price: $120

What we like: Our budget pick for the best tablets for kids. Solid option for watching videos. Durable and more drop-resistant than our top pick. Good parental controls. Two-year warranty.

Other things to know: Worse screen and a much more limited app selection compared to our top pick but a fraction of the price. Deal is for the 32 GB in blue.

We are currently searching for the best deals on Wirecutter picks in this category and will add them here if we find them.

Editor’s note: The photo at the top of this article may reflect previous deals that are no longer valid and have been removed. Check out our Deals page for more great discounts on Wirecutter’s expert-approved picks.

Meet your guides

Dave Gershgorn

Dave Gershgorn is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter. He’s been covering consumer and enterprise technology since 2015, and he just can’t stop buying computers. If this weren’t his job, it would likely be a problem.

Wirecutter Deals Team

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