The Best Back-to-School Laptop Deals for 2023

It's almost impossible to conceive of school without a laptop anymore. A few years of pandemic learning made digital devices a core part of the educational process, and that hasn't changed now that we're back in the classroom.

But here's a hot tip: even if you're not a student, the late summer months are prime time to get a new laptop computer. That's because retailers and manufacturers are expecting back-to-school volumes and get competitive with discounts to make as many sales as they can. Here's a rundown on the best deals, plus spotlights on five different models that you can save big cash on—over $500 in some cases.

Not all laptops are created equal. Some pack peerless processing power for lightning-quick file opening, high-end graphics and gaming or media creation capacity. Others cut down on features to lower the price and the weight so you're not hauling around a beastly brick of a computer from class to class. It's important to select a laptop that fits your needs and your budget. These sales will help for the second part, and these five laptops will hit different student sweet spots.

Need even more money off? Use coupon code SAVE10 for 10% off your Best Buy order of $799 or more. This sale runs through 8 a.m. ET on July 17 and excludes all third-party accessories, all servers/storage/networking, AW3423DWF and AW3821DW monitors, Inspiron 15 laptops, XPS laptops, Alienware laptops, and G-Series gaming laptops.

Best Overall Back-to-School Laptop

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

Dell XPS 13 9315 Intel i7 512GB SSD 16GB RAM

If you're looking for a model that performs capably but doesn't cost a ton or weigh a ton, Dell's XPS 13 9315 laptop is our pick. In our review, we extolled its “sharp edge-to-edge 13.4-inch display” that pairs with the new Intel Alder Lake processor to deliver clear, bright visuals. Weighing in at just 2.59 pounds, it's easy to carry around and durable enough to get you through to your degree. Taking $250 off is a pretty nice incentive here. This configuration comes with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and Windows 11 Home.

Best for Productive Study Sessions

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13.3″ Apple MacBook Air M1 Chip 256GB SSD

Apple's shift away from Intel chips to in-house silicon marked a major sea change in how its laptops and desktops performed, and that was clear from the first time we booted up the MacBook Air M1. In our review, we gave it an Outstanding rating and an Editors' Choice award, proclaiming that it's “the best value among macOS laptops.” This one is great for focusing because of its epic battery life, solid performance, and all-metal construction. Taking 25% off the 256GB SSD model is a sizable discount. This configuration comes with 8GB of RAM and macOS Big Sur (the macOS Sonoma upgrade drops in the fall).

Best 2-in-1 Convertible Option

(Credit: Brian Westover)

Lenovo Yoga 7i 13th Gen Intel i7 512GB SSD 16GB RAM

The 2-in-1 form factor has been growing in popularity as people learn to love tablets, and many manufacturers have hopped on the bandwagon. Lenovo has been steadily innovating, and we reviewed the Yoga 7i as “the most polished in a long line of successful 2-in-1 laptops” for its 2.2K touch screen, durable construction, tons of ports, and numerous quality-of-life features. The responsive, clear screen supports 10-point touch and in testing was equally comfortable in tablet or traditional laptop mode. This configuration comes with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and Windows 11 Home.

Best for Unwinding After Classes

(Credit: Brian Westover)

Asus ROG Zephyrus Ryzen 9 RTX 3060 512GB SSD 16GB RAM

All work and no play makes a dull college student, and if you're spending money to get a new laptop why not make it one that can show you a good time? The Asus ROG Zephyrus got an Editors' Choice award in our review for its ridiculous power and performance coupled with surprisingly long battery life. Powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 6000 series processor, it runs like a gaming computer in the size of a nondescript notebook machine. The good news is that a big sticker price comes with a big discount—a whopping $520 off. That's almost enough to buy two textbooks! This configuration comes with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and Windows 11 Home.

Best for Budget Buyers

(Credit: Best Buy)

Asus Chromebook Intel Celeron 17.3″ 1080p Laptop

If you're pinching pennies and don't want to go into even more student debt, a Chromebook might be the answer. Running on Google's Chrome OS, these have become popular options for cash-strapped learners, as they deliver solid and reliable performance without a lot of bells and whistles. Some of the nicer features of the OS include cloud backups, built-in virus protection, and an extensive app library. This Asus model is a higher-end unit, with a nice-looking 1,920-by-1,080 full HD screen, and a $101 discount puts it in bargain bin territory. This configuration comes with 8GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD.