The Best Black Friday Laptop Deals 2021

Savvy shoppers know that now is the perfect time to start holiday shopping. Black Friday sales are in full swing, with discounts on a wide range of items. If you could use a new laptop for work or gaming, read on to find the best deals currently available on premium PCs from Apple, Alienware, Dell, and more.

With the ongoing chip shortage making it hard to nab a PS5 or Xbox Series X, buying a laptop has become one of the best ways to get your hands on some top-of-the-line gaming hardware. Desktop graphics cards have been selling for multiple times over their MSRP, but you can get a quality gaming laptop on sale now for what a desktop GPU might cost you all by itself.

You can also find deals on many premium work systems, including several Dell Vostro laptops. Many of these systems feature aluminum exteriors with premium displays that are perfect for professional content creation work. Get ahead on your holiday shopping and check out these laptop deals now before they disappear.

What Laptop Specs Are Most Important in a Black Friday Deal?

Not sure what to look for when buying a laptop? Our best laptops roundup has a full rundown on the specs to consider when purchasing a new PC. But when it comes to picking a laptop that's best for you, basic considerations include operating system, size and weight, CPU, memory and storage, available ports, and battery life. If you're new to this, here are a few guides that will help you start your laptop hunt:

(If you’re interested in buying a desktop instead, don’t miss our list of the best desktop deals.)

Home and Business Laptop Black Friday Deals

Dell Vostro 7510 Intel i7 15.6-Inch Laptop with RTX 3050 Ti, 1TB SSD

Dell’s new Vostro laptop is the 7510, and just like its predecessor, it’s loaded with hardware suitable for both work and play. It has an Intel Core i7-11800H processor that is among the fastest mobile processors currently available and it has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics chip for mobile gaming. It also comes loaded with a fast 1TB NVMe SSD and an aluminum chassis that makes it highly durable.

Dell Inspiron 16 Plus Intel i7 16-Inch 3K Laptop with RTX 3060

The highlight feature of the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus is its 3,072-by-1,920 3K 16-inch IPS display, with 100% sRGB coverage. There aren’t many laptops with a 3K display at this price that also have an RTX 3060 GPU. It also includes an 11th gen Intel Core i7-11800H 8-core processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD.

Dell XPS 13 9305 Intel i5 13.3-Inch Touch Laptop

Dell builds its XPS laptops to be both stylish and high quality. With an aluminum chassis and carbon fiber palm rests, the system has a decidedly premium look and feel. Its internal hardware is also well-suited for work with an Intel 11th gen i5-1135G7 CPU, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. The system is also exceedingly light, weighing just 2.7 pounds while measuring a mere 0.62 inches thick at its slimmest point.

Asus VivoBook Pro 14 OLED Intel i5

With a brilliant 14-inch, 2,880-by-1,800 OLED display and Harmon Kardon-certified audio, the Asus VivoBook Pro 14 makes for a great laptop on which to watch your favorite shows. Its specs include an 11th gen Intel Core i5-11300H quad-core processor, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. Also unique is its built-in numpad in the touch pad.

Dell Vostro 5510 Intel i5 15.6-Inch Laptop w/512GB SSD

This model of the Vostro 5510 has an Intel Core i5-11320H quad-core CPU, 8GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD, powerful enough for any work-related tasks. With this laptop, you can charge it up to 80% in an hour with ExpressCharge, and it has a built-in privacy shutter that you can close while you’re not in a video call.

New Apple MacBook Air M1 Chip 13.3-Inch Laptop with 256GB SSD

The newest MacBook Air features Apple’s M1 processor, an 8-core CPU that Apple says provides up to 3.5 times faster processing performance compared to the previous-gen MacBook Air. The fanless design and passive cooling allow for a silent experience. Also, it has the updated Magic Keyboard and gets up to 18 hours of battery life.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro Intel i5 14-Inch

Another laptop on this list with a 14-inch 2,880-by-1,800 display, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro can be yours for just $699. Its hardware includes an 11th gen Intel Core i5-11300H quad-core processor, a whopping 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. Plus this laptop boasts up to 13 hours of battery life.

Dell Inspiron 15 5510 Intel i5 15.6-Inch Laptop

A mid-tier laptop at just $599.99, the Inspiron 15 5510 features an Intel i5-11320H quad-core processor and Iris Xe Graphics. Whether you plan on working on school assignments, editing office documents, or watching your favorite streaming service, this versatile laptop is powerful enough to handle it. This configuration has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

Dell Vostro 7500 Intel i5-10300H 15.6-Inch Laptop with GTX 1650 Ti

This is one of the best prices we’ve seen on this older Vostro laptop. Featuring an Intel Core i5-10300H quad-core processor, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics card, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD, this laptop is powerful enough to serve as a work laptop at a great price.

Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 Intel i3 13.3-Inch 2-in-1 Laptop

Lenovo’s Flex 5 Chromebook is a 2-in-1 laptop with a 360-degree hinge and 1080p touchscreen display so you can go from laptop to tablet mode easily. Its specs include an Intel Core i3-10110U processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 64GB eMMC SSD, all good for basic schoolwork and web browsing. And it has a built-in webcam for if you have to do any video calls for class. Lenovo advertises up to 10 hours of battery life with this Chromebook, depending on usage.

Gateway Ultra Slim Notebook Intel i3 14.1-Inch Laptop

Looking for a non-Chromebook budget laptop, ideal for a younger student? This Gateway Ultra Slim Notebook is only $279 and features Tuned by THX Audio. With an Intel Core i3-1115G4 dual-core processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD, this laptop should run the most basic web browsing tasks and facilitate school assignments.

Gaming Laptop Black Friday Deals

Dell G15 AMD Ryzen 5 15.6-Inch 120Hz Gaming Laptop with RTX 3050

At just $699.99, this is one of the least expensive laptops we’ve seen that features Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card. As a budget gaming laptop, this would be ideal for casual gaming and would run best with games on low to medium settings. It also features a 15.6-inch 1080p display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.

Alienware m15 R6 Intel i5 15.6-Inch With RTX 3060

Alienware’s elite m15 R6 gaming laptop features Dell’s new Alienware Cryo-Tech cooling technology that helps to boost performance by keeping the internal hardware cool under heavy load. This helps you to get the most out of the Intel Core i5 CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics chip at the heart of this system. The notebook also has a 165Hz 1080p display that makes this system perfect for any gamer.

Alienware m15 R4 Intel i7 15.6-Inch 144Hz Laptop with RTX 3070

Another Alienware laptop on sale, the configuration of the older model m15 R4 features an RTX 3070 graphics card and a 10th gen Intel Core i7-10870H 8-core processor. Along with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, this gaming laptop is ready to run most games on high settings. One of its standout features is its 15.6-inch 1080p display with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and 100% sRGB color gamut coverage.

Alienware m15 R6 Intel i5 15.6-Inch 165Hz Gaming Laptop with RTX 3060, 512GB SSD

This is one of the largest discounts we’ve seen for Alienware’s latest gaming laptop, the Alienware x15. Alienware markets this as its thinnest gaming laptop starting at a height of less than 16mm, with a quad-fan design to maximize cooling. This configuration features Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6 GPU and an 11th gen Intel Core i7-11800H 8-core CPU, with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. It also improves upon previous Alienware laptops with an upgraded display that has a refresh rate of up to 360Hz and a 1ms response time.

What are the best stores to buy a laptop on Black Friday?

Big retailers like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, so enjoy that turkey and stuffing and rest up for the real deal on Black Friday.

How to buy a laptop online on Black Friday

If you can't wait, though, those same stores will have discounts on their websites beginning Thanksgiving Day and running through Cyber Monday. Or buy directly from PC makers: Dell, Lenovo, and HP should all have discounts in their online stores.

What to expect regarding chip shortages and supply chains

If you see something you want at a price you can afford, grab it now. Laptops could be scarce this holiday season depending on their components, thanks to shortages on things like graphics cards, though they'll probably be easier to nab than a PS5.