This year's Labor Day laptop sales are fast approaching now - in fact, they're just a few weeks away. As the last big 'sales event' before Black Friday, Labor Day's a great opportunity to bag a bargain on a machine for going back to college, work, or even a new MacBook. We're fast closing in, so we've put together this handy guide to help get our readers fully up to speed and prepped for the upcoming discounts.
In short, you can expect big names like Best Buy, Amazon, Dell, and HP to all run some pretty tempting deals with this year's Labor Day laptop sales. Regardless of budget or use case, there should be plenty to check out - and we know this because we've covered his event for quite a few years now. While traditionally (or originally) about end-of-summer clearance items and appliances, the larger Labor Day sales have really grown in recent years to encompass a much larger category of items.
Included information in this article includes when we expect Labor Day laptop sales to crop up (hint - it's actually before September 6th), the best retailers for deals, what to look for in a deal, and finally - the best Labor Day laptop deals from last year. Those are of course sales on last year's models, so take them with a pinch of salt, but they should give you a good idea of what to expect come September.
Finally, if you don't want to wait until this September, then you can see this week's cheap laptop deals as well here on TechRadar. Of course, if you did want to wait, then bookmark this page and drop in closer to the event as we'll have all the best Labor Day laptop sales all neatly rounded up just below.
When will Labor Day laptop sales begin?
Labor Day this year falls on Monday, September 9th, although we expect most retailers will launch their sales a little earlier than that date. It's likely we'll see a few retailers begin upwards of a week in advance, and it's likely we'll see plenty of deals drop over the prior weekend too. Subsequently, it's definitely worth checking in early if you don't want to miss any deals.
Is Labor Day a good time to buy a laptop?
Labor Day should be a great time to bag a cheap laptop. In the past, the event's generally been associated with 'end-of-summer' sales but in recent year's it's tended to be a lot more online-focused. It also coincides with the larger 'Back to school' period, of which laptops are a major component.
Labor Day also happens to be the last big sales event of the year before the more well-known Black Friday and Cyber Monday events roll around in late November. If you're not looking to wait that long, then Labor Day laptop sales are definitely going to be worth considering.
Who has the best Labor Day laptop sales?
The best online retailers for Labor Day laptop sales are Dell, HP, Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart, although the best one is going to depend heavily on what you're looking for exactly.
If you're strictly on a budget, then Best Buy and Walmart will have great sales on cheap Chromebooks and Windows laptops to consider in the $150 to $300 range. These are going to be perfect if you're looking for a machine for schoolwork or browser-based basics.
For those looking to spend a bit more, then Dell and HP offer really great own-brand mid-range workhorse laptops sold directly through their sites. Both brands also have excellent premium Windows laptops like the Dell XPS and HP Spectre, which often see big price cuts over sales events like Labor Day.
Finally, if you're looking for Apple MacBook sales, then Amazon is probably going to be your destination for Labor Day laptop deals. This retailer has been offering the lowest prices all year round on the latest M1 machines and hopefully we'll see some particularly good discounts on Labor Day.
Labor Day laptop sales: buyers tips
First thing's first, we'd recommend setting yourself an upper limit for your budget right off the bat before considering any Labor Day laptop sales. If you're looking for a machine for simply the basics like schoolwork or browser tasks, then a Chromebook or basics Windows laptop of around $300 should suffice. For more intensive applications like everyday work use, we'd recommend bumping that budget up to around $550 for a machine with the latest 11th gen Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5-5000 series processors. For niche power-uses like design work, music production, or gaming, then you'll absolutely benefit from bumping that budget all the way up to around $1,000. Gaming laptops especially benefit from spending a bit more to secure those speedy RTX 3000 series graphics cards.
One other tip we have is to watch out for clearance on older machines. Amazon and Walmart in particular are full of third-party sellers trying to clear out old laptops featuring components that are several generations old. While many of these laptops can get the job done, as a rule of thumb we'd recommend going for the latest components if possible as you'll get better mileage in the long run.
The 5 best Labor Day laptop sales from last year
Just below we've kept a selection of the very best Labor Day laptop sales from last year to give you an idea of what to expect come September. Last year's event in particular had some really awesome discounts on Dell XPS 13 models as well as some great mid-range workhorse options from HP. We also saw a really nice promotion (and sale) on the 2020 Intel-based MaBook Air, which has obviously been superseded by the latest M1-chip models now, but could be a nice indicator of what to expect nonetheless.
1. Dell XPS 13 touchscreen laptop: $849.99 $699.99 at Dell
This Dell XPS 13 is only $20 more than the cheapest price we've ever seen on an XPS 13. Sure, it's the entry-level spec but inside you're still getting the latest 10th gen Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD - good starting specs for people who want a premium ultrabook for casual tasks.
2. Asus 15.6-inch laptop: $599.99 $499.99 at Best Buy
Speaking of cheap laptops, this $100 saving on an Asus Vivobook has to be one of the best bang for the buck laptop deals we've seen in a while. Inside is a Ryzen 5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB - a huge amount of fast storage for the price. Pick this one up if you want a light, fast machine that really punches above its weight.
3. 2020 MacBook Air | AirPods | $999 $899 at Apple
Apple isn't always known for its value, but this superb promotion on a 2020 MacBook Air is too good not to have on our Labor Day laptop sales list. There's a $100 discount being offered right now, which means you can pick up the 256GB SSD baseline variant for just $899, plus, Apple will also throw in a free pair of AirPods right now.
4. HP 15.6-inch laptop: $789.99 $549.99 at HP
When it comes to cramming in top-end specs into budget machines, HP pretty much has any other brand beat. This $230 saving on a 15-inch laptop is incredible value if you need a powerful machine for homework. Inside is a 10th gen Intel Core i5 processor, 12GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD - pretty unbeatable power at this price point.
5. Dell XPS 13: $1,249 $1,049.99 at Dell
This stacked Dell XPS 13 is coming in at just over $1,000 in the Labor Day laptop sales - an excellent price considering you're saving $200. There's a 10th generation i7 processor here, with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD to play with as well.
Shop all the latest Best Buy Labor Day sales, or check out all the best Lowe's Labor Day sales.
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