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Black Friday deals have started, and if you’ve been on the lookout for a good price on a new laptop, then this could be your lucky day. But with so many websites being shouty about their Black Friday offers, the best buys aren’t always easy to spot. So before you splash the cash, it might pay to do some research – and look closely at the specification.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.I know this may not be welcome advice. After all, the thought of drawing up a spreadsheet of memory configurations and pricing history might put a slight dampener on the excitement that builds as Black Friday approaches. But buy the right laptop today and you can look forward to many years of joyful productivity. Pick a duff one, and every time you open the lid you’ll be cursing your past self’s impulsive nature. So don’t get caught out; be prepared with our useful tips – and a roundup of the Filter’s favourite laptop deals.Before you make the jump, also be sure you really need a new laptop with our guide to making the most out of your existing one.How to find a genuinely good Black Friday laptop dealFind out what a laptop is really like to use to ensure it’s right for you. Photograph: Oscar Wong/Getty ImagesDon’t sweat the CPUMany people get hung up on processor power, but this is the one thing you rarely need to worry about these days. Although new processor models come out with alarming frequency, almost any AMD Ryzen, Intel Core or Apple M-series chip of the past few years will be fine for everyday web browsing and office tasks. High-end models are only really needed for particularly demanding workloads; a quick trip to Google (or your AI chatbot of choice) will help you see how different processor models measure up.Plan ahead with plenty of RAM and storageEvery laptop needs a decent amount of memory. If the system is starved of RAM, then performance will be sluggish, regardless of the CPU’s speed. While Windows 11 runs acceptably in 8GB, a minimum of 16GB will help ensure that future updates continue to run smoothly. Some models are upgradeable, so you can start with a basic allocation of RAM and add more as your needs grow, but this certainly isn’t something you can take for granted.Laptop storage is also rarely expandable, except by plugging in a USB flash drive or an external SSD. That might be fine if your device will spend much of its time on a desk, but if you want to carry it around with you – not an unreasonable ask for a computer of this type – it’s a drag. So while a base-level 256GB SSD might suffice for home-working, consider stepping up to 512GB or even 1TB of internal storage, especially if you want to edit videos or play big 3D games. Look into battery life, weight and overall dimensions, too, if portability is a priority.Find out what it’s really like to useSome important considerations – such as the quality of the screen and keyboard – don’t show up on the spec sheet, yet these things are arguably just as important as the processor and memory. If the display is dim and blocky, and typing emails feels like pressing Scrabble tiles into a flannel, it will make day-to-day working more difficult.Since online retail doesn’t give you an opportunity to try tapping out “the quick brown fox” for yourself, the next best thing is to read reviews of other people’s hands-on experience. Pay particular attention to the model number, though: laptops often come in a few variants, including a high-end version that will usually get great reviews – and a more cheaply made model that can be flogged for a knock-down price on Black Friday.Is this a genuine special offer?The final thing to check is whether the bargain that’s flashing up on your screen is actually a deal at all. You can look up past prices for a vast range of items by going to CamelCamelCamel – yes, really – and either typing in a laptop model number or pasting in the web address of an Amazon product page. You may find that the heavily promoted Black Friday price is identical to last month’s standard price on Amazon. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad deal, but it signals that you probably don’t need to race to grab a once-in-a-lifetime bargain (we’ve made sure to list this price history on all the laptop deals below).Indeed, with Cyber Monday, pre- and post-Christmas sales, Easter specials, Amazon Prime Day, back-to-school offers and so forth, you’re rarely more than a few weeks away from the next big discount event – so don’t let the excitement of Black Friday encourage you into making a hasty purchase.For more, read the Filter’s roundup of the best early Black Friday dealsQ&AHow is the Filter covering Black Friday?ShowAt the Filter, we believe in buying sustainably, and the excessive consumerism encouraged by Black Friday doesn’t sit easily with us. However, we also believe in shopping smarter, and there’s no denying that it’s often the best time of year to buy big-ticket items that you genuinely need and have planned to buy in advance, or stock up on regular buys such as skincare and cleaning products.Retailers often push offers that are not as good as they seem, with the intention of clearing out old stock, so we only recommend genuine deals. We assess the price history of every product where it’s available, and we won’t feature anything unless it is genuinely lower than its average price – and we will always specify this in our articles. We only recommend deals on products that we’ve tested or have been recommended by product experts. What we choose to feature is based on the best products at the best prices chosen by our editorially independent team, free of commercial influence.Thank you for your feedback.The best Black Friday laptop deals in 2025A big-screen OLED Asus laptopAsus Vivobook S16 OLED£649 at CurrysThis Asus Vivobook S16 OLED nails the basics, if you’re after a big-screen laptop with a little something extra. Its Intel Core Ultra 5 225H processor delivers solid performance, while 32GB of RAM and a hefty capacity 1TB SSD provide enough headroom for intensive multitasking and installing of all sorts of apps.A larger 16in Full HD+ resolution OLED screen displays high-quality output with deeper blacks, stronger contrast, and more accurate colours than standard IPS screens found elsewhere at this price. Up to 20 hours of battery life is a boon if you’re going to be away from the mains, too.Price history: not available, but this is the lowest price ever at Currys.A rare MacBook dealApple MacBook Air M2 13-inch £699 at John Lewis£699 at CurrysApple’s M2 MacBook Air is a couple of years old now, but the Apple Silicon chip inside continues to deliver oodles of power for anything from productivity loads to editing high-res video on battery power. It’s sleek, portable and stylish, although it lacks ports, so you may need to pick up a cheap USB-C adapter to supplement. The 13.6in Liquid Retina screen is sharp and detailed, while 18 hours of battery life is sure to keep you up and running for a couple of working days away from the mains.Price history: this is the lowest ever price.A decent everyday laptopAcer Aspire 14 AI£399 at CurrysFor basic working needs, this Acer Aspire 14 AI has everything you need at a wallet-friendly price. The Snapdragon X chip inside provides more than enough power for day-to-day tasks, plus it enables this laptop to last for up to 28 hours on a charge, which means battery woes can be pushed to the back of your mind. A RAM allocation of 16GB is handy for multitasking, and a 512GB SSD is a decent amount of storage at this price. The 14in 1,920 x 1,200 IPS panel is perfectly serviceable for productivity tasks, plus its 120Hz refresh rate keeps onscreen action zippy.Price history: not available, but this is the lowest ever price at Currys.A lightweight Windows laptopAsus Zenbook A14£649 at John LewisMade from an innovative blend of ceramic and aluminium, this Asus Zenbook A14 is one of the lightest Windows laptops you’ll find, weighing in at less than a kilo. Not only is it super light, but a Snapdragon X chip alongside 16GB of RAM ensures enough grunt for productivity and multitasking.A 1TB SSD is handy for storing documents, apps, and more besides, while the 14in 1,920 x 1,200 OLED screen is compact and sharp. Asus also rates this laptop to last for up to 32 hours on a charge – while my tests put it at about 21 hours, I’ll happily take nearly three days of use away from the mains.Price history: not available.A budget Samsung laptopSamsung Galaxy Book4£299 at AmazonThe Samsung Galaxy Book4 is an attractive Windows alternative to similarly priced Chromebooks, offering greater software flexibility for getting work done. It includes an impressive range of ports for the price, with USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, microSD and even wired Ethernet in the mix. The Intel Core 3 processor will happily cope with everyday productivity tasks, and is supported by 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for storage.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.A stylish model from SamsungSamsung Galaxy Book4 Edge£449 at John LewisThe Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge is a modern, plate-glass laptop for the same price as lots of more basic, older models in this early Black Friday melee. It features the same eight-core Snapdragon X chip as Asus’s option, plus 16GB of RAM; a 256GB SSD is a little low, though. However, what the Book4 Edge has on its side is a larger Full HD IPS screen, a full-size keyboard, and that it arrives in a dashing light-blue colour.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.A bargain ChromebookAcer Chromebook Plus 515£235.99 at AmazonChromebooks have always been deemed inferior to Windows laptops, but you can now easily find genuinely capable budget options with few compromises. Acer’s Chromebook Plus 515 features a modest Intel processor with six cores that should prove sufficiently speedy for basic tasks, while its 8GB of RAM will allow you to have multiple Chrome tabs open without the device grinding to a halt. You also get 256GB of SSD storage for apps and light games, plus room for any local documents that aren’t in Google’s online suite. There’s also a handy 15.6in Full HD screen and a decent set of ports for this bargain-basement price.If you feel like you need the extra performance, you can step up to a Core i5 processor with an extra four cores for an extra £102 at Amazon.Price history: it was £12.79 cheaper in a deal this summer.A bargain LenovoLenovo IdeaPad Slim 5£449.99 at John LewisThis Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 is on a “reduced to clear” discount at John Lewis, giving you the chance to grab a bit of a bargain. It has everything you could want from a modern laptop: a compact 14in 1,920 x 1,200 OLED screen for dazzling results; an eight-core Snapdragon X Plus chip for zippy performance; and excellent battery life – Lenovo says the laptop can last for up to 20 hours or so on a charge, providing all-day working and then some. For multitasking and intensive tasks, 16GB of RAM provides plenty of headroom, while a 512GB SSD is fine for storage at this price.Price history: this was briefly cheaper in the summer.A powerful and portable ultrabookAsus Zenbook 14£999.99 at AmazonThis Asus Zenbook 14 is a very capable choice. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor with its 16 cores means it will be able to handle any tasks you throw at it, and 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD provide lots of capacity for multitasking and dealing with heavier, creative workloads. Elsewhere, the 14in 3K OLED screen is bright and delivers good detail, and a weight of just 1.2kg makes the Asus super portable. There’s a decent selection of ports, too –and its dark-blue chassis oozes class.If you don’t necessarily need the power of the Core Ultra 9 285H, and you’re happy with a slightly lower-end Core Ultra 7 model (which performs quite similarly in some tests) with 16GB of RAM, then that model is £799 from John Lewis, too.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.A Zenbook with a high-resolution displayAsus Zenbook S 16 OLED£1,229.99 at AmazonThe Asus Zenbook S 16 OLED is one of the most complete ultrabooks you can buy today, making no real sacrifices anywhere. The star of the show is the gorgeous 16in, 3K-resolution screen, which delivers superb detail and general sharpness. On the inside sits a 12-core Ryzen AI R9 HX 370 processor, alongside 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. There’s a decent set of ports and the casing is made from the same innovative ceraluminum material as the Zenbook A14 above, meaning it’s durable and stylish, too.Price history: this is its lowest ever price, and it’s cheaper than lower-spec deals on the same laptop.A high-spec touchscreen LenovoLenovo Yoga Slim 7x£799 at CurrysThis Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x option provides a very rich set of specs for the price. The 12-core Snapdragon X Elite processor delivers both in terms of performance and efficiency, with the laptop rated to last for up to 24 hours on a single charge. Add to this a decent 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.Its compact 3K-resolution OLED screen displays plenty of detail in a smaller space, and up to 500 nits of brightness means images are sharp and vibrant. The Yoga Slim is also a touchscreen, giving you the flexibility to use it for more creative or design-type tasks. Go for the blue colourway to add some style to your workspace.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.A portable Asus laptopAsus Vivobook S 14£599.99 at AmazonThe Asus Vivobook S 14’s portable form factor houses an eight-core AMD Ryzen 9 270 processor, plus 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, and should prove ample for general work tasks, whether at home or on the move. The 14in 1,920 x 1,200-resolution IPS panel might not be an OLED, but it’s still perfectly capable for what this laptop is designed for. The port selection here is also pretty good, providing decent connectivity for most people’s needs.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.skip past newsletter promotionGet the best shopping advice from the Filter team straight to your inbox. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link.Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionA well-priced Lenovo laptopLenovo IdeaPad Slim 5£469.99 at AmazonThis Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 is a slightly older variant of the one above, arriving with a larger 16in, 1,920 x 1,200-resolution IPS screen, as opposed to that model’s 14in OLED. The eight cores and 12 threads of the Intel Core i5-13420H processor here deliver solid productivity performance, with room to step up to more intense workloads if the need arises. Elsewhere, 16GB of RAM and a capacious 1TB SSD are excellent for the price, plus there’s a decent port selection that includes USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, a microSD reader and more besides.Price history: this matches its lowest ever price.A compact ChromebookAcer Chromebook Plus 514£279 at AO£279.99 at AmazonA more compact mid-range Chromebook than the ones above, the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is one of my favourites. The six-core Intel Core i3-1315U processor means there’s plenty of power on tap for web browsing and everyday tasks, while 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD allow for multiple tabs to be open and fulfil any of your storage needs. Add to this a decent 14in 1,920 x 1,200-resolution display, plus up to 13 hours of battery life to get you through the day.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.A slim ultrabook with an OLED displayAcer Swift X 14 AI£1,199.99 at AmazonThe Acer Swift X 14 AI is a slim and powerful ultrabook, featuring a dazzling 14in 2,880 x 1,800 OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth and responsive on-screen action. Its AMD Ryzen 7 AI 350 processor can handle anything from productivity tasks to more intensive work, with Nvidia’s RTX 5050 GPU stepping up where extra graphical horsepower is required. Elsewhere, the port count includes USB-C, USB-A, microSD and HDMI, all present in a chassis that’s less than 20mm thick and 1.57kg in weight.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.A two-in-one ChromebookLenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet£159.99 at AmazonThe Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet is a unique proposition in this list, offering a proper 2-in-1 device for both tablet and laptop-style duets, with the convenient and lightweight nature of ChromeOS to boot. It has an 11in Full HD+ resolution display, plus 128GB of eMMC storage for apps and games. The 4GB of RAM is a bit meagre, so you’re best to stick to basic web browsing, while its MediaTek Kompanio 838 processor should cope fine with casual work. It also comes with a stylus and a folio keyboard and kickstand case, and weighs just 510g, so is very easy to take on the go.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.A lightweight LG laptopLG Gram Pro 17Z90TR £1,669.99 at AmazonLG’s Gram laptops have long been lightweight and slender choices in their size classes, and this 17in model is no exception, weighing in at just 1.479kg. It’s also just 14.5mm thick, but maintains a decent port selection with Thunderbolt 4-capable USB-C ports, USB-A and HDMI options.The 17-inch 2.5K resolution screen with 144Hz refresh rate is zippy and responsive, thanks to an Nvidia RTX 5050 paired with a powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor. In spite of this power, LG says this laptop will last for up to 27 hours on a charge, giving you several days of work away from the mains.Price history: this is a match for its lowest ever price.A larger-screen Windows laptop for under £500Asus Vivobook 16 X1605VA£479.99 at AmazonFor a larger-screen Windows laptop for productivity tasks and the odd bit of more intensive work, this Asus Vivobook 16 is perfect. Performance is decent, thanks to a 10-core Intel Core 7-150U processor, plus 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD for your storage needs. The 16-inch 1,920 x 1,200 IPS screen is pretty standard at this price, but a lay-flat hinge makes this laptop great for collaborative working. You also benefit here from a full-size keyboard, while USB-C, USB-A, HDMI and a headphone jack make up the port count.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.An upgrade on the Acer aboveAcer Aspire 14 AI£699.99 at AmazonThe Acer Aspire 14 AI is different to the model above: it comes running an eight-core AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 chip, with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, rather than the Arm-based Snapdragon processor. Display-wise, you get a 14in 1,920 x 1,200 OLED panel that delivers deeper blacks and stronger contrast and colour accuracy, and a good selection of ports. This model is a little more expensive than the other version, but I’d argue the expense is justified.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.Lots of power for the priceMSI Prestige AI Evo£899 at AmazonMSI’s Prestige Evo is a very powerful ultrabook for its price, offering Intel’s potent Core Ultra 9 288V processor with its eight cores and eight threads, plus 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD for solid performance and decent storage. The iGPU inside this modern Intel chip is also strong for creative tasks, while the 13.3in 2.8K-resolution OLED screen is sharp and delivers good detail across a smaller area. The thin chassis and compact form are great for portability, yet don’t sacrifice too much on ports.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.A lightweight 16in laptopLG Gram Pro 16Z90TS£1,029.99 at Amazon£1,149 at CurrysIn keeping with the portable laptop theme, this LG Gram Pro 16Z90TS provides one of the lightest 16in laptops you’ll find, delivering a good selection of ports and solid performance, with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Intel’s Core Ultra 7 256V processor with eight cores and eight threads, plus its potent integrated graphics, provide enough oomph for both basic workloads and more intensive tasks. It’s a shame the 16in 2.5K 144Hz panel isn’t OLED; but it’s a decent IPS screen – it’s responsive and delivers good detail. Lasting for up to 25.5 hours on a charge, you’ll get a few days away from the mains.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.The best gaming laptop dealsAn Asus ROG for lessAsus ROG Strix G16£1,599 at AO£1,599 at VeryAsus’s ROG gaming laptops typically carry a premium, but this Strix G16 is one of the cheapest RTX 5070 Ti-powered gaming machines available right now. Pairing it with a 16-core AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX processor will yield very capable gaming performance at this laptop’s native 1,920 x 1,200 resolution.The display also has a 165Hz refresh rate for more responsive onscreen action. Modern AAA games can be a storage hog, but the 1TB SSD means there’s enough headroom for a good few here, while 16GB of RAM is enough for gaming loads.Price history: not available, but cheaper than the closest equivalent on Amazon.A mid-range gaming laptopAcer Nitro V16 AI£1,089.99 at Amazon£1,099 at VeryAcer’s Nitro V16 is a strong mid-range gaming laptop, especially in this spec, which pairs an RTX 5070 graphics card with AMD’s eight-core Ryzen AI 7 350 processor. The setup delivers solid performance at 1080p and the laptop’s native 2,560 x 1,600 resolution – although the higher resolution may benefit from reduced settings and some upscaling. A 180Hz refresh rate makes for a smooth and responsive panel, and the laptop comes with a well-rounded port selection, too. Acer rounds off the package with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.A sub-£1,000 gaming laptopAsus V16£799 at AmazonAt £799, the Asus V16 is quite a feature-rich gaming laptop, as long as you don’t mind its modest 1080p display. The 10-core, 16-thread Intel Core 7 240H processor paired with an RTX 5060 laptop GPU brings solid performance to the table, alongside the powers of Nvidia’s DLSS4 upscaler and the multi-frame-gen tech, if you want it. The 16GB of RAM will be good to run most modern games, with the 1TB SSD generous for storage. All of this helps to drive a large, 16in, 1,920 x 1,200-resolution, 144Hz-refresh-rate screen for a solid blend of detail and responsiveness. An array of USB-C, USB-A, HDMI ports and more deliver decent connectivity, too.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.A high-performance gaming laptopAlienware 18 Area-51£2,899 at Amazon£2,998.99 at DellIf it’s a very capable gaming laptop you’re after, this Alienware 18 Area-51 is one of the strongest options you’ll find. A 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and Nvidia’s second-in-command RTX 5080 laptop GPU deliver the goods for gaming on its huge 18in QHD+ resolution screen. The IPS panel here is strong, too, with its super-high 300Hz refresh rate bringing impeccable motion handling. There’s 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a generous 2TB SSD. Sporting Alienware’s classic space-age looks, you’ll need some muscle if you plan to use it on the move – this laptop is big and bulky; but the extra room also means it arrives with an enviable set of ports.Price history: this is its lowest ever price.An attractive Acer laptopAcer Predator Helios Neo 16 AI£1,599.99 at AmazonThe Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 AI is one of the best value gaming laptops in its price class – but it’s become an even stronger proposition with a £300 price cut. On the inside beats an RTX 5070 Ti GPU alongside the same beefy Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor as the Alienware option above to handle the most demanding of games on its 16-inch, 2,560 x 1,600-resolution screen. The panel’s 240Hz refresh rate delivers smooth motion, plus you also get 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Those looking for style as well as substance won’t be disappointed, as the Acer is quite a looker compared to other gaming behemoths out there. If price-to-performance is the name of the game, this is a candidate for the best we’ve seen this Black Friday so far.Price history: this is its lowest ever price, although it was only 1p more for a period in September.For more: How to shop smart this Black Friday How to avoid bad Black Friday TV deals The best early Black Friday deals
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