The best Prime Day laptop deals we could find for October 2023

Major Amazon sale events like Prime Day aren’t typically a haven for laptop deals, but if you’re looking for a new notebook, you can still usually find a few worthwhile discounts. That’s the case again for Prime Big Deal Days, the company’s latest deal-a-thon aimed at Prime members, which kicked off today and runs through Wednesday. We’ve sorted out a handful of notable laptop deals from the October Prime Day sale below, including price drops on MacBooks and gaming laptops. For the former, just note that there’s a chance we see new models by the end of the year, though reports have conflicted on that.

Apple MacBook Air M2 (15-inch)

The 15.3-inch version of Apple’s MacBook Air is down to $1,049 for an entry-level model with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. That matches the best price we’ve seen and takes $250 off Apple’s list price. The MacBook Air is the top pick in our guide to the best laptops, and we gave the 15-inch model a review score of 96 earlier this year, as it covers just about all of the things we look for in a quality mainstream notebook. Compared to the 13.6-inch version, it also includes a more powerful speaker system and a slightly upgraded GPU. The SSD in this base configuration is technically slower than the one in higher-capacity SKUs, but that shouldn’t be a major problem unless you’re looking to do more complex work. In general, you wouldn’t buy the Air for things like high-res media editing, though its M2 chip is still plenty powerful for everyday tasks.

If you do need more storage space, the 512GB model with 8GB of RAM is on sale for a low of $1,249. Variants with double the RAM are up to $250 off as well. Meanwhile, the 13.6-inch MacBook Air isn’t discounted on Amazon, but it’s down to $899 at Best Buy. That’s $200 off the notebook’s list price.

Apple MacBook Air M1

The previous-generation MacBook Air with Apple’s M1 chip is back down to $750, matching the lowest price we’ve seen. Apple sells this entry-level config with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for $999, though we’ve often seen it go for $800 or less in recent months. This notebook arrived back in 2020, so it’s harder to recommend these days when the M2 models offer a faster chip, sharper webcam, slimmer bezels and improved speakers. If you only need a laptop for more basic tasks though, it’s not a bad value at this specific deal price. It’s still quieter and more solidly built than many mid-priced laptops, and its keyboard, trackpad and battery life remain excellent. We gave the M1 Air a review score of 94 at launch.

Dell G15 5530 Gaming Laptop

A configuration of Dell’s G15 5530 Gaming Laptop with an Intel Core i7-13650HX processor, 16GB of RAM, an upgradeable 1TB SSD and an 8GB GeForce RTX 4060 GPU is down to $1,222 for Prime Big Deal Days. That’s roughly $180 below its usual going rate. This is an updated version of the “best budget” pick in our guide to the best gaming laptops: It’s heavy, and it can run warm, but this configuration is more than capable of playing modern games at high-ish settings, and its 15.6-inch, 165Hz, 1080p display is sufficiently bright. It is stuck with a 720p webcam though. The slightly larger Dell G16 7630 is also on sale at $1,500 for a model with a Core i9-13900HX and RTX 4070.

Acer Nitro 5

The Acer Nitro 5 is the runner up to the Dell G15 in our guide to the best budget gaming laptops, and right now a model with a Core i5-12500H, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD and GeForce RTX 3050 GPU is down to $700 for Prime members. That’s about $100 off its usual street price. These are not the latest specs, so you’ll need to crank down the settings in more demanding games to reach a respectable frame rate. The chassis itself is chunky and made of plastic too. But there’s enough power to at least keep up with recent titles, and getting a 144Hz display at this price is nice. For those on a super tight budget, it’s competent.

Razer Blade 14

A config of the Razer Blade 14 with an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX CPU, 165Hz 1440p display, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU is on sale for $1,950. That’s certainly not cheap, but you’d buy the Blade 14 if you’re willing to pay extra for a gaming laptop with a more slender, portable and premium-feeling design. This is a 2022 model, but the newer editions cost several hundred dollars more, and the last-gen CPU and GPU here are still powerful enough to play most modern games at high settings. Its keyboard is also great, though the whole thing can run hot. We recommend the slightly larger Blade 15 in our guide to the best gaming laptops, but that one isn’t discounted. And if you’re not into the Blade aesthetic, consider our top overall pick, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14, instead.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9

The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is down to $1,800 for a model with a Core i7-1265U chip, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. That’s about $100 off its usual going rate. Chances are you know where you stand on the Surface Pro at this point: It’s still not especially comfortable to use on your lap, but it remains the gold standard for 2-in-1s that behave and perform like a laptop more than a traditional tablet. While this version isn’t a huge shake-up, it’ll be a nice bump for those upgrading from a three- to five-year-old model. Just note that this deal doesn’t include a keyboard or stylus. We’re reaching the time of year where Microsoft would usually introduce a new model, but as of this writing it’s not clear when a potential Surface Pro 10 might arrive. For now, the Pro 9 is the top Windows pick in our guide to the best tablets.