You’ve gotta be careful buying random laptops on Amazon. There’s a lot of junk masquerading as good deals, especially when you get under $500. Don’t fall for it. Below, you’ll find the best Prime Day laptop deals on devices and accessories we’ve personally reviewed. More than ever, it’s possible to get an affordable computer you won’t instantly regret buying or a great discount on one you’ve had your eye on. Read our Best Prime Day Deals roundup or Prime Day Liveblog for more.
Updated July 11, 2025: We’ve updated pricing throughout and removed dead deals as this quadrotastic Prime Day comes to its insane conclusion.
WIRED Featured Deals
Laptop Deals
The Best MacBook Deal
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Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
Apple
MacBook Air (M4, 2025)
Yes, the MacBook Air M4 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is the top pick in our Best Laptops and Best MacBooks guides. But it’s also the laptop I find myself recommending to my friends and family most. There’s no other laptop under $1,000 that combines this balance of super-fast performance and a day’s worth of battery life, all in a chassis that is still the thinnest in the game. It even comes with 16 GB of RAM, though you may want to jump up to 512 GB of storage. Even with how much Apple charges to increase storage, it’s well worth it given how cheap it is right now.
A Reliable Surface Laptop
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Courtesy of Microsoft
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Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
Microsoft
Surface Laptop Copilot+ PC (7th Edition, 2024)
When I first reviewed the Surface Laptop 13.8-inch, also known as the Surface Laptop 7th Edition (7/10, WIRED Recommends), it instantly became my daily driver. My favorite feature of the laptop is the display. It’s sharp and fast (with its 120-Hz refresh rate), but it’s the 3:2 aspect ratio display that really sets it apart. It’s a taller screen, and I love being able to see more of my work vertically. More than that, in its latest version, it finally gets great performance and battery life thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Pro (or even better, Elite) chips. There’s also a newer, more affordable model (confusingly called the Surface Laptop 13), but it doesn’t have a lot of the features I like most about the 13.8-inch model. For what it’s worth, you can also pick up the base configuration for just $870.
A Sensible Chromebook Plus
Photograph: Best Buy
If you’re coming to Prime Day looking for something dirt cheap, I’ve got one for you. Yes, this device is a Chromebook, but as a “Chromebook Plus” model, it’s a big step up from the reputation these laptops have when kids are introduced to them in schools. The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 comes with a 1080p display, a spacious 15.6-inch display, and an Intel Core i3 processor. The screen isn’t a touchscreen, but there’s good port selection and decent speakers. For the price, it’s a really strong machine if your needs aren’t high.
A Killer Deal on a Tiny Laptop
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Photograph: Daniel Thorp-Lancaster
Lenovo
Chromebook Duet Gen 9 (11 Inch, MediaTek)
Want a tiny laptop you can take anywhere? If you’re OK working within the confines of a Chromebook, then Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet is a must-have and a steal at this price. The 11-inch LCD is compact, and the trackpad and keyboard can feel cramped, but the overall build quality is great, the display is vivid, and performance is snappy.
The Cheapest Laptop You Should Buy
Photograph: Luke Larsen
Don’t buy a Windows laptop under $300. It will just be sadness. If you need a super cheap laptop, Chromebooks are the way to go. Acer’s Chromebook CX15 is the best laptop you can get for under $300. Grab the version with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The 1080p, 15-inch screen doesn’t have great color accuracy, but the 300 nits of brightness are nice. Likewise, the Intel Celeron CPU is no speed demon, but it’s fine for browsing the web and light document work. There’s also a 4 GB configuration selling for even less over at Walmart—just $159.
The Cheapest MacBook Ever
Courtesy of Apple
Apple
MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
I don’t usually recommend nearly five-year-old laptops. Rarely are they discounted heavily enough to warrant the compromise. But for Prime Day this year, Walmart has dropped the price of the M1 MacBook Air to just $599. Of course, you can still buy the refurbished models for even less, but this Walmart discount is as cheap as a new MacBook has ever been sold for, sitting $250 lower than the current discount on the latest M4 MacBook Air. While I recommend most people buy the newer model, I won’t fault you for wanting to save some money, and for the right person, the M1 MacBook Air will make you very happy and last for many years.
Accessory Deals
A Stylish Stand
Photograph: Branch
Branch
Adjustable Laptop Stand
If something’s going to be sitting on your desk every day, it may as well be pretty. Branch is already known for that as a brand—it makes our favorite office chair—but this laptop stand really does look gorgeous. The combination of the walnut-colored wood and clean, minimalist aesthetic does just enough to spice up what is otherwise a pretty basic peripheral. There’s just not a better laptop stand out there.
For Extra Ports
Photograph: Anker
When it comes to small accessories, sometimes simpler is better. That’s why this Anker USB-C hub just makes so much sense. Especially in a world where most laptops have limited ports, it’s the kind of thing almost everyone needs. Plenty of USB hubs offer a wider variety of ports and even external monitor support, but this Anker USB-C Hub is too convenient and cheap not to have.
The GOAT Mouse
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Oh, you know. It’s that mouse. The one everyone raves about. And for Prime Day, it’s at its lowest price ever at $95, 21 percent off its retail price. And in case you’re wondering, it really is that good. If you’ve never used more than something basic like the Apple Magic Mouse, you’ll quickly appreciate not only the clicky buttons and grippy scroll wheels, but also the added ergonomics. Trust me, your thumb and wrist will thank you later.
A Fantastic Gaming Keyboard
The Logitech G Pro X TKL tops our list as the best keyboard you can buy, and for good reason. The tactile switches (also known as linear switches) feel luscious, and I find the TKL (lack of number pad) layout to be ideal for gaming, never getting in the way of my mouse hand, but not making non-gaming inconvenient. While it’s normally a bit expensive, this sale price makes it an absolute must-buy if you’re looking for a gaming keyboard.
An Enhanced USB Hub
Photograph: Satechi
Satechi
USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter
Everyone needs a USB-C hub, but this one has one handy feature that most don’t: a built-in M.2 enclosure. That means in addition to having your basic ports covered, you can also pop in an SSD and use this as a secondary drive. The SSD isn’t included, but it greatly expands what this little accessory can do. It’s the ultimate companion to your laptop.
Is Prime Day a Good Time To Buy a Laptop?
It can be, yes. I’ve seen some laptop deals pop up that just aren’t available at other times. For example, at the start of this week, my favorite cheap laptop, the Vivobook 14 (Snapdragon X) was on sale for just $550—that’s $200 off the original price and $100 off the previous lowest price. A day later, it was sold out. That’s the kind of thing big sales events like Prime Day are good for.
Meanwhile, there are discounts on really popular laptops like the M4 MacBook Air. While this isn’t the first time we’ve seen it at $850, it’s still a great deal nonetheless. I’d be careless to not mention it, as it’s the laptop I think most people should buy.
What Should I Look for in a Laptop?
There’s a lot to consider. We run through the entire thought process in our How to Choose a Laptop guide, but you want to start with what kind of laptop you need. Gaming laptops need discrete GPUs and fast refresh rate displays. Content creation devices need fast CPUs and GPUs, tons of RAM, and color-accurate screens. If it’s your primary work computer, you may want a larger 16-inch screen or the ability to connect lots of external displays.
Most people, though, just need a reliable computer with long battery life, the ports they need, and a display that won’t distract them. That’s why we recommend laptops like the M4 MacBook Air, Surface Laptop (7th Edition), and Asus Zenbook S 14 OLED. They net you starting RAM of 16 GB, have high-end displays, and come in highly portable form factors. They also provide the high-end build quality and battery life you need, without making you pay for extra performance you won’t use.
You may be looking for something cheaper, however, which is where Chromebooks come into play. If you’re hoping to spend under $500, you are better off getting a Chromebook than a budget Windows laptop. They have limitations, but will often get you better performance out of the hardware.
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