%20ILLUSTRATION%20Isadora-Ayesa%20Lima%20SOURCE%20Amazon.jpg)
Laptop prices have risen significantly over the past six months. The memory shortage wreaked havoc on prices, even causing Apple to hike them up in June. That makes deals on big shopping events like Amazon Prime Day even more important. For the retailer's Prime Big Deal Days fall sale, I've spotted a number of my favorite laptops among the dozens I've already tested this year.
So, whether you're looking for a new MacBook or a budget Windows device, you'll find some excellent picks below. In addition, check out more deals in our roundup of the Absolute Prime Day Deals and Best Apple Prime Day Deals.
MacBook Air (M5)
- Photograph: Luke Larsen
- Photograph: Luke Larsen
- Photograph: Luke Larsen
- Photograph: Luke Larsen
Apple
MacBook Air (M5, 2026)
$1,299 $1,099 (15% off)Amazon
$1,254Walmart
$1,299Apple
The MacBook Air is $200 off for Prime Day, bringing it to $1,099. That's the cheapest it's been since June. It's a remarkable deal compared to the competition, especially given the 512 GB of storage and 16 GB of RAM it comes with. Apple raised prices across the board on Macs this past June, but this discount reverses that issue entirely. This sale is on the latest M5 model, which came out this past spring and performed really well in all my testing. It's currently at the top of my recommendations not only as the best MacBook but also as the best overall laptop of any kind. That $200 discount applies to every configuration of the MacBook Air available on Amazon, including the larger 15-inch model.
Not only is this the MacBook I recommend to buy for most people, it's also the best laptop deal this week. Neither the MacBook Neo nor the MacBook Pro are being discounted by anything out of the ordinary.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8
Courtesy of MicrosoftSave to wishlistSave to wishlistMicrosoft
Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (2026)
$1,700 $1,280 (25% off)Amazon
This is the best price on the latest version of the Surface Laptop since it launched. I've been tracking it closely, primarily because of how expensive it has been in comparison to the older model from 2024. The price difference always made me recommend the 2024 version, even though it had a slower Snapdragon chip inside. This discount, which is $500 off the retail price and $70 cheaper than it's ever been, brings it close enough to the price of the 2024 model to justify itself. The Snapdragon X2 Elite's GPU performance compared to the X1 model is significant enough to justify the extra money.
For what it's worth, though, the 2024 Surface Laptop 13.8-inch model is currently selling for $1,096, which is also a great deal. If you're trying to get your purchase closer to $1,000, I still think that model is one of the best Windows laptops you can buy.
HP OmniBook 5
Photograph: Luke LarsenSave to wishlistSave to wishlistHP
OmniBook 5
$961 $750 (22% off)Amazon (16-inch)
$1,180 $780 (34% off)HP (16-inch)
$1,050 $700 (33% off)HP (14-inch)
The HP OmniBook 5 has been my favorite budget laptop for a while now. It avoids so many of the pitfalls of cheap Windows devices, including typical low-end screens, thick chassis, and poor battery life. This one has a beautiful OLED screen, is as thin as a MacBook Neo, and gets fantastic battery life, thanks to the Snapdragon X chip inside. The one compromise is the touchpad, which still isn't very good.
HP.com typically has the lowest price, which is $780 right now. But Amazon has that beat during Prime Day, at only $750 for the 16-inch model. Not only is it cheaper, but it also comes with 512 GB of storage, twice the amount as the discounted HP.com model. I should say that I prefer the 14-inch model, just because the 1920 x 1200 resolution looks a bit sharper on it.
Lenovo LOQ 15
- Photograph: Luke Larsen
- Photograph: Luke Larsen
- Photograph: Luke Larsen
- Photograph: Luke Larsen
Lenovo
LOQ 15
$1,234 $1,100 (11% off)Amazon (RTX 5050, 1 TB)
$1,499Walmart (RTX 5060, 512 GB)
$1,300Lenovo (RTX 5050, 512 GB)
This has long since been one of my go-to affordable gaming laptops to recommend for two very important reasons. First off, most budget gaming laptops have terrible screens. That's true of the Alienware 15, the MSI Cyborg A16, and even the Lenovo LOQ 15 Essential Edition—all gaming laptops in the same price range as the Lenovo LOQ 15. But the LOQ 15 display has good color coverage, so greens and reds don't look oversaturated. With that benefit, the LOQ 15 still tends to cost less than its alternatives, and for Prime Day, the RTX 5050 configuration is as cheap as I've seen it in many, many months. If you can increase your budget, the $1,499 RTX 5060 model at Walmart will deliver much better gaming performance, and I'd recommend it too.
Asus ZenBook A14
-Reviewer-Photo-SOURCE-Christopher-Null.jpg)
Photograph: Christopher NullSave to wishlistSave to wishlistAsus
Zenbook A14
$830 $820 (1% off)Amazon
$1,000 $939 (6% off)Best Buy (X Plus)
The Asus Zenbook A14 is known for being super light. It weighs only 2.16 pounds, about half a pound lighter than the MacBook Air. The difference is really noticeable, both in the hand and when toting it around in a bag. It also comes with an OLED display, a great touchpad, and a decent assortment of ports.
But like the Surface Laptop, the 2026 Zenbook A14 is too expensive. Unlike the Surface Laptop, it's not on sale for Prime Day. That's why I'd recommend picking up the previous model, which comes with a Snapdragon X Plus, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage. The 2026 model offers more storage options, but it also has a much higher starting price. A slightly cheaper model is also available with the Snapdragon X, but the Snapdragon X Plus offers better multicore CPU and GPU performance.
