If you’re on the hunt for a bargain on your machine then the upcoming Labor Day laptop sales will offer a fantastic opportunity. As the last retail event before the big one in November (Black Friday), Labor Day is a key calendar date for anyone looking to save some cash on tech – including on laptops.
While the larger Labor Day sales in general have traditionally been associated with end-of-summer goods and appliances, in recent years the event has dramatically expanded to include nearly every category at the big online retailers. Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon are just a few that should be offering some very competitive Labor Day laptop sales this year. This is the very page we’ll be updating with all the best deals as soon as they land so don’t hesitate to bookmark and drop in closer to the day.
Mark this date down – Labor Day is on Monday, the 5th of September this year It’s also worth noting that we expect plenty of early bird Labor Day laptop sales to drop up earlier than this date, maybe even up to a week in advance. Generally speaking, most retailers forgo a big ‘one day sale’ in favor of more steady and spread-out promotions, with plenty of early deals to entice those turning up early.
Speaking of which, if you’re interested you’ll find a selection of this week’s best laptop deals just down below for those who don’t feel like waiting until Labor Day. If you’re still researching, then head on down to the bottom of the page to where we’re offering up some handy tips on the best retailers to check out and how much you should be spending on a new laptop deal.
This week’s best pre-Labor Day laptop sales
Labor Day laptop sales: FAQ
Is Labor Day a good time to buy a laptop?
Yes – the Labor Day laptop sales are a fantastic time to pick up a cheap laptop or two since nearly every big online retailer takes part.
In the past, the event’s generally been associated with ‘end-of-summer’ sales but in recent years 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?
Amazon – excellent for sales on Apple MacBooks, plus Acer, Asus, Lenovo (opens in new tab)
Best Buy – great cheap Chromebooks and gaming laptop deals (opens in new tab)
Walmart – exclusive Gateway mid-range machines and cheap Chromebooks (opens in new tab)
Dell – XPS 13 sales, plus exceptional mid-range machines for work (opens in new tab)
HP – inexpensive touch-screen laptops, Chromebooks, mid-range laptops (opens in new tab)
Lenovo – ThinkPad business laptops, plus great Chromebook options (opens in new tab)
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: buyer 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 basic 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.