Huge back-to-school laptop sale is live at Best Buy – I've hand-picked the 12 top deals

Apple MacBook, HP Omnibook and Lenovo laptop on an orange background next to TechRadar price cut badge

(Image credit: Future)

The school year may have just barely ended for most, but retailers are moving fast to kick off back-to-school sales early. That includes Best Buy, which has just launched a huge sale on laptops, featuring price cuts of up to $500 on dozens of devices – from cheap Chromebooks to powerful Copilot Plus AI machines.

• Browse the full back-to-school sale at Best Buy

If you're shopping for a new laptop for the upcoming academic year, I've searched through Best Buy's sale and hand-picked 12 of the best deals that I'd recommend. As TechRadar's resident laptop deals expert, I've considered price, performance and value for money with all of these picks, so there should be an option that meets your needs.

If it's good performance you need at a low price, I'd suggest this Lenovo IdeaPad 1 for $319.99 (was $579.99). With its AMD Ryzen 5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD for storage, it's a good entry-level option if you need a device for basic everyday use and general schoolwork.

If you need something with a bit more power and versatility behind it for multitasking and more demanding work, I'd instead consider this HP OmniBook X Flip for $549.99 (was $899.99). As well as a more modern AMD Ryzen AI 5 CPU, it also features 16GB of RAM and a larger 512GB SSD. Those are excellent all-around components that will keep up with most workloads, plus you get the flexible 14-inch touchscreen display that can be used in tablet mode.

Lastly, I should shout out the MacBook Air 13-inch (M2) for $699 (was $799) – that's a new record-low price for the Apple laptop. It's older now, sure, but still plenty powerful for a lot of creative and productivity tasks, sports a similar slick design and boasts fantastic all-day battery life. Plus, it's around $300 cheaper than the newest M4 model – a bargain.

Do take a look through the rest of my top picks from the Best Buy back-to-school laptop sale below. I'll keep an eye on the retailer and others over the coming weeks to share more recommendations, as I'm sure there will be many more savings up for grabs if a device here doesn't completely meet your needs or budget.

Today's 5 best laptop deals at Best Buy

Lenovo IdeaPad 1: was ~~$579.99~~ now $319.99
Dell Inspiron 14: was ~~$799.99~~ now $549.99
HP OmniBook X Flip: was ~~$899.99~~ now $549.99
MacBook Air 13-inch (M2): was ~~$799~~ now $699
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x: was ~~$1199.99~~ now $799.99

Best Buy back to school laptop sale

Display - 15.6 inches
Processor - Intel Celeron N4500
RAM - 4GB
Storage - 64GB

This Acer Chromebook 315 is a basic device, but it's cheap, making it a great buy for light use such as general browsing and schoolwork. It also boasts full-day battery life thanks to the lean but perfectly functional Chrome OS from Google, meaning it's best suited for students or those always on the move. If you have around $150 to spend and need a cheap laptop, then you won't find a better option right now.

Display - 14 inches
Processor - Intel Core i3
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 128GB

Chromebooks tend to be the better choice in this price range as they offer better value for money and get stronger performance from relatively cheaper components. Nevertheless, I think this Asus Vivobook 14 is a surprisingly good low-cost Windows device. It has a fairly low-end spec, but you still get 8GB of RAM and an Intel i3 processor, which are enough to cover the basics. That includes just general everyday use, word processing, streaming shows, web browsing, video calls, or answering emails.

Display - 15.6 inches
Processor - AMD Ryzen 5
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 256GB

One of the best cheap laptops in Best Buy's 4th of July sale is this Lenovo IdeaPad 1 with an AMD Ryzen 5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a reasonable 256GB SSD that all work together to ensure good overall performance and enough essential speedy storage for the price. Even though I've seen a similar spec for under $300 in the past, I still recommend it now if you're on a budget and need a laptop for general everyday use, admin tasks, light work, or schoolwork.

Display - 14 inches
Processor - Intel Core 5
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 512GB

This is a good price for a mid-range 2-in-1 laptop from HP that features several modern components that ensure good overall performance. The fact that there's only 8GB of RAM is a bit of a downside, but this laptop is still capable of keeping up with light everyday tasks and general schoolwork – just expect a small performance dip if you're multitasking or like having dozens of tabs open at once. Still, you can expect a competent machine, and having the flexibility to flip it around to a tablet is nice to have at this price.

Display - 15.6 inches
Processor - AMD Ryzen 7
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 512GB

There's a big saving on this mid-range Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 at Best Buy. It has some older components, but with an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, you have enough power and storage space for everyday use, multitasking and demanding jobs. It's a top buy right now if you have a reasonable budget and need a strong all-purpose laptop for general use, admin tasks, light work, or schoolwork.

Display - 14 inches
Processor - Snapdragon X Plus
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 512GB

This Dell Inspiron 14 is the latest model with a Snapdragon X Plus CPU. Its standout feature is its built-in NPU for supporting Copilot, an optional AI virtual assistant that can help you with anything from grocery shopping to vacation planning and sending emails. This particular model features 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD, which is a good pairing for multitasking and more demanding schoolwork. Overall, it's an impressive $250 saving on a new AI-powered laptop.

Display - 14 inches
Processor - AMD Ryzen AI 5
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 512GB

There's a huge $350 saving on this powerful and versatile HP OmniBook X Flip right now at Best Buy. It offers impressive performance for the price, with powerful components such as a modern AMD Ryzen AI 5 processor, a massive 16GB of RAM and a healthy 512GB SSD for storage. You can comfortably handle everyday tasks, most demanding work, video calls, media streaming and more with this laptop, all with the option to flip it around to a 14-inch touchscreen tablet when the need arises, too.

Display - 13.6 inches
Processor - Apple M2
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 256GB

Newer M3 and M4 models are now available, but this is an unbelievable price for the MacBook Air 13-inch with an M2 chip. Sure, that's an older version, but this is still an incredibly powerful laptop for those needing a premium powerhouse for school and productivity, coding, or creative work. You also get double the amount of RAM at 16GB, although the 256GB of storage feels a little paltry in 2025. Still, we rated it highly in our MacBook Air M2 review, thanks to the stylish design, clear display, impressive performance, and long 18-hour battery life.

Display - 12 inches
Processor - Snapdragon X Plus
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 256GB

Anyone looking for a 2-in-1 laptop that doubles up as a tablet should seriously consider the Microsoft Surface Pro. It's flexible and versatile, and perfect for everyday use, work or all of your productivity needs. This version has a smaller 12-inch display and doesn't include the keyboard cover, which is why it's at a lower price, but it boasts a modern Snapdragon processor and a good amount of RAM, offering solid overall performance and battery life.

Display - 14.5 inches
Processor - Snapdragon X Elite
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 512GB

This Lenovo Yoga 7x model boasts a high-end spec that will blitz through the majority of jobs thanks to its Snapdragon X Elite processor, 16GB of RAM and a large 512GB SSD. It also boasts a lengthy battery life and a gorgeous OLED display for a bright, sharp and clear image. Overall, it's a great pick for work, photo editing and watching some of your favorite shows or movies after a day at school or college.

Display - 15 inches
Processor - Apple M4
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 256GB

It may essentially be just a larger version of the 13-inch MacBook Air, but if that's what you want, then that's what you get – and it's now reduced to its lowest-ever price at Best Buy. Our MacBook Air 15-inch review praised the display, performance and design, calling it an even better version of what was already the best 15-inch laptop you can buy. The jump in size does hurt one of the MacBook Air's key selling points – its portability – but this is still one impressive laptop.

Display - 14 inches
Processor - Apple M3
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 1TB

Best Buy has the last-generation MacBook Pro 14-inch down to a new record-low price right now. It's been replaced by the M4 version, but this older model still boasts a powerful M3 chip, a stunning liquid retina display and an impressive 22 hours of battery life. We awarded this complete creative workstation 4.5 stars out of five in our MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3) review, praising the overall performance, elegant design and long-lasting battery.

See more Laptop Deals

James Pickard is a Deals Editor at TechRadar. After many years of scouring the net for the cheapest games and tech for his personal use, he decided to make it his job to share all the best bargains and coupon codes with you. James also has almost a decade of experience covering some of the biggest sales events of the year at Eurogamer and VG247, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. When not deals hunting or stacking coupon codes to get the biggest savings, James can be found on the PS5, watching a classic film noir or cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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