Searching for the best laptops and best gaming laptops can be quite an arduous task, as there are so many models and makes to choose from. And that’s not even factoring in pricing, which can make or break an otherwise perfect fit for the more budget-minded buyers. However, there’s an easy fix to this predicament, ensuring that you’ll get the best-priced laptop no matter what kind you need.
Like most other industries, the tech industry has a clear cycle of pricing, which tends to ebb and flow based on the time of year as well as when other noteworthy events occur. Laptops naturally follow this timetable, seeing their MSRP adjusted depending on what point in the cycle you make a purchase.
Big sales events, holidays, back to school, and new releases are some of the best times to buy a laptop, as you’ll tend to see the steepest price drops at these points.
Big sales events
In order to drive sales and clear out inventory at regular yearly intervals, retailers will hold big sales events that offer deep discounts, and this is especially true for laptops as the annual nature of their releases requires older models to be constantly cleared out.
Manufacturers also tend to hold sales events at various times of the year for the same reasons, in order to ensure they’re carrying only the latest (and priciest) products in time for new releases.
One of the biggest ones for tech in recent years is Amazon Prime Day (primarily during the summer months). In fact, this one has become so popular that other major retailers like Best Buy and Walmart have begun to hold their own unofficial sales events during the same time to compete.
Holidays
There are plenty of holidays throughout the year and, due to their nature of encouraging extra spending, it’s the perfect time to host a massive sale in order to both drive foot traffic and clear out older inventory before new product launches. Some of the biggest holiday sales events in the US include Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day, as well as last-minute sales just before Christmas.
Black Friday, which over the years has extended into a full-blown holiday season on its own, is most likely the best time to invest in a new laptop. The combination of Christmas approaching with newer models already having launched by this point means that retailers are guaranteed to find buyers looking for the best laptop deals in the market.
Back to school/End-of-summer
This is another excellent time to invest in a new laptop purchase, especially for the best Chromebooks and the best student laptops, which tend to be machines more geared toward productivity and school work. Older models tend to be steeply discounted during this period in the summer — which lasts from early July to the beginning of September in the US — and you can sometimes find newer models for cheaper prices.
Sometimes you can even get lucky enough to snag a gaming laptop, mainly when a retailer has too much stock and it’s not moving fast enough. It’ll be most likely marketed as a gaming rig that’s more family-friendly — easy to use with well-balanced specs that means it can double as a work machine.
New releases
Though this can differ depending on how much older stock is around, new laptop announcements and releases can often be followed by sharp decreases in prices for older models in preparation for the upcoming new stock. While this often happens with third-party retailers, it tends to be more common with manufacturers themselves, as discounts encourage patronage and put eyes on new products.
Apple is one of the most famous brands to do this, even going so far as to announce immediate discounts on previous-gen models when new models drop on its website. And right after that, retailers will often follow with their own deep price cuts to compete with Apple and clear out inventory.
Right after CES — one of the largest tech events of the year — is also a prime time to purchase a new laptop, as that’s when most new laptops are revealed. CES always falls in early January, and discounts not only clear inventory in preparation for new product launches starting in March but also put eyes on those retailers for when they receive those new products.
How we determine the best time to buy a laptop
At TechRadar, we pride ourselves on oun vast knowledge and experience with technology, especially when it comes to laptops. As such, we also know the best retailers where you can purchase laptops in terms of variety, stock, and product quality. This also means we’re able to make informed decisions on when the best times to purchase laptops are, as we’re reporting on those same deals as they occur throughout the year.
As such, you can trust our recommendations and that following them will net you the best results possible when on the hunt for that perfect portable machine.
