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Dell's huge back-to-school sale is live — here are the 6 laptop deals I'd buy for college students, gamers, and working from home

A Dell 14 Plus on a desk
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The official Dell Store has launched a huge 'back to school' themed sale this week, offering some of the best prices we've seen in months on the brand's well-known XPS, Alienware, and affordable laptops.

If you're already thinking ahead to the new semester, then now is a great opportunity to save more than a few bucks on your next machine. I've been scanning through the retailer's sale, and I've found six choices that I think are particularly strong today.

- See all of today's back to school laptop deals at Dell

If you're more of a budget, then the Dell 14 laptop for $699 (was $1229) is one of the best mid-range options I've seen on the market this week. The combination of a Core Ultra 7 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD means that this Windows 11 is perfect for both everyday browsing and intensive applications.

For something a little more premium, you could consider the Dell 14 Plus for $809.99 (was $1,379), or even the Dell XPS 13 for $999 (was $1,499). Both choices are a little pricier than the basic Dell 14 Laptop, but you get a really nice display, design, and in the case of the XPS 13, a super lightweight portable laptop that's perfect for college.

Finally, if you're a gamer, check out Dell's excellent discounts on its Alienware range of premium gaming laptops this week. Options like this RTX 5060 16x Aurora for $1,679 (was $2,697) and this RTX 5070 16x Aurora for $1,879 (was $3,579) might be pricey, but they are packed with the latest components and ready for even the most graphically intensive games.

Today's best deals in the Dell back to school sale

Dell 14 Laptop
Dell 14 Laptop: was $1,229.99 now $699.99 at Dell

Processor: Intel Core 7 150U
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB

Dell's standard laptop series don't tend to be the flashiest machines, but they do offer great bang for the buck. This Dell 14-inch laptop in particular manages to feature a really up-to-date chipset, 16GB of RAM, and a spacious 1TB SSD for a great price thanks to the official Dell Store's back-to-school sale this week.

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Dell 14 Plus Laptop
Dell 14 Plus Laptop: was $1,379.99 now $809.99 at Dell

Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB

The Dell 14 Plus is one of our favorite models from Dell in the past few years. It really surprised us when we reviewed it because it offers great performance and a well-thought-out design at an excellent price. Today's best deal is on this Ryzen 7-equipped configuration, which offers plenty of power in this machine's portable 14-inch form factor.

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Dell XPS 13 Laptop
Dell XPS 13 Laptop: was $1,499.99 now $999.99 at Dell

Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 256V
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB

MacBooks are getting pricier and pricier now, which makes this deal on the rival Dell XPS 13 at the official Dell Store even more compelling this week. The standout feature for the Dell XPS 13 is its stunning lightweight premium design, which is perfect if you need something portable. This is a great price on the Intel-based variant, which provides great battery life, excellent app support, and plenty of power.

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Dell XPS 13 Laptop
Dell XPS 13 Laptop: was $1,399.99 now $1,099.99 at Dell

Processor: Snapdragon X Elite 
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 512GB

One of the best deals on the entire Dell site is undoubtedly this discount on the latest Snapdragon-equipped Dell XPS 13. This stylish and lightweight machine is perfect for those who want battery life and performance in a premium package. This particular configuration also includes 32GB of RAM, which is a very rare thing indeed these days at this price. Note, this is a Snapdragon chipset model, however, so make sure all your obscure apps are supported.

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Alienware 16X Aurora Gaming Laptop
Alienware 16X Aurora Gaming Laptop: was $2,679.99 now $1,679.99 at Dell

Graphics card: RTX 5060
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9-275HX
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB

This RTX 5060-equipped Alienware 16x is one of my favorite gaming laptop deals available at Dell today. It's definitely on the pricey end for a machine with a mid-range RTX 5060 graphics card, but you don't skimp out on the storage, chipset, or RAM here - unlike most RTX 5060 listings on the market right now. Expect decent performance here, even if you have to pay a bit for it.

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Alienware 16X Aurora Gaming Laptop
Alienware 16X Aurora Gaming Laptop: was $3,579.99 now $1,879.99 at Dell

Graphics card: RTX 5070
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9-275HX
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB

Looking for the ultimate gaming laptop for college? This Alienware 16X is a fantastic choice. An excellent design paired with some high-end components makes this one a desirable buy. Sure, it is expensive, but you do get the combination of an RTX 5070 graphics card and Ultra 9 chipset here, meaning you'll easily be able to play all the latest games smoothly with this machine.

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Alex Whitelock
Retail Editor

Alex is TechRadar's retail editor, specializing in buying advice and general tips on how to save our readers as much cash as possible. He's covered major retail events in some capacity for over seven years now; both in editorial and other ecommerce adjacent roles on TechRadar, T3, GamesRadar, and other Future PLC sites. Alex's expertise touches on most areas, but he has a particular love for phones, laptops, and cameras, being an avid photographer.