The best laptop deals in May 2024

A HP laptop, Microsoft Surface laptop and Asus Chromebook on an orange background

We've searched through all the latest offers to bring you our hand-picked selection of the best laptop deals. You'll find everything from entry-level Chromebooks for basic use and schoolwork to high-performance powerhouses for intensive tasks. Let us guide you to the right device that suits your budget and needs from the dozens of offers out there today.

Know that when selecting the best laptop deals we've considered many factors. This includes the price, of course, but also the level of performance you can expect and value for money. Ultimately, we want to ensure you get a capable machine that fits your budget but also meets your needs. 

Many of our picks include the highest-rated brands or models that we've tested here at TechRadar or feature in our best laptops guide, so you can be sure you're getting a quality device. And where we haven't had hands-on experience, we've looked at other expert reviews, user feedback and our knowledge of a brand's previous models to ensure only the best laptop deals make it onto this page.

The selection of offers is more limited right now but I've still managed to gather up several good laptop deals from stores such as Amazon and Currys. I'll add any more I come across shortly. Check out my latest picks below.

Today's best laptop deals - quick links

The best laptop deals in April 2024

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Chromebook: £499.99£289 at Amazon
DisplayProcessor RAM StorageOS

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Chromebook: was £499.99 now £289 at Amazon
Display
- 14 inches
Processor - Intel i5
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 512GB
OS - ChromeOS

💰 The best value laptop deal right now
✅ Outstanding performance for the price
❌ Some older components

This Asus Chromebook Plus offers almost unreal value for money if you need a day-to-day laptop. The Intel i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and large 512GB SSD combine to offer an impressive performance boost while dramatically reducing boot times and load times. The only caveat is that it's a slightly older machine, but at under £300 it's a bargain for school, college and uni, or just as a home laptop for light use and everyday tasks.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3: £521.75£449.99 at AmazonDisplayProcessorRAMStorageOS

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3: was £521.75 now £449.99 at Amazon
Display - 14 inches
Processor - Intel i5
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 512GB
OS - Windows 11

💰 Great price for a capable everyday machine
✅ Good amount of RAM and speedy storage
❌ Older device with a dated processor

Another pick from the Lenovo laptop sale that's currently underway at Amazon is this well-priced mid-range device. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 boasts a solid Intel i5 processor, 16GB of  RAM and a healthy 512GB SSD for storage. Those combined offer great all-around performance that can tackle all day-to-day jobs with ease while comfortably handling video calls and multitasking. It's an older machine and the processor is a last-generation version but it's undeniable that you get a lot for your money.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9: £1,099£799 at Amazon
DisplayProcessorRAMStorageOS

Microsoft Surface Pro 9: was £1,099 now £799 at Amazon
Display
- 13 inches
Processor - Intel i5
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 256GB
OS - Windows 11

💰 A record-low price for this device
✅ Flexible and versatile tablet-laptop hybrid
❌ No keyboard cover included

A huge £300 saving is available on this Surface Pro 9 at Amazon, dropping the flexible and versatile tablet-laptop hybrid back down to its cheapest price yet. The specifications are decent, too, including a crisp 13-inch touchscreen, a solid mid-range Intel i5 processor, and a reasonable 8GB of RAM. Storage is a little disappointing at 256GB (we would've liked 512GB at this price point), but it's enough for all of your essential files and applications. It's a smart buy for business or on-the-go use, but do note that you will need to buy the handy and near-essential Keyboard Cover separately.

HP Pavilion SE 14: £279£229 at Currys
DisplayProcessor RAMStorageOS

HP Pavilion SE 14: was £279 now £229 at Currys
Display
- 14 inches
Processor - Intel N200
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 128GB
OS - Windows 11 S Mode

💰 Cheap laptop with 8GB of RAM
✅ Good as a basic Windows machine
❌ Very weak processor

We usually expect to spend around £300 on a Windows laptop with 8GB of RAM so that it can keep up with modern day needs, so this HP Pavilion SE 14 that offers it for closer to £200 has caught our eye. Of course, compromises have been made elsewhere to reach this benchmark with its cheap and cheerful processor. However, if you have a small budget to spend on a device for day-to-day use, admin jobs, web browsing, light work and watching videos, this will suffice. It offers everything you need without breaking the bank, though consider the cheaper Chromebook above if you don't need Windows.

Acer Aspire 3: £699£599 at Amazon
DisplayProcessorRAMStorageOS

Acer Aspire 3: was £699 now £599 at Amazon
Display
- 15.6 inches
Processor - Intel i7
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 512GB
OS - Windows 11

💰 Good value high-end laptop
✅ Lots of high-performance components
❌ Poor webcam and some dated parts

This Acer Aspire 3 is an excellent value high-end laptop for those with a decent budget who need an all-around device. You get a solid and well-performing laptop for the money thanks to the Intel i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a large 512GB SSD. Get it if you need a device to keep up with all your computing needs: be that work, browsing, media streaming, video calls, or multitasking between many of the above at once.

Where to find the best laptop deals

  • Amazon: retail giant is often the cheapest in the UK
  • AO: lots of cheap laptops at this growing electronics specialist
  • Apple: MacBooks aren't exactly cheap, but they're excellent workstations
  • Argos: home delivery or pick up a cheap laptop locally today
  • Box: another specialist store with some of the best discounts we've seen
  • Currys: the retailer that's seemingly always having a laptop sale
  • Dell: get a great laptop deal direct from Dell
  • eBuyer: the UK computing specialists have some great promotions
  • John Lewis: get an extra 20% off select laptops and MacBooks
  • Laptops Direct: specialist UK store has a huge selection of laptop deals
  • Very: regular sales with significant discounts on laptops

Laptop deals: our buying advice

How we choose the best laptop deals

It all comes down to what's included in the price. We've been tracking all the best laptop deals for a number of years now, so we have a solid idea of what level of performance and components you can get for your money. Using that as a baseline, we can pick out the treasures from the trash.

We also take into consideration what you might need a laptop for based on the money you have to spend. So, if it's just a basic device for some light work, general browsing and media streaming, there's no point recommending a £1,000 laptop as it would be completely unnecessary. Instead, we look at devices between £100 - £300 that could handle those tasks and recommend some laptop deals accordingly.

However, if there's a particularly good reason to spend a little extra money (maybe for some extra performance-boosting RAM or a healthy storage upgrade) then we'll mention that too for your consideration. Sometimes it's worth that investment to better future-proof yourself and end up with a noticeably better device.

Our search takes us across all the major and specialist retailers, so you can be sure we've taken a comprehensive look across the web to pick out the best laptop deals. All the laptops you see here are hand-picked and judged by a real human, too, so each one is given a proper and detailed assessment before it gets added.

Laptop deals: our top buying tips

Some laptop deals can often lure you in with a sub-£200 price tag, but unless you're picking up a Chromebook you're unlikely to get your money's worth with these particular models. 

Chromebooks run on the slim Chrome OS, which means they do not need as expensive components to offer a decent level of performance for everyday tasks such as browsing, sending email, light work and watching videos. That means you will regularly find cheap laptops under £200 that are well worth your cash - provided you're picking one up with these capabilities in mind. 

These kinds of budget laptops are regularly found on sale, but every now and then we do spot savings that offer mid-range specs for entry-level prices. 

If there's a laptop deal available between £300 - £400 with 8GB of RAM then we consider that a top offer. It's rare to get this useful performance boost at such a reasonable price, so snap that up if you like your machine to have a little more horsepower to handle multitasking and more demanding work.

As we get to the upper end of £600 or more, you're looking at some premium devices here with top-of-the-line components. You can still get some solid everyday machines here that are reasonably affordable for a lot of power. 

As prices go up, though, we're into the region of creative workstations such as the MacBook, Dell XPS 13 and Asus VivoBook Pro. Offers on these are actually fairly regular, just don't expect to see mega discounts of more than around £100 - £200.

Want more laptop deals?

If want to get into some more specific choices, you can check out all the cheap Chromebooks available right now, while Apple fans might be interested in our MacBook deals page. And then there are all the cheap gaming laptop deals available today if you're after something with a bit more power.

James Pickard
Senior Deals Editor

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.