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The best laptop deals for March 2024: Apple's new M3 MacBook Air is already on sale

Save up to $700 when you upgrade to a new PC.
By Haley Henschel  on 
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a close-up of a person typing on a keyboard next to a closed m3 apple macbook air that's hooked up to two external displays
The new 13-inch Apple MacBook Air, which features dual-display support, is one of four laptops we strongly recommend buying this week. Credit: Apple

UPDATE: Mar. 9, 2024, 5:00 a.m. EST This story has been updated with new laptop deals, pricing, and availability.

This week's best laptop deals at a glance:
Best laptop deal under $300
Dell Inspiron 15 (3520)
$279.99 at Dell.com (save $100)
a Dell Inspiron 15 3520 with a green screensaver
Best laptop deal under $600
HP Pavilion Laptop 15t-eg300
$449.99 at HP.com (save $450)
the HP Pavilion Laptop 15t-eg300 with a blue abstract screensaver
Best laptop deal under $900
Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i
$799.99 at Lenovo.com (save $700)
the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i with a menu open on its desktop
Best laptop deal under $1,200
Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch
$1,049 at Best Buy (save $50 with My Best Buy Plus membership)
the 13-inch m3 apple macbook air with a blue abstract screensaver

A new laptop is almost always a splurge, but keeping your eyes peeled for deals can make it much easier to pull the plug on an upgrade. The good news is that you've got options at a variety of price points via Best Buy, Amazon, and beyond, whether you're looking for an everyday workhorse, a cheap Chromebook for homework, a 2-in-1 Windows PC for drawing, or a powerful premium gaming laptop. Read on for our running list of the best laptop deals as of March 9. (And if you don't see any models that check all the boxes on your spec wish list, come back soon: We add new picks every other week.)

Best laptop deals under $300

a Dell Inspiron 15 3520 with a green screensaver
Credit: Dell
Our pick: Dell Inspiron 15 (3520)
$279.99 at Dell.com
$379.99 Save $100.00

Why we like it

This Dell laptop features a 12th-generation (2022) Intel Core i3 CPU, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and a 15.6-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It's nothing spectacular and a little outdated, but this is a spec sheet we rarely see at this price point: Most cheap, entry-level PCs under $300 have dinky discontinued Intel Pentium/Celeron CPUs, 4GB of RAM, pokier eMMC flash storage that maxes out at 128GB, and 60Hz refresh rates. (Hell, even some nicer laptops don't have 120Hz refresh rates — M3 Apple MacBook Air included!) It's marked down to $279.99, which is a $100 discount that makes it $50 cheaper than its 256GB counterpart.

More laptop deals under $300

Traditional laptops

Chromebooks

Best laptop deals under $600

the HP Pavilion Laptop 15t-eg300 with a blue abstract screensaver
Credit: HP
Our pick: HP Pavilion Laptop 15t-eg300
$449.99 at HP.com
$899.99 Save $450.00

Why we like it

We'd be miffed if we had to pay full price for this mid-range model from HP's Pavilion series, which has a lousy 720p webcam and a non-backlit keyboard. But at $449.99 — a massive 50% discount it's received as one of HP's weekly online doorbusters — it's a fantastic buy for bargain hunters who want a competent big-screener. It features a Full HD display, Bang & Olufsen audio, a 13th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of storage.

More laptop deals under $600

Traditional laptops

2-in-1 laptops

Chromebooks

Best laptop deals under $900

the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i with a menu open on its desktop
Credit: Lenovo
Our pick: Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i
$799.99 at Lenovo.com
$1,499.99 Save $700.00

Why we like it

Lenovo updated its 16-inch IdeaPad Pro 5i late last year, and the price of its predecessor has dropped by 46% in its wake. It packs a 13th-gen Intel Core i5 H-series processor with 16GB of RAM and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics, making it fully capable of desktop-level multitasking power for content creation and gaming. It also comes equipped with an 1080p webcam, a backlit keyboard, and a punchy 120Hz display. This would make a solid, budget-friendlier alternative to Apple's MacBook Pros.

More laptop deals under $900

Traditional laptops

2-in-1 laptops

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Gaming laptops

Laptop deals under $1,200

the 13-inch m3 apple macbook air with a blue abstract screensaver
Credit: Apple
Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch
$1,049.00 at Best Buy with My Best Buy Plus membership
$1,099.00 Save $50.00

Why we like it

At less than a week old, the new 13-inch Apple MacBook Air already has its first discount at Best Buy. (The only catch is that it's paywalled behind a My Best Buy Plus membership, which will cost you $49.99/year; that unlocks additional perks like free two-day shipping and extended return windows.) While it may look like a replica of its M2 predecessor from 2022, it features a speedier next-gen M3 processor and new closed-lid support for two external displays as well as WiFi 6E. Its 15-inch counterpart, which has two extra speakers, is our favorite MacBook for most people.

More laptop deals under $1,200

Traditional laptops

2-in-1 laptops

Gaming laptops

Topics Apple Dell HP Lenovo Microsoft Samsung

Frequently Asked Questions

There are several times throughout the year when we see extra-low prices on laptops:

  • Around Amazon Prime Day and its fall counterpart (which typically happen in July and October, respectively)

  • During back-to-school sales in July and August (which come to a head over Labor Day weekend)

  • When retailers' Black Friday and holiday deals are in full swing from October to December

  • Whenever manufacturers unveil next-generation models

Best Buy tends to be the best major retailer for laptop deals, followed by Amazon and Walmart. That said, all three sell a lot of discontinued models and often inflate original list prices, making their deals look better than they actually are. (Amazon and Walmart are also rife with sketchy listings from third-party sellers outside of major shopping holidays like Black Friday.) As such, we always cross-check model numbers and prices with manufacturers' direct websites and look for deals there, too.

We're partial to Acer, Apple, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, LG, Microsoft, MSI, Razer, and Samsung. They're reputable brands that typically tick most (or all) of the right boxes when it comes to innovative features, durable build quality, and overall value.

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Haley Henschel
Senior Shopping Reporter

Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.

Haley received a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and honed her sifting and winnowing skills at The Daily Cardinal. She previously covered politics for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, investigated exotic pet ownership for Wisconsin Watch, and blogged for some of your favorite reality stars.

In her free time, Haley enjoys playing video games, drawing, taking walks on Lake Michigan, and spending time with her parrot (Melon) and dog (Pierogi). She really, really wants to get back into horseback riding. You can follow her on X at @haleyhenschel or reach her via email at [email protected].

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