Amazon's October Prime Day has arrived, and with it, a host of laptop deals to wade through. I test laptops and watch deals all year round so that I can decipher which deals are worth springing for—and which should be skipped. There are lots of great discounts in this year's October event, also known as Amazon Big Deal Days, just in time for the holiday shopping season. And because most of the new laptops won't get announced or launched until 2026, I'm seeing some deeper discounts on some of the best laptops I reviewed in 2025.
The Prime Day laptop deals I've found include some solid discounts on the best MacBooks, the best cheap laptops, the best gaming laptops, the best 2-in-1s, and the best Chromebooks. If none of the options below work for you, make sure to read our in-depth How to Choose the Right Laptop guide for all the specs and other info you might need to make an informed buying decision.
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The Best MacBook Deal
The MacBook Air has been excellent for the past few years, but in the latest M4 generation, it's truly better than ever. The performance, battery life, keyboard, and display are all still top notch, and that hasn't changed. The GPU performance in particular took a big step up over the M3 chip. That alone would be reason enough to justify buying a MacBook Air (9/10, WIRED Recommends), but there's a few real improvements in this year's model that take it even further. It got a webcam upgrade, for one, up from a standard 1080p to a 12-megapixel with features like Center Stage and Desk View.
My favorite new feature, though, is the extra external display support. The M4 MacBook Air can now handle up to two external 4K displays at 144 Hz, making it even better at handling a multi-monitor home workstation setup.
A Strong Windows Alternative
When people ask me what the “best” Windows laptop is, my mind goes first to the Surface Laptop. Of course, it'll depend on what your needs are, which is why the Windows ecosystem is so diverse. But the Surface Laptop (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is perfect for what the average person needs, covering the same ground as the MacBook Air. It's thin and light, has a premium design and build—and most importantly—gets great battery life. This is an area the Surface Laptop struggled with in the past, but no more. My favorite aspect of the Surface Laptop has to be the 3:2 aspect ratio screen, paired with the fast 120 Hz refresh rate. That's something not even the MacBook Air has.
And while I wouldn't have minded some more ports, I also appreciate the inclusion of a USB-A port, which prevents me from relying too much on dongles or adapters. It might have come out in 2024, but we likely won't get a newer model that uses the Snapdragon X2 Elite for six months or so, meaning the Surface Laptop remains a good buy—especially at this discounted price.
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