I review laptops for a living — these are the 3 Prime Day deals to look for

Need a new laptop? Good news: Amazon Prime Day is just around the corner. Now is the perfect time to save on a laptop that could last you for years to come.

Of course when shopping for the best laptops there are several things to keep in mind. For most, the key factors are size, performance and battery life, along with design.  

I’ve reviewed many laptops for Tom’s Guide and have a knack for suggesting ideal notebooks for different users. Below are three of my personal recommendations for laptop deals to look out for during Prime Day, along with 3 cheaper alternatives.

Note that while some of these notebooks’ prices haven’t been reduced yet, it’s possible we’ll see price drops during the proper Prime Day event. These are hot items to bookmark and keep an eye on, if they suit your needs.

Without further delay, here are 3 awesome laptop deals to watch out for.

The 3 Prime Day laptop deals to look for

MacBook Air 15-inch M2 

The MacBook Air 15-inch M2 might be a bigger version of the 13-inch MacBook Air M2 but it’s arguably the best 15-inch laptop for the money and certainly one of the best MacBooks released. Like its smaller sibling, the MacBook Air 15-inch packs the powerful Apple M2 chip, a gorgeous Liquid Retina display and the sleek design introduced with the MacBook Pro line in 2021. Though it’s not as powerful as those Pro laptops, the 15-inch MacBook Air packs enough punch for most people. Despite its larger size, this is still one of the lightest and thinnest laptops out there.

Dell XPS 15 (2022)

The Dell XPS 15 OLED (2023) is currently available but last year’s model is still a great purchase for anyone looking for one of the best Windows laptops out there. I used the Dell XPS 15 OLED (2022) as my primary work laptop for most of 2022 and well into this year because of its powerful performance and overall usability. Thanks to its 12th Gen Intel Core CPU, Nvidia 30-series GPU and 15-inch 3.5K OLED touch display, last year’s Dell XPS 15 is still a winner.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 

Last year’s Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 tops our best gaming laptops list for a reason. This model has a better, brighter screen than its predecessor, with good speakers and an AMD CPU/Nvidia GPU combo that delivers solid gaming performance. It also sports a built-in webcam, something earlier models lacked. Though the webcam isn’t great and this laptop doesn’t last long on a single charge, its gaming performance is overall good.

3 more Prime Day laptop deals to watch

MacBook Air M1 

While the two M2-powered MacBook Air laptops are the latest (and greatest) Airs available, the humble MacBook Air M1 is still a solid laptop for folks looking to get into the Apple ecosystem without breaking the bank. Sure, it still has the old wedge shape we’ve known for years, but Apple silicon gives it plenty of power and battery life, making it one of the best 13-inch laptops out there. 

Asus Zenbook 13 OLED 

It’s not the latest and greatest, but this older model of Zenbook is still an all-around great deal for those who want a light and reliable laptop for work. At $800 you might worry that you’re sacrificing performance, battery life or build quality, but we can report that you have nothing to worry about. While there are a few drawbacks, overall this Asus Zenbook 13 OLED is an excellent laptop that should stand you in good stead for both work and play.

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Gaming

If you’re looking for a super affordable gaming laptop with decent specs, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Gaming is the way to go. This model packs a 15.6-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) 120Hz display, an AMD Ryzen 5 6600H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 laptop GPU, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. 

Despite its modest specs, you should be able to run games like Doom Eternal at low- to mid-tier graphics settings without too much of an issue on this Lenovo. The 120Hz refresh rate should deliver a smooth experience. 

If you’re looking for even more deal recommendations, check out our guide to the best Prime Day laptop deals!

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