Image: IDG / Matthew Elliott
Whether you’re thrilled to bits about it or completely lack enthusiasm, back-to-school season is here and ready to roll. Fortunately, back-to-school season means there’s a ton of awesome laptop deals out there. Whether you’re a high school student or a college freshman, if you’re in the market for a laptop, there’s no better time than now to take the plunge.
Dell is currently holding its annual back-to-school sale. And if you happen to buy an eligible laptop, the manufacturer will donate to UNICEF, which helps schools get onto the world wide web. Dell laptops are also known for being well-priced, durable, and luxurious (especially the XPS line). If you’re feeling totally lost, don’t worry, from lightweight 2-in-1s to powerful gaming machines, I’ve assembled a diverse list for you.
If you’re on the hunt for the best-rated laptops, be sure to check out PCWorld’s carefully curated roundup of laptops spanning all purposes and prices points.
Best back-to-school deals on everyday laptops
Sometimes all you need is a basic machine for writing papers and doing research on. If that’s what you’re looking for, you should check out the bulleted list below.
XPS 13 Laptop, Intel Core i5-1230U CPU/Intel Iris Xe graphics/8GB RAM/256GB PCIe NVMe SSD/13.4-inch 1200p display, $649 ($150 off at Dell)Inspiron 16 Laptop, AMD Ryzen 5 7530U CPU/AMD Radeon graphics/8GB RAM/512GB PCIe NVMe SSD/16-inch 1200p display, $499.99 ($200 off at Dell)Inspiron 14 Plus Laptop, Intel Core i7-12700H CPU/Intel Iris Xe graphics/16GB RAM/1TB PCIe NVMe SSD/14-inch 1400p display, $749.99 ($550 off at Dell)
My top pick: The Inspiron 14 Plus Laptop offers a good amount of power for just $749.99. You’re getting an Intel Core i7-12700H CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage. That means it’s capable of handling office work as well as day-to-day tasks.
Best back-to-school deals on gaming laptops
If you need a little extra firepower in the graphics department, you should consider picking up a gaming laptop. The options below are souped-up with powerful hardware as well as spacious high refresh-rate screens. This is important, especially when you’re in the middle of an intensive match in which every second matters.
G15 Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i7-13650HX CPU/Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060/16GB RAM/1TB PCIe NVMe SSD/15.6-inch 1080p display, $699.99 ($200 off at Dell) G16 Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i7-12700H CPU/Nvidia GeForce 3050 Ti GPU/16GB RAM/512GB PCIe NVMe SSD/16-inch 1600p display, $849.99 ($400 off at Dell) Alienware m18 Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i9-13980HX CPU/Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU/64GB RAM/4TB PCIe NVMe SSD/18-inch 1200p display, $3,799.99 ($500 off at Dell)
My top pick: If you’re after the ultimate gaming experience, then you should definitely check out the Alienware m18. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU is crazy powerful, so you can run any game on the High or Ultra graphics preset. Plus, the 480Hz refresh rate is just plain bananas. That means visuals should be lusciously smooth.
Best back-to-school deals on 2-in-1 laptops
If portability is at the top of your priority list, 2-in-1 laptops are the way to go. They’re generally more lightweight than traditional clamshell laptops and you can swing the screen around 360 degrees. That means you can use it like a tablet or prop it up like a tent for sharing information.
Inspiron 16 2-in-1 Laptop, AMD Ryzen 5 7530U CPU/AMD Radeon graphics/16GB RAM/512GB PCIe NVMe SSD/16-inch 1200p touch display, $649.99 ($200 off at Dell) Inspiron 14 2-in-1 Laptop, AMD Ryzen 5 7530U CPU/AMD Radeon graphics/8GB RAM/512GB PCIe NVMe SSD/14-inch 1200p touch display, $549.99 ($150 off at Dell)
My top pick: The Inspiron 16 2-in-1 Laptop offers a good amount of power for the price. For just $649.99, you’re getting 512GB of SSD storage and a lovely 1200p touch display. That means you can offload a bunch of files as well as watch your favorite Netflix show on a colorful screen.
FAQ
1.
When does Dell’s back-to-school sale begin?
Dell’s sale is happening right now! There are many laptops that are on sale for up to $400 off. If you can wait, you may want to check back in mid-August. Discounts may drop even lower the closer we get to the beginning of the school year.
2.
When does Dell’s back-to-school sale end?
I don’t have an official end date as of right now, but I suspect the deals will start dropping off sometime in September when the school year begins. Most people are buying their school supplies now, so you might as well strike now while the iron’s hot.
Author: Ashley Biancuzzo, Associate Editor
Ashley is a professional writer and editor with a strong background in tech and pop culture. She has written for high traffic websites such as Polygon, Kotaku, StarWars.com, and Nerdist. In her off time, she enjoys playing video games, reading science fiction novels, and hanging out with her rescue greyhound.
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