Image: Alienware, Dell, LG, Lenovo
Memorial Day is right up ahead and there are some impressive deals mixed in with the weaker ones. No worries, though, because I’ve gone through and found the most bang-for-your-buck deals across five categories: budget, portable, gaming, premium, and productivity.
Deals at a glance:
- Best budget laptop deal: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x for $599.99 (now $370 off — was $969.99)
- Best portable laptop deal: LG gram Max 17 for $1,299.99 (now $300 off — was $1,599.99)
- Best gaming laptop deal: Alienware 16 Aurora for $1,069.97 (now $490 off — was $1,559.97)
- Best premium laptop deal: Lenovo Legion Pro 7i for $2,599.99 (now $1,650 off — was $4,249.99)
- Best productivity laptop deal: Dell 14 Plus for $1,299.99 (now $290 off — was $1,589.99)
Best budget laptop deal: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x for $599.99 ($370 off)
IDG / Chris Hoffman
Who is this for? Lenovo’s IdeaPad Slim 3x is the perfect pick for students and budget-conscious professionals who prioritize battery life, portability, and everyday responsiveness. It has 16GB of memory, which is the minimum we recommend for a good Windows 11 experience, and in our review it lasted over 16 hours on a charge thanks to its power-efficient Snapdragon X CPU.
Why is this deal good? You’d be hard-pressed to find a $600 laptop with 16GB of RAM right now thanks to the ongoing global RAM shortage, let alone one that also grants all-day Snapdragon battery life. The trade-off here is that the RAM is soldered to the motherboard, so you won’t be able to replace or upgrade it later. The 512GB SSD is also a nice get, as you’re normally stuck with just 256GB in the budget tier.
Get the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x for $599.99
Best portable laptop deal: LG gram Max 17 for $1,299.99 ($300 off)
LG
Who is this for? The LG gram Max 17 is ideal for on-the-go users who need a lot of screen real estate combined with extreme portability and quiet operation. Despite a massive 17-inch 2560×1600 screen, it only weighs 3.39 pounds so it’s easy to lug around. That resolution is great for multitasking apps and navigating large spreadsheets—it’s spacious and comfortable, perfect for travel and portable work.
Why is this deal good? This laptop packs powerful hardware, including an Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. It lacks a discrete GPU, but that’s okay because this isn’t a gamer’s laptop. Between the hardware and the ultra-portable screen-size-to-weight ratio, the LG gram Max 17 is the kind of laptop that demands $1,500+. At this deal price, it’s a steal as long as you won’t be doing hard gaming.
Get the LG gram Max 17 for $1,299.99
Best gaming laptop deal: Alienware 16 Aurora for $1,069.97 ($490 off)
IDG / Chris Hoffman
Who is this for? The Alienware 16 Aurora is an excellent entry-level gaming laptop for the budget-conscious. It’s equipped with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 for discrete power and DLSS features, though note it’s the entry-level option for an RTX 50-series card. If you’re mainly playing older games, esports games, or single-player games at 1080p, this laptop offers good performance at this price.
Why is this deal good? While overpriced at retail, the 16 Aurora is a strong buy at $490 off. The 16-inch 120Hz screen lets you make the most of the RTX 5050’s frame rates, and it has a premium build between its anodized aluminum lid and magnesium alloy interior frame. Rounded out with an Intel Core 7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD, it’s not every day you can snag a laptop that feels this good for a grand.
Get the Alienware 16 Aurora for $1,069.97
Best premium laptop deal: Lenovo Legion Pro 7i for $2,599.99 ($1,650 off)
Matt Smith / Foundry
Who is this for? The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is a full-blown desktop PC replacement. The Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, 32GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and RTX 5080 GPU deliver top-end power. But it’s the 16-inch 2560×1600 OLED panel that really seals the deal, providing vibrant graphics whether you’re gaming or watching movies. In our review, we called it the “new king of gaming laptops” and gave it our Editors’ Choice award.
Why is this deal good? You can finally get this hulking desktop replacement of a laptop at an actual desktop PC price. No one was buying it at full retail, but now that it’s $1,650 off, it’s where it should’ve been priced all along. This is about as low as it goes. Get it as long as you’re aware this laptop isn’t portable by any stretch—you’ll need to keep it tethered to power by its massive 400-watt adapter.
Get the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i for $2,599.99
Best productivity laptop deal: Dell 14 Plus for $1,299.99 ($290 off)
Michael Crider/Foundry
Who is this for? The Dell 14 Plus is what you get if you’re in need of power and portability but don’t want to settle for bottom-tier budget options. Great for students and remote workers, this laptop’s Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU and 32GB of RAM are faster than what you’d find in the under-$1,000 category. It’s a reliable everyday machine that’s also portable enough to take to coffee shops and libraries.
Why is this deal good? On top of the performance hardware, you’re also getting all-day battery life, a super-crisp 14-inch 2560×1600 screen, strong connectivity like Wi-Fi 7 and Thunderbolt 4, and an all-aluminum chassis that feels premium and provides protection while traveling. While it isn’t the best for gaming or resource-intensive tasks like video editing, it’s a lot more than you can ask for at $1,300.
Get the Dell 14 Plus for $1,299.99
Author: Gabriela Vatu, Deals Editor, PCWorld
Gabriela has focused on tech writing for 12 years, covering news, reviews, buying guides, deals, and more. She has bylines in numerous consumer tech publications, including PCWorld, Macworld, PCMag, IGN, MakeUseOf, XDA, Android Police, and Pocket-lint.
