We’re just under one week away from the official kick-off date for this year’s Labor Day laptop sales but we’re already seeing a ton of juicy early bird deals being offered by leading retailers. Dell, HP, Best Buy, and Walmart have all launched a ton of great deals already and we’ve got our top picks rounded up just down below.
While we expect plenty more to come, and the official date of this year’s Labor Day sales is not until September 6th, there’s still plenty to check out for a range of budgets. Those looking for a cheap machine for school or college will definitely want to consider Best Buy’s excellent range of sales on Chromebooks, while those looking for something in the mid-range should check out both Dell and HP.
Those retailers are particularly good if you’re wanting a Window’s machine that’s not going to break the bank, but still features the latest 11th generation of Intel Core processors and big SSD capacities. We’ve included full specs breakdowns on each choice just below, alongside savings and what we think these Labor Day laptop sales are best suited for – browsing, work, streaming, and so on.
At the bottom of the article, we’ve also included some information to really help you find the best machine for your requirements, as well as links to the top Labor Day laptop sales retailers – should you want to check out their full listings by yourself.
One last thing – this article is a living list of recommendations and we’ll be updating it regularly with more picks as we spot them. We’d recommend bookmarking this page if you don’t spot something right away and return closer to the Labor Day date. Note, several Dell deals on our list aren’t live just yet, but we’ve included start times if you want to get ready and snag them as soon as they are.
Early Labor Day laptop sales live now
Labor Day laptop sales under $300
Lenovo 14-inch Chromebook 3: $289 $179 at Best Buy
Save $110 – Chromebooks are a great choice if you’re simply looking for a machine that can cover all those basic, browser-based tasks. This 14-inch Lenovo not only features a hefty discount, but a rather sleek aluminum design, Mediatek processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage – specs which are absolutely fantastic for the money here. View Deal
Dell Inspiron 15 3000 laptop: $349.99 $249.99 at Dell
Save $100 – A combination of an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD makes this Dell Inspiron 15 3000 a great inexpensive Windows-based option for casual use and a light spot of work too. For spreadsheets, it’s not the speediest, but for browsing, typing, and shopping it’s more than enough for most users – plus, a big price cut makes it a great value pick.
Starts Sep 6 11AM ESTView Deal
Samsung 15.6-inch Chromebook: $379 $279 at Best Buy
Save $100 – This 15.6-inch Samsung is a really powerful machine for a Chromebook. Specifically, an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD will see you zipping through all those Chrome browser-based tasks in no time and it features a really nice modern aesthetic too. While a bit pricier than some options, a nice discount from Best Buy this week brings it right into budget.View Deal
Gateway 14.1-inch laptop: $499 $279 at Walmart
Save $220 – This 14-inch Gateway at Walmart might not be the sleekest looking laptop on our list, but it’s great bang for the buck if you’re on a budget. A combination of a 10th gen Intel Core i3, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD, make this machine a very capable runner indeed for under $300 – perfect if you want a machine that can handle both work and casual tasks.View Deal
Labor Day laptop sales under $600
Dell Inspiron 15 3000 laptop: $529.99 $391.99 at Dell
Save $138 – You’re bumping up to 8GB of RAM with this Dell Inspiron 15 3000, which also features an 11th gen Intel Core i3 processor and 128GB SSD. This one’s a great little mid-range machine that’s going to be more capable at handling things like big spreadsheets than some of the more basic choices above. While still not high-end, it’s fairly capable and features very recent components.View Deal
HP Laptop 15t: $599.99 $449.99 at HP
Save $150 – HP always makes great value mid-range laptops, case in point – this HP 15T. With an 11th gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more powerful machine in the sub-$500 range right now. The processor and boosted RAM are particularly good here if you need something that’s going to handle multi-tasking applications or a lot of browser tabs running at once. View Deal
Dell Inspiron 15 3000 laptop: $599.99 $479.99 at Dell
Save $120 – While at this price point also consider this Dell Inspiron 15 – which also features an 11th gen Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. Like the HP just above, these mid-range machines are going to be a worthwhile investment if you really need to focus on productivity and also would like a little more space on those drives.
Starts Sep 6 2PM ESTView Deal
HP Pavilion x360 2-in-1 15.6-inch laptop: $749.99 $569.99 at HP
Save $180 – The HP Pavilion x360 range not only features a gorgeous aesthetic, but also a really handy 2-in-1 design that allows you to use it as both a laptop or a tablet. This particular spec is no slouch either with an 11th gen Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD providing plenty of power. Equally capable with casual or work applications, this one’s a great choice if you think you’ll be able to make the most out of that touchscreen design.View Deal
HP Laptop 15t: $749.99 $599.99 at HP
Save $250 – You’ll score an 11th gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD with this upgraded HP 15T laptop – specs that will pretty much handle anything you’ll throw at them, aside intensive gaming. While not quite as slick as a new MacBook or an XPS, this one’s a fantastic choice for a budget machine that’s able to handle music production and hefty design applications.View Deal
Labor Day laptop sales under $1,000
Dell Inspiron 15 3000 laptop: $849.99 $695.79 at Dell
Save $155 – A 512GB SSD, 12GB of RAM, and 11th gen Intel Core i7 processor gives this Dell Inspiron more than enough power for the vast majority of tasks – casual and work. A larger SSD is also particularly handy for storing all that work, media, and other files you may have. View Deal
Dell XPS 13 laptop: $949.99 $749.99 at Dell
Save $200 – Dell’s XPS 13 range of ultrabooks are a great choice if you’re looking for something stylish, powerful, and portable. Such things often come with a price but thankfully this entry-level spec is coming with a huge discount right now. An 11th gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD makes this one a great option for productivity on the go.
Starts Sep 6 5PM ESTView Deal
Dell Inspiron 15 Touch laptop: $1,049.99 $783.99 at Dell
Save $266 – While not quite as premium as the XPS 13 above when it comes to design, this 15.6-inch touchscreen Inspiron easily has it beat on power. An AMD Ryzen 7-5700U processor, 16GB of RAM, and whopping 1TB SSD makes this Inspiron one specced-out machine indeed – perfect for design work or heavy multitasking.View Deal
HP Envy x360 touch-screen laptop: $1,119.99 $949.99 at HP
Save $160 – Another heavily discounted premium touch-screen laptop in the Labor Day sales is this HP Envy x360. An 11th gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD means you’re getting plenty of power here alongside that rather sleek aesthetic. Also available is HP’s ‘customize before you buy’ feature, which allows you to upgrade this machine even further. View Deal
Apple MacBook Air (2020, M1): $999 $949 at Amazon
Save $50 – No roundup of laptop deals would be complete without the excellent Apple MacBook Air M1 – our current top rated laptop for 2021 here at TechRadar. This latest generation features 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and that incredibly powerful M1 chip inside giving it plenty of grunt despite its size and relative lightweight. Note, this is currently the cheapest price right now on this machine but we wouldn’t rule out a further $100 price cut on Labor Day since $849 is a price we’ve seen before. View Deal
Labor Day laptop sales: FAQ
Is Labor Day a good time to buy a laptop?
The Labor Day laptop sales are shaping up to be a great opportunity to bag a good deal on a laptop. In the past, the event’s generally been associated with ‘end-of-summer’ sales but in recent year’s it’s tended to be a lot more online-focused. It also coincides with the larger ‘Back to school’ period, of which laptops are a major component.
Labor Day also happens to be the last big sales event of the year before the more well-known Black Friday and Cyber Monday events roll around in late November. If you’re not looking to wait that long, then Labor Day laptop sales are definitely going to be worth considering.
Who has the best Labor Day laptop sales?
Amazon – excellent for sales on Apple MacBooks, plus Acer, Asus, Lenovo
Best Buy – great cheap Chromebooks and gaming laptop deals
Walmart – exclusive Gateway mid-range machines and cheap Chromebooks
Dell – XPS 13 sales, plus exceptional mid-range machines for work
HP – inexpensive touch-screen laptops, Chromebooks, mid-range laptops
Lenovo – ThinkPad business laptops, plus great Chromebook options
The best online retailers for Labor Day laptop sales are Dell, HP, Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart, although the best one is going to depend heavily on what you’re looking for exactly.
If you’re strictly on a budget, then Best Buy and Walmart will have great sales on cheap Chromebooks and Windows laptops to consider in the $150 to $300 range. These are going to be perfect if you’re looking for a machine for schoolwork or browser-based basics.
For those looking to spend a bit more, then Dell and HP offer really great own-brand mid-range workhorse laptops sold directly through their sites. Both brands also have excellent premium Windows laptops like the Dell XPS and HP Spectre, which often see big price cuts over sales events like Labor Day.
Finally, if you’re looking for Apple MacBook sales, then Amazon is probably going to be your destination for Labor Day laptop deals. This retailer has been offering the lowest prices all year round on the latest M1 machines and hopefully we’ll see some particularly good discounts on Labor Day.
Labor Day laptop sales: buyers tips
First thing’s first, we’d recommend setting yourself an upper limit for your budget right off the bat before considering any Labor Day laptop sales. If you’re looking for a machine for simply the basics like schoolwork or browser tasks, then a Chromebook or basics Windows laptop of around $300 should suffice. For more intensive applications like everyday work use, we’d recommend bumping that budget up to around $550 for a machine with the latest 11th gen Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5-5000 series processors. For niche power-uses like design work, music production, or gaming, then you’ll absolutely benefit from bumping that budget all the way up to around $1,000. Gaming laptops especially benefit from spending a bit more to secure those speedy RTX 3000 series graphics cards.
One other tip we have is to watch out for clearance on older machines. Amazon and Walmart in particular are full of third-party sellers trying to clear out old laptops featuring components that are several generations old. While many of these laptops can get the job done, as a rule of thumb we’d recommend going for the latest components if possible as you’ll get better mileage in the long run.
Shop all the latest Best Buy Labor Day sales, or check out all the best Lowe’s Labor Day sales.