This story is part of Amazon Prime Day, CNET’s guide to everything you need to know and how to find the best deals.
Short answer: Yes, if a particular laptop meets your needs and budget, Prime Day is a good time to buy. However, you might not find the exact model and configuration you’re after at a discount. Also, laptops available at the deepest Prime Day discounts can and do sell out.
Should you buy a laptop on Prime Day?
Amazon’s October Prime Day event is going right now, Oct. 11 and Oct. 12, and if you’re shopping for a laptop it’ll be a lot like hunting for a bargain on Black Friday. There are many laptops available at reduced prices.
However, just like with Black Friday, you’re likely to find only a handful of truly awesome deals mixed in with a lot of OK ones and some you should skip regardless of how low the price goes. When it comes to models and configurations, you’re at the mercy of what’s available for sale, too. You might have to compromise on getting your ideal laptop to save some money or spend a little more than you were expecting to ultimately get a better laptop for the price.
Also, a lot of the best Prime Day laptop deals can be had only while supplies last. If you think the laptop you’re considering is the bargain you’ve been waiting for, don’t sleep on it. Before you rush into a purchase, though, check to see the return policy. For laptops sold by Amazon, it’s usually a full refund or replacement within 30 days if returned in its original condition.
Which laptop should I buy on Prime Day?
In past years, Prime Day laptop sales were a mix of old and new models, and I would expect that to be the same for 2022. PC makers have largely updated last year’s models with new processors from Intel and AMD. Combined with chip shortages, there’s a chance we’re going to see more discounts than usual on laptops running older 11th-gen Intel Core-series and AMD Ryzen 5000-series chips.
New laptops that feature 12th-gen Intel Core-series and AMD Ryzen 6000-series processors will be available, too. They can offer a big performance jump from the last-gen laptops. But for budget-conscious buyers, a slightly older laptop might be the best bargain and likely won’t disappoint when it comes to everyday use.
Also, remember that just because something is a great deal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be cheap. For example, Acer will have its Predator Triton 500 SE (PT516-52s-99EL) gaming laptop on sale for Prime Day with a 12th-gen Intel Core i9-12900H processor, the high-performance Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics, a 16-inch display with a 240Hz refresh rate, 32GB of LPDDR5 memory and a 1TB SSD. It’s normally about $3,000 and although it’s not cheap at its reduced $2,500 price for Prime Day, it’s a deal for what you get. On the other hand, Acer is also expected to have its Aspire 5 on sale featuring a 15.6-inch full-HD IPS display, an AMD Ryzen 7 3700U processor, 8GB RAM and a 256GB NVMe SSD. It’s regularly $530, so it’s actually a steal at $140 less: $390.
Regardless of price, I recommend buying only laptops that are listed as sold by Amazon and that ship from Amazon. There are reputable third-party sellers on Amazon, of course, but if you’re unfamiliar with the seller it’s safer to buy directly from Amazon. It also typically means you’re getting the best price for Prime Day.
