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Back to school deals 2023 : Laptops, tablets, monitors and more

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Back to school deals 2023 : Laptops, tablets, monitors and more

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The best back-to-school savings on tech gear have begun with the first days of August. We’ve hand-picked the best back-to-school deals on laptops, Chomebooks, MacBooks, monitors, and more from top retailers.

Almost every day, we’re reviewing the best back-to-school deals on tech gear from online retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and more, with an eye for what devices students will want to take with them to college, high school, and more. We know from our reviews who makes the best products, and we also identify the best laptop deals for general use. We’ll tell you what to buy and why.

Best back-to-school laptop deals for college

Our back-to-school laptop deals focus mainly on productivity, tending towards 1080p or 1200p displays, or higher. Let’s face it; some college students like to game, so we’ve included a few laptops with discrete GPUs. But powerful gaming laptops might not have long battery life for all-day studying. Consult our list of the best laptops and best laptops for college students for more ideas.

  • HP Pavilion 15, Core i7-1355U/16GB RAM/256GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p display, $599.99 (40% off at HP.com)
  • Dell Inspiron 16 5635, Ryzen 7 7730U/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, 16-inch 2560×1600 display, $840.00 (20% off at Amazon)
  • Dell Inspiron 2-in-1, Core i7-1260P/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, 16-inch 1920×1200 display, $899.99 (28% off at Best Buy)
  • Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6, Core i7-1185G7/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, 14-inch 1200p display, $999.99 (78% off at Lenovo)
  • Asus ZenBook Pro, Intel Core i7-12700H/RTX 3060/16GB RAM/1 TB SSD, 16-inch 3840x2400p OLED display, $1,299.99 (50% off at Newegg)
  • Acer Swift X, Ryzen 7 5800U/RTX 3050Ti/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, 14-inch 1080p, $800.47 (25% off at Amazon)
  • Asus Vivobook 17X, Core i9-13900H/16GB RAM/1 TB SSD/17.3-inch 1080p display, $879.99 (12% off at Amazon)
  • Acer Nitro 5, Core i5-12500H/RTX 3050 Ti/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, 15.5-inch 1080p 144Hz display, $739 (18% off at Amazon)
  • Dell G16 Gaming Laptop, Core i7-12700H/ RTX 3050 Ti/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, 16-inch 2560×1600 165Hz display, $899.99 (28% off at Dell)
  • Asus ROG 16-inch Gaming Laptop, Ryzen 9 6900HS/RTX 3060/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, 16-inch 2560×1600 165Hz display, $1,199.99 (40% off at Best Buy)

We recommend the HP Pavilion 15, the Dell Inspiron 2-in-1, or the Dell Inspiron 16 as the best deals for a general-purpose laptop for now. We’d recommend the Swift X as the best laptop deal for majors who are doing creative work, and the Nitro 5 is probably the best deal on a solid budget gaming laptop.

The ZenBook Pro is a “creator” laptop, optimized for a student in the creative arts. The Acer Swift X isn’t really a gaming laptop per se, but it can power some older games. The Swift X discount also isn’t profound, but the laptop won an Editor’s Choice award. The Dell G16 pushes into gaming territory without spending too much. The Vivobook is also designed for content creation, but without a dedicated GPU.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Yoga (our Gen 7 review is here) is a fantastic machine, but Lenovo is pushing out a two-year-old laptop at a steep discount. We love it, but the CPU isn’t state-of-the-art.

Best back-to-school laptop deals for high school, middle school and elementary school

We’ve grouped some less powerful notebooks in this category. Notebooks from a year or so ago work here, with slightly older and cheaper components.

  • Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, Core i3-1315U/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p display, $399.00 (25% off at B&H)
  • Lenovo Yoga 7i, Core i5-1335U/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, 14-inch 2240×1400 display, $549.99, 35% off at Best Buy)
  • ThinkPad Yoga 11e Gen 5, Celeron N4120/4GB RAM/128GB SSD, 11-inch 768p display, $219.00 (78% off at Lenovo.com)
  • HP 15, Core i5-1135G7/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p, $459.00 (30% off at Amazon)
  • Microsoft Surface Laptop 4, AMD Ryzen 5 4680U/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, 13-inch 2256×1504 display, $699.99 (33% off at Microsoft.com)
  • HP Victus 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop, Ryzen 5 7535HS/RTX 2050/8GB DDR5/512GB SSD, $519.99 (35% off at Best Buy)

Right now we recommend the IdeaPad Slim 3 as ideal for any K-12 student, though high schoolers may be happier with the Yoga 7i instead. The Yoga 7i is a premium Evo laptop, however, on a rare sale. We originally recommended the HP 15, but the other two deals are currently stronger in terms of price and specs. Consider the HP 15 as an alternative.

Lenovo’s Yoga 11e is essentially a Windows-powered Chromebook: cheap, durable (the rubber bumpers are designed for kids) and not every powerful at all. The 768p display isn’t much better, but it’s at a steep discount.

Some of these deals come with caveats that help explain their lower price. The Surface Laptop 4 (review) is last year’s model, and lacks Thunderbolt. The HP Victus is a starter gaming laptop, with a GPU that’s two generations behind. Pay attention to the processor on these deals: we don’t consider an 11th-gen Core processor to be too out of date right now, but it might be two or four years down the road. A Ryzen 7-series processor is AMD’s latest. Not sure whether to buy a laptop or a Chromebook? We can help.

Best back-to-school Chromebook deals

We’ve picked the best back-to-school Chromebook deals for you. Don’t be afraid of buying an older Chromebook, but we’ve considered the trade-off between price and performance in our back-to-school recommendations. Want more ideas? Start with PCWorld’s list of the best Chromebooks.

The short answer: just buy the Lenovo Flex 3, pronto! This has everything that you need: a good processor, enough RAM and storage, a big display, and a Lenovo-made quality keyboard, on a killer deal.

College life generally runs on laptops and not Chromebooks. Chromebooks are still useful for elementary and even middle-school students, though, especially as secondary machines. If you can, prioritize a 1080p screen, 8GB of RAM, and (if possible) a 1080p display when you buy a Chromebook. Chromebooks like the Chromebook 315 may run a trifle slow with just 4GB of RAM.

A $198 Walmart deal seems OK, but the combination of 4GB of RAM and a 15-inch 768p display makes us favor alternatives instead. Target’s Chromebook deals have also been surprisingly disappointing, mostly emphasizing refurbished Chromebooks rather than new models. Avoid this Amazon Asus Chromebook CX1 deal, too, as support runs out in a year’s time. Remember, don’t be fooled by back-to-school trap deals!

We’re not convinced that your child needs a gaming Chromebook, but if you’re willing to spend the extra money the classroom experience and screen will be extremely comfortable to use.

Best back-to-school MacBook deals

MacBook back-to-school sales just aren’t as pronounced as in Windows laptops, though Apple’s stock of older M1 hardware means you can buy an older MacBook at a surprisingly good price — for Apple, that is. That B&H deal, for example, is crazy but the company has continually been tweaking it to adjust the price and discount. Our partners at Macworld recommend the MacBook deal.

MacBooks rarely carry heavy discounts, unfortunately, so snap these up if you can.

Best back-to-school iPad and tablet deals

If students need a tablet for when they go back to school, we think that these suggestions offer the best deals for now. We may see better deals as the season goes on.

Amazon has some small discounts available for back-to-school tablets. We’ve shied away from Amazon’s own Fire tablets only because students will need flexibility to add apps that they may use in school.

Best back-to-school monitor deals

We recommend the Sceptre 24-inch for a run-of-the-mill 1080p display and either the Samsung UJ59 or the Dell display for an upgraded 4K monitor. Both put out sufficient light, but lack high refresh rates or upgraded HDR to save money. The Acer Nitro or the two Samsung displays provide different options.

We’ve (mostly) emphasized 60Hz displays, with a mix of 1080p and 4K. We’ve included a gaming monitor, though, for those willing to spend a little more.

College dorm rooms and lecture halls don’t offer an enormous amount of space for additional monitors, so consider a monitor mount to maximize productivity. Just double-check the weight of each display you’re attaching, as the mounts have weight limits for what they can support.

For even more options, check out our daily monitor deals.

FAQ

1.

When do back-to-school sales begin?

2.

When will back-to-school sales end?

Retailers often won’t tell you when these sales end, though it’s likely they’ll be available into the first week of September. Students may go back to school and find they have the wrong equipment. Prices may change as retailer stock fluctuates.

We’d expect that retailers will try to hold on to their sales until possibly September, though expect the quality and quantity of back-to-school deals to diminish as retailers sell through their available inventory. Carpe diem… or maybe carpe deal. (Sorry.)

3.

When are tax-free weekends scheduled?

Tax-free weekends are run by some U.S. states to encourage shopping, especially for items like back-to-school purchases that usually include computers. (Note: There are some price limits on certain purchases — in New Mexico, for example, PCs must be under $1,000 to qualify for the tax holiday.)

Five states—Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon—never charge sales tax. We’ve listed the states that are scheduling tax-free weekends, as well as a link to the fine print. Virginia has cancelled their tax-free weekend for 2023.

For example, if you live in Arkansas and buy a laptop from Amazon on August 5, you won’t pay sales tax. There are some exceptions that vary by state: In New Mexico, retailers aren’t required to participate. Each state has different exemptions that apply to different products at different price ranges, and these discounts (generally) apply to national retailers. Check the details!

Alabama: July 21-July 23, at midnight. Details.

Arkansas: Aug. 5-Aug. 6, at midnight. Details.

Connecticut: Aug. 20-Aug. 26. Details.

Florida: July 24-Aug. 6. Details.

Iowa: Aug. 4- Aug. 5, at midnight. Details.

Maryland: Aug. 13-Aug. 19, at midnight. Details. (No electronics)

Massachusetts: Aug. 12-Aug. 13. Details.

Mississippi: July 28-July 39, at midnight. Details.

Missouri: Aug. 4-Aug. 6 at midnight. Details.

New Jersey: Aug. 26-Sept. 4. Details.

New Mexico: Aug. 5-Aug. 7, at midnight. Details.

Ohio: Aug. 4-Aug. 6, at midnight. Details. (No electronics)

Oklahoma: Aug. 5-Aug. 7 at midnight. Details. (Very limited.)

South Carolina: Aug. 4-Aug. 6, at midnight. Details.

Tennessee: July 28-30 at midnight. Details.

Texas: Aug. 11-Aug. 13. Details. (No electronics)

4.

PCs vs. Chromebooks: Which is better for school?

We have a lengthy overview of the advantages of Chromebooks versus laptops, but the simple answer to this question is: whatever your school district tells you.

A Chromebook is better for school if your child will be working “online,” meaning in the classroom but on a website that’s authorized by the teacher. A PC is more useful if your child will be using apps, such as Minecraft for Education, or transitioning from elementary school to middle school, or from middle school to high school. The extra flexibility to run apps (and, yes, games) will be appreciated by your child. Colleges and universities almost always ask their students to bring PCs or Macs with them, so a laptop is most appropriate.

5.

What should I look for in a monitor for dorm rooms?

Dorm rooms typically prioritize the efficient use of space, so laptops will be the most typical. Any way that you can use the extra space, though, is useful. A high-resolution display may mean that you can more effectively “fit” more information into the space with smaller fonts. But a monitor mount, like we’ve included in our list of monitors, can clamp on to a desk and allow for a second display, which vastly increases productivity and can also be used to stream video for friends, too. Our back-to-school list of monitors includes both cheap 1080p options as well as 4K displays and even gaming displays for after hours.

Additional reporting by Ashley Biancuzzo. Updated at 10:56 AM on August 4 with updated deals. We’ve also removed expired deals and reconsidered some of our recommendations.

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