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Whether it's for working from home, gaming or studying at uni, now is the time to invest (The Independent )
Black Friday 2020 is nearly here, and some of the biggest bargains can be found on pricier items like laptops.
Whether you've just started uni, are an avid gamer or simply want a better model for working from home, a laptop is always a useful and long-term investment worth splashing out on.
Black Friday always fall ons the day after Thanksgiving, and quickly encompassed the whole weekend and the following Monday too, aka Cyber Monday. More recently, deals have also started the week of Black Friday, and even in some cases, the week before that too.
But this year, Amazon set a new precedent by starting its early bird deals a whole month early. To keep up to date with the best early Amazon Black Friday deals, read our guide. John Lewis & Partners, Very, Argos, Boots, AO, O2, Superdrug and Currys PC World have also started their sales too.
Follow live: Latest early Black Friday deals
With thousands of prices slashed from reliable retailers such as John Lewis & Partners, Argos and Currys, now is the best time to buy a new laptop if yours has seen better days.
We're here to provide a helping hand too, bringing you all the best deals through the sale, to save you searching high and low for the best price.
Read on below for the best Black Friday laptop deals to shop now, along with all the details you need about the big event.
The best Black Friday laptop deals
ASUS Flip C433 14in 2 in 1 Chromebook – Intel Core m3, 64 GB eMMC, Silver: Was £499.99, now £399, Currys PC World
Don't miss out on this great saving of £100 on this ASUS Flip laptop. If you are deliberating between a laptop or a tablet, this ASUS Chromebook is the best of both worlds with a 360 degree keyboard that transforms the device in seconds. Simply flip the keyboard over when you want to watch a film and change it back when work calls. Surf the web using your phones favourite apps, stream your favourite shows and get your work done using your word processors with super-fast loading times due to its powerful intel core processor. With a battery life of up to 10 hours, you don't have to worry about being caught out without a charger.
HP Envy 13-ba0010na laptop: Was £1149.99, now £999.99, John Lewis & Partners
This 13.3in HP laptop has an Intel Core i7 processor, ideal for demanding software, as well as a plentiful 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage capacity, making it the perfect work laptop. With the HP Sure view privacy screen, you don't have to worry about anyone looking over your shoulder while you work in coffee shops and with £150 off, what's not to like?
Acer Swift 5 14in i5 8GB 512GB FHD Touchscreen Laptop: Was £899.99, now £749.99, Argos
Weighing just 990g, this Acer laptop is one of the lightest you'll find, with a HD display and touchscreen for easy navigation between web pages and work presentations. Promising 11 hours of battery life on a full charge and 8GB of RAM, it's perfect for all your working from home needs. The brand has also featured in our review of the best laptops under £250, where our tester praised the Acer CB3-431 chromebook for its good video playback and battery life.
LENOVO C340-11 11.6in 2 in 1 Chromebook: Was £319, Now £219, Currys PC World
It is perfect for everyday tasks like surfing the web or streaming your favourite shows, and thanks to its Intel Celeron processor you don't have to worry about overloading your laptop. There's no need to decide between a laptop and a tablet, when you can have it all with the C340. Simply rotate the keyboard and you can shift it into tablet mode, you can also prop it up into tent mode when watching films in bed.
Samsung Galaxy Book Flex, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 13in, Blue: Was £1349, Now £1149, John Lewis
Save £200 on this stylish and lightweight laptop with a crystal clear QLED screen display. The Samsung flex does not compromise of its specifications; featuring Intel Core I5 processing capabilities so you can run lots of programmes altogether, a huge 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage capacity. The laptop will also integrate with your smart phone for a cohesive life, also included in the price is a worry-free two-year guarantee.
HP Spectre x360 13-aw0053 4K AMOLED Convertible laptop: Was £1799, now £1649, HP
Crafted from a single piece of aluminium with ultimate precision and packed with innovative privacy features, the ultra-compact Spectre x360 is the ideal companion for working safely on the move. Enjoy the high definition, near-borderless display at high speed faster Gigabit Wi-Fi, with a long battery life with fast charge facility. It comes with a Tilt Pen too to elevate your creativity.
ASUS ZenBook UX425JA 14in laptop: Was £699, now £598.89, Currys PC World
A great all-rounder, this laptop has a beautiful looking screen thanks to its frameless NanoEdge display with 90 per cent screen-to-body ratio. A great option for students, the trackpad is also a number pad so you can do quick maths without compromising what's on your screen. With an outstanding battery life of up to 22 hours that only takes less than 50 minutes to charge up to 60 per cent, you won't be caught out with a flat battery.
Samsung Galaxy book, 13in: Was £1249, now £1049, John Lewis & Partners
Save £200 off this sleek Samsung Galaxy book. It has an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage capacity and weighing only 0.97kg, the slimline galaxy is light enough to carry with you everywhere. The clever Powershare function means you can charge your other devices by resting them on the touchpad, so you will never be caught out without any charge. Compatible with smart phones Samsung Dex and Microsoft.
ASUS Chromebook flip C436FA-E10097, 14in: Was £999, Now £799, John Lewis & Partners
Save £199 on the ASUS Chromebook Flip. With its Intel Core i5 processor, is an ideal day to day laptop ideal for surfing the web, word processing and casual gaming. The 14in screen, easily flips so you can use as a tablet, and make use of the full HD touchscreen and included stylus. The laptop also uses Google's Chrome operating system which means your favourite android apps are right at your fingertips through the Google Play Store.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14″ Laptop: Was £749, now £649, Currys PC World
Whether working from home, out and about or using for home entertainment, this slimline laptop is reliable company. Lightweight and with up to 15 hours of battery life, when it eventually does run out you can enjoy a two-hour boost in just 15 minutes. The audio is crisp with Dolby Atmos enhanced sound while the full HD screen allows for sharp visuals. Currently £100 off during Currys Black Friday sales, snap this one up fast.
Huawei Matebook D14 14 inch laptop – grey: Was £699, now £499, AO
This laptop promises a 10-hour battery life, 256GD SSD of storage and a 10th gen Intel Core i5 processor for speedy work, which is ideal as many of us are still working from home. A similar model by the brand, the Huawei MateBook X pro, impressed us in our review of the best high-end laptops too. Our reviewer described it as "a fast and effective performer, especially for something as thin and light as this."
Microsoft Surface laptop 3, 15in: Was £1699, now £1449, John Lewis & Partners
Save £170 on this laptop from Microsoft's coveted Surface range, which won a spot in our review of the best high-end laptops. Our technology critic, David Phelan, called it a "really excellent laptop", adding: "It looks gorgeous, with a light but sturdy aluminium casing and an optional alcantara finish on the bit your palms rest on, which feels comfortable but looks slightly unconventional."
"It has great build quality and very strong performance all-round, though the battery life is average rather than exceptional," he said.
Dell XPS 13 7390 13.3 inch laptop – Intel core i5, 256 GB: Was £1099, now £939, Currys PC World
This Dell model secured a spot in our review of the best high-end laptops, and is currently on offer with £160 off. It runs Windows 10, has an Intel Core i5 processor, 8gb of RAM and a full HD screen. The laptop also has a battery life of up to 12.5 hours, so there will be no frantic rushes to find the charger.
Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13 inch: Was £1,399, now £1249, Very
If you're an Apple fan, bag this bargain now as the tech giant is known for rarely offering discounts on its products. This MacBook has a retina display, backlit keyboard, touch ID for logins, stereo speaker and promises 11-hours of battery life and 8GB of memory. It's thin, lightweight and made with a tenth-generation Intel Core i7 processor which claims to make light work of big projects and files. The Apple macbook pro 16in previously topped our guide to the best high-end laptops for working from home.
Alienware Area 51M R2: Was £3499.99, now £2999.99, Very
There's £500 to be saved on this laptop specifically designed for gaming and graphic design work. It has a 17.3in screen with 1920 x 1080 resolution, so you can work, or play, with high-quality visuals that promise to load quickly. Features include a 1TB hard drive for maximum storage space and Tobii eye tracking which are small sensors to track even the smallest details of a game such as eye gaze or head poses.
Dell Inspiron 15 3000 15.6in laptop: Was £599, now £479, Currys PC World
Dell topped our review of the best high-end laptops for working from home, so rest assured it is a brand to have on your radar. This particular model allows you to get your phone calls, notifications and messages from your smartphone on your laptop, so you don't need to switch between screens. The AMD Ryzen 5 can easily tackle every day tasks such streaming movies and browsing online.Its battery life claims to last eight and a half hours on a full charge, and the anti-glare screen can prevent any disruptions to your work.
HP 14s-dq1505sa 14 inch laptop, Intel core i7, 512 GB SSD – silver: Was £699, now £599, Currys PC World
With an Intel Core i7 processor for speedy work, this HP laptop claims to offer over 10 hours of use from a single charge and has a HD webcam for all your Zoom calls. It has 8GB of storage and Bluetooth to provide you with an easy connection to your headphones and smartphone. The HP elite dragonfly model also appeared in our review of the best high-end laptops too.
Huawei matebook X pro 2019: Was £1,199.99, now £849.98, Amazon
If you want something that packs a punch, this is the device for you thanks to its fast 8th Gen Intel Core processor and 512GB of memory. With 30 per cent off, it is a no brainer. Additional features include high-quality built-in speakers and a touchscreen, plus if you have a Huawei phone, you can easily transfer videos and documents between the two.
When is Black Friday 2020?
This year Black Friday will fall on Friday 27 November, and the event will run over the weekend until 30 November, which is Cyber Monday.
As Amazon has already set the precedent, albeit much earlier than expected at the end of October, Boots and Superdrug started their sales in early November..
The Black Friday laptop deals to expect
Apple is notorious for not participating in many sales, however there were some Macbooks to be found in last year's sale from other retailers, including this Apple MacBook Air (13-inch Retina display, 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, 256GB) – Space Grey that was £1,399 but came down to £999 on Amazon.
Also on offer was this Dell Inspiron 15-3000 Series, 15.6 inch Full HD Laptop (Silver) with MS Office Home, from Very which was reduced from £499.99 to £399.99.
AO also had plenty of offers including this Asus TUF FX705 17.3″ Gaming Laptop that was £749 but was reduced to £599.
At John Lewis & Partners, this Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, Intel Core i7 Processor, Sandstone was £1,549 but came down to £1,389.
While at Currys PC World, it has discounts such as this HP Pavilion 14-ce3501sa 14in Laptop – Intel Core i5, 512 GB SSD, Silver, which was reduced from £639 to £499.
How to get the best Black Friday laptop deals?
When shopping for laptops during the sale, our top tip is to browse through different retailers such as John Lewis & Partners, Currys, Very and Amazon, as some offer better discounts than others.
Tech brands such as Apple don't typically have any discounts on products when you shop directly with them, instead retailers that stock Apple will have the the best deals. What Apple has done in the past though, is it offer gift cards when buying certain products.
To save yourself the work, we'll also be bringing you the best deals to shop, so make sure to check back for new offers.
How to choose the right laptop for you
"If you want a laptop for web surfing and word processing, doing your accounts in a spreadsheet and keeping up to date with your emails, you can get away with something basic and affordable," says David Phelan, The Independent's technology critic.
"Smaller screens, lower storage capacities, limited active memory levels all make for cheaper prices. But for more powerful demands you will need to spend more or risk frustration when you wait for the computer to do what you want it to," he adds.
Low to mid range laptops usually cost up to £300, whereas high-end or gaming models usually start from around £1,000.
What screen size should I go for?
"Display size is important, especially if you want to watch films or programmes on your laptop," says David.
But he suggests considering screen resolution is just as important as screen size. Every display is made up of dots called pixels; the more pixels it has, the more detail you can see on screen.
"For reference, an HD TV has a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080," David says. "Look for a 14in screen or bigger if you're going to watch films on your laptop, and the closer you can get to HD resolution, the better.
"Many laptop screens have resolution of 1366 x 768. This isn't bad, but remember that it's probably going to be on your lap, so low resolution is all the more obvious."
Which operating system should I choose?
"There's the elegant and intuitive macOS which runs only on Apple iMac desktops and MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops. Apple models are not cheap, so Black Friday could be helpful at making them more affordable," David explains.
"Then there's Windows from Microsoft which has the widest range of mainstream applications and Chrome OS from Google which works on some of the lowest-priced laptops."
For the majority of retailers, the sale starts from Black Friday (27 November) and finishes on Cyber Monday (30 November). But some brands are starting weeks earlier, including Amazon, Boots and Superdrug.
We are constantly updating all of our Black Friday guides so be sure to check them for the latest information.
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