I review laptops and these are the 9 best back-to-school deals this weekend

Samsung Galaxy Book 3: was $1,199 now $949 @ Amazon
Snag the 2023 Samsung Galaxy Book 3 for just $5 shy of its lowest price ever. This is a powerful ultrabook that sports a 15.6-inch FHD LED display, 13th Gen Intel Core i7-1360P 12-core CPU, 16GB of RAM, Intel Iris Xe graphics and 512GB SSD. 

Apple MacBook sale: deals from $749 @ Amazon
Over at Amazon Apple is offering some solid discount on select MacBooks that include the lowest price we've ever seen on the ultralight MacBook Air M1. But you can get 10-30% off newer models too, as well as beefier MacBook Pros.

Dell laptops/monitors: deals from $99 @ Dell
Dell is running a big back to school sale with rolling discounts on laptops as well as desktops, monitors, headphones, and more. After discount, laptops start as low as $429, and you can get a basic monitor (good for desk work!) for as little as $99.

HP laptop sale: 50% off deals from $299 @ HP
Up to 45% off laptops: HP's back to school sale lets you get a basic HP Windows 11 laptop for as little as $249, or an HP Chromebook for as little as $199. The cheapest models aren't good for much besides basic web browsing, writing and remote learning, but often that's all you need.

Lenovo laptop sale: deals from $229 @ Lenovo
Lenovo has a good back to school sale running with discounts of up to 75% off, allowing you to get a new Windows 11 laptop for as little as $229. You can also get one of Lenovo's Chromebook Duet tablets, which I like (and which come with detachable keyboards for light typing) for 20-30% off.

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Laptop: was $799 now $599 @ Best Buy
I'm a big fan of Asus' smaller Zenbook 13 OLED and consider it one of the best laptops, so this deal on a bigger version is easy to recommend. The 2.8K OLED touchscreen is what you're paying for here, because it makes everything you do look better. The Core i5-13500H CPU, 8GB of RAM and 512GB SSD inside give you enough speed for work and basic gaming, but don't expect amazing performance at this price.

Dell XPS 15: was $1,499 now $1,299 @ Dell 
I like the Dell XPS 15 because I think the 15-inch screen is the sweet spot in the elegant, lightweight XPS line. This deal is a good one that knocks $200 off the price of an entry-level model with a 13th Gen Core i7 CPU, an Intel Arc 370M laptop GPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. This model has the basic 1200p non-touch display, which is plenty good enough for schoolwork. 

MacBook Air M1: was $999 now $749 @ Amazon
Lowest price! The 13-inch MacBook Air M1 is nearly 3 years old yet remains an excellent ultraportable, because Apple's M1 chip still delivers okay performance and great 14+ hour battery life. This deal knocks the entry-level model down to the lowest price we've ever seen, and now is a good time to buy if you need a cheap MacBook because these well-built machines are long in the tooth. By next year even a great deal like this might not be worth it, but buy now and it should last you through 4 years of school—and you'll get a fresh coat of paint with the upcoming macOS Sonoma update.

MacBook Air M2: was $1,099 now $999 @ B&H Photo
If you'd rather have the latest Air, this is a solid deal on a new 13-inch MacBook Air M2 with the updated design. You save $100 on this entry-level model with the larger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display (2560 x 1664), Apple's M2 CPU w/ 8-core GPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. If you like macOS, this is a killer ultraportable that will easily last you through 4-6 years of school.

MacBook Pro 16" (M2 Pro/512GB): was $2,499 now $2,249 @ Amazon
I love the 16-inch MacBook Pro because it's the perfect mix of power and size, at least for me. This deal knocks a good $250 off the price of a new 2023 Pro with a 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3456 x 2234 pixels), a beefy M2 Pro chip (12-core CPU/19-core GPU), 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. In our MacBook Pro 16-inch 2023 review, we said its 16-inch mini-LED display is one of the best laptop displays we've tested yet, and the power of an M2 Pro is plenty for serious schoolwork and gaming after hours.

HP 15 Chromebook: was $399 now $199 @ Best Buy
If you're shopping for a younger student, this HP Chromebook for $199 is a great pick. It comes with a nice big 15.6-inch display, a weak Intel Celeron N200 processor, 8GB of RAM and 64GB eMMC storage. It's not a powerhouse machine and we're not fans of the low-resolution 1366 x 768 display, but it's suitable for basic tasks and homework. 

Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 OLED: was $499 now $369 @ Best Buy
I like Lenovo's Chromebook Duets because they're basically big, cheap Chrome tablets which double as serviceable Chromebooks thanks to their detachable keyboard covers. Multiple models have made our list of the best Chromebooks over the years because they're great low-cost devices for light work, remote learning and browsing the web. This deal knocks over $100 off the price of a premium Duet 5 with a very nice 13.3-inch 1080p OLED display, a Snapdragon SC7180 CPU, 4GB of RAM and a 64GB eMMC for storage.

HP 14 2-in-1 Touch-Screen Chromebook: was $699 now $499 @Best Buy
Save $200 on one of the best 2-in-1 laptops on the market. This HP touch-screen Chromebook packs a 14-inch (1920 x 1200) 250 nit touch screen, 12th Gen Intel Core i3-1215U 6-core CPU, 8GB of RAM and Intel UHD graphics.