Noteworthy Laptops to Keep an Eye on this Black Friday

Laptops are getting better and so is choosing which one is best for your needs. Unless you require specific capabilities, most laptops available today will be good enough for whatever you throw at them. However, every brand has specific offerings that make them better suited to specific industries, users, and tasks. Below is our recommendation on which new laptops are best for which uses and where to find the best Black Friday deals.

Mac

MacBook Air M1 (2020)

The relatively new MacBook Air (2020) offers a substantial bang for buck. Some may say that Apple charges a premium for little gain compared to competitors; in our opinion, the M1 chip threw these arguments out the window. The MacBook Air base model includes 8GB of RAM, 256 GB of SSD storage, and costs $1299. Despite the sleek and minimalist design, the MacBook Air can handle strenuous video and photo editing work. It’s not our first choice for these tasks but offers a do-all platform at a relatively good price.

MacBook Pro M1 (2020 & 2021)

We expect the 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020) to be a hot commodity on Black Friday. With brand new 14-inch and 16-inch models available, Apple and third-party retailers will be looking to sell stock to make space for newer models. As with the MacBook Air, Best Buy, Amazon, or Adorama Photo and B&H Photo are great locations to seek out deals. The MacBook Pro, in all three current offerings (13, 14, and 16-inch) makes for some of the best mobile content creation platforms available. So, if you’re looking for a laptop to edit photos, video, or audio, the MacBook Pro (ignoring budget limitations) should be your first choice. The MacBook Pro retails for between $1699 for the 13-inch base model to $4399 for the highest-end 16-inch model.

On Black Friday we would recommend staying away from the Apple Store and seeking out deals at Best Buy, Amazon, or Adorama Photo and B&H Photo.

Lenovo

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano

This thing must be good given its very lengthy name! And it is! Lenovo makes some of the most rugged mobile work platforms available. The almost industrial design of their laptops gives users the confidence that the laptop will make it through coffee spills, drops, and temperature changes with ease. The Nano gives off these same vibes but in a smaller, more minimalist package. At just 13-inches and 1.99 pounds, this thing can fit in any carry-on luggage with ease. Despite the smaller size, performance has stayed pretty much the same as the full-sized model. This laptop comes equipped with an 11^th generation Intel Core i7 processor, up to 1 TB of SSD storage, and up to 16 GB of RAM. Not bad for a laptop that costs around $2000. Lenovo offers great Black Friday sales right on their website. Additionally, Best Buy and Amazon also offer great upcoming discounts for Lenovo workstations. This laptop is our go-to for anyone working on the road and doing a minimal amount of GPU-intensive tasks.

Dell

Dell XPS 13

One of our favorite laptops is the proven Dell XPS 13. The XPS line has been around for a handful of years and continues to offer the necessary updates to stay relevant. Starting at just $899 the XPS 13 is the most affordable laptop for the tech on this list. If you’re seeking out basic photo editing you may be able to get away with the base 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD model. However, for anything GPU intensive, we would recommend the higher-end models which can run into the $2000-$3000 range. Dell also offers an XPS 2-in-1 convertible laptop for those looking for touch-screen versatility.

Regardless, you can never go wrong with the XPS. Dell does an exceptional job at offering frequent discounts through their website but is also offering even better discounts for Black Friday.

HP

HP Spectre X360 14

Sturdy, good-looking, and versatile. The HP Spectre X360 14 is a 14-inch workstation that helps you tackle any office or mobile work requirement. And with great 10-hour battery life this laptop will keep you going throughout the day without the need to find a charging outlet. This convertible laptop is our go-to tablet/laptop and comes in at $1800. Yes, it’s a little pricey compared to the XPS 2-in-1, however, there is no better Windows laptop available right now than the HP Spectre X360 14. We expect to see great Black Friday deals on Amazon, Best Buy, and through the HP website.

Microsoft

Microsoft has been on a steady hardware push for the last few years and the benefits are quickly becoming apparent for users. Like Apple, Microsoft is in the unique position to custom-build laptops around its Windows operating system. The Microsoft Surface line of laptops is one example of this. Now, Microsoft is heading in the same direction as Google and offering task-specific workstations to rival the Chromebook. The brand-new Microsoft Surface Laptop SE (system expansion) is the first of these examples. At under $350 this new laptop is the perfect machine for school or to keep up with emails and basic work while traveling. This thing has been custom-built for the brand new Windows 11 operating system. We would not recommend this laptop for anything more than the most basic of tasks due to its lack of hardware. But for kids or university students, this thing is the perfect offering. We don’t foresee this laptop having any Black Friday discounts but the Microsoft store is ripe with discounted offerings for many Windows laptops from brands such as Lenovo, HP, Dell, ASUS, and more.