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Best Prime Day laptop deals for gaming, school, and work

A side-by-side composite with a Dell laptop next to an Acer laptop on a light purple gradient background, with a blue Prime Day Deals 2026 badge overlaid in the center.
Laptops from top brands like Dell and Acer are still on sale for Prime Day. Amazon/Business Insider
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Prime Day is winding down with its last day of deals, but there are still discounts available, including great savings on laptops for gaming, work, school, and entertainment. The best Prime Day laptop deals include discounts on top brands like Dell, Asus, Acer, and HP.

Some of my favorite deals include $600 off this powerful Acer gaming laptop, which features a GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card. MacBook discounts are also worth jumping on while you still can, since Apple recently raised prices across the entire lineup. Amazon still has some MacBooks marked down from their original MSRPs, but they're selling out fast.

With back-to-school season coming up fast, Prime Day remains one of the best windows of the year to upgrade your laptop, so don't hesitate to grab any remaining deals before the sale ends at midnight PT.

The best Prime Day budget laptop deals

Perfect for low-effort tasks like using Docs or casual web browsing, these budget laptops grant utility without breaking the bank. If you're trying to keep costs low, we always recommend going with at least 8GB of RAM — only opt for less when price is the utmost priority.

Dell 15 Laptop D15260
Dell 15 Laptop D15260
$599.99 $739.99 Save 19%

This Dell laptop is ideal for students and general productivity. It features an Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU, 16GB of memory, and a 512GB SSD. We also like that it has backlit keys and a decent brightness level. However, it's not suited for games or high-end multimedia.

The best Prime Day gaming laptop deals

These gaming laptops from Asus, Acer, and Gigabyte feature powerful processors and dedicated Nvidia RTX graphics cards, along with bright screens and high refresh rates. And though geared toward gaming, these models are also excellent laptops for other demanding tasks, such as photo/video editing and high-end multimedia playback.

Asus ROG Strix G16
Asus Asus ROG Strix G16 Laptop (Intel Core i7-14650HX, RTX 5060)
$1,269.99 $1,339.99 Save 5%

Asus' ROG Strix line packs powerful hardware into a beautiful package. This model includes a fantastic Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, meaning speedy performance and great graphics.

GIGABYTE AERO X16
Gigabyte AERO X16 Laptop (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, RTX 5070)
$1,699 $2,059.99 Save 18%

This Gigabyte gaming laptop offers more than a big screen. It includes an RTX 5070, one of the best graphics cards available at this price point. Combine that with a top-tier AMD CPU, and you've got one of the best laptop models on the market right now.

The best Prime Day MacBook deals

On June 25, Apple raised prices across its entire MacBook lineup. The new prices are already live on Apple's website, but Amazon is still discounting several models from their original list prices. They've been selling out fast, but Amazon has restocked certain models throughout the day. If any of the deals below are sold out, I recommend checking back a few times before Prime Day ends to see if they're available again. You can find a full breakdown of MacBook price changes in our MacBook Prime Day deals roundup.

MacBook Pro 14 inch 2025 with M5
Apple 14.2-inch MacBook Pro M5 (2025)
$1,549 $1,699 Save 9%

This MacBook features a 14.2-inch screen and Apple's standard M5 chip. Apple says this new processor offers notable gains in graphical and AI performance over the previous-generation MacBook Pro with M4. More powerful versions featuring the beefier M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are also available.

Apple 16.2-inch MacBook Pro 2026
Apple 16.2-inch MacBook Pro M5 Pro (2026)
$2,549.99 $2,699 Save 6%

Apple's latest 16.2-inch MacBook Pro launched in March 2026. It's available with the M5 Pro or M5 Max chip, which are Apple's most powerful processors to date. This is the ultimate high-end MacBook for those who need top-tier power for demanding tasks.


Prime Day laptop deal pitfalls

Though the Insider Reviews team is working around the clock to keep our deal roundups as fresh as possible, laptops sell out especially fast. Not only that, but third-party sellers on Amazon love to jump on the opportunity by undercutting official retailer listings by cents, tricking buyers into buying from untrustworthy sources.

a side by side of Amazon screenshots showing unreliable sellers vs. Amazon fulfilled products
When shopping for laptops, or anything, on Amazon, always double-check that you are buying from a trustworthy seller.  Amazon/Business Insider

To avoid this, always check the Shipper/Seller field on the right side of the product listing, right below Add to cart. Amazon-fulfilled listings will list Amazon.com as the Shipper/Seller, meaning your purchase will be covered by the store's free returns and robust customer service. Others, aside from the laptop brand itself, you should be wary of.

FAQs

What's the difference between a general laptop and a gaming laptop?

A general laptop is built for everyday tasks like browsing the web, streaming videos, writing documents, taking video calls, and light photo editing. These models are usually thinner, lighter, quieter, and more affordable than gaming laptops.

Gaming laptops are designed for more demanding performance. They typically have faster processors, dedicated graphics cards, better cooling systems, and higher-refresh-rate displays to make games run smoothly. Those upgrades also make them useful for creative work like video editing, but they're often heavier, louder, more expensive, and have shorter battery life than standard laptops.

Is Prime Day a good time to buy a laptop?

Prime Day is an excellent time to buy a laptop. Aside from the timeliness for students getting ready to head back to school, this is when you can see deals rivaling those of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The main drawback is that Prime Day is limited to only what Amazon offers. This still includes a vast range of brands, but Black Friday offers more retailers participating for potential exclusive savings.

Shopping for more discounts today? Check out our roundup of all of the best Prime Day deals, or browse Amazon's website for the full selection.

You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here.

Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.

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Steven Cohen
I'm a Senior Tech Editor for Business Insider’s Reviews team. I'm responsible for overseeing buying guides and reviews for all of the latest TV, video, audio, and wearable products. I work with a team of experienced freelancers to establish testing methodologies, test products, and select the best of the best for our buying guides. My areas of expertiseMy primary expertise is in home entertainment products, with a focus on all things home theater, including TVs, soundbars, speakers, headphones, and streaming devices. I also have a background in film criticism, having reviewed over 400 movies and TV shows. I studied filmmaking and use my knowledge of video and audio production to inform my testing parameters when reviewing home entertainment devices.  ExperienceI joined Business Insider as a tech editor for the Reviews team in 2019. I became a senior tech editor in 2022.Before joining Business Insider, I was High-Def Digest's Gear Editor. My work has appeared on Ben's Bargains, Steve's Digicams, Big Picture Big Sound, and Consequence. Why you can trust meI'm not only passionate about TVs and tech, but also an expert in display quality. In 2019, I was one of a select number of journalists invited to get a hands-on first look at LG's debut 8K OLED TV. I was also among the earliest journalists to demo Dolby Atmos and DTS:X technologies for home theaters in 2014 and 2015, respectively.In 2018, I served as a judge for the annual TV Shootout, the premier display competition that crowns the best TVs of the year. I also attend yearly industry launches and reviewer workshops for new TVs and audio products from top brands, like LG, Samsung, Sony, and Sonos.I know that it’s easy to get overwhelmed by tech jargon and premium prices on high-end gear, which is why I'm passionate about recommending quality options for all price ranges and explaining which features are really worth the money. EducationI hold a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Central Florida, where I majored in film production.Outside of workI live in Orlando, Florida, with my girlfriend, dog, and cats. When I'm not covering tech products, I love to explore the theme parks of Orlando and watch movies on my dream home theater setup, complete with the biggest TV and Dolby Atmos speaker system I could fit in my living room.Say hi to Steven at scohen@businessinsider.com or find him on LinkedIn