Perhaps your laptop is aging and you want to upgrade to newer models. Or maybe your old laptop has stopped working, or the battery life has deteriorated since you first bought it, requiring a replacement. Before making a purchase, you’ll want to secure the best deal possible, and timing plays a crucial role in achieving that.
Whether you’re considering new models or older versions, understanding the optimal time to buy a laptop is essential. The obvious answer is to purchase one immediately if you need it now. But what if you’re planning to replace your current laptop soon and want to capitalize on bargain opportunities?
Just as there’s a best time to buy a TV, a refrigerator, or furniture, there are optimal and subpar times to purchase a laptop when seeking savings. Continue reading to discover the ideal times to buy a computer and additional factors to consider for securing an excellent deal.
When Is the Best Time to Buy a Laptop?
According to Consumer Reports, some of the prime times to purchase new laptops are September, April, and May. However, industry experts suggest that springtime offers excellent opportunities for finding deals on older models.
Other prime shopping periods include:
- Back-to-school sales season (June to September)
- The holiday shopping season (end of November to the beginning of January)
- Before and after big product releases
Back-to-School Season
The back-to-school season spans June through September. However, according to Stephen Baker, an analyst who studies laptop pricing and sales for market intelligence firm NPD Group, the most abundant bargains typically emerge during the final three weeks of July and the first three weeks of August.
This timing applies to both Macs and PCs. Those seeking notebooks can find the best deals during this same window—the last week of July through the first three weeks of August.
The Holiday Season
Beyond after-Christmas sales and other shopping holidays, Cyber Monday stands out as another prime day for purchasing a new computer. You might wonder, “what about Black Friday?” While Black Friday offers great deals, these discounts work better for certain items than others.
Regarding laptops, Honey recommends waiting until Monday for the lowest prices. Their research revealed that savings per user per purchase during 2018 Cyber Monday averaged about 21%—higher than the 18.5% from Black Friday.
Big Product Releases
Outside specific seasons, you can secure excellent prices from major retailers shortly before or after significant product releases. If you’ve previously purchased a phone or laptop only to discover the price dropped weeks later when an updated version launched, you’ll want to pay attention next time.
For Apple laptops (Macs), older versions typically drop in price around September, coinciding with their special Apple products event. While this event isn’t the sole factor for steep discounts, September generally offers excellent opportunities for Macbook deals.
Microsoft laptops feature significant discounts around their major October event.
Generally, newer PC models launch during early spring. However, major manufacturers also introduce new laptop models between June and August, and again between late fall and December.
If you’re targeting multiple laptops from a specific manufacturer, check their release schedules. If an event isn’t too distant, waiting might yield discounts on your desired model.
Note that not all manufacturers offer special deals on older products. Some companies simply discontinue outdated models from their stores.
How Often Should You Replace Your Laptop?
Now that you understand the optimal timing for securing laptop deals, you should also know how frequently to replace your laptop. After all, part of “optimal” timing includes recognizing when you need a new laptop to replace your current one, regardless of available deals.
Budget models typically require replacement after three years, when battery life and processing power begin deteriorating significantly. Higher-end, more durable laptops should be replaced every 4-5 years.
Therefore, if your laptop is aging to the point of imminent replacement, that timing also represents an optimal purchase opportunity.
Is It Better to Buy a Laptop In-Person or Online?
If you’re primarily seeking optimal laptop purchase timing for deals, you’ll also want to determine whether buying in-person or online is preferable. Every money-saving strategy counts when purchasing your next computer.
Online purchasing is typically superior. First, buying online usually costs less than at brick-and-mortar stores. You’ll often find the same laptop from a store’s website (like Best Buy) priced higher at their physical locations.
Additionally, online shopping excels for price comparison. It’s significantly more efficient than visiting numerous stores to compare laptop prices. Online shopping allows convenient price comparison from home at your fingertips.
You also eliminate transportation concerns. Best of all, you can shop 24/7, whenever convenient.
How to Know What the Best Laptop Deals Are Each Year?
For securing excellent deals, numerous articles are published annually highlighting the year’s best laptop deals. These can guide your laptop selection. However, always research a laptop’s quality to ensure it meets your specific needs.
An extremely cheap laptop means nothing if it doesn’t function as needed. For instance, notebooks aren’t ideal for complex tasks like video editing.
Essential qualities the right laptop should possess include:
- USB ports (including USB C ports)
- Quality CPU cores
- Graphics card
- New processors
- It should be able to store large files
Also, the laptop should include at least a one-year warranty. For additional guidance on laptop selection, click here.
How Do You Know If You Got a Good Deal?
Now that you understand optimal laptop purchase timing and the benefits of online shopping, you’ll still want to verify you secured a good deal.
Price tracker tools are among the most effective methods for confirming good deals. One valuable tool that tracks price history is camelcamelcamel.com. Their Chrome extension displays price history for Amazon products. For Newegg, use the Hover Hound Chrome extension.
However, some websites lack these price history trackers. Therefore, monitor your desired laptop monthly and plan purchases around the previously mentioned timeframes. Also, read user reviews about the laptop while remaining mindful of fake reviews.
Wrapping Up: Best Time to Buy a Laptop
Now you understand the optimal timing for laptop purchases. You can seek better deals at various points throughout the year.
Your best timing will depend on how quickly you need to replace your laptop and how closely that replacement date aligns with seasons offering the largest laptop discounts. For the best deals, focus on online shopping, which also enables price history tracking for individual retailers.
However, remember that not every laptop goes on sale. If you want a quality laptop at a reasonable price, various websites offer recommendations for their top picks.
Remember that the cheapest option isn’t always the highest quality. Sometimes, investing slightly more money in a higher-quality laptop proves worthwhile.
Now, it’s time to decide which laptop suits your needs!
