Best Prime Day Laptop Deals: Save Up to $500 (2026)
Quick Look
- Laptop prices have risen due to a memory shortage, making Prime Day deals significant.
- The MacBook Air (M5) is $200 off at $1,099, the Surface Laptop 13.8 is $500 off at $750, the Lenovo LOQ 15 RTX 5050 is at a low price for gaming, and the Asus ZenBook A14 is recommended in its previous model due to the 2026 version's high cost.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Laptop prices have increased over the past six months due to a memory shortage, prompting Apple to raise Mac prices in June. Prime Day sales are highlighted as key opportunities for consumers to access discounts amid elevated prices.
Laptop prices have risen significantly over the past six months. The memory shortage wreaked havoc on prices, even causing Apple to hike them up in June. That makes deals on big shopping events like Amazon Prime Day even more important. For the retailer's Prime Big Deal Days fall sale, I've spotted a number of my favorite laptops among the dozens I've already tested this year.
So, whether you're looking for a new MacBook or a budget Windows device, you'll find some excellent picks below. In addition, check out more deals in our roundup of the Absolute Prime Day Deals and Best Apple Prime Day Deals.
MacBook Air (M5)
The MacBook Air is $200 off for Prime Day, bringing it to $1,099. That's the cheapest it's been since June. It's a remarkable deal compared to the competition, especially given the 512 GB of storage and 16 GB of RAM it comes with. Apple raised prices across the board on Macs this past June, but this discount reverses that issue entirely. This sale is on the latest M5 model, which came out this past spring and performed really well in all my testing. It's currently at the top of my recommendations not only as the best MacBook but also as the best overall laptop of any kind. That $200 discount applies to every configuration of the MacBook Air available on Amazon, including the larger 15-inch model.
Not only is this the MacBook I recommend to buy for most people, it's also the best laptop deal this week. Neither the MacBook Neo nor the MacBook Pro are being discounted by anything out of the ordinary.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8
This is the best price on the latest version of the Surface Laptop since it launched. I've been tracking it closely, primarily because of how expensive it has been in comparison to the older model from 2024. The price difference always made me recommend the 2024 version, even though it had a slower Snapdragon chip inside. This discount, which is $500 off the retail price and $70 cheaper than it's ever been, brings it close enough to the price of the 2024 model to justify itself. The Snapdragon X2 Elite's GPU performance compared to the X1 model is significant enough to justify the extra money.
HP.com typically has the lowest price, which is $780 right now. But Amazon has that beat during Prime Day, at only $750 for the 16-inch model. Not only is it cheaper, but it also comes with 512 GB of storage, twice the amount as the discounted HP.com model. I should say that I prefer the 14-inch model, just because the 1920 x 1200 resolution looks a bit sharper on it.
Lenovo LOQ 15
This has long since been one of my go-to affordable gaming laptops to recommend for two very important reasons. First off, most budget gaming laptops have terrible screens. That's true of the Alienware 15, the MSI Cyborg A16, and even the Lenovo LOQ 15 Essential Edition—all gaming laptops in the same price range as the Lenovo LOQ 15. But the LOQ 15 display has good color coverage, so greens and reds don't look oversaturated. With that benefit, the LOQ 15 still tends to cost less than its alternatives, and for Prime Day, the RTX 5050 configuration is as cheap as I've seen it in many, many months. If you can increase your budget, the $1,499 RTX 5060 model at Walmart will deliver much better gaming performance, and I'd recommend it too.
Asus ZenBook A14
The Asus Zenbook A14 is known for being super light. It weighs only 2.16 pounds, about half a pound lighter than the MacBook Air. The difference is really noticeable, both in the hand and when toting it around in a bag. It also comes with an OLED display, a great touchpad, and a decent assortment of ports.
But like the Surface Laptop, the 2026 Zenbook A14 is too expensive. Unlike the Surface Laptop, it's not on sale for Prime Day. That's why I'd recommend picking up the previous model, which comes with a Snapdragon X Plus, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage. The 2026 model offers more storage options, but it also has a much higher starting price. A slightly cheaper model is also available with the Snapdragon X, but the Snapdragon X Plus offers better multicore CPU and GPU performance.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Laptop prices may stabilize or decrease slightly after Prime Day if inventory levels improve.
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- How long will the memory shortage persist?
- Are further price increases expected after Prime Day?
- Which specific configurations of the laptops mentioned are included in the discounts?







