laptop deals
Many websites will claim to have the best cheap laptop deals but we strive to bring you the freshest, latest, most up to date offers on laptops every week, on Friday morning.
With less than 100 days left till Christmas 2015 and with Cyber Monday and Black Friday in between, the heat is up on retailers and manufacturers to deliver great products on schedule.
This week saw the announcement, by Microsoft, of an event that will happen later next month, one where the Surface Pro 4 tablet convertible will be released.
The price of the Surface Pro 3 has already started to fall making it a rather attractive proposition for those looking for a 2-in-1 laptop deal.
We've rejigged our deals page to make it easier for you to identify your ideal laptop. We've divided the laptop deals below into six broad categories so you can easily jump straight to the ones you're most interested in.
If you think that we have missed out on one particularly enticing deal or if you notice that one vendor has changed its price, feel free to leave a note in the comments section.
Follow @TRDeals on Twitter for the latest offers
1. Laptop deal of the week
Laptop: Asus Essential PU551LA
Price: £400 at eBuyer.com
If I had to buy a laptop this week for about £400, a figure that reflects the majority of laptop purchases, it would have to be the Asus Essential PU551LA (£400 at Ebuyer). Why? Well, it is the cheapest laptop on the market, by a wide margin, to offer a Core i7 processor. Sure, it is only a dual-core, Haswell-based model but the i7-4510U that powers the PU551LA is still a very capable CPU that will easily cut through most tasks.
Asus also claims that this laptop range is more rugged than mainstream laptops to meet the demand of the business users it targets. In addition, it includes a proprietary anti-shock hard drive mechanism that protects the data on the drive should the laptop fall down. Another noteworthy feature is the inclusion of Windows 7 Pro and 8.1 Pro, the more expensive and feature laden versions of Windows 7 and 8.1 respectively, both can also be upgraded, till July 2016 to Windows 10 Pro.
As for the rest of the PU551LA, it is fairly understandably modest given the price: 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 15.6-inch WXGA matte display, a spill resistant keyboard with a dedicated numeric keypad, a wide range of connectors (including a VGA port) and even a fingerprint reader.
Also consider
The Medion Akoya E6417 (£429 at Medion) is only a couple of months old. Unlike most laptops in this article, it comes with Windows 10 by default. It is powered by a Broadwell-based Intel Core i3-5157U and while some might frown at the fact that we're shortlisting this laptop, it's worth highlighting that this CPU is as powerful than the i5-5200U that powers a lot of high-end laptops (HP Spectre X360, Dell XPS 13 amongst others). The rest of the configuration consists of a souped-up subsystem, an Iris Graphics 6100 GPU, a 15.6-inch full HD display, 8GB RAM and a 1TB hybrid hard disk drive.
The Lenovo G50-45, one of the rare AMD based laptops in this laptop. It sells for £299.95 at John Lewis, a price that includes a £50 cashback that ends next week and a two-year warranty. Under its hood is a AMD A8 application processing unit, the A8-6410, a quad-core model clocked at 2GHz and paired with a Radeon R5 onboard GPU, which should allow you to breeze through most games at low settings. The rest of the specification include a 15.6-inch 1366x768 pixel resolution, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and an optical drive. Clearly this is not a laptop for power user but provides with a balanced configuration for the casual user.
2. Chromebook/Netbook deal of the week
Laptop: HP Stream 11 Pro
Price: £149.98 at cclonline.com
The HP Stream 11 Pro is one of the cheapest laptops on the market and while it doesn't carry the Chromebook moniker, this Windows laptop clearly competes with Google's value proposition. At £149.98 at CCL, it offers fantastic value for money especially as it includes 200GB worth of OneDrive storage for 24 months, a freebie worth over £90.
The rest of the specification list is not too shabby as well: there's an Intel Celeron N2840 processor, a BayTrail model clocked at 2.16GHz, 2GB of RAM, a 32GB onboard SSD, an 11.6-inch matte display with a 1366x768 pixel resolution and a free upgrade to Windows 10.
Other than Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, it also has a HDMI port and two USB ones alongside a card reader.
HP even managed to include a trusted platform module (TPM) which provides hardware-based encryption keys and enhances security, in a bid to sell the Stream 11 Pro to an audience beyond just students.
It is also adequately equipped for communication purposes. Alongside the TrueVision HD webcam, there's a DTS Studio compatible sound system plus a dual array of microphones with beam forming, echo cancellation and noise depression support: Ideal for those video conferences.
Also consider
The Asus EeeBook X102BA is a costlier option (£180 at SimplyAsus) but comes with a few outstanding features that pushes it up our consideration list. It is the only laptop in this guide to come with a full, perpetual version of Microsoft Office 2013 (even if it is a Home and Student edition). Sure, if you are buying it for a student, they might as well get the education edition but it's nice to know that you don't have to pay a subscription past the first year. It is only the cheapest new Windows touchscreen laptop on the market although its 10.1-inch, 1280x800 pixel resolution is identical to a lot of Windows tablets on the market.
The Lenovo IdeaPad N20 (£146.59 at Amazon) is currently the cheapest Chromebook on the market and one that looks surprisingly good for the price. In fact, we haven't seen any Chromebooks with 4GB of RAM costing less than £200. Yes, the N20 comes with 4GB of RAM but something had to give in and Lenovo actually slashed the storage capacity to 16GB. The rest is fairly standard stuff: An Intel Celeron N2830 processor, Chrome OS, up to eight-hours battery life, an 11.6-inch 1366x768 pixel resolution plus a decent bunch of connections (Wi-Fi, couple of USB ports, HDMI, SD card reader).
3. Gaming laptop deal of the week
Laptop: HP Envy 15
Price: £749 at HP.com
When it comes to gaming laptops, the CPU takes the backseat, leaving the GPU to shine. And when it comes to the current crop of laptops, Nvidia's GTX family rules the market with AMD nowhere to be seen, unfortunately. HP grabs our coveted gaming deal gong for this week with the ENVY 15-k202na selling direct for £749.
You do get a lot for your money; a Broadwell-based Intel Core i7-5500U processor (a dual-core model clocked at 2.4GHz with 4MB cache), 12GB of RAM (yes twelve), a massive 1TB solid state hard drive and a 15.6-inch full HD touchscreen display. The cherry on the cake has to be that Nvidia GTX 850M GPU with a whopping 4GB dedicated GDDR3 (not GDDR5) memory.
This GPU is quite similar to the GTX950M. The rest is not too bad as well; one-year subscription to HP Connected Music and a 2.1 speaker configuration (yes, it comes with a subwoofer) to stream your music.
There's also three USB 3.0 ports and a HDMI one as well as a GbE connector. Oh and HP saw it fit to include a backlit keyboard, a bright idea, an optical drive and a fingerprint reader to make full use of Windows's Hello feature. Nice!
Also consider
PC Specialist sells the Optimus VI, a laptop that is about as portable as an Ultrabook but much thicker. For £739 though, you get a lot for your money; there's a quad-core Haswell Intel Core i7 processor, the 4710MQ which is clocked at 2.5GHz and comes with a whopping 6MB of cache. 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive (the traditional model), a full HD matte IPS 13.3-inch display and four USB ports. Then there's the graphics card, a stunning GTX 960M from Nvidia with 2GB GDDR5 dedicated memory; a rather unexpected but welcomed SKU on a laptop of this price.
If all you care is the very top end graphics card then the Medion Erazer X7835 is what you should spend your hard earnt cash on, a cool £1199. This is the cheapest laptop with a GTX 980M on the market by a wide margin; it is a beast both in terms of power, specification and size. Quad-core Intel processor (same as the Optimus VI)? Checked, 17.3-inch full HD matte display? Checked, 4GB GDDR5 video card with Optimus technology? Checked. 16GB of RAM, 1TB HDD, 128GB SSD? Checked. Two-year warranty, Dolby Home Theater audio with 2.1 speakers AND a Blu-ray drive? Ticked!
4. Macbook laptop deal of the week
Laptop: Macbook 12-inch Gold
Price: £944 at PC World
The Macbook deal of the week HAS to be the stunning MacBook 12-inch currently on sale at PC World for £944 after a 10% cashback that will end on September 30. More about the cashback scheme here. With up to nine-hour battery life, an Intel Core M processor, 8GB and a 256GB SSD, a full size backlit keyboard and a Force Touch trackpad, it packs a lot of value in a tiny, tiny volume (smaller than an A4 sheet and weighing well under 1Kg). Bear in mind as well that its display has the highest resolution in its category.
Also consider
If you want to get a MacBook but don't want to pay a full whack, then consider the 11-inch MacBook Air. At just under £590 at Amazon, it packs a powerful punch. Apple opted for the 5th generation, Intel Core i5-5250U dual core processor, one which has a slightly lower base clock speed compared to the popular 5200U but a more powerful graphics HD6000 sub-system. Add in 4GB of memory, a 128GB SSD, an 11.6-inch 1366x768 pixel display and you get something which is, sadly, doesn't have an equivalent in the world of Windows.
Got a bit more cash to flush? Then consider the Apple MacBook 13.3-inch Retina Display (£867 at Amazon). It has an older but still capable processor, the Haswell-based Core i5-4278U, one that sports a higher base frequency (2.6GHz) but also a much higher TDP (i.e. more power hungry, more heat to dissipate). It also sports a better graphics chip, the Iris Graphics 5100. The rest of the specification is decent without being ground breaking. Four high capacity ports (USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 2.0), A 13.3-inch 2560x1600 pixel IPS display, up to nine-hour battery life, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, all squeezed in a 1.57Kg chassis.
5. Ultrabook deal of the week
Laptop: PC Specialist Lafité
Price: £657 at PC Specialist
PC Specialist collects another gong with its Lafite, an Ultrabook that wouldn't look out of place in Apple's line up. Its silver aluminium chassis surrounds a chicklet keyboard and a massive touchpad and should help with heat dissipation. At its heart is a dual-core Intel Core i7 processor, the i7-5500U, one that has 4MB cache, a base frequency of 2.4GHz and a TDP of only 15W. Its full HD matte 13.3-inch display is powered by an HD Graphics 5500.
With 8GB of RAM and a 240GB SSD from Kingston, it provides with more than enough storage and memory resources for most tasks. Obviously, there's no optical drive which helped PC Specialist keep the weight of the laptop at around 1.6Kg.
The rest of the specification includes a quoted 7.5-hour battery life (thanks to a 4-cell 6300mAh battery), 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0, a pair of USB ports, HDMI, a card reader and Windows 10. Note that you can swap that for Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 or even remove it altogether in which case, you save £79, worth it if you have a spare copy of Windows somewhere.
Even without that option, the Lafite costs a mere £657, which is an absolute bargain for what it offers.
Also consider
The Asus UX305FA is even cheaper than the Lafite at £584.39 (Nigel Ohara) but is a slightly different beast. It is one of the slimmest 13.3-inch laptop available and uses aluminium extensively which works wonders when it comes to heat dissipation. Asus opted for a Core M-5Y10, a dual-core Broadwell-based processor that is great when it comes to power consumption but may be found lacking if you want up to ramp things up. Still, with a 13.3-inch full HD display (not a touchscreen though), 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, it is a worthy alternative to the Apple MacBook Air, should that one be on your short list as well.
If your budget can stretch to £984 (from Amazon), then the Dell XPS 9343 should be on your list. Granted, it is an expensive investment but one which is likely to survive a few years at least; plus it has won TechRadar's coveted editors' choice award as well. There's loads to love about it: a super thin 13.3-inch QHD touchscreen display that boosts nearly 5.8 million pixels. Add in a powerful dual-core Broadwell-based Intel Core i7-5500U, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, Windows 8 Professional (upgradable to Windows 10 Pro) and no wonder that Dell's flagship Ultrabook is collecting gongs left, right and centre.
6. 2-in-1 convertible laptop deal of the week
Laptop: Lenovo Yoga 3
Price: £499.95 at John Lewis
Convertible, hybrids or 2-in-1 are a growing category in the laptop segment and the Lenovo Yoga 3 is probably the best value-for-money convertible laptop on the market. Buy it from John Lewis for just under £500 and you get a three-year warranty (ends next week) and a £50 discount.
Converting it to a tablet provides you with a slab smaller than an A4 sheet. You can also get it in a stand and a tent mode depending on what you're doing. For roughly half the price of its bigger brother, the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro, you get the same processor (the Intel Core M-5Y10C), the same amount of memory (8GB), the same number of ports (three USB and a microHDMI) and that signature 360-degree touchscreen display. it is slightly thicker, slightly lighter and has less storage (128GB) and its 11.6-inch IPS screen – which is smaller than the new iPad Pro - can display 1920x1080 pixels.
Support for Dolby Home Theater v4, voice recognition, JBL speakers, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, a card reader, the excellent AccuType keyboard and a 6-hour estimated battery life complete the specification list. Shame that it doesn't come with a backlit keyboard.
Also consider
The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 remains a firm convertible favourite. It is technically a Windows tablet that can dock a keyboard but has been pitched by Microsoft as a genuine laptop replacement product. Amazon sells the Core i5 model for £624; there's a cheaper model but it comes with half the storage and a slower processor. The tablet comes with the stylus but not with the Type Cover keyboard; consider adding another £100 to secure one. The Surface 3 Pro still runs the very capable Haswell-based Core i5-4300U with 4GB of RAM, 128GB SSD, Windows 8.1 Pro and a 12-inch, 2160x1440 pixel resolution.
The Toshiba Satellite Click Mini is an interesting option for someone who is looking for an ultra-portable laptop that will be used mostly as a tablet, rather than the other way round. At £190 at Currys, it is fantastic value for money for what it offers, i.e. a lot of things. Other than the one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal, there's a veritable tablet with an 8.9-inch full HD+ display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB onboard storage and an Intel Atom Z3735F. What separates it from the rest of the competition is a removable keyboard that adds a SD card slot, a USB port and another battery that pushes the battery life to 13 hours.
Below is a list of the best-selling laptop pages from reputable online retailers where you will be able to find more laptop deals.
Laptop deals: quick links
Amazon UK - Laptop Store
Currys/PCWorld - best selling laptops
Ebuyer - laptop top sellers
Dabs.com - hot deals on laptops and tablets
Tesco - laptop best sellers
Argos - laptops and netbooks
John Lewis - most popular laptops
Saveonlaptops - top 10 laptop deals
Laptops Direct - main laptop deals page
Very - top selling laptops
The post TechRadar Deals: 10 best laptop deals of the week: September 18th 2015 appeared first on Nexttac Technology.