Summer is just around the corner, and that means discounts on laptops to make room for new inventory. We’ve got eyes on some of the best Memorial Day deals, with sales on MacBooks, Chromebooks, and PCs from Lenovo, Asus, HP, and more.
Also: The case for buying a MacBook Neo right now – especially for students
We only recommend devices we’ve gone hands-on with or would actually buy ourselves, with a focus on significant price discounts. After evaluating hardware such as processors, RAM, and storage, we consider durability, form factor, intended use case, and, of course, value relative to price. Here are the top sales we’ve found ahead of Memorial Day sales.
Also: I found the best early Memorial Day Apple deals: Save hundreds on iPad, Apple Watch, and more
The best early Memorial Day laptop deals 2026
- Current price: $1,149
- Original price: $1,299
The M5 MacBook Air improves on its predecessor with more base memory, more base storage (that’s faster) and better battery life. The M5 Air just came out this spring, but we’re already seeing $150 off, making a fantastic buy on the latest and greatest in Apple’s thin and light laptop lineup.
- Current price: $1,549
- Original price: $1,699
Apple’s latest MacBook Pro with the M5 chip offers better battery life (up to 20 hours), more base memory and even more AI power under the hood, for a very competitive price even when not on sale. The 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display goes all the way up to 1600 nits peak brightness, and MacBook still have the best videocall experience out there with their 12MP Center Stage webcams.
- Current price: $489
- Original price: $799
Armed with 8GB of RAM and an Intel Core 5 CPU, the Vivobook is an affordable PC that’s actually thin and light (3.09 pounds) and packing a nice display.
- Current price: $1,149
- Original price: $1,299
The 16-inch Dell Plus from 2025 features some impressive hardware: an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor, 16GB of RAM and a gorgeous, 16-inch 2K touchscreen display, making for a highly competent jack-of-all-trades laptop that is just at home in the office as it is running some of your favorite games.
- Current price: $1,198
- Original price: $1,799
We went hands-on with several of HP’s EliteBook 6 models, and called out their solid performance relative to price, especially as work devices. This EliteBook 6 with an AMD Ryzen 5 220 processor brings fast, efficient horsepower to multitasking, working with large datasets, and staying mobile, with up to 14 hours of battery on one charge.
- Current price: $2,999
- Original price: $3,499
The 13th-generation X1 Carbon features an Intel Core Ultra 7 255U processor, 16GB of RAM, and a full 2TB of storage, making it a fantastic work machine. It’s currently $500 off the regular price as Lenovo makes room for newer models, but still absolutely a competitive machine in 2026.
- Current price: $2,999
- Original price: $3,499
Looking for a gaming laptop that can run triple A titles on max graphics? Acer’s 16-inch Predator Helios is a beast with an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 (with 24GB of Vram) and 32GB of memory.
It’s also got some of the sweetest lighting on any gaming PC, with the signature gradient RGBs along the front edge of the device. In terms of ports, you’ve got all your bases covered, and the 240Hz OLED display lets you play your games the way they were meant to be played.
More laptop deals
- HP 14-inch Chromebook: $199 (save $200): Looking for an affordable Chromebook? This 14-inch HP keeps the hardware light with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of local storage for a snappy device for surfing the web and catching up on emails.
- IdeaPad Slim 3i: $349 (save $100): This 16-inch IdeaPad Slim is designed with both students and professionals in mind, but features a modest hardware loadout to keep things affordable. You’ve got 8GB of RAM and a full-sized keyboard here for working out of the browser.
- HP Pavilion 15.6-inch: $499 (save $650): Looking for a solid computer for everyday use? HP’s Pavilion series offers solid devices for students, home use, or work. You’ve got 16GB of RAM and a full-sized keyboard and support for Wi-Fi 6.
Also: I found the best early Memorial Day phones deals: Save big on Samsung, Google, Apple and more
When is Memorial Day?
Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 25th, 2026 — the last Monday in May annual. This day also marks the unofficial first day of summer.
How did we chose these Memorial Day deals?
ZDNET only writes about deals that capture our own interest — devices and products we want, need, or would recommend not only to our readers, but to friends and family. Our experts look for deals at least 20% off (or hardly ever on sale), using established price-comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually worth your time.
We also examine customer reviews and rely on our own hands-on experience with new tech to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products we’re recommending. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice and to make you aware of price drops so you can shop smarter.
