The ongoing memory crisis means higher prices for the tech we've come to depend on. Laptops have been hit especially hard by "RAMageddon," with PC makers like Dell, Lenovo, and Acer raising prices to reflect rising component costs. Even Apple marked up its MacBooks by at least $100 apiece this summer. (Gone are the days of the $599 MacBook Neo.)
The current state of the market makes shopping sales feel all the more important. Your last big chance to snag a deeply discounted laptop before Black Friday comes with this weekend's Labor Day sales. Below, we've rounded up the best Labor Day laptop deals we could find, including discounts on MacBooks, Windows laptops, and a very nice Chromebook we've tested.
Best MacBook deal
$1,799 Save $100
The 13-inch M5 MacBook Air is our favorite MacBook for college students, as it's super portable and a little cheaper than its 15-inch brother. It's a fabulous ultraportable with a crisp, colorful display, amazing speakers, and blazing-fast performance. This upgraded model, with 24GB of RAM and a terabyte of storage, should last you well past graduation. Amazon and Best Buy currently have it on sale for $1,699, or $100 off.
Heads up: If you have a valid student ID, you'll get $100 off and a free $100 gift card if you buy this MacBook directly through the Apple Store during its Back to School sale (live through Sept. 24). However, it won't ship until late September or early October. If you need it sooner, Amazon (with Prime) and Best Buy were both advertising next- or two-day shipping at the time of writing.
Read Mashable's full review of the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air (M5).
More MacBook deals
Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $689.99
$699(save $9.01)Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,849.99
$1,999(save $149.01)Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,759.99
$2,999(save $239.01)
Best Windows laptop deal
$1,149.99 Save $550
The OmniBook 3 16 is a slim, big-screened laptop with a mind-blowing battery life of over 40 hours per charge. It's the longest-lasting laptop we've ever tested in more than a decade of reviewing laptops. Just note that its Snapdragon X processor is best for everyday productivity tasks, not intensive app usage. This configuration with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage (a good daily driver combo) is 48% off at Staples for Labor Day. For reference, HP's website lists the same model at $90 more.
Read Mashable's full review of the HP OmniBook 3 16.
More Windows laptop deals
HP OmniBook Ultra 14 (Snapdragon X2 Elite, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,799.99
$2,249.99(save $450)Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070Ti, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,899.99
$2,199.99(save $300)Dell XPS 14 (Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,699.99
$3,149.99(save $450)
Best Chromebook deal
$749 Save $170
This premium Chromebook boasts an 18-hour battery life and a silky-smooth touchscreen display that can flip around 360 degrees. It makes a great MacBook Neo alternative for ultra-casual users who want a laptop that doubles as a tablet. Ahead of Labor Day, it's significantly cheaper than the Neo: Best Buy has it marked down to $579, or 23% off. That more than erases its $50 price hike from May.
Read Mashable's full review of the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514.