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Best Black Friday laptop deals 2020: Early offers from Apple, HP and Huawei OLD

Whether it's for working from home, gaming or studying at uni, now is the time to invest (The Independent )
Whether it's for working from home, gaming or studying at uni, now is the time to invest (The Independent )

The biggest shopping event of the year is nearly here, and some of the biggest bargains can be found on pricier items like laptops.

Whether you’ve just started uni, are an avid gamer or simply want a better model for working from home, a laptop is always a useful and long-term investment worth splashing out on.

Black Friday always fall ons the day after Thanksgiving, and quickly encompassed the whole weekend and the following Monday too, aka Cyber Monday. More recently, deals have also started the week of Black Friday, and even in some caes, the week before that too.

But this year, Amazon has begung its deals a whole month early. To keep up to date with the best early Amazon Black Friday deals, read our guide. John Lewis & Partners, Very, Boots, AO, O2, Superdrug and Currys PC World have also started their sales too.

With thousands of prices slashed from reliable retailers such as John Lewis & Partners, Argos and Currys, now is the best time to buy a new laptop if yours has seen better days.

We’re here to provide a helping hand too, bringing you all the best deals through the sale, to save you searching high and low for the best price.

Read on below for the best early Black Friday laptop deals to shop now, along with all the details you need about the big event.

Our IndyBest team hand-picks every deal we feature. We may earn some commission from the links in this article, but our selections have been made independently and without bias. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

When is Black Friday?

This year Black Friday will fall on Friday 27 November, and the event will run over the weekend until 30 November, which is Cyber Monday.

As Amazon has already set the precedent, albeit much earlier than expected at the end of October, Boots and Superdrug started their sales in early November. Currys PC World has also joined in on the fun too.

We’re expecting other retailers will follow suit and begin deals earlier than usual too, especially considering we’re now in a second lockdown.

The best early Black Friday laptop deals

Huawei Matebook D14 14" Laptop - Grey: Was £699, now £499, AO

Huawei
Huawei

This laptop promises a 10-hour battery lift, 256GD SSD of storage and a 10th gen Intel Core i5 processor for speedy work, which is ideal as many of us are still working from home.

A similar model by the brand, the Huawei MateBook X pro, impressed us in our review of the best high-end laptops too. Our reviewer described it as “a fast and effective performer, especially for something as thin and light as this.”

Buy now

Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13 inch: Was £1,399, now £1,249, Very

Apple
Apple

If you’re an Apple fan, bag this bargain now as the tech giant is known for rarely offering discounts on its products.

This MacBook has a retina display, backlit keyboard, touch ID for logins, stereo speaker and promises 11-hours of battery life and 8GB of memory. It’s thin, lightweight and made with a tenth-generation Intel Core i7 processor which claims to make light work of big projects and files.

The Apple macbook pro 16in previously topped our guide to the best high-end laptops for working from home.

Buy now

Alienware Area 51M R2: Was £3,499.99, now £2,999.99, Very

Alienware
Alienware

There’s £500 to be saved on this laptop specifically designed for gaming and graphic design work. It has a 17.3inch screen with 1920 x 1080 resolution, so you can work, or play, with high-quality visuals that promise to load quickly.

Features include a 1TB hard drive for maximum storage space and Tobii eye tracking which are small sensors to track even the smallest details of a game such as eye gaze or head poses.

Buy now

LG gram 15Z90N 15in i5 8GB 512GB Lightweight Laptop: Was £1,249.99, now £1089.99, Argos

LG
LG

This laptop weighs just over 1kg, so will be easily portable and lightweight if you need to work on the go. It also has a 15inch display and a battery life that claims to last 18.5 hours on a full charge.

It also offers 4K HDR video playback, fast data transfer and a HD webcam for all your working from home needs.

Buy now

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15.6" Laptop - AMD 3020e, 128 GB SSD, Black: Was £379, now £279, Currys PC World

Lenovo
Lenovo

Save 26 per cent on this laptop that promises a long-lasting battery life of nine and half hours, a 128 GB SSD drive to store important files and high-quality audio and visuals.

It also includes Microsoft 365 Personal for a year, as long as you activate it within six months of setting it up.

The S130 81J20076 model from Lenevo topped our guide to the best laptops under £250 too, so you’re in good hands.

Buy now

Dell Insprion 15 3000 15.6" Laptop - AMD Ryzen 5, 256 GB SSD, Black: Was £599, now £479, Currys PC World

Dell
Dell

Dell topped our review of the best high-end laptops for working from home, so rest assured it is a brand to have on your radar.

This particular model allows you to get your phone calls, notifications and messages from your smartphone on your laptop, so you don’t need to switch between screens. The AMD Ryzen 5 can easily tackle every day tasks such streaming movies and browsing online.

Its battery life claims to last eight and a half hours on a full charge, and the anti-glare screen can prevent any disruptions to your work.

Buy now

HP 14s-dq1505sa 14" Laptop - Intel Core i7, 512 GB SSD, Silver: Was £699, now £599, Currys PC World

HP
HP

With an Intel Core i7 processor for speedy work, this HP laptop claims to offer over 10 hours of use from a single charge and has a HD webcam for all your Zoom calls.

It has 8GB of storage and Bluetooth to provide you with an easy connection to your headphones and smartphone.

The HP elite dragonfly model also appeared in our review of the best high-end laptops too.

Buy now

HP ProBook 430 G7 Core i5-10210U 13.3 Inch Windows 10 Pro Laptop: Was £1,099.97, now £729.97, Laptops Direct

HP
HP

Promising speedy connectivity, a long battery life and a fast 10th Gen Intel processor, this laptop should equip you with everything you need to efficiently work from home.

Features include being able to open the screen up fully flat, 8GB of memory and built-in security features to block viruses and malware from affecting your work.

Buy now

The Black Friday laptop deals to expect

Apple is notorious for not participating in many sales, however there were some Macbooks to be found in last year’s sale from other retailers, including this Apple MacBook Air (13-inch Retina display, 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, 256GB) - Space Grey that was £1,399 but came down to £999 on Amazon.

Also on offer was this Dell Inspiron 15-3000 Series, 15.6 inch Full HD Laptop (Silver) with MS Office Home, from Very which was reduced from £499.99 to £399.99.

AO also had plenty of offers including this Asus TUF FX705 17.3" Gaming Laptop that was £749 but was reduced to £599.

At John Lewis & Partners, this Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, Intel Core i7 Processor, Sandstone was £1,549 but came down to £1,389.

While at Currys PC World, it has discounts such as this HP Pavilion 14-ce3501sa 14in Laptop – Intel Core i5, 512 GB SSD, Silver, which was reduced from £639 to £499.

How to get the best Black Friday laptop deals?

When shopping for laptops during the sale, our top tip is to browse through different retailers such as John Lewis & Partners, Currys, Very and Amazon, as some offer better discounts than others.

Tech brands such as Apple don’t typically have any discounts on products when you shop directly with them, instead retailers that stock Apple will have the the best deals. What Apple has done in the past though, is it offer gift cards when buying certain products.

To save yourself the work, we’ll also be bringing you the best deals to shop, so make sure to check back for new offers.

How to choose the right laptop for you

“If you want a laptop for web surfing and word processing, doing your accounts in a spreadsheet and keeping up to date with your emails, you can get away with something basic and affordable,” says David Phelan, The Independent’s technology critic.

“Smaller screens, lower storage capacities, limited active memory levels all make for cheaper prices. But for more powerful demands you will need to spend more or risk frustration when you wait for the computer to do what you want it to,” he adds.

Low to mid range laptops usually cost up to £300, whereas high-end or gaming models usually start from around £1,000.

What screen size should I go for?

“Display size is important, especially if you want to watch films or programmes on your laptop,” says David.

But he suggests considering screen resolution is just as important as screen size. Every display is made up of dots called pixels; the more pixels it has, the more detail you can see on screen.

“For reference, an HD TV has a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080,” David says. “Look for a 14in screen or bigger if you’re going to watch films on your laptop, and the closer you can get to HD resolution, the better.

“Many laptop screens have resolution of 1366 x 768. This isn’t bad, but remember that it’s probably going to be on your lap, so low resolution is all the more obvious.”

Which operating system should I choose?

“There’s the elegant and intuitive macOS which runs only on Apple iMac desktops and MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops. Apple models are not cheap, so Black Friday could be helpful at making them more affordable,” David explains.

“Then there’s Windows from Microsoft which has the widest range of mainstream applications and Chrome OS from Google which works on some of the lowest-priced laptops."

How long will the Black Friday discounts last?

For the majority of retailers, the sale starts from Black Friday (27 November) and finishes on Cyber Monday (30 November). But some brands are starting weeks earlier, including Amazon, Boots and Superdrug.

We are constantly updating all of our Black Friday guides so be sure to check them for the latest information.

Read more on Black Friday 2020

How to get the best Black Friday deals this year – When the sale starts, how to get the best savings, and how to prepare

Best Amazon Black Friday deals – There will be millions of deals, so check in here for our pick of the best

Best John Lewis & Partners Black Friday deals – With great deals on fashion, beauty, tech, kids and homewares it will be a go-to for many

Best Currys PC World Black Friday deals – For everything from TVs to laptops, and kettles to coffee machines

Best Argos Black Friday deals – Covering everything from kids to homewares and fitness to DIY

Best Apple Black Friday deals – The tech giant is notorious for not participating in Black Friday, so how can you find deals on Apple products? Find out in our guide

Best Black Friday tech deals – Whether it’s a new phone contract or noise-cancelling headphones, you’ll find the best deal here

Best Black Friday TV deals – Update your at-home cinema experience without paying full price with our featured deals

Best Black Friday gaming deals – Struggling to choose which console to buy, or after a new controller or game? Here's our expert guide

Best Black Friday home appliances deals – Now’s the time to upgrade your vacuum cleaner or coffee machine

Best Black Friday fashion deals – Whether its a pair of boots or a coat, treat yourself to new season essentials

Best Black Friday beauty deals – Stock up on your favourites across make-up, skincare, haircare and fragrance

Best Black Friday kids’ toys deals – Get your Christmas shopping done and dusted, with deals from Disney, Lego, Playmobil and more

Best Black Friday mattress deals – Rest easy with big discounts for brands such as Emma, Eve Sleep and Simba

Best Black Friday furniture deals – There's no need to wait until the January sale to get a bargain sofa, wardrobe or armchair

The stores taking part in Black Friday – Our predictions based on last year, which we’ll be updating as the deals begin

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