Over the last few years, purchasing a brand new laptop has become a substantial investment. Sure, you can find a decent budget-friendly laptop suitable for basic tasks, though a decent one will set you back around $500. Eventually, laptop prices drop, especially when a new model is just around the corner.
But I can’t think of anything worse than spending $1,000 on a laptop you’ve been eyeing up, just for it to go on sale for $300 less. So, when is the best time to buy a laptop? Well, it depends on many different factors.
When Should You Replace Your Laptop?
Before you go out and purchase a new laptop, you should first assess whether or not you actually need one. A modern laptop should last you at least 4- to 5-years, a fairly significant amount of time. Of course, the average lifespan of a laptop will completely depend on many factors, including the hardware inside the laptop, what the laptop will be used for, as well as how you treat it.
You may even want to get a 17-inch gaming laptop which is better suited for gaming than regular-sized ones, thanks to its giant screen.
If you throw your laptop into your backpack with everything else—including the kitchen sink—your PC certainly won’t appreciate it. So, when should you replace your laptop? If your laptop is too slow and you don’t want to/you can’t replace the CPU or RAM, replacing your PC is a wise decision. On the other hand, if you’re simply looking to upgrade your laptop, you’re going to need to understand how to buy the best gaming laptop on the market.
Common Mistakes When Buying a Laptop
There are some common mistakes that we have all most likely made when purchasing a new electronic device. Therefore, when purchasing a new laptop, try not to fall into these traps.
Paying Too Much
Flagship laptops have it all, but not everyone requires a high-end 1080 Ti card or a similar GPU, or a powerful CPU for gaming. If you intend to do basic work tasks on a laptop, you will be able to get away with purchasing one with a low-end CPU. There’s really no need to purchase a laptop with an Intel Core i5 processor (or better) if you’re only going to be using the laptop to browse the web. Instead, focus on RAM and internal storage space.
Buying Too Cheap
Sometimes, cheap laptops aren’t always the best, either. In fact, ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ is a fairly reasonable idiom that can be used when purchasing a laptop. Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic budget-friendly laptops on the market. Though sometimes, it’s definitely worth spending a little more on a quality product.
Although cheap laptops are tempting to buy, we’d say if possible, aim for a laptop with a high-resolution screen, a nice amount of RAM as well as a decent amount of storage.
Ignoring Important Specs
One of the most important factors to consider when purchasing a laptop are the specs. Even though they are often overlooked, you should certainly focus on a laptop that has all of the ports and hardware you require. If you require a PC with Thunderbolt 3 or a USB-C port, you’re going to want to aim for a modern laptop.
On the other hand, if you aim to use a laptop for work and light gaming, purchase a laptop with an i3 or i5 CPU and at least 8GB RAM.
Buying Online
Before you go and purchase a laptop online, it’s very important that you first test it out in-store. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve eyed up a laptop online, just for it to be a piece of junk in person. Therefore, it’s best to go into a store and play around with the keyboard, the touch, and ensure the display is suitable for your needs.
When Do Laptops Go on Sale?
With all of that said, you’re probably wondering: when do laptops actually go on sale? Most of the best laptop deals are available during holidays, such as Spring, Summer and Winter. But are these holidays really the best time to purchase a new laptop? To find out, we have created a list of some of the best times to buy a new laptop at a discounted price.
Back-To-School: June to September
One of the most convenient times when laptops go on sale is right before students have to go back to school. These back-to-School laptop discounts often appear as early as June, though we’d say the best time to look would be in July. What’s more, Amazon’s Prime Day launches on July 15th—an annual shopping holiday that lasts up to 36 hours.
You will also see PC vendors release new products between June and August, so if you’re looking for a fantastic deal, search at the end of summer.
Holiday Season: September to December
The holiday season is probably one of the best times to purchase a laptop at a discounted price. If you’ve heard of Black Friday, as hectic as it can be, you’ll know that the best deals show up during this time (29th November). From November to December, companies like Lenovo and Dell offer their laptops at a very attractive price. Most of the time, they continue the sale up to the new year! This means that this would also be the best time to sell Dell laptop at a discounted price, add the proceeds to your budget, and buy yourself a brand new one!
If you don’t feel like getting trampled by aggressive Black Friday shoppers, Cyber Monday sales can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home on December 2nd.
Spring: February to April
Once the holiday season is over, chances are your bank is going to look depressed. Luckily, some brilliant laptop deals occur between February and April. These Spring cleaning discounts often happen so that manufacturers can discount older products before releasing new ones. Sure, you could go out and purchase a brand-new laptop, but if you don’t mind spending money on an older model, April is the best time to buy a PC.
How Do I Know If I’m Getting a Good Deal?
Regardless of when you decide to purchase a new laptop, it can be difficult to tell if you’re genuinely getting a good deal. Thankfully, there are a few ways to tell if it’s worth purchasing a laptop at a certain time in the year:
Use a Price History Tool
We all know that laptop prices change over time, so in order to track laptop price changes, we highly recommend using a price-history tool. Websites such as Camelcamelcamel are perfect for displaying the price-history of a laptop on Amazon. This way, you’ll be able to wait for a better discount on a laptop you’ve been wanting for a while.
Spot Fake Reviews
Unfortunately, the internet is full of fake reviews that can be extremely misleading. In order to determine fake reviews from real ones, we highly recommend using Fakespot. When using this website, you’ll be able to understand how good a laptop is at Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon and other companies. I can’t express how many times I’ve seen junk reviews on Amazon that some folks may fall for.
Conclusion
The best time to purchase a new laptop is most certainly in Spring, late Summer and in the holiday (Christmas) season. Of course, this totally depends on many different factors, such as what model laptop you want as well as the manufacturer. Sometimes, it’s best to wait for a laptop you’ve had your eye on for a while, especially if it means getting it for $300 less.
But before you splash the cash, ensure that you weed out those fake reviews and check the price history of a laptop. If you don’t want to wait around or spend time searching for a budget-friendly laptop, we have you covered. Our guide to the best gaming laptops under $500 includes some fantastic. value-for-money laptops that’ll actually last.