Macbook Pro Cyber Monday 2017

Cyber Monday laptop deals 2021: what to expect

(Image credit: Dell; Future)

With the Cyber Monday laptop deals set to arrive very soon, we're doing everything we can to get you in the best shape to secure a bargain. As the day draws closer we'll monitor all the top laptop manufacturers such as Apple, Dell and HP to ensure you're the first to know about the very best offers so you can get your ideal machine for less.

Kicking off on November 29 – almost immediately after the Black Friday extravaganza – the Cyber Monday deals are usually just a continuation of what we saw over the previous week. Sometimes, though, retailers do launch a few new and exclusive offers as an epilogue to the year's biggest sales event.

When they do you'll be able to find all the Cyber Monday laptop deals worth knowing about on this page. Until then, join us as we guide you through what might happen during this year's sales and take a look at some of the top offers that we're available last year so you know what to expect at the end of the month.

Cyber Monday laptop deals: FAQ

When will the best Cyber Monday laptop deals start in 2021?

Cyber Monday falls on Monday, 29 November this year, but we'll see good deals well before that date.

Cyber Monday laptop deals tend to be the final blow-out sale in a string of sales starting at the beginning of Thanksgiving week. Generally speaking, prices will start to fall as early as late October / early November, although we expect the best deals to be concentrated around the week prior to Cyber Monday and Black Friday - with potential flash sales and one-day-only deals.

This is our anecdotal observation from covering last year's event, but it's also backed up by a 2020 holiday season report from Adobe Analytics. In short, Adobe reported that laptops, as a category, had sharp price cuts averaging 30% beginning the week prior to Cyber Monday (Nov 22nd). If things follow that trend again this year, then that's those are the dates you'll want to be on your toes for. It is worth noting, however, that last year may have been somewhat of an outlier thanks to the pandemic.

In practical terms, this could mean that a laptop you've had your eye on will receive a price cut well before Cyber Monday, but then an additional sales price on the big day itself. In some cases, a laptop may be reduced on Black Friday then retain its sales price throughout the weekend and into Cyber Monday - both are fairly common occurrences.

Where will the best Cyber Monday laptop deals be?

We'll be updating this page with all the best Cyber Monday deals as soon as they land, so definitely don't hesitate to bookmark this page and revisit closer to the date itself. In the meantime, however, if you'd like a quick list of which retailers will offer the best deals here's a quick list of the ones we're expecting to be the top destinations. If you're really interested in getting the best deal possible then it's a great idea to browse ahead of time, find some machines you're interested in, and then jot down their pre-sale prices to help for yourselves whether its Cyber Monday price is really worth it.

Top US retailers
Amazon: great for cheap Chromebooks and gaming laptops
Best Buy: cheap to mid-range laptops from HP, Lenovo, and more
Dell: basic Inspiron laptops, plus great sales on XPS 13 ultrabooks
HP: cheap HP Pavilion machines, plus excellent Spectre ultrabooks
Lenovo: business and gaming laptops from $500
Walmart: laptop deals often starting at around $199

Top UK retailers
Amazon: often the cheapest laptops in the UK
Argos: home delivery or pick up a cheap laptop locally today
Currys: free delivery, plus a wide selection of laptops
Dell: get a great laptop deal direct from Dell
John Lewis: extended warranties on premium laptops

Cyber Monday laptop deals: Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Air on pink background — (Image credit: Future)

What specs should I look for when buying a laptop on Cyber Monday?

Laptops in 2021 have shiny exteriors that attract a lot of attention, built with beautiful aluminum and magnesium alloys, high-resolution displays, and trackpads that are way bigger than they really need to be. But, it's what's inside that counts.

When you're browsing through all the Cyber Monday laptop deals, you should be aware that a lot of laptop manufacturers and retailers are trying to get rid of old stock. You'll see a laptop deal that cuts a huge chunk off the original price, only to find that it has a processor that's three years old. That's not necessarily a dealbreaker – even with an Intel Core i7-8500U, you should be able to get some work done.

Either way, just keep in mind the current generations of laptop hardware. On most laptops, the latest Intel processors are 11th gen Intel Core chips, while AMD processors are 5th generation Ryzen chips. It's worth checking to see whether the processor in the machine you're looking at has either an 11 or 5 in the model name (such as an Intel Core i5-11300H, or AMD Ryzen 5-5600H). Slightly older chips like the 10th gen Intel Core processors or AMD Ryzen 4-series will still very much get the job done - although you'll definitely want to get something up to date if you can. We wouldn't go any older than these chips unless the sales price is really significant.

For gaming laptops, you'll want to try and aim to score a machine with the latest appropriate graphics card for your uses too. Most machines feature Nvidia GPUs, with the latest being the RTX 3000 series of cards. If you're on a budget you'll want to aim for the RTX 3050 or RTX 3050 Ti, although a GTX 1650 or GTX 1660 Ti will still handle games at modest 1080p settings. If you're looking for more performance then definitely consider an RTX 3060 and upwards. We wouldn't go for an RTX 2060 or older unless it's a really, really significant saving. For more specific information, please head on over to our main Cyber Monday gaming laptop deals guide.

Finally, a lot of Cyber Monday laptop deals will try to sell you a laptop without enough RAM. As a general rule of thumb, you should shoot for at least 8GB of RAM on a Windows laptop, and 16GB if you plan on doing any heavy work on it. If you're buying one of the best Chromebooks, you can get away with 4GB, but even there 8GB is definitely a boon.

And, if this is too much to take in, just keep this page bookmarked. We'll browse through the Cyber Monday laptop deals that pop up, and we'll update this page with the best of the best. We use all kinds of different laptops every day, so you can trust that you'll get a laptop that's worth your time and money.

Today's best laptop deals

We're still just over a month away from this year's Cyber Monday laptop deals. If you're in a fix and can't wait, then head on over to our main laptop deals page for a whole range of excellent value recommendations this week. There's bound to be something worth picking up in this week's best Amazon deals as well.

Just below is a quick roundup of today's best prices on a range of selections from our best laptop guide. We'd recommend heading on over to that page to check out our latest favorites, plus a detailed review on each machine including a full specs and price breakdown. Whether you're looking for an ultrabook, on a budget, or simply researching ahead of Cyber Monday then that's a great page to check out.

Last year's Cyber Monday laptop deals in the US

One of the best ways to gauge what to expect with this year's Cyber Monday laptop deals is to check out what was on sale over the last event. We've preserved just a few of the top deals just down below so you can get a feel of what sort of things go on sale.

Last year's event saw the lowest prices yet on the new MacBook Air M1, as well as some awesome mid-range choices from HP. Walmart and Best Buy both had stellar cheap Chromebook options, and we saw some particularly good cheap gaming laptop deals from Dell.

Cyber Monday laptop deals under $500

Cyber Monday laptop deals over $500

Cyber Monday laptop deals over $1,000

Last year's Cyber Monday laptop deals in the UK

Meanwhile, in the UK, last year's Cyber Monday laptop deals had great choices for all budgets. Currys and Amazon in particular were great destinations if you were looking for something a little on the cheaper end last year with great options for Asus and Lenovo Chromebooks. In the mid-range, we saw some fantastic Asus Zenbook and HP machines being offered by Argos and Currys, who also lead the way with some great high-end gaming laptops. It was, however, a little quieter on the MacBook deals front last year, with only 2019 models being on sale (not the M1 chip versions).

Cyber Monday laptop deals under £500

Cyber Monday laptop deals over £1,000

James Pickard is a Deals Editor at TechRadar. After many years of scouring the net for the cheapest games and tech for his own personal use, he decided to make it his job to share those bargains with you. James also has over five years of experience covering some of the biggest sales events of the year at Eurogamer and VG247, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. When not deals hunting, James can be found on the PS5, watching a classic film noir or cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.