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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Darien Graham-Smith with additional deals reporting by Reece Bithrey

The best Black Friday laptop deals in the UK – and how to avoid a bad one

A composite of four different laptops on a green background

Black Friday deals have started, and if you’ve been on the lookout for a good price on a new laptop, then this could be your lucky day. But with so many websites being shouty about their Black Friday offers, the best buys aren’t always easy to spot. So before you splash the cash, it might pay to do some research – and look closely at the specification.

I know this may not be welcome advice. After all, the thought of drawing up a spreadsheet of memory configurations and pricing history might put a slight dampener on the excitement that builds as Black Friday approaches. But buy the right laptop today and you can look forward to many years of joyful productivity. Pick a duff one, and every time you open the lid you’ll be cursing your past self’s impulsive nature. So don’t get caught out; be prepared with our useful tips – and a roundup of the Filter’s favourite laptop deals.

Before you make the jump, also be sure you really need a new laptop with our guide to making the most out of your existing one.

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How to find a genuinely good Black Friday laptop deal

Don’t sweat the CPU

Many people get hung up on processor power, but this is the one thing you rarely need to worry about these days. Although new processor models come out with alarming frequency, almost any AMD Ryzen, Intel Core or Apple M-series chip of the past few years will be fine for everyday web browsing and office tasks. High-end models are only really needed for particularly demanding workloads; a quick trip to Google (or your AI chatbot of choice) will help you see how different processor models measure up.

Plan ahead with plenty of RAM and storage

Every laptop needs a decent amount of memory. If the system is starved of RAM, then performance will be sluggish, regardless of the CPU’s speed. While Windows 11 runs acceptably in 8GB, a minimum of 16GB will help ensure that future updates continue to run smoothly. Some models are upgradeable, so you can start with a basic allocation of RAM and add more as your needs grow, but this certainly isn’t something you can take for granted.

Laptop storage is also rarely expandable, except by plugging in a USB flash drive or an external SSD. That might be fine if your device will spend much of its time on a desk, but if you want to carry it around with you – not an unreasonable ask for a computer of this type – it’s a drag. So while a base-level 256GB SSD might suffice for home-working, consider stepping up to 512GB or even 1TB of internal storage, especially if you want to edit videos or play big 3D games. Look into battery life, weight and overall dimensions, too, if portability is a priority.

Find out what it’s really like to use

Some important considerations – such as the quality of the screen and keyboard – don’t show up on the spec sheet, yet these things are arguably just as important as the processor and memory. If the display is dim and blocky, and typing emails feels like pressing Scrabble tiles into a flannel, it will make day-to-day working more difficult.

Since online retail doesn’t give you an opportunity to try tapping out “the quick brown fox” for yourself, the next best thing is to read reviews of other people’s hands-on experience. Pay particular attention to the model number, though: laptops often come in a few variants, including a high-end version that will usually get great reviews – and a more cheaply made model that can be flogged for a knock-down price on Black Friday.

Is this a genuine special offer?

The final thing to check is whether the bargain that’s flashing up on your screen is actually a deal at all. You can look up past prices for a vast range of items by going to CamelCamelCamel – yes, really – and either typing in a laptop model number or pasting in the web address of an Amazon product page. You may find that the heavily promoted Black Friday price is identical to last month’s standard price on Amazon. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad deal, but it signals that you probably don’t need to race to grab a once-in-a-lifetime bargain (we’ve made sure to list this price history on all the laptop deals below).

Indeed, with Cyber Monday, pre- and post-Christmas sales, Easter specials, Amazon Prime Day, back-to-school offers and so forth, you’re rarely more than a few weeks away from the next big discount event – so don’t let the excitement of Black Friday encourage you into making a hasty purchase. Darien Graham-Smith

For more, read the Filter’s roundup of the best Black Friday deals

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The best Black Friday laptop deals in 2025

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A slim and powerful laptop

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3

£349 at John Lewis

For this price, this Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has a decent core for productivity tasks as well as some headroom for more intensive loads. The Intel Core i5-13620H processor has eight cores and eight threads, while you also get 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD for storage. It’s a slim laptop for easier portability, although it still comes with a mid-size 15in IPS screen.

If have a bit more to spend, £650 will get you a more powerful version with a faster eight-core AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor, plus 24GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

Price history: this is the best price for this model, and you’d pay an extra £120 for a 1TB model from Amazon.

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A big-screen OLED Asus laptop

Asus Vivobook S16 OLED

£649 at Currys

This Asus Vivobook S16 OLED nails the basics, if you’re after a big-screen laptop with a little something extra. Its Intel Core Ultra 5 225H processor delivers solid performance, while 32GB of RAM and a hefty capacity 1TB SSD provide enough headroom for intensive multitasking and installing of all sorts of apps.

A larger 16in Full HD+ resolution OLED screen displays high-quality output with deeper blacks, stronger contrast, and more accurate colours than standard IPS screens found elsewhere at this price. Up to 20 hours of battery life is a boon if you’re going to be away from the mains, too.

Price history: not available, but this is the lowest price ever at Currys.

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A rare MacBook deal

Apple MacBook Air M2 13in

£699 at John Lewis £699 at Currys

Apple’s M2 MacBook Air is a couple of years old now, but the Apple Silicon chip inside continues to deliver oodles of power for anything from productivity loads to editing high-res video on battery power. It’s sleek, portable and stylish, although it lacks ports, so you may need to pick up a cheap USB-C adapter to supplement. The 13.6in Liquid Retina screen is sharp and detailed, while 18 hours of battery life is sure to keep you up and running for a couple of working days away from the mains.

Price history: this is the lowest ever price.

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A top-end MacBook Air

Apple MacBook Air M4 13in

£849 at Amazon £849 at Currys

The current flagship MacBook Air has dropped back to its lowest ever price for Black Friday, complete with its capable M4 chip inside. It’s a beefier choice than older M-series chips, with faster single-core performance and two extra CPU and GPU cores for even more power. There are incremental upgrades elsewhere, such as 16GB on this base model, plus the ability to connect to two external displays with the lid down. Otherwise, this is the same modern MacBook Air we know and love, with a dazzling Liquid Retina screen and up to 18 hours of battery life. You will need a cheap USB-C adapter to extend the ports to a more usable selection.

Price history: a return to its lowest ever price.

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A decent everyday laptop

Acer Aspire 14 AI

£399 at Currys

For basic working needs, this Acer Aspire 14 AI has everything you need at a wallet-friendly price. The Snapdragon X chip inside provides more than enough power for day-to-day tasks, plus it enables this laptop to last for up to 28 hours on a charge, which means battery woes can be pushed to the back of your mind. A RAM allocation of 16GB is handy for multitasking, and a 512GB SSD is a decent amount of storage at this price. The 14in, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS panel is perfectly serviceable for productivity tasks, plus its 120Hz refresh rate keeps onscreen action zippy.

Price history: not available, but this is the lowest ever price at Currys.

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A good mid-range laptop

HP Omnibook 5

£599.99 at John Lewis

The HP Omnibook 5 is a solid mid-ranger, offering decent performance on a larger screen. An eight-core AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor is paired with 16GB of RAM and a larger 1TB SSD. It also benefits from a larger 16in, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS display. It also comes in a pleasant blue colour, and has ports including USB-C, USB-A and HDMI, plus a full-size, backlit keyboard.

Price history: this is the best price for this model – historical best on Amazon is £820, so a good saving.

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A lightweight Windows laptop

Asus Zenbook A14

£619 at John Lewis

Made from an innovative blend of ceramic and aluminium, this Asus Zenbook A14 is one of the lightest Windows laptops you’ll find, weighing in at less than a kilo. Not only is it super light, but a Snapdragon X chip alongside 16GB of RAM ensures enough grunt for productivity and multitasking.

A 1TB SSD is handy for storing documents, apps, and more besides, while the 14in 1,920 x 1,200 OLED screen is compact and sharp. Asus also rates this laptop to last for up to 32 hours on a charge – while my tests put it at about 21 hours, I’ll happily take nearly three days of use away from the mains.

Price history: not available.

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A budget Samsung laptop

Samsung Galaxy Book4

£299 at Amazon

The Samsung Galaxy Book4 is an attractive Windows alternative to similarly priced Chromebooks, offering greater software flexibility for getting work done. It includes an impressive range of ports for the price, with USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, microSD and even wired Ethernet in the mix. The Intel Core 3 processor will happily cope with everyday productivity tasks, and is supported by 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for storage.

Price history: this is its lowest ever price.

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Dual-screen power

Asus Zenbook Duo (2025)

£1,539.99 at Amazon

If one screen isn’t enough for you, then the Asus Zenbook Duo is an intriguing concept. It’s a laptop that can be all screen, with a pair of 14in 3K 120Hz OLED screens with excellent clarity and motion. They can be used as touchscreens for design work or for some clever multi-tasking, especially with the laptop’s detachable keyboard and trackpad. Inside, there’s a powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor along with 32GB of RAM and a capacious 2TB SSD. Battery life is also pretty good, lasting 12 or so hours in my tests.

Price history: this is the best price for this model.

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A two-in-one for £300 less

Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1

£549 at Amazon

If you want the powers of a conventional laptop and a very large-screen tablet in one, then the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is a well-specced option, and it’s £300 off at Amazon (not currently listed as a price cut, but price history on Keepa shows the discount, making this a hidden deal of sorts).

It comes with a 16in, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS screen, providing lots of real estate for everything from conventional productivity tasks in its laptop form factor to more design-orientated projects in its tablet form. This screen has a vibrant 600 nits of peak brightness and there’s Dolby Vision HDR support for extra sharpness in supported content.

Inside, it’s got an eight-core Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor – often found on laptops much more expensive than this. It provides great performance for both productivity and more intensive tasks, and is an efficient chip while doing so – Dell quotes battery life as up to 21 hours on a charge. To go with it, there’s 16GB of RAM and an OK capacity 512GB SSD. It also comes in a stylish sky blue colour, and has a decent port selection with two USB-Cs, a USB-A and an HDMI port.

Price history: this is the best price for this model.

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A bargain Chromebook

Acer Chromebook Plus 515

£235.99 at Amazon

Chromebooks have always been deemed inferior to Windows laptops, but you can now easily find genuinely capable budget options with few compromises. Acer’s Chromebook Plus 515 features a modest Intel processor with six cores that should prove sufficiently speedy for basic tasks, while its 8GB of RAM will allow you to have multiple Chrome tabs open without the device grinding to a halt. You also get 256GB of SSD storage for apps and light games, plus room for any local documents that aren’t in Google’s online suite. There’s also a handy 15.6in Full HD screen and a decent set of ports for this bargain-basement price.

If you feel like you need the extra performance, you can step up to a Core i5 processor with an extra four cores for an extra £102 at Amazon.

Price history: it was £12.79 cheaper in a deal this summer.

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A cheap Chromebook

Asus Chromebook Plus CX14

£209 at Very

This Asus Chromebook Plus CX14 has the fundamentals of a decent laptop for kids’ schoolwork, with a compact 14in Full HD screen plus 8GB of RAM for reasonable multitasking and a 128GB SSD for any apps or lightweight games. Inside, there’s an Intel Core 3 N355 processor with eight cores, which should be reasonable for the light workloads Chromebooks are designed for.

This CX14 is a Chromebook Plus model, which means Google has designated it as a more powerful option. It benefits from clever software integrations such as the Photo Eraser editing trickery seen on Pixel phones, Offline File Sync for accessing Google Docs and so on offline, and Google Meet effects such as auto-framing and background blur.

Price history: this is the best price at the moment – but it was lower earlier this Black Friday in a deal that’s now expired.

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A respectable Arm-based choice

Asus Vivobook 14

£449.99 at John Lewis

This Asus Vivobook 14 model is a compact and potent choice that won’t break the bank. Its Snapdragon X processor provides enough power for basic tasks and enables 19 hours of battery life per charge. There’s also 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD for solid multitasking headroom and storage needs. The compact 14in, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS screen has a refresh rate of up to 75Hz for a little bit more responsiveness than the more standard 60Hz.

This Vivobook also comes with a far-reaching port selection for the price, including a pair of USB-A ports, HDMI, USB-C and more besides.

Price history: this is the best price for this model, although Amazon doesn’t stock it.

***

A bargain Lenovo

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5

£449.99 at John Lewis

This Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 is on a “reduced to clear” discount at John Lewis, giving you the chance to grab a bit of a bargain. It has everything you could want from a modern laptop: a compact 14in 1,920 x 1,200 OLED screen for dazzling results; an eight-core Snapdragon X Plus chip for zippy performance; and excellent battery life – Lenovo says the laptop can last for up to 20 hours or so on a charge, providing all-day working and then some. For multitasking and intensive tasks, 16GB of RAM provides plenty of headroom, while a 512GB SSD is fine for storage at this price.

Price history: this was briefly cheaper in the summer.

***

A powerful and portable ultrabook

Asus Zenbook 14

£999.99 at Amazon

This Asus Zenbook 14 is a very capable choice. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor with its 16 cores means it will be able to handle any tasks you throw at it, and 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD provide lots of capacity for multitasking and dealing with heavier, creative workloads. Elsewhere, the 14in 3K OLED screen is bright and delivers good detail, and a weight of just 1.2kg makes the Asus super portable. There’s a decent selection of ports, too –and its dark-blue chassis oozes class.

If you don’t necessarily need the power of the Core Ultra 9 285H, and you’re happy with a slightly lower-end Core Ultra 7 model (which performs quite similarly in some tests) with 16GB of RAM, then that model is £799 from John Lewis, too.

Price history: this is its lowest ever price.

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A Zenbook with a high-resolution display

Asus Zenbook S 16 OLED

£1,229.99 at Amazon

The Asus Zenbook S 16 OLED is one of the most complete ultrabooks you can buy today, making no real sacrifices anywhere. The star of the show is the gorgeous 16in, 3K-resolution screen, which delivers superb detail and general sharpness. On the inside sits a 12-core Ryzen AI R9 HX 370 processor, alongside 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. There’s a decent set of ports and the casing is made from the same innovative ceraluminum material as the Zenbook A14 above, meaning it’s durable and stylish, too.

Price history: this is its lowest ever price, and it’s cheaper than lower-spec deals on the same laptop.

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A high-spec touchscreen Lenovo

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x

£799 at Currys

This Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x option provides a very rich set of specs for the price. The 12-core Snapdragon X Elite processor delivers both in terms of performance and efficiency, with the laptop rated to last for up to 24 hours on a single charge. Add to this a decent 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

Its compact 3K-resolution OLED screen displays plenty of detail in a smaller space, and up to 500 nits of brightness means images are sharp and vibrant. The Yoga Slim is also a touchscreen, giving you the flexibility to use it for more creative or design-type tasks. Go for the blue colourway to add some style to your workspace.

Price history: this is its lowest ever price.

***

A portable Asus laptop

Asus Vivobook S 14

£549 at Amazon

The Asus Vivobook S 14’s portable form factor houses an eight-core AMD Ryzen 9 270 processor, plus 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, and should prove ample for general work tasks, whether at home or on the move. The 14in 1,920 x 1,200-resolution IPS panel might not be an OLED, but it’s still perfectly capable for what this laptop is designed for. The port selection here is also pretty good, providing decent connectivity for most people’s needs.

Price history: this is its lowest ever price.

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A well-priced Lenovo laptop

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5

£469.99 at Amazon

This Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 is a slightly older variant of the one above, arriving with a larger 16in, 1,920 x 1,200-resolution IPS screen, as opposed to that model’s 14in OLED. The eight cores and 12 threads of the Intel Core i5-13420H processor here deliver solid productivity performance, with room to step up to more intense workloads if the need arises. Elsewhere, 16GB of RAM and a capacious 1TB SSD are excellent for the price, plus there’s a decent port selection that includes USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, a microSD reader and more besides.

Price history: this matches its lowest ever price.

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A slim ultrabook with an OLED display

Acer Swift X 14 AI

£1,199.99 at Amazon

The Acer Swift X 14 AI is a slim and powerful ultrabook, featuring a dazzling 14in 2,880 x 1,800 OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth and responsive on-screen action. Its AMD Ryzen 7 AI 350 processor can handle anything from productivity tasks to more intensive work, with Nvidia’s RTX 5050 GPU stepping up where extra graphical horsepower is required. Elsewhere, the port count includes USB-C, USB-A, microSD and HDMI, all present in a chassis that’s less than 20mm thick and 1.57kg in weight.

Price history: this is its lowest ever price.

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A lightweight LG laptop

LG Gram Pro 17Z90TR

£1,669.99 at Amazon

LG’s Gram laptops have long been lightweight and slender choices in their size classes, and this 17in model is no exception, weighing in at just 1.479kg. It’s also just 14.5mm thick, but maintains a decent port selection with Thunderbolt 4-capable USB-C ports, USB-A and HDMI options.

The 17-inch 2.5K resolution screen with 144Hz refresh rate is zippy and responsive, thanks to an Nvidia RTX 5050 paired with a powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor. In spite of this power, LG says this laptop will last for up to 27 hours on a charge, giving you several days of work away from the mains.

Price history: this is a match for its lowest ever price.

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A larger-screen Windows laptop for under £500

Asus Vivobook 16 X1605VA

£479.99 at Amazon

For a larger-screen Windows laptop for productivity tasks and the odd bit of more intensive work, this Asus Vivobook 16 is perfect. Performance is decent, thanks to a 10-core Intel Core 7-150U processor, plus 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD for your storage needs. The 16-inch 1,920 x 1,200 IPS screen is pretty standard at this price, but a lay-flat hinge makes this laptop great for collaborative working. You also benefit here from a full-size keyboard, while USB-C, USB-A, HDMI and a headphone jack make up the port count.

Price history: this is its lowest ever price.

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An upgrade on the Acer above

Acer Aspire 14 AI

£699.99 at Amazon

The Acer Aspire 14 AI is different to the model above: it comes running an eight-core AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 chip, with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, rather than the Arm-based Snapdragon processor. Display-wise, you get a 14in 1,920 x 1,200 OLED panel that delivers deeper blacks and stronger contrast and colour accuracy, and a good selection of ports. This model is a little more expensive than the other version, but I’d argue the expense is justified.

Price history: this is its lowest ever price.

***

A lightweight 16in laptop

LG Gram Pro 16Z90TS

£1,029.99 at Amazon £1,149 at Currys

In keeping with the portable laptop theme, this LG Gram Pro 16Z90TS provides one of the lightest 16in laptops you’ll find, delivering a good selection of ports and solid performance, with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Intel’s Core Ultra 7 256V processor with eight cores and eight threads, plus its potent integrated graphics, provide enough oomph for both basic workloads and more intensive tasks. It’s a shame the 16in 2.5K 144Hz panel isn’t OLED; but it’s a decent IPS screen – it’s responsive and delivers good detail. Lasting for up to 25.5 hours on a charge, you’ll get a few days away from the mains.

Price history: this is its lowest ever price.

***

The best Windows MacBook Pro alternative

Asus ProArt P16 (2025)

£2,279.99 at Amazon

The Asus ProArt P16 (2025) is a creative’s dream, providing one of the most compelling Windows alternatives to a MacBook Pro. This RTX 5070 variant isn’t lacking in power for everything from video and photo editing to gaming, especially when paired with a AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor. There’s also a generous 64GB of RAM and 2TB SSD.

The real kicker with this ProArt laptop is the display: a 16in 4K (3,840 x 2,400) 120Hz OLED screen that’s one of the best on the market for detail, clarity and generally sharp images – and I also found it pretty bright in my testing. There’s one of the best port selections out there, plus a comfortable keyboard, huge trackpad and stylish chassis. You are paying out for it, but this is a really excellent laptop.

Price history: this is the best ever price for this model.

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The best gaming laptop deals

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An adequate 1080p gaming laptop

Acer Nitro V15

£849.99 at Amazon

The Acer Nitro V15 is a respectable affordable gaming laptop and it’s dropped to its lowest price. It features a solid core for Full HD gaming, pairing Nvidia’s modest RTX 5060 GPU with a decently potent Intel Core i7-13620H processor. That might not be the latest in Team Blue’s catalogue, but it’s still capable, with 10 cores and 16 threads. Elsewhere, there’s a 15.6in Full HD IPS screen for solid detail, plus a 165Hz refresh rate for slick motion. There’s not too much of a gamer aesthetic, and there’s a solid set of ports, with everything from Ethernet for wired networking to USB-A and USB-C for expansion. The 1TB SSD is generous at this price.

Price history: this is the best ever price by £50.

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An Asus ROG for less

Asus ROG Strix G16

£1,599 at AO £1,599 at Very

Asus’s ROG gaming laptops typically carry a premium, but this Strix G16 is one of the cheapest RTX 5070 Ti-powered gaming machines available right now. Pairing it with a 16-core AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX processor will yield very capable gaming performance at this laptop’s native 1,920 x 1,200 resolution.

The display also has a 165Hz refresh rate for more responsive onscreen action. Modern AAA games can be a storage hog, but the 1TB SSD means there’s enough headroom for a good few here, while 16GB of RAM is enough for gaming loads.

Price history: not available, but cheaper than the closest equivalent on Amazon.

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A mid-range gaming laptop

Acer Nitro V16 AI

£1,089.99 at Amazon £1,099 at Very

Acer’s Nitro V16 is a strong mid-range gaming laptop, especially in this spec, which pairs an RTX 5070 graphics card with AMD’s eight-core Ryzen AI 7 350 processor. The setup delivers solid performance at 1080p and the laptop’s native 2,560 x 1,600 resolution – although the higher resolution may benefit from reduced settings and some upscaling. A 180Hz refresh rate makes for a smooth and responsive panel, and the laptop comes with a well-rounded port selection, too. Acer rounds off the package with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

Price history: this is its lowest ever price.

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A sub-£1,000 gaming laptop

Asus V16

£799 at Amazon

At £799, the Asus V16 is quite a feature-rich gaming laptop, as long as you don’t mind its modest 1080p display. The 10-core, 16-thread Intel Core 7 240H processor paired with an RTX 5060 laptop GPU brings solid performance to the table, alongside the powers of Nvidia’s DLSS4 upscaler and the multi-frame-gen tech, if you want it. The 16GB of RAM will be good to run most modern games, with the 1TB SSD generous for storage. All of this helps to drive a large, 16in, 1,920 x 1,200-resolution, 144Hz-refresh-rate screen for a solid blend of detail and responsiveness. An array of USB-C, USB-A, HDMI ports and more deliver decent connectivity, too.

Price history: this is its lowest ever price.

***

A decent laptop for 1080p gaming

HP Victus 15-fb2008na

£899.99 at John Lewis

If you’re after a decent gaming machine for 1080p duties, then this HP Victus 15-fb2008na model packs a punch for a decent price. It might feature the latest components inside, but it’s one of the better budget gaming laptops out there, pairing an RTX 4060 GPU with a six-core AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS processor.

There’s a 15.6in Full HD 144Hz IPS screen, plus 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Connectivity is very capable for the price, too, with USB-As, USB-C, HDMI, wired Ethernet and an SD card reader.

Price history: this is the best price for this model, although Amazon doesn’t stock it.

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A gaming laptop with heaps of style

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025)

£1,999.99 at John Lewis

Asus’s gaming laptops carry a bit of a premium, and arguably none more so than its Zephyrus line. This is Asus’ most stylish set of laptops, pairing beefy internals for gaming grunt with a compact, suave chassis. In this example, there’s an RTX 5070 GPU and an AMD Ryzen 9 270 processor, plus 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. That’s a good core for playing games at both 1080p and 1440p. The display here is a dazzling 14in 3K (or 2,880 x 1,800) 120Hz OLED screen for sublime detail, clarity and smooth motion, plus we’ve got a slim and slender chassis for such a powerful laptop that has a good set of ports. It includes a pair of USB-C ports, plus two USB-As, HDMI and more.

Price history: £50 off the best price ever from Amazon.

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A high-performance gaming laptop

Alienware 18 Area-51

£2,899 at Amazon £2,998.99 at Dell

If it’s a very capable gaming laptop you’re after, this Alienware 18 Area-51 is one of the strongest options you’ll find. A 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and Nvidia’s second-in-command RTX 5080 laptop GPU deliver the goods for gaming on its huge 18in QHD+ resolution screen. The IPS panel here is strong, too, with its super-high 300Hz refresh rate bringing impeccable motion handling. There’s 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a generous 2TB SSD. Sporting Alienware’s classic space-age looks, you’ll need some muscle if you plan to use it on the move – this laptop is big and bulky; but the extra room also means it arrives with an enviable set of ports.

Price history: this is its lowest ever price.

***

An attractive Acer laptop

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 AI

£1,599.99 at Amazon

The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 AI is one of the best value gaming laptops in its price class – but it’s become an even stronger proposition with a £300 price cut. On the inside beats an RTX 5070 Ti GPU alongside the same beefy Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor as the Alienware option above to handle the most demanding of games on its 16-inch, 2,560 x 1,600-resolution screen. The panel’s 240Hz refresh rate delivers smooth motion, plus you also get 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Those looking for style as well as substance won’t be disappointed, as the Acer is quite a looker compared to other gaming behemoths out there. If price-to-performance is the name of the game, this is a candidate for the best we’ve seen this Black Friday so far.

Price history: this is its lowest ever price, although it was only 1p more for a period in September.

Reece Bithrey

For more:
How to shop smart this Black Friday
How to avoid bad Black Friday TV deals
The best Black Friday deals
The best Black Friday beauty deals
The best Black Friday deals under £50

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