Wired reviewer Luke Larsen just delivered the year's most comprehensive Black Friday laptop roundup, highlighting record-low prices on premium MacBooks and gaming laptops. The Dell 14 Plus hits an unprecedented $500, while Apple's M4 MacBook Air drops to $749 - making this the optimal buying window for laptop shoppers.
Black Friday just became the year's best laptop shopping opportunity. Wired's Luke Larsen, who personally reviewed every laptop on his curated list, reports that most of his top-rated 2025 laptops are hitting record-low prices right now. The Dell 14 Plus exemplifies this trend. When Larsen reviewed the Core Ultra 7 model earlier this year, he called out its premium display and touchpad quality - unusual for budget laptops. Now the 16GB/512GB Core Ultra 5 version has dropped to just $500, making it 'officially the best deal on a laptop this Black Friday,' according to his analysis. That pricing eliminates the typical budget laptop compromises. The 2560x1600 display and smooth touchpad deliver premium experiences at entry-level pricing. But Dell is treating this as a doorbuster deal, so availability remains limited. Apple's pricing strategy tells a different story. The M4 MacBook Air, which Larsen calls 'the best laptop you can buy' since its spring launch, has steadily declined month by month to $749. That's significant because it makes older MacBook Air models irrelevant. The performance gap between M4 and M2 chips, especially in external display support, justifies the minimal price difference. With M5 MacBooks likely arriving in early 2026, this represents peak value timing for M4 hardware. Gaming laptops are seeing the most dramatic percentage cuts. The Razer Blade 16, which Larsen describes as 'the best gaming laptop on the market,' has dropped from $2,400 to $1,600. That's notable because the Blade 16 features Nvidia's latest RTX 5090 Laptop GPU while maintaining an impossibly thin 0.59-inch profile. For context, most gaming laptops sacrifice portability for performance - the Blade 16 delivers both. The Alienware 16X Aurora presents another compelling option at $1,100, down from $1,400. Larsen specifically praised its color-accurate IPS display and premium touchpad feel during testing. These aren't just arbitrary discounts - they're strategic inventory clearing. Larsen notes that the laptop industry's annual cycle revolves around Black Friday timing. Products announced at January's CES launch throughout the year, with retailers clearing inventory to make room for 2026 refreshes. This creates legitimate value opportunities rather than artificial 'sales.' The timing even affects , which typically maintains strict pricing. Because Apple skipped fall Mac refreshes except for the M5 MacBook Pro, older models face unprecedented discounting pressure ahead of expected early 2026 updates. Even Chromebooks are hitting new price floors. The Acer Chromebook Plus 516, which Larsen tested extensively, has dropped to $279 from $479. That's significant because Chromebook Plus devices typically command premium pricing for their enhanced specifications and AI capabilities. For buyers demanding ultra-portability, the Asus Zenbook A14 offers unique value at $550 (down from $1,000 at Best Buy). Weighing just 2.16 pounds, it's noticeably lighter than even the MacBook Air while delivering all-day battery life through its Snapdragon X Plus processor. The OLED display adds visual appeal that's rare at this price point. Enterprise buyers aren't forgotten either. 's Surface Pro 13-inch OLED model has dropped $500 to $900. When paired with the Type Cover keyboard, it becomes a full PC replacement that competes directly with iPad Pro while running full Windows applications. What makes this roundup particularly valuable is Larsen's hands-on testing methodology. Unlike aggregated deal sites, every recommended laptop passed through WIRED's review process. This means real-world performance data, not just specification comparisons. These deals also show strategic differences from Prime Day pricing. While some laptops match Prime Day lows, others like the Dell 14 Plus are hitting never-before-seen pricing floors. Using tools like CamelCamelCamel reveals which discounts represent genuine value versus marketing tactics.
