8 of the best Prime Day laptop deals I'd actually buy myself

Show more (1 item)

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

Amazon's flagship Prime Day sale is launching earlier this year -- Tuesday, June 23, to Friday, June 26, instead of in July like last year. We've got the jump on early laptop sales from both Windows PCs and Macs, with quality machines from major brands like HP, Lenovo, Acer, Asus, and Dell, as well as sales on the latest Apple MacBooks.

Also: I found 15 Amazon deals on editor-approved tech already live for Prime Day

I only highlight laptop models I've personally gone hands-on with, and would buy for myself or suggest to someone else. All of these devices have hardware released within the last year or so, with the majority from earlier in 2026. Older machines are still good, of course, but if it's more than a year old, I'll call that out. Here are the best early Amazon Prime Day 2026 laptop deals live now.

Find more early Prime Day deals

Best early Amazon Prime Day laptop deals

Current price: $1,289 (28% off)

Original price: $1,799

Looking for a reliable business laptop? The third-generation ThinkPad E16 is $510 off -- a substantial discount for a laptop with solid, up-to-date hardware. It has an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H CPU and 16GB of RAM, enough for typical workflows: Microsoft 360 apps, working out of the browser, and multitasking across Windows. Like most ThinkPads, it comes with lots of ports, a full-sized keyboard, and long-lasting battery.

Current price: $1,149 (12% off)

Original price: $1,299

The M5 MacBook Air is the quintessential jack-of-all-trades laptop for everyone, with the latest in Apple silicon: the powerful and battery-efficient M5 chip. You've got 16GB of unified memory and 512GB of local storage that's faster than the previous generation. The M5 MacBook Air feels a whole lot like the MacBook Pro these days, and the 15-inch earned our Editor's Choice award for its versatility and polished user experience.

Review: MacBook Air M5 (15-inch)

Best early Prime Day gaming laptop deals

Current price: $1,909 (13% off)

Original price: $2,199

This 16-inch gaming laptop is usually well over $2,000, but right now on sale for Prime Day. It's stacked with high-end hardware: an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, 16GB of RAM, a terabyte of storage, and a GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU for running the latest titles at max graphics.

Best early Prime Day MacBook deals

Current price: $949 (14% off)

Original price: $1,099

The 13-inch MacBook Air M5 is the thinnest, lightest MacBook Air yet -- while offering more power than ever. The M5 chip is an efficient upgrade over last year, with 16GB of RAM standard and 512GB of local storage. The 13-inch Air is great for mobile workers who need solid performance on the go with outstanding battery life.

Current price: $1,549 (9% off)

Original price: $1,699

Apple MacBook Air M5 (15-inch) with 24GB: $1,549 (save $150): Want a little more memory and local storage? The 15-inch Air with 24GB and a 1TB SSD is also $150 off, down to $1,549, a respectable deal for the newest MacBook Air model on the market in 2026.

Apple MacBook Air M5 (13-inch) with 24GB for $1,349 (save $150): The 13-inch with 24GB of unified memory and 1TB of local storage is also $150 off the normal price of $1,499.

When is Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day kicks off Tuesday, June 23 this year, and lasts until Friday, June 26.

How did we choose these early Amazon Prime Day deals?

We see lots of laptop deals every Prime Day, but we only highlight devices that we'd actually buy ourselves. That means models we've either tested personally or are familiar with, and almost always from the major laptop brands, which have the most reliable devices in terms of product quality, build, and performance.

We look for deals that are at least 20% off (or are hardly ever on sale), using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops.

We also looked over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we're recommending. Our recommendations may also be based on our own testing -- in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter.

Editorial standards

View original source — ZDNet ↗

ShareShare on X Share on Facebook