Best time to buy laptop

Getting a new laptop is a considerable investment. Which is why buying one usually has people taking several factors into consideration. Generally, if you are aiming to save some money on your purchase, you might want to wait around for the prices to drop, or during a sale.

If you are looking to get the latest and newest laptop model, chances are you still might have to wait for that particular time during the year when manufacturers flood the market with flashy, new laptops. Let's take a look at these two scenarios in detail.

Do You Want to Buy the Latest Models?

Your main priority when purchasing a laptop could be becoming one of the first people to get their hands on an up-to-date model. If you are not sure which model you should choose, you should check out our laptop buying guide first.

Major PC manufacturers usually release new products at three specific times of the year:
- Late June to September [the back-to-school period]

- September to December [the holiday season] - February to April [spring]

You will find that the newest products tend to ship at the beginning or middle of these windows. Although the latest models might be pricey, there are many benefits to making a purchase as soon as they arrive.

For instance, the latest laptops are also the trendiest so you can expect a relatively slim computer with high processing power and latest GPU advancements, which is perfect especially if you are a gamer, a graphic designer, or simply an enthusiast of state-of-the-art laptops.

For the great deals on laptops, some of the best times to visit your local retailer include:

Back to school season

After those long summer breaks, you will find some of the best deals on great laptops, especially on laptops for engineerig students. This can be attributed to the traditional back-to-school sales that retailers tend to implement. Buy laptops at discounted values from as early as late June, lasting all the way to September.

Along with great deals on laptops, you will also find relatively cheap supplies for your office/schoolwork during the back to school season.

November-December Holiday season

You can always expect a notable price drop during the holiday season since manufacturers want to take advantage of the somewhat increased consumer purchases. You will find some excellent prices on top-notch laptops during Black Friday sales.

However, if you are not too enthusiastic about dealing with the long lines that often come with Black Friday, consider Cyber Monday sales. You will find similarly well-priced laptops that will not dent your pockets too much.

Spring cleaning

Discover relatively cheap laptops during the spring season.

April, in particular, is a great time to make a purchase. This is because manufacturers tend to release new products during this period, which means that they are in a hurry to clear out old stock. Usually, the 17 inch or larger laptops are on sale at this time.

Consequently, the prices on these laptops they need to clear out tend to drop significantly. Therefore, this is a great time to buy a laptop, especially if you have no issues with owning the second-latest model, or even one that is slightly older than that.

However, this is not always the case. Some manufacturers may decide not to drop the prices on their products, or even go a step further and remove these older models from retail stores altogether.

If your strategy is to wait for the spring deals, you might also be disappointed to discover that in some cases, there is no significant difference in the pricing of the oldest and newest laptops, or the older ones are even more expensive.

For example, when Apple releases a new Mac, don't expect the price of the older Mac at your local retail store to automatically drop. In this case, you will find that paying attention to announcements from Apple is your best option, especially as they release new products.

What You Need To Look Out For

Now that you know when to buy your laptop, you also need to keep in mind other factors that will determine the kind of laptop you end up getting.

Determine the type of laptop you want. Once you are set on a particular model, decide the display size that will suit your purposes, then the resolution, portability, processor capabilities, battery life, and port compatibility, among other things. Once you are sure about all these features, you can finally start hunting for the best deals.

So, let's assume you have found a discount on a laptop you like during one of these periods. How would you know if you are getting a great deal or just a slight discount that won't save you as much money? Well, some of the strategies you may want to consider using include:

1. Using a price-history tool:

Look out for sites that track price changes over time. They are a great way of determining if the current price on a laptop is actually the lowest it has ever been at one particular retailer.

2. Visiting deal news sites:

These sites keep an up-to-date list of the pricing of laptops and additionally go as far as alerting you on the best deals out there through their posts. Some highly recommended deal news sites include Laptopmag.com and techbargains.com.

3. Information from user reviews:

User reviews are very helpful, especially when you are trying to find the best deals on laptops. However, there are many fake reviews that are meant to boost the ratings of a retailer's site. If you are shopping for a laptop on Amazon, you can use Fakespot, a site that is helpful in determining the fake reviews from the real ones. Always look for genuine laptop reviews.

Another important reminder is to test out a laptop before buying it. Many major retailers such as Apple, Microsoft Store, and Best Buy allow you to test out various features of different laptop models before you make a purchase. However, if making a stop at your local retailer is not possible, consider buying a laptop from an online store that has a strong return policy.

Final Thoughts

The best time for you to make a purchase on a laptop depends on a number of variants. You will find the best deals as the summer ends, in the spring, or during the holiday season at the end of the year.

However, if you are looking forward to a particular feature in the latest models, buy a laptop during the beginning of these seasons.

Otherwise, you should definitely consider monitoring when your favorite manufacturing company releases new products, and if they pull older products off the market.