The best laptops to buy on Black Friday

UPDATE: Nov. 10, 2023, 10:00 a.m. EST Microsoft recently launched the Surface Laptop Go 3, a successor to last year's Surface Laptop Go 2. It impressed us in our testing, but with a starting price of $799.99, it's a tad too expensive to be our top budget pick. The Surface Laptop Go 2 still holds the title for now, but we're currently testing other contenders as its specs are getting outdated.

We're also re-evaluating the 16-inch, M2 Max-powered MacBook Pro as our top pick for multimedia editing, as Apple just replaced it with an M3 Max model.

Shop Black Friday laptop deals:

• Amazon

• Best Buy

• Target

• Walmart

Shoppers will encounter a lot of fantastic Black Friday laptop deals heading into the holiday season, making late fall one of the best times of the year to upgrade. But picking the right PC to add to your cart can be a complicated decision: Not all laptop brands or specs are created equal, and the sheer number of models out there is enough to make anyone's head spin. (To put things in perspective, Apple's lineup now includes three MacBook Airs and two MacBook Pros across three generations of M-something chips.)

Ultimately, choosing the right laptop for you will come down to three main questions:

1. How are you going to be using your laptop?

2. What's your preferred operating system — macOS, Windows, or ChromeOS?

3. And perhaps most importantly, how much are you willing to spend?

If you're hatching a game plan for Black Friday 2023, know that the bulk of the best laptop deals will be found on brands' direct websites or at Best Buy; the electronics retailer tends to put MacBooks, high-end Windows models, and premium gaming PCs on sale at deep discounts this time of year. Those who prioritize bargains over current specs should also keep an eye on Walmart, which has sold older and discontinued laptops for well under $100 on Black Fridays past.

Not sure which models to look out for? Continue reading for Mashable's guide to the best laptops, including two Apple MacBooks and several Windows models by Dell, Microsoft, and Lenovo.

Note: All listed specs and prices apply to each model's base configuration.