Best student laptop deals and sales in 2026: save big on your favourite brands
These affordable laptops will let you focus on your studies, not your bank balance
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Jumping back into study can be very expensive – especially if you want to be equipped with one of the best laptops for students. Thankfully, a lot of retailers offer back to school sales running at the start of the year to help reduce that cost, so you can find a suitable device at a reasonable price.
Most back to school sales don't start till closer to the end of Jan, so it's also worth browsing our full best laptops deals to see options we might not have highlighted here.
When shopping for a student laptop, you’ll need to consider what you plan to use the laptop for so you don’t overspend on features and performance you don’t need (laptops can get very expensive!), and for students it probably needs to be light enough to carry around all day.
If you’re taking notes, writing reports and using it for research, you can save a lot by opting for a machine with lower or older specs without compromising your work. But if you need it for video editing or graphic design, you might need to pay a little more for a more powerful device that can handle any software or tasks you throw at it.
There’s plenty of good laptop brands out there, including Apple, Microsoft, Lenovo, HP and Dell, so the TechRadar team has scoured the web to round up the best student laptop deals to help you ace the upcoming school year.
Still can't find what you want? Check out our guides to the best laptops, plus the best gaming laptops.
Best student laptop deals
Under AU$1,200
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This compact machine has a decently powerful Snapdragon X Plus CPU paired with 16GB of RAM, and can happily take on any everyday tasks. It also has a 16:10 (1920 x 1200) IPS display with a high 300-nit brightness and 100% DCI-P3 colour reproduction, and a facial-recognition webcam. While we have seen it about 10% cheaper before, this is still a solid discount.
Under AU$1,500
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The MacBook Air M4 is often on sale, so while this discount isn't unusual, it's about as good as it gets for an Apple product. You can also grab it for AU$1,399 from JB Hi-Fi. Want to know more about the laptop? Take a look at our MacBook Air 13-inch M4 review for the full insight. As a comparison, the M4 Air is AU$1,699 from Apple.
Premium Laptops
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TechRadar’s recommended laptop for most people in 2025 is a Windows device once again, thanks to Microsoft going with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite ARM CPUs to match the performance and efficiency found in Apple Silicon-powered MacBooks. The Surface Laptop 7 line also features high-DPI IPS displays with touchscreens, featuring 400-nit brightness and excellent colour reproduction. While ARM laptops aren’t best for those with very specific software requirements due to (now rare) potential compatibility issues, I reckon this is a solid discount.
The Snapdragon X Elite variant is also on sale from AU$1,899, and the 15-inch starts at AU$1,898.
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Need a slim but still powerful laptop? The Yoga Slim 7i Aura features the new Series 2 Intel Core Ultra 7 258V CPU, a compact 14-inch 2800 x 1800 OLED display, plus premium features like a facial recognition webcam and Wi-Fi 7. Want to know more? Check out our Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura review.
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This Snapdragon-powered laptop has an impressive spec for the price, with an X Elite X1E78100 CPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. It also has a very nice 2944 x 1840 OLED touchscreen display that outputs 100% of the sRGB gamut. We have seen this machine slightly cheaper, but it's still a solid deal at this price.
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This versatile 2-in-1 features the latest Series 2 Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor backed up by 32GB of RAM and a large 1TB SSD. The 16-inch (2880 x 1800) 120Hz OLED touchscreen display folds back through 360 degrees and works with the Lenovo pen (included) for writing and drawing. You also get extras like an IR facial recognition webcam, dual Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports and a decently large 70Wh battery. That's a lot of laptop for the money!
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This tiny saving on this MacBook Pro is currently the best deal going on the base model, which shows how little the laptop gets in the way of discounts.
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This small saving on the MacBook Pro is currently one of the best deals going, which shows how little the laptop gets in the way of discounts.
This variant has a M4 Pro CPU and 24GB RAM, and costs AU$3,299 from Apple, but you can grab it for from Amazon for AU$2997.
Coupons and discount codes
It's worth browsing our full list of computing coupons, but we have also included our favourites below.
Or, if you're looking to save on other purchases, explore our full list of coupon categories – covering electronics (from TVs to earbuds and everything in between), mobile phones and even services like VPNs.
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Dell has the following codes available:
FUTURE5% – takes 5% off a huge range of Dell gear
FUTURE13% – 13% off Alienware and XPS laptops
FUTURE11% – 11% off consumer displays
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HP has a back to school sale on, but you can save a little more on select models using the below code.
This week’s best storewide laptop sales
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Amazon: regular discounts on Chromebooks, plus best MacBook prices
Amazon has a regularly updated selection of laptop deals. It’s often the best place to go for cheap Chromebooks and mid-range devices, so worth a look if your budget is under AU$1,000. For those after a more premium device, Amazon often has the best prices available on Apple MacBooks, sometimes offering 10% off or more. It could also be worth checking Amazon coupon codes to get the best deal possible.
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Dell: shop XPS, Inspiron and Alienware laptops
Dell no longer offers limited-time discounts on its range of laptops – instead, there’s only a featured section on its website. Unfortunately though, Dell doesn’t list the original price of these laptops, so it’s hard to know exactly what kind of deal you’re getting, or if you’re getting one at all. It does price match competitors' deals, and you can often find Dell coupon codes to ensure you’re getting the best discount.
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HP: weekly deals on HP Envy, Spectre and Omen laptops
No matter when you look, HP is always offering discounts on its laptops, with fresh deals available each week. Typically, we see discounts of up to 40-50% off. Along with laptops, you’ll also find price cuts on PCs, monitors and other computing peripherals. The most substantial discounts seem to arrive on HP’s budget and mid-range devices. Check for HP coupon codes to ensure you’re getting the lowest price.
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Lenovo: go-to for discounts on Lenovo ThinkPad, Yoga and Legion laptops
Lenovo is another laptop maker which always offers discounts via its online store. The maximum price cut is usually around 30-55% off, and runs the gamut of budget machines, 2-in-1 devices and premium gaming builds. To get any laptop discounts from the website, you’ll require a Lenovo coupon code, which is always listed next to the product.
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JB Hi-Fi: frequent deals on Apple, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo
JB Hi-Fi regularly offers discounts across a wide range of laptop brands, so it’s always worth checking what’s available, especially during sale periods. It often offers 10% off Apple MacBooks, 20% off Dell, HP and Lenovo, along with discounts on Asus and MSI. If you see a manufacturer offering a model on sale, it’s worth seeing if JB Hi-Fi is beating it.
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If you’re after further info on the best laptops, check out some of our other dedicated buying guides:
• Best laptops in Australia
• Best gaming laptops
• Best ultrabooks
• Best business laptops
• Best 2-in-1 laptops
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Lindsay is an Australian tech journalist who loves nothing more than rigorous product testing and benchmarking. He is especially passionate about portable computing, doing deep dives into the USB-C specification or getting hands on with energy storage, from power banks to off grid systems. In his spare time Lindsay is usually found tinkering with an endless array of projects or exploring the many waterways around Sydney.
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