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There are a bunch of laptops from Dell, Microsoft, and Apple among others on sale ahead of Amazon Prime Day 2021.

Amazon; Alyssa Powell/Business Insider

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Amazon Prime Day 2021 has finally arrived, bringing plenty of discounts on laptops and other tech devices. The annual Amazon shopping holiday takes place from June 21 through June 22, but we also saw plenty of noteworthy discounts in the days leading up to Prime Day.

Although Prime Day is an Amazon shopping holiday, don't forget to check out other retailers as well. Competitors like Target and Walmart are hosting their own shopping events at the same time, and we're likely to see compelling discounts from other retailers like Best Buy as well.

And of course, you'll need an Amazon Prime membership to get access to Amazon's Prime Day deals. Learn more about how the Insider Reviews team vets deals and tests products.

Prime Monthly Subscription (small)The best Amazon Prime Day deals on laptops

We typically see discounts on laptops across many categories on Prime Day, from MacBooks to gaming laptops, Chromebooks, and Windows devices. See below for the best laptop deals we've found so far.

The best Amazon Prime Day deals on Apple MacBooks

The MacBook Air with M1, which happens to be our favorite Apple laptop, is currently available at a discount along with the M1-powered MacBook Pro for Prime Day. Both of these laptops offer impressive gains in performance and battery life compared to their Intel-equipped predecessors. They launched in late 2020, meaning this is the first Prime Day since their debut.

New MacBook Air (M1) (medium, Preferred: Amazon)MacBook Pro with M1 Processor (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB) (medium, Preferred: Amazon)The best Amazon Prime Day deals on Windows laptops

Windows laptops are best for those who want more flexibility than Apple's Mac laptops have to offer. Windows devices come in various sizes and many of them have 2-in-1 designs that allow them to function as both laptops and tablets.

We are starting to see more discounts on Windows laptops now that Prime Day is here, but it's important to act fast if you're interested in a deal. We've already seen deals on laptops from HP and Microsoft either sell out or increase in price after going on sale leading up to Prime Day.

XPS 13 Touch Laptop (medium, Preferred: Amazon)Surface Laptop 3 (15-inch, 128GB) (medium, Preferred: Best Buy)Flex 5 (14-inch 2-in-1 with AMD Ryzen 5) (medium)Gram (Intel 10th Gen Core i5, 8GB) (medium, Preferred: Amazon)The best Amazon Prime Day deals on Chromebooks

Chromebooks are best for those who just want an affordable, lightweight laptop for browsing the web and working in Google's suite of apps.

They're usually less expensive than Windows laptops since they come with limitations when working offline. That being said, Chromebooks have improved a lot in recent years and certain models now come with faster processors and the ability to install Android apps from the Google Play Store.

Learn more about how to decide whether a Chromebook is the right laptop for you.

Pixelbook Go (Intel Core i7, 16GM of RAM) (medium, Preferred: Amazon)Chromebook 11a (medium, Preferred: Amazon)Chromebook Spin 713 (medium, Preferred: Amazon)Chromebook Flip C434 (medium, Preferred: Amazon)The best Amazon Prime Day deals on gaming laptops

Gaming laptops almost always cost more than standard laptops, which is why it's important to look for discounts. Our favorite gaming laptop right now is the Razer Blade 15 Advanced, which offers noteworthy performance and battery life packed into a stunning design. But the cheaper base model is available at an unusually low price that brings it below $1,000 for Prime Day. Check out our guide to the best gaming laptops for more buying advice and tips on what to look for when shopping.

Blade 15 Base Gaming Laptop (medium, Preferred: Amazon)Area-51m (medium, Preferred: Amazon)What are the best laptops to buy in 2021?

Our favorite laptop is the Dell XPS 13, which strikes an excellent balance between fast performance and elegant design. It runs on Intel's latest 11th-generation processors and features a vivid display with super-slim borders around the edges that enabled Dell to cram a 13-inch screen into what feels like an 11-inch laptop casing. The new model usually starts at $930.

The 2020 MacBook Air with M1 is our favorite Apple laptop. Apple's M1 processor brings significantly faster speeds and longer battery life to Apple's most portable laptop at a usual starting price of $1,000. We chose it over the M1-powered MacBook Pro because it's cheaper and sleeker than the Pro while offering similar performance and configuration options.

If you're looking for a Chromebook, the Google Pixelbook Go is your best bet. With a typical starting price of $649, it's pricier than many Chromebooks and for good reason. It has a comfortable and quiet keyboard, long battery life, and a 1080p webcam – a rare find even on laptops twice the price.

Check out our full guide to the best laptops for more buying advice.How to buy a laptop

When choosing a laptop, the most important factors to consider are how much you're willing to spend, screen size, performance, and storage.

For a general use laptop, we'd recommend a notebook with an Intel Core i3 or Intel Core i5 processor and at least 8GB of RAM. If you're primarily using your device for tasks like web browsing, word processing, managing spreadsheets, and watching videos, you don't need a more powerful processor like an Intel Core i7.

Most of these laptops will have integrated graphics rather than standalone graphics processing units (GPU). That's sufficient for general use laptops, but those looking for a gaming laptop for a video editing machine will want a more powerful GPU.

Chromebooks, on the other hand, are designed to primarily be used with an internet connection, so they often have less memory and storage than your typical Windows or Mac laptop.

The most common laptop size is 13 inches, but you can also find laptops in larger 15-inch sizes or more compact 11-inch sizes.

Check out our full guide for more advice on how to choose the right laptop.

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