HP's Best Black Friday Laptop Deals
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HP will have a whole host of laptops on sale on its website this holiday season, according to a leaked Black Friday ad. Some discounts will exceed hundreds of dollars, with models ranging from the lower-end HP Chromebook 14 to the powerful do-it-all Spectre x360.
The PC maker will have a few desktops on sale, too, if you don’t necessarily need the mobility afforded by a laptop.
Most models are good for everyday tasks like emailing, editing spreadsheets and text documents, and keeping tabs on social media. But some are powerful enough for playing video games and editing hi-res photos so you can get them just right before uploading to Facebook.
The sales event begins on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28), but HP (like other companies, including Costco, Dell, and Lenovo) will stagger the start times for certain deals—particularly the deeply discounted doorbusters. To help you with that, we’ve arranged this curated list in chronological order, allowing you to see at a glance exactly what time you need to go to HP’s website to grab a deal.
Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28)
All Day
14-inch HP Chromebook
The deal: $230 at HP
That's a savings of about $40. As with all Chromebooks, this one uses Google’s Chrome OS instead of Windows or macOS, so be prepared for a learning curve. If you're familiar with Google's Chrome browser, the operating system isn't that hard to master. Because Chromebooks rely heavily on web-based apps, reducing the need for onboard storage and processing power, the specs are modest: an AMD A4 processor, 4GB of memory, and 32GB of flash storage. But that's all the muscle you need to browse the web, edit text documents, and watch streaming video. We didn't test this specific model, but a similar model received a Good rating for performance from our testers.
13-inch HP Spectre x360 Laptop
The deal: $830 at HP
This 2-in-1 convertible ordinarily goes for nearly $1,200. The model has good specs for a mainstream laptop: an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of solid-state storage. We tested an HP Spectre with a 15.6-inch screen, an i7 processor, and twice the storage space, and it delivered nearly 17 hours of battery life. Another plus here: The touch-screen display on this laptop folds flat beneath the keyboard for use as a tablet. You can also perch it in "tent" mode to screen pictures and videos for friends.
1 p.m. EST
24-inch All-in-One Desktop Computer
The deal: $650 at HP
This computer usually sells for around $850. The model, which is similar but not identical to one we recently tested, has an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, a 1 terabyte hard drive, and 128GB of solid-state storage, which allows you to store apps and other frequently accessed data on the faster SSD and less frequently accessed data (say, a library of MP3 files) on the larger hard drive. A mouse and keyboard are included.
5 p.m. EST
13-inch HP Envy Laptop
The deal: $700 at HP
This HP Envy 13t ordinarily sells for around $1,000. It's a well-equipped laptop for the price, with an Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of solid-state storage. We tested a model with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor and gave it a Good rating for performance. The battery life was around 7 hours. The step up from an i5 to an i7 processor helps with heavy-duty tasks like hi-res video editing—though you might find a 13-inch screen somewhat small for editing.
Black Friday (Nov. 29)
7 p.m. EST
15-inch HP Laptop
The deal: $500 at HP
This HP 15t model is ordinarily available for more than $1,300, making this one of the most deeply discounted laptops we’ve seen so far this holiday season. It has an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, and 256GB of solid-state storage, more than enough for even tougher tasks, but a dedicated graphics card would have helped with hi-res video editing and gaming. We tested a model with 12GB of memory and it scored Very Good for performance, logging 7 to 8 hours in battery life based on the task (web-browsing vs. video playback).
15-inch HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop
The deal: $630 at HP
This Pavilion 15z usually sells for around $900. What makes it a gaming laptop? Besides the edgy design (sharp angles, bold colors, etc.), it has a dedicated graphics card from Nvidia, which makes it possible to play cutting-edge games at high settings (and, incidentally, helps with other high-end tasks like hi-res video editing). Beyond the graphics card, there’s an AMD Ryzen 5 processor (similar to an Intel Core i5, but less expensive), 8GB of memory, and 256GB of solid-state storage. We tested a similar model and found battery life to be in the 8-hour range, which is reasonable for a gaming laptop.
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