TL;DR – Should You Buy a Laptop in Late 2025? YES. Right now might be the best laptop buying window in years. Here’s why: RTX 5000 series flopped, tariffs drove up costs, tech plateau disappointed buyers → cratering sales + high inventory = major discounts. Plus, 2026 brings only minor refreshes (no new gaming GPUs, just Intel Arrowlake refreshes), $200+ price increases due to AI boom memory costs, and discontinued budget lineups. Bottom line: Buy now or pay significantly more for the same specs in 2026. Best deals: MacBook Air M2 under $900, HP OmniBook Flip X ($500), ASUS TUF A15 with RTX 5070 ($1,040), Legion Pro 5i with 5070 Ti ($1,800).
The Unpopular Truth: 2025’s “Failed” Laptop Year Is Actually YOUR Win
Look, I’m usually the “use it till it dies” person. I’m still rocking a 2018 ThinkPad X1 Carbon with an eighth-gen Intel CPU that’s been used so heavily the soft-touch material literally sticks the lid to the keyboard deck. That telltale ThinkPad sound? Yeah, I’ve earned it.
But here’s the thing: if you’re sitting on the fence about upgrading, 2025’s laptop market chaos has created a perfect storm that benefits YOU, the buyer.
Why 2025 Started as a Disaster (But Ended as a Goldmine)
Let’s be honest—2025 was supposed to be a breakthrough year for laptops. Instead, we got:
- RTX 5000 series flop: Nvidia’s price promises never materialized
- Tariff chaos: Prices shot through the roof across North America
- Technology plateau: New devices felt barely different from 2024 models
- General buyer apathy: Nobody was excited about marginal upgrades
This led to cratering sales at exactly the wrong time for manufacturers who were banking on Microsoft’s Windows 10 forced obsolescence to boost numbers. Many brands rushed inventory shipments before tariff deadlines, creating a situation we rarely see:
High inventory + Low demand = Major discounts.
But that’s just the beginning.
Why 2026 Will Be a “Skip Year” for Laptops
Here’s what’s NOT coming in 2026 that makes buying now even more attractive:
Gaming Laptops: Zero Innovation Incoming
- No new GPUs or processors in 2026
- Intel’s Arrowlake refreshes = minor updates only
- Nvidia Super series? Increasingly unlikely
- AMD? Nothing new on the horizon
- Result: Gaming laptop manufacturers won’t even update designs—everything’s a holdover until 2027
Thin & Light Laptops: Minimal Progress
- Intel’s Panther Lake and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite are coming, but neither represents a fundamental performance shift
- AMD’s Gorgon Point architecture? Just a refresh of current Strix Point
- No compelling reason to wait
The Real Kicker: Massive Price Increases Coming
After honest conversations with major laptop manufacturers, here’s what’s coming in 2026:
- $200+ price increases for identical specs
- AI boom gobbling up memory supply → insane DRAM price increases
- NAND storage climbing alongside memory with no end in sight
- Entry-level lineups being discontinued altogether
Translation: Next year’s “sale prices” will look like this year’s regular costs.
The Best Black Friday 2025 Laptop Deals (By Category)
After extensive market research, here are the laptops hitting record-low prices that actually deserve your attention:
🍎 MacBooks: Laying Waste to Sub-$1,000 Windows Market
Why MacBooks Right Now?
- Amazing build quality
- Stellar performance in everyday apps
- Biblical battery life (seriously, nothing else compares)
- No Copilot bloat sinking performance like Windows laptops
Top Pick: MacBook Air M2
- Price: Under $900 (base) / Under $1,000 (512GB model)
- Why It’s a Steal: Apple is destroying the Windows slim-and-light market at this price point
- Who It’s For: Anyone NOT tied to Windows ecosystem (and honestly, why would you be at this point?)
💼 Windows Slim & Light Laptops: Budget Champions
Slim margins from tariffs and memory costs mean fewer deals, but these stand out:
Best Ultra-Budget: HP OmniBook Flip X
- Price: Under $500
- Specs: Ryzen AI 5 340 (AMD’s latest), 512GB SSD, 68Wh battery, solid port selection
- Caveat: You’ll need to uninstall bloatware (HP’s Achilles heel)
- Verdict: Insane value if you can stomach 30 minutes of software cleanup
Best Premium Compact: Lenovo Yoga 7i
- Price: ~$650
- Specs: Intel Ultra 5 226V, OLED screen, premium build quality, compact design
- Step Up: Slim 7i Aurora Edition (under $750) for better performance in lighter chassis
Best Screen Real Estate: Acer Swift 16 AI
- Price: ~$800
- Specs: Ultra 7 226V, 1TB SSD (huge for this category)
- Why It Matters: Large screen without breaking the bank
Best Power User Bargain: LG Gram 17
- Price: Under $1,000
- Specs: Ultra 7 258V, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 17″ screen in thin/light chassis
- Verdict: This configuration under a grand is unprecedented
Dell Plus Series Sweet Spot
- Price: Eye-opening rebates across the lineup
- Why Buy: Intel’s 200V Lunar Lake processors (more efficient than 200H models), excellent screens, surprisingly long battery life
- Pro Tip: 16″ models getting significant cuts—check those first
🎮 Gaming Laptops: Bang-for-Buck Focus
Even with discounts, gaming laptops remain expensive. These “rebates” bring them to quasi-normal pricing, so focus on VALUE, not ultra-high-end.
Shopping Rules for Gaming Laptops:
- Avoid open-box unless “excellent condition” (largest discounts = worst condition)
- RTX 5080 isn’t worth it over 5070 Ti in most cases
- Never pay over $1,000 for RTX 5050/5060 (except specialized models like G14/Blade 14)
- RTX 5070 still has 8GB VRAM—know your limitations
Best Specialized Compact: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
- Price: $1,300 (RTX 5060 model)
- Specs: 1TB SSD, 3K 120Hz OLED, thin/light/premium build
- Why Buy: If portability + build quality matter more than raw GPU power
Best Mid-Range Powerhouse: Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S
- Price: ~$1,600
- Specs: RTX 5070 Ti
- Caveat: Caps CPU/GPU wattage lower than competitors, but still surprisingly capable
- Who It’s For: Those wanting 5070 Ti performance without breaking $2,000
Best Premium All-Rounder: Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
- Price: Just under $1,800 (RTX 5070 Ti)
- Why Buy: Massive quality, warranty, and performance bump
- Personal Take: Worth the extra $250 over the RTX 5070 version—Legion Pro 5 series is exceptional
- Upper Limit: This is the absolute most I’d spend on a 5070 Ti laptop
Best Value Gaming Laptop: ASUS TUF A15
- Price: ~$1,040
- Specs: RTX 5070, 32GB RAM, great screen, 1TB SSD
- Secret Weapon: Some of the best battery life ever seen on a gaming laptop
- Verdict: Impossible to beat at this price point
Best Budget Gaming Pick: MSI Katana 15
- Price: $900
- Specs: RTX 5060, 13th gen Intel CPU
- Trade-offs: Older CPU, mediocre battery life, smaller SSD
- Why Buy: Impossible to find this build quality with a 5060 for less
Best Budget+ Option: Gigabyte Aero X16
- Price: ~$1,150 (breaks the “$1K rule” but worth it)
- Specs: RTX 5060, double the memory/storage vs Katana, AMD Zen 5, better connectivity, huge screen upgrade, more portable
- Verdict: The extra $250 gets you significantly more laptop
🔥 High-End Gaming: RTX 5080/5090 Deals
Reality Check: RTX 5090 laptops are in short supply—flagship buyers aren’t waiting for discounts. RTX 5080 laptops? Still expensive, but a few stand out:
Best 5080 Value: MSI Vector 16HX
- Price: $1,900 (after $600 discount!)
- Specs: High-wattage RTX 5080, Intel Core Ultra 7 275HX
- Only Issue: 16GB RAM (easily upgradeable)
- Verdict: Least expensive 5080 laptop available
Premium 5080 Options: ASUS ROG Strix G16 / Lenovo Legion Pro 7i
- Price: ~$2,600
- Specs: 32GB RAM, OLED screens, premium build/features
- Honest Take: These were wildly overpriced to begin with—$700 discount is nice, but you’re still paying premium
🇨🇦 Canadian Buyers: Yes, You’re Getting Hosed (But Here’s Hope)
Canadian purchasing power is near a 15-20 year low thanks to the weak dollar and tariffs. But there ARE deals:
Best Canadian Deal Overall: Dell Plus 14
- Price: $700 CAD
- Specs: Intel Ultra 5 226V, 512GB SSD
- Why Buy: Getting THIS thin-and-light under $800 CAD is unheard of right now
- Pro Tip: You’ll need to dig into Dell’s site to find the entry-level config
Best Screen Size Value: ASUS Vivobook 16
- Specs: Latest AMD CPU, 32GB RAM, 70Wh battery upgrade
- Limitation: USB ports max out at 5Gbps
Gaming Laptop Options (Limited):
- ASUS TUF F-16 (RTX 5060) – ~$1,500 CAD: Best bang-for-buck
- MSI Cyborg (RTX 5070) – More memory but downgrades in screen, cooling, build vs TUF
The Final Verdict: Should You Wait or Buy Now?
Buy now. Here’s the brutal truth:
✅ What’s coming in 2026: Minor CPU refreshes, zero gaming GPU updates, $200+ price hikes, discontinued budget options
❌ What’s NOT coming in 2026: Meaningful performance leaps, better deals, or exciting innovations
⏳ What IS coming in 2027: Intel Panther Lake/AMD next-gen/Nvidia next-gen—but that’s 14+ months away
The Math Is Simple:
- Wait until 2026 = Pay $200+ more for the same specs you can get NOW
- Wait until 2027 = Miss 12-14 months of productivity for marginal gains
Every cool new CPU and GPU architecture arrives in 2027. 2026 is a holding pattern with higher prices.
Smart Buying Checklist
Before you click “Buy Now”:
✓ Ask yourself:
- Is my current laptop actually limiting my work/gaming?
- Will I use the performance bump I’m paying for?
- Am I buying because of FOMO or genuine need?
✓ Focus on:
- Battery life (if mobile worker)
- Build quality over specs (laptops take abuse)
- Storage space (512GB minimum, 1TB preferred)
- RAM (16GB minimum, 32GB if future-proofing)
✓ Avoid:
- Open-box models unless “excellent condition.”
- Overpaying for GPU tiers with minimal real-world difference
- Spec-chasing without considering the actual use case
Conclusion: 2025’s Chaos Is Your Opportunity
The laptop industry’s perfect storm—failed launches, high inventory, buyer apathy, and incoming price hikes—has created a rare buyer’s market. Combined with 2026 being a technological holding pattern, there’s no compelling reason to wait.
Whether you’re eyeing that sub-$900 MacBook Air destroying Windows laptops, the insane value of the $500 HP OmniBook, or that $1,040 ASUS TUF A15 with RTX 5070 and phenomenal battery life, the deals available RIGHT NOW won’t repeat in 2026.
Next year’s “sale prices” will look like this year’s regular costs.
Spend responsibly. But if you’re on the fence? Jump off and buy now.
