Friday, October 08, 2021

Best laptop sales in Australia: cheap laptops to buy in October 2021

If you’re looking for a cheap laptop or a deeply discounted premium machine, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve scoured the web for savings and rounded up all the genuine deals in one neat place.

You’ll find we’ve covered everything from budget browsing machines to high-performance powerhouses, so you’ll no doubt find something here to match your needs.

We’ve highlighted a selection of the latest deals that we’ve sniffed out, and if you scroll further down, we've rounded up some of our favourite laptops in a dedicated buying guide.

Best laptop deals this week

Laptops & ultrabooks

Dell XPS 13 (9305) | i7 / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD | AU$2,099 AU$1,769 on Dell (save AU$330)

The Dell XPS 13 is a beautiful piece of kit, and we’d go so far as to say it’s one of the best laptops in Australia you can buy. This 2020 model matches Intel’s 11th-gen i7 processor with 16GB of RAM for excellent performance. And despite that power boost, plus an all-encompassing display, battery life is still great on this laptop. Buy direct from Dell and you’ll save AU$330.

Acer Swift 3 | Ryzen 5 / 8GB RAM / 512GB SSD | AU$1,199 AU$1,019 on The Good Guys (save AU$180)

The Acer Swift 3 is an ultrabook for the masses, and it’s packing some pretty great specs. This model features an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U CPU, and its slim design and 14-inch display is made to be portable. You’re getting the standard 8GB of RAM here, but a generous 512GB SSD. It’s now 15% off at The Good Guys, saving you a modest AU$180.

Lenovo ThinkPad E15 (Gen 2) | i5 / 8GB RAM / 256GB SSD | AU$1,569 AU$1,079 on Lenovo (save AU$490)

This ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 is an affordable entry into Lenovo’s line of business laptops, and it’s now even more so with this AU$490 discount. It’s built well with a comfortable keyboard, and you’ll be getting a 15.6-inch 1080p display. It’s equipped with an 11th-gen Core i5 chip, and it has a suite of security features its business audience will appreciate. Nab this saving by heading to Lenovo and using the code THINKTECH.

2-in-1s

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 Chromebook | i3 / 4GB RAM / 64GB SSD | AU$699 AU$559 on Amazon (save AU$140)

The Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook is a cheap and cheerful 2-in-1, and now you can get it for just AU$559 on Amazon. It has a touchscreen that’s compatible with a stylus and a fantastic keyboard too. It’s equipped with a 10th-gen Intel i3 chip, which doesn’t deliver the best performance, but at a discounted price of AU$559 it feels silly to complain.

Asus VivoBook Flip 14 (TP470) | i5 / 8GB RAM / 256GB SSD | AU$1,399 AU$1,118 on Amazon (save AU$281)

We think the Asus VivoBook Flip 14 would be an excellent choice for students, or those looking for an affordable 2-in-1. This model comes equipped with an 11th-gen Intel Core i5 processor and a 256GB SSD, though you’re only getting 8GB of RAM. It’s lightweight, portable and is an excellent multitasker, and we like that it comes with a stylus included. This config is now AU$281 off at Amazon.

Gaming laptops

Dell G15 (5511) | i7 / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD / RTX 3060 | AU$2,599 AU$2,079 on Dell (save AU$520)

This unassuming laptop is well-equipped, with an 11th-gen Intel i7 CPU and an Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU. The 15.6-inch 1080p display has a refresh rate of 120Hz as well, so can expect super-smooth gameplay. To nab the discount, head directly to Dell where it’s AU$520 off.

Alienware m15 R5 | Ryzen 7 / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD / RTX 3050 Ti | AU$2,699 AU$2,159 on Dell (save AU$540)

This Alienware m15 R5 comes equipped with a Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, working alongside an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU. It has a 15-inch 1080p display with a 165Hz refresh rate, which should play nice with the rest of the specs. With Alienware’s intergalactic inspired design, we think it looks great too. Just keep in mind that those power-hungry specs means the laptop runs hot. Now AU$540 off when you buy directly from Dell.

  • Find great bargains and compare Australian prices on the latest tech at Getprice

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The best deals on our favourite laptops

Over the years we’ve reviewed plenty of laptops, and as a result, we’ve seen what to avoid and what to jump on when there’s savings to be had. Check out the prices on some of our favourite laptops below and see if anything has dropped enough to spark your interest.

Dell XPS 13 9310 laptop

(Image credit: Dell)

Our favourite Windows laptop: Dell XPS 13 (9310)

Return of the king

CPU: 11th generation Intel Core i5 – i7 | Graphics: Intel Iris Xe | RAM: 8GB – 32GB | Screen: 13.4-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) – 4K (3840 x 2160) | Storage: 512GB – 1TB SSD

Gorgeous design
Big CPU and GPU boost
Excellent battery life
Lacklustre audio

To say that we’re big fans of the Dell XPS 13 is a huge understatement. This 13-inch Ultrabook has appeared in our list of the best laptops for several years running, and there’s good reason why.

This iteration came out in late 2020 and it’s known as the Dell XPS 13 9310. It’s equipped with Intel’s latest 11th generation processors while the Intel Iris Xe handles the integrated graphics (and almost doubles the graphical prowess from the previous model). Both work together to bring a decent amount of power to these gorgeous laptops, and some light gaming is also possible thanks to the specs.

There are barely any bezels to speak of on these laptops, and it can be configured with a Full HD+ or a 4K HDR screen (OLED panels are also available). The sleekness of the XPS 13 comes at the expense of ports, and the speakers are a little lacklustre, but these are small exceptions in an otherwise premium laptop.

Read our full Dell XPS 13 (Late 2020) review

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Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020) laptop

(Image credit: Apple)

Our favourite Apple laptop: Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)

The best MacBook Air ever

CPU: Apple M1 | Graphics: Apple M1 GPU | RAM: 8GB – 16GB | Screen: 13.3-inch (2560 x 1600) LED | Storage: 256GB – 512GB SSD

Battery life is great
Silent in use
Fanless design could impact performance
No new design

When Apple ditched Intel’s chips for its own M1 silicon in 2020, it was a real game changer for the laptop market – Apple or otherwise. The new processor gives the MacBook Air a serious performance boost, which thankfully, has not come at the expense of battery life (our testing found it lasting an impressive 11 hours and 15 minutes in continuous movie playback).

Despite the significant power upgrade, Apple has priced this laptop at a better RRP than its predecessor, and it even gives other premium Ultrabooks such as the Dell XPS 13 a run for their money – something we never would have anticipated from Apple. You can expect to pay AU$1,499 for the model with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, or AU$1,849 for the 512GB SSD version.

If you do have a couple hundred bucks to spare, we’d also suggest taking a look at the 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020). That’ll get you better-sounding speakers, a more comfortable keyboard and a neat Touch Bar. The MacBook Pro also keeps its cooling fans (while the MacBook Air doesn’t) so it should be able to run more intensive tasks before performance is throttled.

Read our full Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020) review

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Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop

(Image credit: Asus)

Our favourite gaming laptop: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

Asus is leading AMD’s charge to dominance

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS – 9 4900HS | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 | RAM: 16GB – 32GB | Screen: 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS panel, 120Hz – 14-inch WQHD (2560 x 1440) IPS panel, 60Hz | Storage: 512GB – 1TB SSD

Best battery life in a gaming laptop
Excellent performance
Light and slim
Reasonably priced
No webcam
Fans can get loud

We rate the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 as the best gaming laptop around. It’s outfitted with AMD’s Ryzen 4000 and 5000 series processors, which lend a lot of power to the Zephyrus G14. As for graphics, Asus has mixed with Nvidia to bring the latest RTX cards to the laptop.

Despite that seriously impressive power, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is reasonably priced and can be found for a fair whack less than the competition. There’ve been a few concessions to keep it that way though – the laptop is without a webcam, and it’s not as particularly good looking as the Razer laptops of the world.

With that said, the Zephyrus G14 is a thin and light laptop that also manages best-in-class battery life despite its gaming laptop status.

Read our full Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review

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Asus ZenBook Flip 13 2-in-1 laptop

(Image credit: Asus)

Our favourite 2-in-1: Asus ZenBook Flip 13

A 2-in-1 laptop experience with little to no compromise

CPU: 11th generation Intel Core i5 – i7 | Graphics: Intel Iris Xe | RAM: 8GB – 16GB | Screen: 13.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) | Storage: 512GB SSD

Strong build quality
Excellent battery life
Genuinely good speakers
Weak graphics performance

The Asus ZenBook Flip 13 moves easily between laptop, tent and tablet mode with its 360° hinge, and Asus promises it’s good for 20,000 cycles. It’s a solidly built, stylish piece of kit, and it comes packing Intel’s latest 11th generation chips, making it a powerful 2-in-1 laptop.

Housed within the body is a beautiful 13-inch screen with ultra-thin bezels on all four sides, so you’re able to make the most of the 1080p display. The front-facing Harman Kardon speakers sound genuinely good too, which can be rare on even the best of laptops.

With space at a premium, Asus has done something clever to keep the number pad too. It’s been integrated into the trackpad, and it appears in illuminated LED lights when you need it – pretty neat if you ask us.

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Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook

(Image credit: Lenovo)

Our favourite cheap student laptop: Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook

A Chromebook for schoolwork, and then some

CPU: MediaTek P60T | Graphics: Mali-G72 | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 10.1-inch FHD (1920 x 1200) touch | Storage: 128GB eMMC

Lightweight and portable
Great value
Chrome OS is great
Tiny keyboard and finicky trackpad
Charger and headphones share a single port

If you’ve got the cash to spare for a MacBook Air, we’d argue that it’s the best student laptop in Australia, but if you’re just after something that’s cheap, then the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook is a great choice. It’s a 2-in-1, and for the unit itself paired with a detachable keyboard and stand cover, you’ll pay just AU$499 (and it’s often on sale too).

The internal specs aren’t anything to write home about, but what really matters here is Chrome OS, which we’ve found to be a richer experience than the equivalent Windows 10S. Google’s fantastic apps will be right at your fingertips, so it’s ideal for someone who does the majority of their schoolwork online (using Google Docs and the like).

You won’t be able to load up on Chrome tabs with reckless abandon, but for general web browsing, video streaming and basic productivity, the Duet does exactly what you want it to do. All told, this is the best value you’re going to find in a portable device of this kind.

Read our full Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook review

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If you're after some more further info on the best laptops, check out some of our other dedicated articles:

Watch the video below for the top 7 things to consider when buying a laptop. 



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