[UPDATE] Want a good deal on a Windows 10 laptop? Read on.
The new MacBook Pros* are getting most of the attention these days but there are alternatives to both the "entry-level" MacBook Pro (meant as a MacBook Air replacement) and the higher-end models.
Hewlett-Packard Spectre x360: $400 off at Best Buy, reduced to $999.99 from the regular price of $1,399.99. HP's build quality on its Spectre brand of laptops and convertibles rivals the MacBook Pro. Spectre laptops are typically all-aluminum affairs, very-thin, with good displays, and, most importantly, priced reasonably for what you get. The ultra-thin Spectre x360 is stuffed with high-end components including a very-high-resolution (2,560-by-1,440 QHD) 13.3-inch touch screen, 6th Gen "Skylake" Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB solid state drive (SSD). That's a deal for $999. (Reviews here and here.)
Dell XPS 13: $300 off Dell's top-of-the-line ultra-portable laptop (which, by the way, gets uniformly stellar reviews) reduced to $1,299 from the regular price of $1,599 at Costco. This is the high-end XPS 13 model with an Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, a 13.3-inch Quad HD+ (3,200-by-1,800) touch display, and one year of Office 365. I can vouch for the XPS 13 (I use the latest version with Intel's 7th Gen Kaby Lake processor) as one of the best laptops on the market.
Microsoft Surface Book: $250 off, price cut to $1,249 from $1,499 at the Microsoft Store. This is another high-quality Windows laptop. In this case a "detachable" (which means the keyboard can be detached from the display). The Surface Book is arguably the best laptop-tablet hybrid out there because it can be both a true laptop and a stand-alone tablet thanks to its Dynamic Fulcrum Hinge. The $1,249 model comes with a 6th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 128GB SSD, 8GB of RAM, a 13.5-inch 3,000-by-2,000 resolution touch display, a Surface Pen, and magnesium casing.
A less compelling deal is a Surface Book configuration with a discount to $1,499 from $1,899. Less compelling because even slashing the price by $400 still yields a very expensive buy (not unlike MacBook Pro pricing). You do get an an Nvidia GeForce graphics chip and a 256GB SSD, however.
Microsoft Surface 4 Pro: $400 off. A price reduction to $599.99 from the regular price of $999.99 at Best Buy. Specs include a 6th Gen Intel Core m3 processor, a 12.3-inch high-resolution (2,7360by-1,824 resolution) touch display, a 128GB SSD, and a Microsoft detachable Surface keyboard. (Note that the keyboard spices up the deal because it is typically sold separately and typically adds another $160). The only downside is the Intel Core m3 processor -- not as fast as more mainstream Intel chips. But in my experience with the m3 on other laptops, it offers enough processing power for what most people need.
*Consumers dead set on getting the new MacBook Pro are not going to be swayed. I get that. So, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Best Buy is discounting the new "entry level" (non-Touch-Bar) 13-inch MacBook Pro (MacBook Air replacement) to $1,399.99 from the regular price of $1,499.99. Still a lot of money but less than the discounted high-end $1,499 Surface Book deal (above).
This was originally published at on Nov 24, 2016 @ 18:56.
