Back-to-school shopping takes place over a longer time than other more traditional shopping events like Christmas, which makes tracking the best deals much harder. Well, that’s what we’re here to help with.
Over the upcoming weeks, we’ll be scouring the internet for the best back-to-school deals that major retailers and carriers are running, gathering them all in one place: here.
The pickings are still slim, considering there are still a few weeks until most schools open their doors (virtual or real ones).
Best back-to-school deals on Amazon
Best back-to-school deals on Apple products
Buy a Mac with up to $200 discount and get free AirPods on top
Students have always been a prime target for Apple products and discounts for MacBooks that will end up in classrooms across the country are nothing new.
This year, Apple is offering up to $200 off of its computers and further sweetens the deal with a pair of AirPods. The MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13 inch and MacBook Pro 16 inch are the three laptops you can choose from.
But this deal isn’t only for MacBooks. You can get an iMac or an iMac Pro as well and get a pair of Apple’s super-popular AirPods.
Buy an iPad, save up to $100 and get free AirPods
There’s a similar deal going on with iPads but with fewer savings, since iPads don’t cost as much as Macs. Still, even the AirPods on their own are quite a nice gift, so if you were looking to get an iPad as a back-to-school gift, now’s the time to pull the trigger.
Best back-to-school deals at Best Buy
Save $125 on Samsung Galaxy A51
Save $300 on Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
If you’re not in the Apple ecosystem and need a new laptop, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 is a great choice. Although Microsoft isn’t exactly known for its hardware, the Surface laptops are of high quality and obviously work great with the Windows operating system. The battery life on this laptop is more than enough to get you through a full day of classes, so you can leave the charger at home. And $300 is not a small amount, you can buy a whole other gadget with it.
Save $72 on Sony WH-1000XM3 Noise Cancelling Headphones
Sony’s flagship ANC headphones have been around for a while now, but they’re still the benchmark for excellent noise cancelling. A newer model is rumored to be coming out soon which is probably why discounts on these are becoming more and more common. Now you can snag a pair for just $278.
Save $40 on Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
Bose’s 700 headphones are some of the best active noise-cancelling headphones right now, rivaling even Sony’s WH-1000XM3. They look sleek and sound amazing but their price is on the higher end. If you’ve been eyeing these for a while, now you can save $40 by getting them from Best Buy. It’s not a lot, but hey, $40 is $40.
Save $70 on JBL Boombox 2 Bluetooth Speaker
While we’re on the subject of sound, here’s something that brings a ton of it: the JBL Boombox 2. This Bluetooth Speaker will be the heart of every party you throw in college, no matter the location. Parks, pools, beaches, frat houses, the Boombox 2 is loud enough for every occasion. It costs a pretty penny too, but now you can buy it at $70 off.
Save $15 on mophie Powerstation 10,000 mAh Portable Charger
A power bank is something everyone should have. It can charge pretty much any device and doesn’t add that much weight to your backpack. Mophie is a known brand in the smartphone accessories market and now its 10,000mAh Powerstation is $15 off, so why not get one and have peace of mind when you’re out and about.
Save $20 on Nanoleaf Rhythm Edition 9 Panels
We’re not going to pretend that glowing triangles are a back-to-school necessity. But they look super cool and you can combine as many as you want (or can afford) to give your room a truly unique look. They’re RGB and can be programmed to light up in different patterns and can be arranged in countless ways, fitting in literally any environment.
Best back-to-school deals at Walmart
Save $52 on Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1″ tablet
Save $80 on Acer Spin 1, 11.6″ laptop
This laptop is far from a top performer, but if your kid is going back to school in a virtual classroom it’s best if it has its own laptop. The discounted $250 price tag of the Acer Spin 1 comes as a blessing in that scenario. It has a touch-sensitive display which makes it even better for youngsters that love to draw with their fingers.
Save $30 on Samsung Chromebook 4 11.6″
Chromebooks are becoming a popular choice for younger students due to their lower price and ease of use. The specs sheet will make any tech enthusiast cringe but as long as your internet is stable, it will serve your kid well enough to participate in online lessons and complete its homework.
Save $50 on ASUS VivoBook 15.6″ laptop
Although there are still some corners cut to keep the price down to just $300, this VivoBook is packing a bit more muscle thanks to the Ryzen 3 processor. The design is quite nice, with slim bezels around the display and a sleek-looking body that would fit a much more expensive device. If you don’t need to use any heavy software (including games), the VivoBook will be suit you well.
Save $22 on Samsung Galaxy Buds true wireless earbuds
Save $50 on Bose SoundSport Free true wireless earbuds
Best back-to-school deals on Amazon
Fire 7 Tablet
The Fire 7 tablet might be discounted by mere $15 but considering its low starting price, that’s quite a low. As far as tablets go it’s pretty bare-bones, but hey, you’re not like you’re looking for luxury at that price. It will run streaming services just fine and let you browse your favorite websites, maybe even play a game or two, what’s more to ask?
Kindle Kids Edition
Kids these days have a pretty good grasp of gadgets. But they often spend too much time playing games or watching videos on the tablet they have at their disposal. With the Kids Edition Kindle, that’s not an issue. Reading is all it’s for. It comes with 2 years of worry-free guarantee, meaning that if your kid throws it down the stairs, Amazon will replace it, no questions asked.
Acer Swift 3 14″ Thin & Light laptop
The Acer Swift 3 offers an awesome balance between performance and size. At 14 inches, it’s easy to carry around and light-weight, but at the same time, it’s packing AMD’s Ryzen 7 mobile processor, which can handle a lot with its 8 cores. It looks good too, no shame in pulling that laptop out of your backpack. Classes are bound to return to classrooms at some point, right?
Lenovo Flex 14 2-in-1 Convertible laptop
Lenovo also bets on AMD for the processor of the Flex 14 but goes for the slightly weaker Ryzen 5. That’s still a very decent chip, but it’s not what this laptop is all about. The Flex has a 360-degree hinge that allows you to use it in tablet mode. What’s even better is that it comes with a pen that you can use to write notes, draw or do all sorts of other things. It’s a useful feature for students and teachers alike.
Skullcandy Indy true wireless earbuds
Your kid wants to follow the trends and rock a pair of true wireless earbuds but you don’t feel like spending $100+ for them? The Skullcandy Indy are trendy enough to satisfy your child’s vanity and affordable enough so that you don’t feel bad when one of the earbuds inevitably gets lost.
