The best laptop deals for May 2018

One of the most essential – yet expensive – items you need is a laptop, so a discount or a special offer can help no end. That's why we've updated this list of the best cheap laptop deals for creatives to bring you the latest deals in time for Christmas.

Having the right laptop for you can make the difference between pain-free, powerful processing and a sluggish machine that takes an eon to upload your images. An easy to use touchpad will help you create eye-catching illustrations, while a dazzling display will show off your creations in their full glory.

We also dispel the myth that a cheap laptop is a synonym for a bad laptop: as well as the very best laptop deals on the market now, we've highlighted competent computers that you can buy on a budget all year round on the next page.

A disclaimer before we start: the list of laptop deals below may contain some Chromebooks (laptops that have no software besides Chrome, relying instead on the G Suite of apps and browser-based tools). We know that Chromebooks will be no good for graphic designers needing Photoshop or 3D artists needing to render models, but they have their place as a cheap second machine for composing emails, invoicing and other less intensive tasks.

Best graphic design laptop deals

For our Best laptops for graphic design buying guide, we tested all manner of machine to bring you our top six. Our price finder tool below scours the web every day to bring you the best deals on these excellent computers for graphic designers.

Best photo editing laptop deals

Our article on The 5 best laptops for photo editing explains why we love these powerful laptops for cutting video projects. Check out the best prices that our deal checker tool has found today.

Best Photoshop laptop deals

We know that Photoshop is a tool that demands respect, and part of that is having the right machine to run it on. These 5 best laptops for Photoshop are tried and tested – check below for today's best prices.

Best video editing laptop deals

Our article on The 5 best laptops for video editing explains why we love these powerful laptops for cutting video projects. Check out the best prices that our deal checker tool has found today.

Best laptop deals to buy in the US today

Best laptop deals to buy in the UK today

Next page: The best cheap laptop deals

While special offers may give you great discounts while they last, they can also be fleeting and easy to miss. The following laptops offer excellent value for money all year round.

When you've found the laptop that you like the best, click on the prices that our Hawk price comparison tool has found to see the best deal today.

It's no surprise that the Yoga Book's main asset is flexibility. And we're not just talking about the rotating hinge that lets you use this laptop like a chunky tablet. You get to choose between Windows 10 or Android operating systems depending on what best suits your work, and the capacitive interface can be used as a keyboard or a drawing pad.

It's great for sketching and the handsome screen is complimentary to your creations, too.

Read TechRadar's Lenovo Yoga Book review

cheap laptop deals

We're not going to pretend that the Pavilion x2 is the perfect companion for editing videos and creating masterpieces, but if you need a dirt cheap laptop for research and admin tasks then this HP PC fits the bill.

The HD display and surprising amounts of power mean that it punches well above its weight considering the eye-catching price tag. And the tablet mode means that you can flick through image galleries and videos in comfort.

Read TechRadar's full HP Pavilion x2 review

OK, so maybe this isn't everybody's definition of a 'cheap laptop'. But head to the Apple Store for your purchase, and this is the most affordable laptop you'll find.

That makes it well worth mentioning here, considering the brilliance of Apple's pre-loaded programs, which have helped to make Apple products the go-to devices for creatives all over the world for the last couple of decades. This iteration has an upgraded processor and more RAM than previous versions, as well.

Read TechRadar's full MacBook Air review

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