These MacBook-Style PC Laptops Are on Sale for Labor Day

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Labor Day sales are rolling in, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before they’re over. You can also subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

I grew up on PC, but I get it. Sometimes, there’s nothing like a MacBook. Easy to carry and classy but nondescript, it’s just what a computer is supposed to look like to a lot of people. Luckily, PC makers have caught on to that too, and if you prefer Windows but want to see what all the hubbub is with Apple’s form factor, there are plenty of laptops that try to give you the best of both worlds. And with Labor Day sales, now’s a good time to grab one.

There are two big contenders in the PC MacBook-like game. Predictably, one of them is Microsoft itself. The company’s Surface Laptop lineup does a great job maintaining Apple’s thin and light appeal, while actually starting off a little cheaper. The Surface Laptop also has, if you couldn’t tell from the name, a touchscreen—something that Apple doesn’t. And while its Qualcomm-made ARM chips aren’t quite as powerful as Apple’s in-house M-series ARM chips, they do present a similarly efficient battery life. All-in-all, this is probably the closest you’re going to get to Apple as far Windows MacBook-likes go, and you can currently get the starting configurations of both the 13.8-inch and 15-inch models on sale. Upgrade models for both also have sales, if you’re feeling a bit spendy, and the 512GB version of the 13-inch model is currently discounted at Best Buy to match that model’s starting configuration as well (be sure to navigate to it before checking out).

There is a reason to go with another company, though. Probably the biggest downside to Microsoft’s laptops is that their ARM chips, while battery efficient, can sometimes run into compatibility issues with Windows programs expecting a different architecture. It’s all a little technical, but that’s where Dell’s computers come in handy. Currently available starting for as low as $350, these run on more traditional AMD or Intel chips, which are able to run most apps without issue (assuming your specific configuration is powerful enough for them). You can also find unique form factors here, like laptops that can convert into tablets, which aren’t available through Microsoft. There are a lot of options to pick from on Dell’s website, but my favorite is probably the Dell 16 Plus, which currently starts at $750. That model will snag you a large 16-inch screen, an above average Intel Core Ultra 7 chip, a respectable 16GB of memory, and a generous 1TB of storage. Unless you see yourself wanting a dedicated graphics card for gaming (I wrote about another great deal from Dell if you do), that’s a great loadout for almost anyone. Or, you could spend an extra $150 to get the same laptop, but with 32GB of memory instead.