37 Best Back-to-School Deals (2023): Laptops, Backpacks, Household Essentials

Summer is Fading away, and school will soon be back in session. We scoured the internet for the best discounts on gadgets and gear for teachers, students, parents, and anyone else in the market for back-to-school fare. Be sure to check out our Best Dorm Gear guide for additional recommendations and gift ideas. 

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Laptop and Tablet Deals

This is the best MacBook for most people (7/10, WIRED Recommends). It has a bright and sharp LCD screen, slim borders for a sleek look, and enough power for everyday tasks. The webcam is 1080p, so you’ll look sharp in all your video calls, and there’s a MagSafe magnetic charging port, so if your roommate trips over the cable, the laptop won’t go flying (the cable will just detach). Read our Best MacBooks guide for more.

This older MacBook Air (9/10, WIRED Recommends) was the first to use Apple’s custom silicon but it’s still plenty powerful for sending emails, writing documents, and browsing the web. It uses Apple’s older design, but that might not matter considering the stellar price. Remember, you can also use Apple’s Education store to score steeper discounts.

Chromebooks run Chrome OS, so that means most of your work will be done within the Chrome browser. (You can still install Android apps.) This Acer Spin 714 has a 12th-gen Intel Core i5, which should mean it’s powerful enough for most school and office tasks. It’s compact, despite the 14-inch screen, and you get all the ports, including two USB-C, an HDMI, a USB-A, plus a headphone jack. Read our Best Chromebooks guide for more picks.

This isn’t the prettiest laptop and isn’t the most portable, but it’s powerful enough for some gaming in-between coursework. The G15 has a 1080p screen with a 120-Hz screen refresh rate, does a good job with heat management, and doesn’t get too loud. The power brick is bulky though. Read more in our Best Gaming Laptops guide.

If you want a Windows laptop straight from the company that manages Windows, we think the Surface Laptop 4 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best choice for most. The Ryzen 5 chipset can easily handle more than a dozen tabs in your browser of choice, and its 13.5-inch high-res screen looks nice. You get a USB-C port with a USB-A, plus a magnetic charging port. Read our Best Surface Laptops guide for more details.

This is for anyone who wants to enjoy the comfort of a tablet with the productivity of a laptop. The Surface 9’s 12th-gen Intel chip is adept, and you have the option to add 5G connectivity if you want internet access wherever you go. You can read our in-depth thoughts about it here.

This deal nets you the magnetic keyboard cover ($150 retail value) for free when you purchase the tablet, and it runs through August 20. We really liked the OnePlus Pad when we tested it (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s an Android tablet, but there are a great many improvements in the software to make multitasking more efficient. The LCD screen is bright and sharp and has a 144-Hz screen refresh rate. It’ll get three Android OS updates and four years of security updates too. 

The Surface Go 3 is just powerful enough for simple tasks, like web browsing and writing, and it’s so lightweight, which makes it great to tote around everywhere. Just remember that you need to buy the Type Cover ($100) if you want the full experience with the keyboard (though you can also use any Bluetooth keyboard).  

Want a Linux machine? This is a powerful laptop (8/10, WIRED Recommends) with a great selection of ports, and the default Pop!_OS is simple enough for newbies and experts. Read our Best Linux Laptops guide for more recommendations. You’ll automatically get $100 off the laptop after you customize it to your liking.

Backpack and Tote Deals

This is a camera bag, but you need to buy the camera insert separately. Without it, it’s still a perfectly great backpack. The rear pocket can fit a 16-inch laptop (barely), and there’s a stretchy side pouch to fit a water bottle. On the front, the vertical zippered pocket is great for storing smaller items, like chargers and battery packs. The Kodra fabric it’s made of is durable and has a double-layer waterproof coating. We’ve used it for more than two years and it’s held up well. 

Prefer a tote bag instead? This is the top pick in our Best Tote Bags guide. It distributes weight well, and there are tons of pockets for organization, plus a spot for a 16-inch laptop. There’s good padding to protect all your gear, and the material is weatherproof recycled nylon. It zips up closed to keep everything safe.