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We gave this MacBook Pro alternative a 9 out of 10, and it’s on sale

By Aaron Mamiit Published September 24, 2024

Asus ProArt P16 front angled view showing display and keyboard. — Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Even with the discounts from MacBook deals, Apple’s MacBook Pro remains pretty expensive. Here’s a slightly more affordable MacBook Pro alternative: the Asus ProArt P16, which is on sale from Best Buy at $200 off for a lowered price of $1,700 from $1,900. It’s still not budget-friendly, but that’s an excellent price for a laptop of its capabilities. And if you like the power and style of a MacBook but prefer Windows, this is a good option. You’re going to have to be quick with your purchase though, as there’s no telling how much time is left before you miss out on the savings.

Why you should buy the Asus ProArt P16 laptop

We reviewed the Asus ProArt P16 as a legitimate MacBook Pro competitor with a rating of 9 out of 10 stars, as it’s a very fast laptop with a relatively affordable price. It’s powered by the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, with 32GB of RAM that’s recommended by our laptop buying guide for running intensive applications and engaging in content creation. The Asus ProArt P16 also features a gorgeous 16-inch OLED touchscreen with 4K resolution, the Asus DialPad that’s a circular indentation in the touchpad with an embedded button that provides additional functionality for various apps, and military-grade toughness for guaranteed durability.

Our Asus ProArt P16 versus Apple MacBook Pro 16 M3 Pro/M3 Max comparison highlights some advantages for Asus’ laptop. While Apple’s laptop offers a more solid design and is much faster, especially when you consider the Apple MacBook Pro 16 M3 Max, the Asus Pro Art P16 is much cheaper without giving up too much in terms of performance, and will also allow you to stay on Windows 11 if you’re more familiar with Microsoft’s operating system.

If you’re looking at laptop deals for potential MacBook Pro alternatives, you should set your sights on the Asus ProArt P16. It’s available from Best Buy with a $200 discount that slashes its price from $1,900 to $1,700, which is actually a steal price for such a powerful device. We’re not sure how long you have to take advantage of this offer, so you need to hurry if you want to pocket the savings.

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Computing

The 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro M3 is $300 off, but likely not for long

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max chip seen from behind.

Apple fans who are on the hunt for laptop deals are probably looking for a nice offer on a MacBook, and we found a good one: the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro M3 with 16GB of RAM with a $300 discount from Best Buy, bringing its price down to $1,399 from $1,699. You won't always get the chance at savings when buying Apple's laptops, so you'd want to hurry to make sure that you don't miss out on this offer. Proceed with your purchase immediately, as tomorrow may already be too late.

Why you should buy the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro M3
There's a definite improvement when we compared the Apple's M4 chips versus M3 chips, but that doesn't mean the Apple MacBook Pro M3 is obsolete. It's still a reliable machine by today's standards, with an eight-core CPU and 10-core GPU providing enough power to breeze through your daily activities even when you're multitasking between several apps at the same time. The Apple MacBook Pro M3 also comes with 16GB of RAM, which is the recommended specification by our laptop buying guide for MacBooks, and it's more than enough to support Apple Intelligence.

Computing

Harness Microsoft’s Copilot with this Surface Pro 11 sale

The Surface Pro 11 on a brown table.

If you want a device that will maximize Copilot, Microsoft's powerful AI assistant, it would make sense to go for the Microsoft Surface Pro 11. And if you buy it today, you can take advantage of Best Buy's offer of a $350 discount for a package that bundles the 2-in-1 laptop with the Surface Pro Keyboard. Instead of $1,350, you'll only have to pay $1,000, which is actually a pretty good price for a machine of this caliber. It's not a good time to hesitate with your purchase though, as the savings may disappear as soon as tomorrow.

Why you should buy the Microsoft Surface Pro 11
It's not a surprise that the Microsoft Surface Pro 11, which is featured in our roundup of the best 2-in-1 laptops, is a Copilot+ laptop. It promises faster response times and enhanced security for Microsoft's Copilot, for an even better experience when you're using features such as Recall to instantly find documents or web pages, or generating and editing images. The device is equipped with components that will provide the power that Copilot needs -- it comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor and Qualcomm Adreno GPU, alongside 16GB of RAM that's on the level of top-tier machines, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need.

Computing

This Asus OLED laptop just dropped below $1,000 at Best Buy

Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED Q533 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

We're seeing some fantastic laptop deals from Best Buy's Presidents' Day Sale, but this one featuring the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED is up there among the most attractive offers. From its original price of $1,500, it's down to a more affordable $900 following a $600 discount. The sale will run until February 17, but you're going to want to proceed with your purchase as soon as you can because there's a chance that stocks sell out quickly for this powerful and gorgeous laptop.

Why you should buy the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED laptop
Asus is one of the best laptop brands because it makes reliable devices at affordable prices, and while the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED isn't among its entries in our list of the best laptops, it's an excellent example of what it offers. You'll be getting the Intel Core Ultra 9 Series 1 processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, plus 24GB of RAM that's more than what most top-tier machines are packing. With these specifications, and access to Microsoft's Copilot through Windows 11 Home, you'll be breezing through your daily workload without any slowdowns even when you're multitasking between apps.