Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Deals

Best Back-to-School Sales 2020: The Ultimate Deals Guide

By

A new school season is looming, but with most schools remaining closed until after Christmas to slow the transmission of COVID-19, there’s a newfound expectation on both parents and students to buy expensive electronics to bring the classroom home. Fortunately, there are several back-to-school sales in full swing — and more imminent — to make transforming the front room into an education station a little lighter on the wallet.

Jump To:

Best Back-to-School Sales 2020

  • Amazon Back-to-School Sale: Amazon hasn’t kicked off a back-to-school sale, but it is nevertheless offering discounts on must-have electronics that will make learning from home (and campus) a breeze.
  • Apple Back-to-School Sale: In the market for an iPad or Mac? Provide a valid student ID and the manufacturer will knock up to $200 off the price of the machine, 20% off Apple Care+, and throw in free AirPods.
  • Best Buy Back-to-School Sale: Best Buy has created a dedicated Student Hub for its back-to-school sale. Follow the steps to enroll and you’ll be met with massive savings on everything from iPads to 4K TVs.
  • Dell Back-to-School Sale: Dell is offering massive discounts not only on laptops, monitors, and other computing hardware, but also smart home tech like Roombas, Nest Learning Thermostats, and 4K TVs.
  • HP Back-to-School Sale: HP has been running back-to-school sales since what feels like the start of time, and it’s back with another one for Back-to-School 2020: Up to 40% off laptops, monitors, and printers.
  • Microsoft Back-to-School Sale: Microsoft is selling off several must-have laptops on the cheap in its back-to-school sale, and with discounts coming in as steep as $930, it’s a promotion that’s not to be missed.
  • Staples Back-to-School Sale: Staples has everything from laptops and tablets to office furniture and stationary at rock-bottom prices. If you’re serious about bringing the classroom home, this is the sale to shop.
  • Target Back-to-School Sale: On the hunt for a desk? Chair? Whiteboard? Target has them all at rock-bottom prices. It has even slashed prices of top-rated tech, including iPads and MacBooks.

Best Back-to-School Deals 2020

  • Amazon Fire HD 8 (32GB, Wi-Fi) — $60, was $90
  • Amazon Kindle — $70, was $90
  • Amazon Fire HD 10 (32GB, Wi-Fi) — $100, was $150
  • WD My Passport 5TB External Hard Drive — $108, was $150
  • 27-inch BenQ (Full HD) Desktop Monitor — $179, was $300
  • Amazon Kindle Paperwhite — $215, was $250
  • Beats Solo Pro — $230, was $300
  • Apple iPad Mini (64GB, Wi-Fi) — $350, was $399
  • Apple iPad Mini (256GB, Wi-Fi) — $500, was $549
  • Microsoft Surface Go 2 (8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) — $550, was $630
  • Dell XPS 13 (4GB RAM, 128GB SSD) — $740, was $780
  • Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) — $800, was $1000
  • Apple MacBook Air (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $949, was $1000

Are Cheap Back-to-School Sales Too Good To Be True?

For every must-have deal, there at least a dozen bad.

Related

That’s why it’s important to not only consult an impartial source of buying advice (like Digital Trends) to find out whether the offer you’re looking at is really worth your hard-earned cash, but to also have an understanding of the tricks retailers use to dupe customers into thinking they’re looking at an unmissable deal. Fortunately, we’ve thrown together some expert advice to help you get the best possible deal this back-to-school season.

  • Compare: It can be hard to do this for clothing, but if you’re shopping for electronics, a quick check of other stores can help you decide if you’re getting a good price (if you found the deal here, skip this step).
  • Read: Some sales aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, but you have to read all of the details to know that. BOGO could mean a variety of things and mail-in rebates are always more work than they ought to be.
  • Think: Deals were designed to get you to make an impulsive buying decision, so make sure you do your due diligence before clicking Buy Now. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be sensible.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Josh Levenson
Josh Levenson
Having spent half a decade writing about the latest AV, mobile and social news for some of the world’s largest…
Best laptop deals: Save on the Dell XPS 14, MacBook Pro 16 and more
The Dell XPS 14 on a white table with the screen open.

Laptops have become an important part of our daily lives, especially for those who don't like dealing with a big and bulky desktop computer. Of course, there are an absolute ton of choices for you to pick from, and while they can get quite expensive, even some of the best laptops have solid deals on them that you can take advantage of. Regardless of which of the best laptop brands you're going for, like Lenovo, Apple, or Microsoft, there's likely a laptop deal that will fit your needs and budget quite well, whether it's a low-end, entry-level device or something super-high-end that can handle 4k gaming. Either way, we've collected our favorite laptop deals for you below.

HP Chromebook 14a -- $300, was $370

Read more
Best refurbished iPhone deals: Get an iPhone 14 for $513
An iPhone 13 in white color option.

The Apple iPhone is one of the best phones on the market, and because of it they don’t often come cheap. There are some great iPhone deals out there, but it’s rare to find significant discounts on newer models without having to commit to a longterm contract with a carrier, and it’s even less frequent you come across one of the best iPhones with a major price drop. This is where shopping refurbished can come in handy. Refurbished iPhones — for the most part — will come backed with a functionality guarantee or extended return window, making refurbished iPhones as safe of a purchase as shopping new. There are a lot of refurbished iPhone models seeing great price drops right now, which is why we’ve done the heavy lifting of rounding up all of the best refurbished iPhone deals. You’ll find them below, as well as some information on which refurbished iPhone might be best for you.
iPhone XR -- from $136

A refurbished model but one that's unlocked and comes with a full one-year warranty, the Apple iPhone XR is still pretty stylish for its age. It has a large 6.1-inch LCD screen with 1,792 x 828 resolution with Liquid Retina technology ensuring it looks super sharp. Powered by the A12 Bionic chip, it's starting to show its age but still has potential. There's also a 12MP back camera that can shoot 4K videos while the front-facing camera is 7MP and ideal for selfie-taking.

Read more
The 6 best laptops for engineers in 2024
The back of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 sitting on a table

Engineering can be very difficult, from the long nights to the great responsibility; if you don't have the right tools to get things done properly, it can feel overwhelming. Luckily, most modern engineering happens with computer assistance, so having a solid PC is important both to doing a good job and maintaining your mental health so that you aren't struggling with your tools. That's why we've gone out and picked our favorite engineering laptops and put them below for you to check out. While it's true that there are a massive number of different types of engineering, most of these should fit the bill across the board because they have powerful processors and a lot of RAM to work with.
The Best Laptops for Engineers in 2024

Buy the if you want the best overall laptop for engineers
Buy the  if you want the best MacBook laptop for engineers
Buy the  if you want the best 2-in-1 laptop for engineers
Buy the  if you want the best thin and portable laptop for engineers
Buy the  if you want the best value laptop for engineers

Read more