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Best laptops: five great deals from Sony, Dell, and more

Best laptops this week include deals on the HP ENVY, Sony Vaio, and Dell Inspiron, among others. Many of this week's best laptops include free shipping. 

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Dell Inspiron laptops. Dell Home is selling the Dell Inspiron 17R laptop for $689.99 with free shipping, with a coupon code.
  • By Louis Ramirez Guest blogger

The days of overpriced hybrids are long gone as three of this week's best laptop deals can slide, twist, and rotate their screens to be used as full-on tablets. With prices starting at $385, it's a sure sign that hybrids are here to stay. If it's quad-core power you seek, we also have deals on Alienware's portable gaming rig and an Editors' Choice HP Envy at $635.

  1. HP ENVY 15t-j100 Quad Edition Intel Haswell Core i7 2.4GHz 15.6" LED-Backlit Laptop
    Store: HP Home & Home Office
    Price: $634.99 via coupon code "SAVE15HP" with free shipping
    Lowest By: $165

    Is It Worth It?: Despite its ordinary looks, the 5.6-lb. HP ENVY 15t-j100 packs an impressive array of specs starting with an Intel Core i7-4700MQ 2.4GHz Haswell quad-core processor. HP pairs the CPU with 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and a 15.6" 1366x768 display. Though we've seen this system with dedicated graphics, today's configuration bypasses the video card, but takes advantage of coupon code "SAVE15HP", which drops its cost to an Editors' Choice price of $635.

  2. Sony Vaio Duo 13 Intel Haswell Core i5 1.6GHz 13.3" Touchscreen Laptop
    Store: Microsoft Store
    Price: $899 with free shipping
    Lowest By: $100

    Is It Worth It?: Sony may have bid sayonara to its VAIO line of PCs last month, but that doesn't stop the Duo 13 from stealing the show. Both CNET and Engadget like the Duo 13's redesign, which includes a sliding screen that's easier to activate than its 11" predecessor's. A more spacious keyboard, larger 13.3" 1920x1080 touchscreen, and a bigger touchpad are also stark improvements. Under the hood of this laptop/tablet hybrid, you'll find a Core i5-4200U Haswell 1.6GHz dual-core processor, 4GB RAM, and a 128GB SSD. There's no optical drive, but you do get a stylus (for on-screen scribbling) and improved battery life, the latter of which PC Mag says will get you through a full day at the office. Better yet, it's $100 under our last mention.

  3. Alienware 14 Intel Haswell Core i7 2.4GHz 14" LED-Backlit Laptop
    Store: Dell Home
    Price: $1,249 via coupon code "3SMKPRGXQK28DM" with free shipping EXPIRED
    Lowest By: $150

    Is It Worth It?: At 6.1 lbs., the Alienware 14 is among the heaviest 14" notebooks we've seen. However, for a gaming laptop, this system is a featherweight and "compact enough to throw in a backpack," says Laptop. Cut from the same cloth as the bigger Alienware 18, this 14" gaming rig features an Intel Core i7 2.4GHz Haswell quad-core processor, 8GB RAM, a 750GB 7200rpm hard drive, and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 1GB video card. Not a Windows 8 fan? No sweat, this muscle machine also comes pre-loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium.

  4. Lenovo ThinkPad YOGA Intel Haswell Core i5 1.6GHz 12.5" Touchscreen Ultrabook
    Store: Newegg
    Price: $899.99 via coupon code "MHSALE10" with free shipping EXPIRED
    Lowest By: $99

    Is It Worth It?: Priced at $900, this first-generation Yoga is the cheapest Haswell-based configuration we've seen of this series. The 3.9-lb. laptop, which doubles as a tablet when you fold back the screen, features a 12.5" 1920x1080 multi-touch LCD, Core i5-4200U Haswell 1.6GHz dual-core processor, 4GB RAM, and a 128GB SSD.

  5. Dell Inspiron 17R Intel Haswell Core i5 1.6GHz 17.3" Laptop
    Store: Dell Home
    Price: $689.99 via coupon code "7CGSBDFTF3TNBR" with free shipping
    Lowest By: $30
    Expires: March 27

    Is It Worth It?: If mobility isn't a factor, Dell's desktop replacement offers impressive specs in a package that's just shy of $700. The Inspiron 17R boasts a 4th-gen Intel Core i5 Haswell 1.6GHz dual-core processor, 17.3" 1600x900 LED-backlit LCD, 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard drive. Though it tips the scales at 7.3 lbs., it's still a well-equipped notebook if travel isn't involved.

  6. HP Pavilion TouchSmart 11-e011nr Intel Pentium 11.6" Touchscreen Laptop
    Store: HP Home & Home Office
    Price: $384.99 via coupon code "DEALNEWS15HP" with free shipping
    Lowest By: $5

    Is It Worth It?: Touchscreen laptops aren't as expensive as they once were, and the HP TouchSmart 11 is a prime example. Priced at $385, this 3.1-lb. hybrid features an 11.6" 1366x768 LED-backlit touchscreen LCD that twists a full 360 degrees for use in tent/kiosk mode or as a tablet. Also onboard is a Pentium N3520 2.17GHz quad-core processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive.

Louis Ramirez is a senior feature writer for Dealnews.com, where this article first appeared: http://dealnews.com/features/best-laptop-deals/

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