Feeling the post-holiday blues? Maybe sad you didn’t take advantage of all those amazing end-of-year discounts? Fret not, as Microsoft’s giving mood lingers with a stack of aging but bitching gear included in Redmond’s latest assortment of promos, dubbed the New Year Signature Edition PC Sale.
The name says it all really, as alongside massive savings, you’ll be getting laptops, convertibles and all-in-ones nobody else sells. Loaded up with free, “premium” security software, that is, and absolutely no junkware or third-party trialware.
Most of the headline discounts were part of the last-chance sale held for Christmas, so they don’t feel awfully special. But Dell’s XPS 11, is new and extremely hard to turn down. It’s only $649, yet it bends over backwards to please both laptop and tablet enthusiasts. And to think it used to cost $1,099 with a Quad HD touchscreen, Intel Core i5 Haswell power, 4GB RAM and a 128GB SSD.
A similarly hefty discount is offered on the 2-in-1 Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga, again, with the 12.5 incher dropping from a list price of $1,279 to $899 with a 1080p display, 4th-gen Core processor, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of solid state storage.
Another safe bet is the Dell Inspiron 13, even though the savings are nowhere near as drastic. Typically listed at $799, this Core i5-packing bendable goes for $699 with a modest 500GB HDD but generous 8GB RAM.
In the market for something a little more on the conventional side? Lenovo’s previous generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon snubs all the gimmicks of hybrid machines, but accommodates ultra-high-end business-friendly specs for just $999 ($730 off, or so Microsoft says).
Another returning discount laptop is Razer’s Blade gaming powerhouse, once again available for as little as $2,100 with Intel Core i7 power, QHD+ display resolution, and GeForce GTX 870M graphics. Last but not least, some of the most enticing all-in-one PCs you can happily ring the new year with include the $799 and up HP Envy Recline TouchSmart 23, $949 HP Envy Beats 23, and ultra-low-cost $399 Lenovo C260. Hard to pick just one, huh?