Microsoft has launched its plans for Black Friday, which include deals on its Surface Pro tablet and a half-dozen laptops from Dell and HP running its Windows operating system.
In addition to its online store, the tech giant now has scores of brick-and-mortar locations from which to obtain its hardware along with its partners’ systems. Most of Microsoft’s specials will kick off at midnight on Thanksgiving, but one deal that will launch on Sunday, November 19 is a price cut on a Surface Pro (Intel Core i5 processor, 128GB solid-state drive) bundled with Type Cover. The tablet is currently unavailable from the Microsoft store, but the advertised savings are $229 off.
On Black Friday itself, you can get $329 off the other Surface Pro configuration (with 256GB SSD); there’s also a deal for $199 savings if you purchase a Surface Laptop bundled with a Harman Kardon Invoke speaker, though the current price to buy the speaker by itself is $199.95 or $99.95 on Black Friday.
Though Dell and HP are already offering Black Friday deals on theicr own websites, Microsoft is also promoting specials on their laptops, which run the Windows softwarne ithat has helped fuel its empire. The half-dozen notebook sales range in price from $299 to $799 on systems that all include an Intel Core processor inside. The cheapest is the HP 15-bs091ms with Core i3-7100U, 8GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive and 15.6-inch touchscreen display, which will see $200 chopped from its current $499 price on Black Friday.
For $60 more, the HP 15-bs095ms bumps you up to a Core i5-7200U chip and two terabytes of hard drive space, or if you prefer a 2-in-1 instead, the Dell Inspiron 13 with Core i3-7100U, 4 gigs of RAM, terabyte hard drive, and 13.3-inch full HD touchscreen will be on sale for $399. A convertible laptop with a bigger screen is the HP Pavilion x360 15-br095ms equipped with Core i5-7200U, 8GB of memory, 128GB SSD, bundled stylus, and 15.6-inch display for $599, or $230 off the current price.
Rounding out the laptop savings from the Microsoft store are a pair of Dell midrange portables. Gamers on a budget might be interested in the Dell Inspiron 15 with Core i5-7300HQ and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 graphics for $649 (or $150 less than the current price), while the XPS 13 comes with Core i5-7200U, 8GB of RAM, 128GB SSD, and 13.3-inch full HD touchscreen made with Corning Gorilla Glass for $799. Microsoft claims that’s a whopping $500 off the regular price, but its store has already chopped $300 from original price tag, so you’re really saving $200 instead (a common Black Friday sleight-of-hand that retailers use).