Top Tech Bargains of 2018

An expert shares her tips for buying electronics on a budget.

Confident businesswoman checking financial trading data with smart watch in city
(Image credit: © 2017 Yiu Yu Hoi)

We asked Lindsay Sakraida, of bargain-hunting website DealNews.com, where to find the best bargains in tech this summer.

Guide to Scoring the Best Deals in 2018

Laptops. Look for deals on mid-tier laptops with newer CPUs. Prices on models with up to 4 gigabytes of RAM and 1 terabyte of storage hover around $400. Basic, budget-friendly PCs with less power and storage will run about $200.

TVs. This summer, you’ll spot name-brand 55-inch models with 4K resolution for as little as $400. Even budget options are typically 4K these days; you likely won’t save much with a 1080p model.

Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Be a smarter, better informed investor.

Save up to 74%
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hwgJ7osrMtUWhk5koeVme7-200-80.png

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.

Sign up

Tablets. August can be a good time to get discounts on Apple iPads as stores anticipate the arrival of the new-generation models. The fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad, for example, recently sold for $229. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 12-inch tablet should sell for about $500.

Smartphones. Watch for deals on Samsung’s latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S9. You’ll find the unlocked base model for about $550 and deals on the S9+ starting at a little more than $600. For a deal on an Apple iPhone, you’ll have to buy a refurbished model.

Smart watches. Stunning discounts on Apple watches are likely to continue, says Sakraida. You should be able to get a Series 1 watch for $150 to $180 and a Series 3 model starting at $280.

Kaitlin Pitsker
Associate Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Pitsker joined Kiplinger in the summer of 2012. Previously, she interned at the Post-Standard newspaper in Syracuse, N.Y., and with Chronogram magazine in Kingston, N.Y. She holds a BS in magazine journalism from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.