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Dell laptops cost a lot more this year than they did last Black Friday. Dell raised PC prices by at least 15% to 20% from mid-December 2025, and memory chip costs have kept climbing since.
That changes what a Dell deal is worth. Last Black Friday, Dell sold a Dell 14 Plus with 16GB of memory for $499.99 and an Alienware 16 Aurora for $799.99. Today Dell lists the same lines at well over $1,300, so a big percentage off can still cost far more than last year’s sale price.
The way to judge a Dell laptop Black Friday deal on November 27 is to compare it with last year’s sale price and today’s Dell price. Dell’s crossed-out “estimated value” changes too often to mean much. Below are last year’s Dell sale prices, what changed since and my target for each laptop.
Dell Laptop Prices Right Now
Dell changes its prices from week to week, so treat these Dell.com prices as today’s reference points:
| Laptop | Configuration | Dell.com price now |
|---|---|---|
| Dell 14 Plus | Core Ultra 5 226V, 16GB, 512GB SSD, 2560×1600 | $1,379.99 |
| Dell 14 Plus | Core Ultra 7 256V, 16GB, 1TB SSD, 2560×1600 | $1,399.99 |
| Alienware 16 Aurora | Base configuration | From $1,599.99 |
| XPS 14 (2026) | Launch configuration | $2,049.99 at launch |
Dell brought the XPS name back in January 2026. The XPS 14 and XPS 16 went on sale on January 6 at $2,049.99 and $2,199.99, and Dell promised cheaper configurations from February.
Black Friday 2025 vs 2026
Dell’s Black Friday 2025 deals went live at 8 a.m. ET on November 28, 2025, with a separate set for Cyber Monday. These were the main laptop offers, as Notebookcheck listed them:
| Laptop | Configuration | Black Friday 2025 | Regular price then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dell 14 Plus | Intel Lunar Lake, 16GB, 2560×1600 | $499.99 | About $999.99 |
| Dell XPS 13 (9345) | Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB, 1TB, 3K OLED | $699.99 | $1,099.99 |
| Alienware 16 Aurora | Core 7 240H, RTX 5050, 16GB, 512GB | $799.99 | $1,199.99 |
| Dell 15 | Core 3 100U, 8GB, 15.6-inch 120Hz | $249.99 | About $399.99 |
| Dell 16 Plus (Cyber Monday) | Core Ultra 7 256V, 16GB, 1TB | $549.99 | About $1,146 |
Put the two tables together and the gap is clear. The Dell 14 Plus that sold for $499.99 now lists at $1,379.99 for a 16GB model, and the Alienware 16 Aurora starts at twice last year’s Black Friday price.
Prices are not going back to 2025 levels this year. Even a 40% discount on today’s Dell 14 Plus would leave it near $830.
What’s Pushing Dell Prices Up
Dell’s 2026 prices come from a few changes stacked on top of each other:
Memory chips. Memory makers are steering supply toward AI servers, and PC makers pay the difference. Dell raised PC prices by at least 15% to 20% from mid-December 2025, according to TrendForce. Dell COO Jeff Clarke said he had never seen memory chip costs rise this fast. HP’s CEO put memory at roughly 15% to 18% of a typical PC’s cost.
More increases are possible. Jefferies expected memory to rise 40% to 50% in the third quarter and another 30% to 40% in the fourth, the quarter we’re in now. Dell has passed earlier rises on within months, so its prices may move again before the sale.
A pricier lineup. Dell retired the Inspiron and XPS names in 2025 for Dell, Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max. The XPS came back in January 2026, but at $2,049.99 for the launch XPS 14, well above where last year’s discounted XPS 13 sold.
Tariffs faded as a factor. The February 20, 2026 Supreme Court ruling ended the IEEPA tariffs, yet Dell’s prices kept going up. Memory costs now move them more than tariffs do.
What to Expect This Black Friday
Dell hasn’t dated its 2026 sale yet. From last year’s pattern, I’d expect this:
- Likely: a Dell.com Black Friday sale with doorbusters going live on Black Friday morning, plus early deals in the weeks before.
- Likely: the cheapest doorbusters will be 8GB laptops like last year’s $249.99 Dell 15. They look like the best deals and age the fastest.
- Possible: discount percentages similar to last year’s 33% to 52%, taken off today’s higher prices.
- Possible: another price increase before the sale, if memory costs keep rising.
- Unlikely: a Dell 14 Plus near $500 or an Alienware 16 Aurora near $800 again.
Adobe measured the deepest computer discounts of 2025 at 23%, on Cyber Monday. So I set each target below at about 23% off today’s Dell price. A Dell deal at or under its target is worth taking without waiting for a bigger number.
Best Dell Laptop Deals to Watch
These are the Dell laptops I’d watch this Black Friday, each with the configuration worth buying:
Dell 14 Plus
The Dell 14 Plus is the Dell I’d buy for most people: a light 14-inch laptop with a sharp screen and enough memory for years of everyday work.
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V, 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD on the configuration to buy
- 14-inch 2560×1600 screen
- Black Friday 2025 price: $499.99. Target this year: about $1,080 for the 1TB model
Skip the 8GB versions if they show up as doorbusters. Windows 11 with a browser and a few apps already uses most of 8GB, and you can’t add more memory later.
Dell XPS 14
The XPS 14 is the premium Dell for people who want a thin aluminum laptop with a long battery life and a high-resolution screen.
- Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors with built-in Arc graphics
- Launched in January 2026 at $2,049.99, with cheaper configurations added in February
- Black Friday target: about $1,580 for the launch configuration
Last year’s best XPS deal was the Snapdragon XPS 13 at $699.99, and nothing in the 2026 XPS range will come close to that. Buy the XPS 14 for the build and the screen, and only at a real cut from Dell’s own price.
Alienware 16 Aurora
The Alienware 16 Aurora is Dell’s mainstream gaming laptop, and the Dell to buy if you want to play games at 1080p to 1440p.
- Intel Core 7 240H with an RTX 5050 or RTX 5060
- 16-inch 2560×1600 120Hz screen
- Black Friday 2025 price: $799.99 with an RTX 5050. Target this year: about $1,230 for the base model
The RTX 5060 version is the one I’d pick, because it is noticeably faster than the RTX 5050 in the same chassis. My gaming laptop Black Friday guide compares it with ASUS, Lenovo and MSI.
If you’re open to other brands, my Black Friday laptop deals page sets targets for 9 laptops, and the gaming laptop deals page covers the Alienware against its rivals.
FAQs on Dell Black Friday
When does the Dell Black Friday sale start in 2026?
Dell hasn’t announced its 2026 dates. Last year its Black Friday deals went live at 8 a.m. ET on November 28, 2025, with a separate set of Cyber Monday deals afterward, and early deals ran in the weeks before.
Will Dell laptops be cheaper this Black Friday than last year?
No. Dell raised prices from December 2025 because of memory costs, so even a large discount this year starts from a higher price. The Dell 14 Plus sold for $499.99 last Black Friday and now lists at $1,379.99 for a 16GB model.
Should I buy a Dell laptop on Dell.com or Amazon?
Dell.com for most models. Many Dell laptops on Amazon US are sold by third-party resellers at higher prices, and Dell.com lets you pick the exact configuration. Amazon sells some models directly, such as the Alienware 16 Aurora.
Is an 8GB Dell laptop a good Black Friday deal?
Usually not. 8GB is tight for Windows 11 today, and many Dell models have soldered memory that can’t be upgraded. Spend the extra on a 16GB configuration.
Is the Dell XPS 14 worth buying on Black Friday?
Yes, if you want a premium thin laptop and get it close to 23% off Dell’s own price. It launched at $2,049.99, so a price near $1,580 for the launch configuration would be a fair deal.
Final Remarks
My pick for most buyers is the Dell 14 Plus with 16GB and a 1TB SSD at about $1,080 or less. If Dell’s sale doesn’t reach that, buy a 16GB laptop from another brand that does. Dell’s prices are unlikely to fall in 2027 while memory stays expensive.