It’s “back to school” season for some and “been back in school” season for others, but regardless of your specific situation, now is the time of year when retailers are discounting all the school essentials. We’ve hunted down discounts on the best back-to-school gear our reviewers have hand-tested, from laptops and mattress toppers to bags and chairs.

Be sure to check out our related guides, including the Best Back-to-School Laptop Deals, the Best Dorm Gear, and the Best Kids Backpacks. You might also be interested in our Labor Day Deals Roundup, as well as our list of student discounts.

Updated August 25, 2025: We’ve removed expired deals and added new discounts on the Sony WH-1000XM5, Nothing Headphone (1), Dreamegg Sunrise 1, and Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro.

Top Back-to-School Deals

• The best laptop: Apple Macbook Air (M4, 2025) for $799 ($200 off)
• Our favorite office chair: Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro for $449 ($50 off)—Use Code LABORDAY
• Upgrade your dorm bed: Brooklyn Bedding CopperFlex 401 Mattress Topper (Twin) for $299 ($100 off)
• A powerful power bank: Anker Laptop Power Bank for $94 ($41 off)

Tech and Office Deals

The MacBook Air M4 (2025) is a rock-solid MacBook for college students. It’s our favorite laptop overall and the Best MacBook you can buy, and it gets you excellent value for the money. It strikes a fantastic balance between performance and price, and it’ll have no trouble handling multiple browser tabs or lasting you all day. It has support for external displays and Apple Intelligence, a high-resolution 12-MP webcam, and a thin form factor that won’t bother your back while you’re toting it around.

The Apple iPad (2025, A16) sells for this price pretty frequently, but it does jump back up to its MSRP of $350 regularly and rarely falls much below $300. It’s the best iPad for most people, and it’s a solid contender if you want some of the capabilities of doing basic schoolwork without a traditional laptop. It’s compatible with the first-generation Apple Pencil, the USB-C Apple Pencil, the Smart Folio, and the Magic Keyboard Folio. We have more recommendations in our iPad Accessories Buying Guide.

The OnePlus 13 came out earlier this year, and this is the best price drop we’ve seen for it so far. It’s a great Android phone, especially if you care a lot about the battery: Not only does it last up to two days, depending on what you’re doing, but it can also be charged from zero to 100 in just over 30 minutes. Battery aside, the rest of the phone is good, too: Snappy performance, water resistance, and a slick triple-lens camera. If you order from OnePlus directly, you’ll get a free phone case or pair of earbuds. It’s a very solid deal if you want to upgrade your phone for the new school year.

This is the best budget gaming monitor. (We also quite like the AOC QD-OLED Monitor (Q27G4ZD), but it is not currently on sale.) The price has only dropped by $20, but this is a match of the lowest it tends to drop outside of events like Black Friday, and just $20 above the lowest price we’ve seen. It’s not 4K, but you’ll get a 180-Hz refresh rate with this 27-inch 1440p screen. It has adaptive sync for smooth gameplay, and it’ll be a noticeable upgrade if you’re using a 1080p monitor. If you want to spend some time gaming between Zoom calls or homework, and your monitor needs an upgrade, this is a safe bet.

This Bluetooth speaker has a built-in carabiner that can be attached to your backpack, bike handlebars, or belt loop. We like the durable water- and dust-resistant body, and it has surprisingly good sound for a speaker as small as it is. It’s not perfect for parties, but it is a solid pick if you want on-the-go sound for your bicycle commute or your after-school workouts.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is the best smartwatch for iPhone owners, and it’s also an excellent fitness tracker. If you don’t already have a smartwatch, you might be surprised at all the little ways it can improve your life. From at-a-glance notifications to workout and sleep tracking to emergency SOS alerts in case of an accident, these wrist gadgets are worth considering for going off to college or leading a class full of students. For an Android alternative, we like the Google Pixel 3 on sale for $318 ($82 off), but a new watch is coming later this month, so you might want to wait.

This is the best power bank for those who want more than the basics. Its 25,000-mAh capacity and up to 165-watt delivery are more than enough for your phone, tablet, and laptop, and the power bank itself recharges quickly as well. It also has a handy display for at-a-glance information, and built-in USB-C cables that’ll come in handy in a pinch.

The Nothing Headphone (1) are truly fantastic headphones. They look great, thanks to their cool see-through design, and they have top-notch physical controls. They also have good sound, particularly when it comes to bass levels, and the whole package is rounded out with decent noise canceling. They were just released in July; this is the first and best discount we’ve seen for them.

Amazon is selling the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones in the black color for dirt-cheap, though the other colors at $329 are still a solid deal. Other retailers also have the black pair on sale for less than the fun colors like blue and silver, though most versions are at least somewhat discounted. These headphones bounce up to their full $398 price tag very frequently. They’re the older version of our favorite noise-canceling headphones and still an excellent pair if you don’t need the newest model. Active noise cancelation comes in handy during long study sessions (or when you’re decompressing on lunch or after work).

Backpack, Tote, and School Supply Deals

The Happy Planner makes our favorite paper planners for students, and its warehouse sale offers many steep discounts on planners as well as accessories and expansion packs. Some of these planners have layouts that started in July of 2025, but they go through December 2026, so you’ll still get plenty of use out of them. (Note that, technically, this sale was supposed to end on August 13, but it still seems to be live.)

This is a fantastic carry-all for people who don’t mind carrying a purse-style tote bag. The medium tote is reasonably sized, but you should go with the large if you have a 13-inch laptop or bigger. The nylon is durable, the bag has feet on the bottom to protect it from floor gunk, and there are a few different internal compartments for laptops, shoes, and other necessities. It’s a very solid bag for your day-to-day life.

Amazon is offering 10 percent off when you purchase four qualifying items across several categories, including office supplies. There are a ton of school supplies in the sale, including paper, pencils, folders, index cards, dry-erase markers, and more. Being AmazonBasics items, most are already affordable, so the extra discount is just icing on the cake. This deal is especially great for any teachers restocking their classrooms—or parents whose kiddos manage to lose pencils with abandon. Simply add four items to your cart and the discount will automatically be applied.

Home and Dorm Deals

This excellent memory foam mattress topper is the perfect pick to upgrade your dorm bed, and every size (from Twin to King) is on sale. There’s even a Twin XL option in case your supplied mattress is that size. At 4 inches tall, this is practically a mattress in and of itself, and it’ll definitely be better than the bed you’re given. It has antimicrobial properties and cooling covers, and it’s CertiPur-US certified. Need more bedding recommendations? We can help—check our pillows and sheets buying guides.

The Anthros V2 is the best ergonomic office chair, with plush seating, good support, and smooth casters. You can adjust the upper and lower back separately to match your body shape; the thick Cloudfloat seat is both firm and cushy; and you’ll even get to video chat with an Anthros ergonomics therapist to help make sure your seat is set up properly. It could have better heat dissipation, and we wish the seat were deeper, but this remains a fantastic pick if you’re staring down the prospect of sitting down while doing homework or teaching.

This is a solid discount on one of the best sunrise alarm clocks. We recommend this to people looking for a budget-friendly option, and the deal price comes within $10 of the lowest we’ve seen. It gets bright enough to wake you up, mimicking the sun to help soothe you awake instead of resorting to extreme methods. There’s also a sound machine with six sounds, and the light has nine color options.

The Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro is the best office chair money can buy. It’s adjustable, from the backrest and lumbar support to armrest height, depth, recline levels, and more. It’s comfortable. It has a solid warranty and smooth rolling wheels. And it isn’t egregiously expensive! If you’re still grading papers or doing homework from your dining room chairs, perhaps it’s time for an upgrade.

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