If you've been shopping for a laptop this July, you've probably felt a little whiplash. On one shelf, Apple's MacBooks have quietly crept up in price. On another, last year's perfectly good machines are sitting at their lowest prices in months. The back-to-school season of 2026 has arrived, and the smartest move isn't buying the newest thing — it's buying the right thing and holding onto it.
CNET summed up the mood nicely in a recent piece: back-to-school shoppers are leaning on more tech tools than ever, but they're actually buying fewer tech goods. Translation? People are being picky, hunting deals, and planning to keep their devices longer. That's a strategy we can get behind — and one that makes protecting your gear more important than ever.
The Dell 16 Plus just crashed below $900 — and it's still excellent
The headline deal of the week comes from Notebookcheck, which flagged the Dell 16 Plus dropping to $859.81 on Amazon — down from a high of $1,149.99 and well under its $904.89 average. For that, you get an Intel Lunar Lake Core Ultra 7 256V, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 16-inch IPS panel running a crisp 2,560 x 1,600 resolution at 120Hz with 100% sRGB coverage.
That's not a stripped-down budget machine. In testing, the Dell 16 Plus cleared 14+ hours of battery life, packs Wi-Fi 7, a removable SSD, and an Arc 140V integrated GPU that can actually play light games. It weighs under 2kg despite the 16-inch screen. Last year's model, this year's price — and for a student or a remote worker, it's a genuinely tough package to beat.
Why "last year's laptop" is the new sweet spot
Here's the catch the deal hides: component prices have been climbing. As Notebookcheck's Fawad Murtaza points out, DDR5 memory and SSD costs have gotten "out of control," which is why so many brand-new multimedia laptops now touch or exceed $1,000. When the floor for a current-gen machine keeps rising, a 2025 flagship on clearance starts to look like the rational buy.
That doesn't mean new laptops are bad. Intel's Panther Lake chips and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 are real steps forward, and Apple's M-series keeps setting the efficiency bar. But for a back-to-school budget, the value is clearly in the previous generation right now — especially with back-to-school sales kicking in (Dell is running promos up to $600 off PCs and laptops this month).
The accessory that quietly earns its keep: a proper GaN charger
If you're buying one thing to go with that new (or new-to-you) laptop, make it a real GaN charger. Lenovo just brought its Multi-port USB-C 100W GaN Charger to the US, and it's a small thing that solves a big annoyance. Priced at $69.99 (already on sale for $50.04 in black), it replaces three power bricks with one adapter the size of a stack of coasters — 70 x 70 x 30.5 mm, with foldable prongs.
The clever part is the power splitting: a single device gets the full 100W from either top USB-C port (enough to fast-charge a laptop), while all three ports in use split to 60W/20W/10W — so you can juice your laptop, phone, and earbuds from one wall outlet in a cramped dorm or airport lounge. It ships with a 1.8m braided USB-C cable and comes in black or white. Anker and Ugreen have similar bricks, but seeing a first-party option from Lenovo at this price is a welcome addition to the category.
MacBooks got pricier — but the deals are hiding
CNET's buyers' guide notes that MacBooks have gotten more expensive heading into 2026, yet the publication still found deals "worth buying anyway." Apple's ecosystem remains the gold standard for longevity — a MacBook Air bought today will likely still feel fast in 2030 — which is exactly why the higher entry price stings. For students locked into the Apple world, the play is the same as the Windows side: wait for education pricing, hunt the refurb store, and resist paying full freight on launch day.
And if you're picking up one of the newer machines — say Apple's MacBook Neo or a fresh Windows ultraportable — it's worth noting that ShaggyMax now carries made-to-fit UnderWare protection for the latest models, including the MacBook Neo screen-protector-and-keyboard-cover kits.
If you're keeping it longer, protect it
The whole point of buying smart and holding on is that your laptop becomes a long-term investment. A sub-$900 Dell or a $1,200 MacBook is worth keeping out of harm's way. That's where a little everyday protection pays for itself many times over.
ShaggyMax's UnderWare line was built for exactly this: a dual-sided microfiber screen protector that guards against scratches and fingerprints while doubling as a cleaning cloth, a form-fitting keyboard cover that blocks crumbs and dust, and a cleaning kit with the microfiber wipe and spray to keep displays crisp. They come in five colors now — Azure, Grape, Hibiscus, Sour Apple, and Stardust — so protection doesn't have to look utilitarian. For a machine you plan to keep for four years of classes (or a few years of remote work), a $15-22 kit is about the cheapest insurance you can buy.
The takeaway for back-to-school 2026
This season rewards patience over impulse. The standout play is a previous-generation workhorse like the Dell 16 Plus at $859, paired with a compact 100W GaN charger so you travel light, and a set of UnderWare screen and keyboard protection to make the whole thing last. MacBooks are pricier but still the longevity kings if you catch education or refurb pricing. Whatever you buy, the trend is clear: people are buying fewer laptops and keeping them longer — so the gear you choose, and how you care for it, matters more than it used to.