Apple MacBook Neo

The MacBook Neo is, without a doubt, the best budget laptop you can buy today. It’s sleek, more powerful and capable than it should be at its price point, and has enough battery life for a full workday. It can even game. If you can get past being stuck with 8GB of RAM, it’s easily the best computer you can buy for less than $600.

If you’re a student on a budget – or anyone else looking for a compact laptop for day to day use, for that matter – the MacBook Neo is ideal and, quite possibly, the perfect laptop. It’s a no-brainer of a recommendation and, despite its few flaws, one of Apple’s greatest products to date.

The MacBook Neo is a shot across the bow of the Windows laptop market. This colorful budget laptop brings the MacBook's premium design elements and user experience to a whole new customer base. It also offers seamless connectivity to iPhones and other Apple devices. For students, young people, and casual users, there's nothing else like it at this price.

But at that exact moment, you'll also remember the $500 you saved by not buying a MacBook Air and conclude it was probably worth it. That's high praise for a budget-level product. Ultimately, it's what makes the MacBook Neo one of the best budget laptops you can buy right now—despite its flaws.

The MacBook Neo is the best $599 laptop we’ve ever seen. The only downside is you’re stuck with low storage and 8GB of RAM.

The MacBook Neo redefines the value laptop at $599. You get a premium aluminum design, bright display and solid A18 Pro performance, plus stellar battery life. There’s some trade-offs, including no backlit keyboard and Touch ID costing extra. But overall no other laptop comes close to the Neo in terms of bang for your buck.

The MacBook Neo is a spectacular budget laptop that should shock the PC industry. It never makes you feel like you're getting a lesser machine in exchange for affordability, but it would be nice if Apple could backlight the keyboard and make the ports work in a more seamless fashion.

The MacBook Neo is, in every sense, a MacBook. It’s made with the same quality and care you’ve come to expect from Apple. it might cost a fraction of what Apple charges for the MacBook Pro, but it’s not a letdown; it’s a delight.