The MacBook Neo Isn’t the Only Low-Cost Mac Worth Buying

Apple’s “affordable” MacBook is official. The company revealed the “MacBook Neo” in a non-livestreamed event on Wednesday, following a series of product announcements throughout the week. Despite the hype, there aren’t many surprises here: rumors pointed to a low-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip that would come in a variety of fun colors to choose from. That’s essentially exactly what we got: the Neo uses the A18 Pro – the same chip as the iPhone 16 Pro – and comes in Blush (pink), Indigo, Citrus (yellow/green), and Silver.

Really, the biggest surprise of the day is the price: $599, or $499 if you buy from the educational store (which anyone can buy from). It’s a bit unbelievable that you can buy a new MacBook for as little as $500 in 2026, especially since the price of computer components is only skyrocketing. In 2008, a MacBook cost $1,099, which is just under $1,700 today. Now you can buy three MacBook Neos for that price and still have money left for accessories.

The MacBook Neo is not perfect

If you’re in the market for a new MacBook, the Neo might be particularly tempting. But it’s really not the only Mac to consider. Despite Apple’s expensive reputation, you can get powerful Macs at very reasonable prices today, although not necessarily through Apple itself. The company will happily sell you a MacBook Air starting at $1,099 ($999 via the Education Store), which is quite a bit more than the Neo. Instead, you should consider older Mac in other stores that offer them. This might sound strange, but you might be better off choosing something that wasn’t released this year, or even something second-hand.

Back when the Neo was just a rumor, I recommended not waiting for it. Sure, the colors looked fun and the price is great, but there are some serious downsides to consider here, first and foremost the underlying hardware. The A18 Pro is a compatible chip for the iPhone 16 Pro, but it’s unproven as a vehicle for running macOS. This is an Apple-designed chip, so there is an advantage, but it still wasn’t there. designed for Apple’s operating system, in the same way as the Mac’s M-series chips. We won’t know the exact performance specs until testers get their hands on the Neo, but I’m guessing the A18 Pro won’t be a macOS workbench, hence this ultra-low price.

The Neo’s RAM also holds it back. Apple only ships the Neos with 8GB of memory, which will be fine for most simple tasks, but not more complex ones. Or for multitasking. Power users trying to push the Neo will likely run into problems trying to run too many programs (or too many browser tabs) at once. That said, Apple knows it has a plot of users rely on 8 GB of RAM, since this was the entry-level standard until M4. Plus, that lower RAM goes a long way toward keeping the price low.

Finally, there are the tricky things. The keyboard, while color-matched, doesn’t have a backlight and if you opt for the base model you won’t get Touch ID. For this you will have to spend an additional $100, but it will also double your storage (512 GB instead of 256 GB). There’s no MagSafe, which has once again become a standard on modern MacBooks, and the trackpad is mechanical rather than haptic, although that’s not necessarily better or worse.

None of these things are necessarily deal-breakers, and other MacBooks have similar issues. But that doesn’t mean the Neo is right for everyone in this price range. Before you click “pre-order” on Apple’s website, here are a few other options to consider.

The MacBook Air M1 is still worth considering

The MacBook Air M1 could go down in history as the best laptop Apple has ever made. Not because it’s the most powerful or sleekest design, but because this five-year-old MacBook is still going strong. If you bought one in 2020, you may still have one and have no real reason to upgrade.

Apple no longer makes this Air. In fact, it only offers the M5 option announced this week. But you can still get the M1 at stores like Amazon and Walmart, often at extremely good prices. I will show you two options here, as possible alternatives to Neo. One is the base model M1 Air, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That’s half the storage of the Neo, which could be a problem, but this sacrifice saves you even more money. Right now, Walmart has a used model for just over $350. It’s hard to beat.

Here’s an option that beats it: on Amazon, you can buy an M1 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $515. If you can find a machine like this at this price, jump on it. Even though the A18 Pro outperforms the M1 chip in testing, those 16GB of RAM will keep this machine fast for longer. I strongly I suggest buying a MacBook with 16GB of RAM in 2026, so if you can buy one at this price, go for it.

The MacBook Air M2 is cheap and a beast

In the $600 to $650 range, the MacBook Air M2 is a beast. You of course have the second generation Apple M-series chip, but also the modern design of Apple’s MacBook. The company hasn’t really changed the look of its MacBook Airs since the M2, which means this machine looks brand new. It also comes with a brighter and larger screen compared to the M1 Air and MagSafe charging.

Again, Apple no longer makes this model, so you have to look to the second-hand and third-party markets here. You can find models with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $600, like this one on Amazon. 16GB of RAM would be ideal, but it’s currently difficult to find M2s with this configuration at this price, as that tends to push things into the $800 range. But that’s the trade-off at this price point: you get the modern form factor and the latest chip, while sacrificing RAM. The M2 with 8GB RAM will likely outlast the A18 Pro with 8GB RAM when it comes to macOS. We’ll have to wait for testing to be sure, but I’d bet on the chip designed for macOS.

The MacBook Neo is probably a great buy

That’s not to say you shouldn’t consider the Neo. In fact, it might be the Mac for you. On the one hand, you get a brand new Mac (not used or refurbished) for $499, in color options that M-series Macs never offered. There are also some benefits you don’t get with the M1 or M2 MacBook Air: the M1 has a 720p FaceTime camera while the M2 and Neo have a 1080p lens. The MacBook Neo supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6, with M1 and M2 not supporting it. If the Neo is your jam, I’m not trying to dissuade you.

Instead, I encourage you to wait until we know more. Apple opened pre-orders today, but don’t rush: keep an eye out for real-world benchmarks and tests, and see how the A18 Pro compares to the M1 and M2 when running macOS.