It’s Prime Day, which means there’s tons of discounts to be had from the hottest tech to home upgrades. You can even score some rare discounts on Apple products. If you haven’t heard, Apple just announced significant price hikes across its entire product lineup, including the new MacBook Neo. So if you see Apple devices on sale, picking them up now might be a smart idea.
Amazon hasn’t matched Apple’s new price, $699, for the MacBook Neo yet — it was $599 before the jump. Amazon still has it priced at $590. That’s technically a modest $9 savings off the original price and a really attractive $110 savings on the new price.
CNET laptop expert Matt Elliott tested the MacBook Neo and called it “an absolute banger of a budget laptop.” He gave it a review score of 8.3 out of 10, appreciating how the laptop still offers the same premium design and durability as Apple’s pricier MacBooks.
The single-core performance makes everyday tasks, such as browsing, streaming, emailing and word processing feel snappy. Battery life is just as impressive, as the MacBook Neo lasted nearly 13.5 hours in our YouTube streaming battery-drain test.
Elliott noted that the “MacBook Neo is easily the best laptop for school use, especially if you or the student you’re buying for already has an iPhone. For those out of school and who want a cheap, portable laptop for casual use around the house or for a job that doesn’t require demanding creative, scientific or AI tasks, the MacBook Neo makes a lot of sense for the money. You won’t find a better-designed laptop at this price.”
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Alternatives to consider
The MacBook Neo isn’t the only affordable laptop out there. The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is a great choice if you’re on a budget. It’s got a 14-inch display, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Plus, it even supports some helpful Google AI features. This laptop goes for $799 but you can pick it up for $499 right now.
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