I cant believe Im saying this, but the MacBook Neos $100 price bump means budget Windows 11 laptops are now the better buy

Date:
Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:34:43 +0000

Description:
As feared, Apple has announced price rises for its MacBooks, and they've made the MacBook Neo and MacBook Air much harder to justify. Check out these Windows laptop deals instead!

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Apple can be its own worst
enemy sometimes. After shaking up the industry with both the MacBook Air M5 (slim, light and great value for money) and the MacBook Neo (which redefined what we should expect from an affordable laptop), it spurred its
laptop-making rivals, such as Dell and Acer , to up their game and compete.

The result is a reinvigorated laptop market with huge amounts of choice, with Apple continuing to lead the pack due to price and quality.

However, Apple has just announced some pretty major price hikes for a variety of its products, including the MacBook Neo ($699 / 699 / AU$1,049, up from $599 / 599 / AU$899), MacBook Air M5 ($1,299 / 1,299 / AU$2,099, up from $1,099 / 1,099 / AU$1,799) and the 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 ($1,999 / 1,999 / AU$3,199, up from $1,699 / 1,699 / AU$2,699).

Those increases, especially for the MacBook Air, are brutal , and make it a lot harder to justify. The MacBook Neo also becomes less of a no-brainer.

The problem for Apple is that these price hikes come at a time when its Windows 11 competitors are steadily bringing out brilliant alternatives - and it means they are now better value propositions in many cases, especially during Amazon Prime Day .

Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

The reason behind Apple's price rises is the global memory shortage, but that means many Windows 11 laptops could see price rises as well (and some have risen in price already).

However, because of the huge variety of Windows laptops that are made by a range of manufacturers, there's a lot more choice for consumers to shop
around for and now Apple no longer has a lead when it comes to price, performance or design, those Windows laptops suddenly become a whole lot more tempting, as the current Prime Day sales prove.

Below, I've picked out some great US and UK deals for MacBook Neo, Air, and Pro alternatives. Fair warning: they do run Windows 11 , so you'll need to
put up with that, but to be fair, Microsoft 's operating system is getting a steady stream of fixes and new features these days.

If you want to stick with Apple, then check out our collection of Apple Prime Day deals that can help you avoid the price rise. Today's best MacBook Neo alternative deals in the US Asus Vivobook 15 Laptop: $419.99 at Amazon Processor : Intel Core i3-1315U RAM : 16GB Storage : 256GB

This is a great price for a relatively modern laptop with a well-performing, efficient Core i3 CPU. On top of that, you get 16GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and
a solid battery life of up to 12 hours, which represents good value for money overall. I like it as a capable, all-around, everyday machine. Read more Read less View Deal Acer Aspire Go 15 : was $699.99 now $449.99 at Best Buy Processor : AMD Ryzen 7 7730U RAM : 16GB Storage : 512GB

The Acer Aspire Go 15 is a lightweight and surprisingly powerful laptop for the price, which is now less than the MacBook Neo, and offers more storage space and RAM. We reviewed it last year and scored it an impressive four
stars out of five. Although it's not a high-end laptop by any stretch, it is very usable, lightweight, and features plenty of ports. This particular configuration features a Ryzen 7 chipset, meaning it's powerful enough to
take on most applications. Read more Read less View Deal Dell 16 Plus
Laptop: was $1,399.99 now $599.99 at Dell Processor : Intel Core Ultra 5 RAM
: 16GB Storage : 512GB

This Dell 16 Plus laptop deal is a perfect example of why Apple is in trouble with these price rises. Thanks to an absolutely huge $800 price cut from Dell (can you ever imagine Apple offering a similar discount?) This 16-inch laptop is now less than the MacBook Neo, but it offers a bigger screen, a more powerful CPU, plus more RAM and SSD storage as well. This is a deal you don't want to miss, even if you're an Apple fan. Read more Read less View Deal
Dell 14 Plus: was $1,249.99 now $599.99 at Dell Processor : AMD Ryzen AI 5
340 RAM : 16GB Storage : 512GB

The Dell 14 Plus is one of our favorite mid-range Windows laptops thanks to its excellent design and competitive specs. If I were looking for a decent everyday laptop for everything from work to demanding productivity applications, then I'd be very tempted by this deal. Read more Read less
View Deal Today's best MacBook Air alternative deals in the US Lenovo Yoga 7: was $1,049.99 now $739.99 at Bestbuy Processor : AMD Ryzen AI 7 RAM : 16GB Storage : 1TB

This powerful and versatile Lenovo Yoga 7 offers impressive performance for the price, with high-end components such as a modern AMD Ryzen AI 7
processor, a healthy 16GB of RAM to boost performance, and a large 1TB SSD
for storage. You can comfortably handle everyday tasks, demanding work, video calls, media streaming and more with this laptop, all with the option to flip it around to a 16-inch touchscreen tablet when the need arises, too. Read
more Read less View Deal Dell 14 Plus Laptop: was $1,419.99 now $799.99 at Dell Processor : AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 RAM : 16GB Storage : 1TB

The Dell 14 Plus is one of our favorite models from Dell in the past few years. It really surprised us when we reviewed it because it offers great performance and a well-thought-out design at an excellent price. Today's best deal is on this Ryzen 7-equipped configuration, which offers plenty of power in this machine's portable 14-inch form factor. Read more Read less View
Deal HP OmniBook Flip 7: was $1,369.99 now $949.99 at Hp Processor : Intel Core Ultra 7 RAM : 16GB Storage : 512GB

This HP Omnibook 7 hits the sweet spot between performance and price, thanks to a hefty discount at the official store today. Not only do you get a powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 chipset, but 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD mean you're not skimping on any other specs here, either. As a 2-in-1 laptop, this machine is also foldable, if you want to use it like a tablet - something
that no MacBook offers. Read more Read less View Deal Dell XPS 13 Laptop:
was $1,399.99 now $999.99 at Dell Processor : Snapdragon X Elite RAM : 32GB Storage : 512GB

One of the best deals on the entire Dell site is undoubtedly this discount on the latest Snapdragon-equipped Dell XPS 13. This stylish and lightweight machine is perfect for those who want battery life and performance in a premium package. This particular configuration also includes 32GB of RAM, which is a very rare thing indeed these days at this price. Note, this is a Snapdragon chipset model, however, so make sure all your obscure apps are supported. Read more Read less View Deal Today's best MacBook Pro
alternative deals in the US Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360: was $1,999.99 now $1,199.99 at Amazon Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 256V RAM: 16GB DDR5 Storage: 1TB SSD

As I said in my Galaxy Book6 Ultra review , Samsung has come the closest to Apple's slick ecosystem. One of the best things about MacBooks is how they
can easily integrate with iPads, iPhones and AirPods, and Samsung, which
makes tablets, smartphones, headphones and more, has come up with a similar (if not quite as slick) system, which makes the (slightly older) Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 a brilliant MacBook Pro alternative, especially if you already have other Samsung devices. The specs also compare favorably to the MacBook Pro, especially with this discount. Read more Read less View Deal Alienware 16X Aurora gaming laptop: was $3,579.99 now $1,879.99 at Dell Graphics card: RTX 5070 Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9-275HX RAM: 32GB DDR5 Storage: 2TB SSD

With an RTX 5070 graphics card, Ultra 9 chipset, and a whopping 32GB of RAM, this one is all set for excellent performance right out of the box, while featuring a relatively discrete and slick design for a gaming laptop, and a price that undercuts the MacBook Pro. Read more Read less View Deal MSI Vector 16 HX AI: was $2,499 now $1,998.99 at Bestbuy Graphics card : GeForce RTX 5080 Processor : Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX RAM : 16GB Storage: 1TB

Need a monster of a laptop? Forget Amazon, Best Buy has you covered: the MSI Vector 16 HX AI packs a mighty RTX 5080 GPU along with a cutting-edge Intel Core Ultra HX chip with built-in NPU for handling AI workloads as well as multitasking when gaming. This is a great MacBook Pro alternative for
creative professionals, even if you don't play games. Read more Read less View Deal Today's best MacBook Neo alternative deals in the UK Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3: was 599.99 now 349.99 at Amazon Processor : Intel Core i5 RAM : 16GB Storage : 512GB

This is a great price for a relatively modern laptop that comes with a well-performing Intel Core i5 CPU. On top of that, you get 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD for storage, and incredible battery life, which represents good value for money overall. It's slightly larger with the 16-inch display, which could hamper portability, but it's a solid everyday machine for the price,
and it's now much cheaper than the MacBook Neo. Read more Read less View
Deal Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge: was 530.97 now 449 at Amazon Processor : Snapdragon X RAM : 16GB Storage : 1TB

This is a great price with a well-performing and efficient Snapdragon X CPU. On top of that, you get 16GB of RAM, a surprisingly large 1TB SSD for
storage, and incredible battery life, which represents good value for money overall. I like it as a light, portable and capable all-around everyday machine. Read more Read less View Deal Today's best MacBook Air alternative deals in the UK Samsung Galaxy Book5: was 1,099 now 699.99 at Johnlewis Processor : Intel Core Ultra 7 RAM : 16GB Storage : 1TB

This is a fantastic price for one of the latest Samsung laptops with a modern Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and several other top-spec components. At 350 off, this is a great price for a laptop that's tailor-made for powerful performance and offers fantastic battery life of up to 18 hours. This is a particularly strong option if you want to combine power, performance, and style in one package. Read more Read less View Deal Microsoft Surface
Laptop: was 899 now 696.18 at Amazon Processor : Snapdragon X Plus RAM : 16GB Storage : 512GB

The latest Microsoft Surface Laptop is one of our favourite Windows devices and received a glowing five-stars in our Microsoft Surface Laptop review , so I'm obviously going to call out this solid saving at Amazon. This particular specification includes a powerful Snapdragon X Plus processor, a healthy 16GB of RAM and a reasonable 512GB SSD. That storage feels a little light for the price, but the levels of performance and battery life from the CPU are top-tier to go alongside the swish-looking display and keyboard. Read more Read less View Deal Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: 885.63 at Amazon Processor : AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 RAM : 16GB Storage : 1TB

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is one of the best laptops students can buy, as it uses AMD's Ryzen AI 7 350 processor. It's capable of storming through intense CPU tasks, utilizing AI like Copilot+, and gaming thanks to its Radeon 860M integrated GPU. Read more Read less View Deal Today's best MacBook Pro alternative deals in the UK SAMSUNG Galaxy Book6 Pro: was 1,699 now 1,399 at Currys Processor : Intel Core Ultra 5 325 RAM : 16GB Storage : 512GB

Thanks to a huge 300 saving, the Galaxy Book6 Pro is now a formidable MacBook Pro competitor, especially when you consider the performance, design and ecosystem integration this laptop offers. If you have a Samsung tablet, for example, you can quickly use it as a second screen, much like you can do with an iPad and MacBook. The rest of the Galaxy Book6 Pro's build quality is extremely high, and what we've come to expect from Samsung's high-end
laptops. Read more Read less View Deal Alienware Aurora 16 gaming laptop:
was 1,699 now 1,149 at Dell Technologies UK Graphics card: GeForce RTX 5060 Processor: Intel Core 7 RAM: 16GB Storage: 1TB

Alienware gaming laptops never come cheap, but I actually rate this deal on the newest Aurora 16 model at the official Dell Store. With a stonking 550 off, you're paying a fair price here considering you're getting an RTX 5060 graphics card and 16GB of RAM. Couple that with a really nice design, and you've got an extremely solid 16-inch gaming laptop here, and it's a solid MacBook Pro alternative, as you can challenge the GPU with creative
workloads. Read more Read less View Deal MSI Prestige 16 Ai+: was 1,279 now 1,099 at Amazon Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 RAM: 32GB Storage: 1TB

This thin and light powerhouse of a laptop from MSI is a fantastic
alternative to the base MacBook Pro model thanks to its stunning 2.8K OLED screen, 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD, which gives you the kind of performance
you'd expect from the more expensive MacBook Pro. With a 14% price cut for Prime Day, it's an even more tempting alternative, and the overall design of this laptop is excellent. Read more Read less View Deal ASUS Zenbook Duo 14 OLED UX8406CA: was 2,099.99 now 1,269.99 at Amazon Processor: Intel Core
Ultra 9 285H RAM: 32GB Storage: 2TB

Another great thing about Windows 11 laptops is that because of the range of manufacturers, there are some really interesting spins on the usual form factor. So, while Apple won't even consider putting a touchscreen on a MacBook, over on the other side we have weird and wonderful beauties like this, which features two touchscreens. It works well and can be a real boon for creative tasks, and it's also fitted with some of the most powerful
mobile components on the market as well. Read more Read less View Deal More Prime Day deals in the US Amazon Devices : Fire Sticks & Echo from $18 Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99 Apple : MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29 Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99 Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99 Headphones : 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199 Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186 Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99 Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing Vacuums : Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34 More Prime Day deals in the UK Amazon Prime : get a 30-day free trial Amazon Devices : Fire, Ring & Blink from 13.99 Amazon Haul
: up to 30% off Apple : up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch Appliances : up
to 45% off Ninja & Tefal Beauty : up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B Essentials : household goods from 5 Fans : from 20 Fashion : up to 50% off Gaming : 90 off PlayStation 5 Headphones : up to 50% off Beats & Sony Laptops : from 149 Tablets : Samsung & Lenovo from 79.99 Toys : up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
TVs : from 129.99 Vacuums : up to 40% off Shark & Roborock Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura



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