Thursday, June 25, 2026
HomeTechnologyI can’t believe I’m saying this, but the MacBook Neo’s $100 price...

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the MacBook Neo’s $100 price bump means budget Windows 11 laptops are now the better buy

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

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. View Deal

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.View Deal

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.View Deal

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.View Deal

Today’s best MacBook Air alternative deals in the US

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.View Deal

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. View Deal

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.View Deal

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.View Deal

Today’s best MacBook Pro alternative deals in the US

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.View Deal

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.View Deal

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.View Deal

Today’s best MacBook Neo alternative deals in the UK

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.View Deal

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.View Deal

Today’s best MacBook Air alternative deals in the UK

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.View Deal

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.View Deal

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.View Deal

Today’s best MacBook Pro alternative deals in the UK

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.View Deal

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. View Deal

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.View Deal

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.View Deal

More Prime Day deals in the US

More Prime Day deals in the UK

UAE Dailypost
UAE Dailypost
We provide you with the latest breaking news straight from the different industry.
RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

TOP CATEGORIES

Most Popular

POPULAR TAGS

Recent Comments