And Neo makes three. Apple’s new budget laptop gives MacBook shoppers a third option next to the established MacBook Air and Pro lines. The MacBook Neo is a near-perfect starter Mac, and I’m willing to live without most of its features because of its low price. It’s still a good value at $699 ($599 for students) after Apple hiked its price by $100 . In one (somewhat depressing) respect, it’s now an even greater value because Apple raised the price of the MacBook Air by $200 and slapped a $300 increase on the MacBook Pro. The Neo now costs $600 less than the cheapest M5 MacBook Air. We’ve got reviews of the new Neo and M5 MacBook Air as well as the big 16-inch MacBook Pro with both the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. We have a MacBook favorite for any budget.

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Bottom Line

The 15-inch MacBook Air is proof that you don't need a Pro to get a larger display.…