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For a while, it seemed going the high-end route was the best way to get meaningful value from your laptop purchase. Apple has challenged this assumption with the MacBook Neo, a budget laptop with a sleek design, premium build quality, high-quality display, and acceptable performance, even if it comes with some compromises. The MacBook Neo, which goes for $599 and is Apple’s most affordable laptop ever, has shifted the conversation around budget laptops to a more positive light. Maybe affordable laptops might have other perks that people easily overlook.
Not many budget laptops are on the level of the MacBook Neo, but they are still modern devices that can be upgraded to run well. Also, since you aren’t paying a premium, you’ll have some money left over, and it’s less devastating if they stop working for whatever reason. It’s interesting that the very constraints and compromises that make budget laptops affordable can be the very same ones that make you pick them over a premium device.
You’ll have money left over for other things
Many budget laptops cost less than $600, so if you were saving up for a premium laptop before opting to go with a budget one, you may end up with some spare cash to get a good second gadget with. For instance, you can purchase a cheap gaming handheld like the Nintendo Switch Lite for $299, along with a game or two. If you hit the sales on the Nintendo eShop, you can find game bundles that give you more value for less. You can also buy a good budget-friendly tablet with that change, such as the Amazon Fire HD 10 for $139 or an 11th-Gen iPad (2025) for $349.
The bottom line is that you can get one of the nice-to-have gadgets that you couldn’t before because you thought a functional laptop would set you back upwards of $1,000. Take the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, for instance, which are premium noise-cancelling headsets for audiophiles and go for $399. You can also get yourself a 50-inch Roku Select TV for $299 instead. It has 4K HDR, making it good for streaming and gaming. Buying a budget laptop opens up your wallet to endless possibilities.
The hardware is still modern
The MacBook Neo’s chip is most likely a repurposed A18 Pro found in an iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, but with five cores instead of six. Regardless, it is a modern chip with features like a 16-core neural engine for generative AI, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, Wi-Fi 7 for fast internet connectivity, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 for fast USB transfer speeds. It can even outperform a dedicated computer chip like the Apple M1, which is why it’s capable of running a small laptop like the Neo.
All this is to say that you shouldn’t conflate the words “budget” or “cheap” with “old.” However, the components are cheaper and less powerful, which is how the manufacturer is able to make the laptops affordable in the first place. The chips might be a generation behind, the RAM might be lower, the SSDs might be slower, and the GPU probably won’t run any games from the current generation, but the laptop will last and accomplish what it’s mean to accomplish. The goal is just to have a machine that can comfortably run everyday tasks.
RAM and storage could be upgraded
Unfortunately, you can’t upgrade the RAM and storage if you purchase the MacBook NEO. Its 8 GB RAM and 256GB SSD are soldered directly to the board. You can spend an extra $100 to get the 512 GB SSD version, but you’re out of luck if you ever need more physical memory. Considering 16 GB is now regarded as the minimum RAM requirement to run modern apps smoothly, especially for a Windows computer, it’s a good thing that not all budget laptops have their chips and storage drives soldered onto the board.
Many budget laptops come with 4 GB or 8 GB RAM, with some making it upgradable to 16GB or more. They might even come with an additional RAM slot so you can add more memory, on top of the one that is already there. Also, they might come with an M.2 slot, meaning you can remove the SSD to upgrade or replace it when you notice signs that it’s about to fail. Just be sure to check the laptop’s specifications to ensure that the RAM and SSD are upgradable.
You’re out less if you break it
All laptop owners have to deal with the common realities that portable devices are much easier to drop or spill liquids on. This is especially true if you’re going to be carrying the laptop around to work, cafes, and libraries, or if you live in a house with young kids. Whether it’s a budget laptop or not, breaking it will have an impact on your budget. But it’s far easier to spend another $300 to $400 than it is to shell out $1,000 or more, since you won’t feel like you’re losing an entire week’s worth of pay.
Interestingly enough, budget laptops are more resistant to bumps and drops. Their chassis are usually made from plastic instead of metals like aluminum, magnesium, and titanium, as in premium models. The exception is the MacBook Neo, which has a fully aluminum chassis. Plastic will flex — bend and deform — rather than dent if the impact is relatively low. This ability to flex also allows plastic to absorb more of the impact, which protects the internal components. The same impact can cause metal to dent while transferring the shock internally.
You still get warranty
Going for the budget-friendly option doesn’t necessarily mean you’re left unprotected if the laptop should encounter a hardware fault. After all, the manufacturing process is not perfect. That means there will always be some defective units being sold on the market, and major laptop brands usually provide a limited one-year warranty for repairs and replacements. The safety net is especially useful for students or casual users who might not have the means or incentive to replace an item that costs hundreds of dollars.
If the laptop runs into a problem that isn’t your fault, you should send it back to the manufacturer for repairs and replacements, provided it’s still under warranty. In that sense, it’s important to understand what a warranty covers and what it doesn’t. The manufacturer will happily help if you have a defective processor, RAM, SSD, screen, or battery. But things like drops, liquid damage, theft, botched repair jobs, and general wear and tear are not covered by the warranty, meaning any repairs or replacements will be out-of-pocket.
