For years the answer to"what is the cheapest Mac laptop" was simply the smallest MacBook Air. That changed in March 2026, when Apple added the MacBook Neo below the Air: a 13-inch machine built around the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone rather than an M-series part. It runs the same macOS, opens the same apps and sits at a lower rung than anything Apple had sold before.

Buying at the bottom of a range is a trade, not a discount. This page sets out what the entry tier actually includes, which shortcuts Apple took to reach that price, and the situations where paying one step up saves money over the life of the machine. Rand pricing moves with the exchange rate and with stock, so treat the figure on each listing as the live one.