6 Affordable Windows PCs To Buy Instead Of Apple’s $599 MacBook Neo

The space of budget laptops has seen continuous improvements thanks in great part to AMD and Qualcomm's efforts, but the announcement of Apple's MacBook Neo for just $599 has proven one of the biggest disruptions in years. Even while writing up this article of alternative picks (four cheaper, two more expensive), it's hard to outright downplay the Neo's sheer performance-per-dollar or battery life, even for a largely Windows-centric writer like myself.

That said, there are alternatives available for those who want to stay within the PC and/or Windows ecosystem, and while most may falter in performance or battery life compared to the MacBook Neo, there are other compelling reasons to consider these systems instead. For example, our #3 pick, the Lenovo V14 G15, boasts twice the RAM of the MacBook Neo, which could be essential for heavy-duty multitasking.

But let's not get ahead of ...