Before you buy that MacBook Neo — consider you might be able to get a super-cheap MacBook Air instead
This deal at Best Buy stacks a discount with a trade rebate
by https://www.techradar.com/uk/author/alex-whitelock · TechRadarDeals By Alex Whitelock published 8 May 2026
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If you've got the latest MacBook Neo in your shopping cart ready to go, I have a deal that could potentially just stop you in your tracks. It's on the equally excellent, but higher-end, MacBook Air M5.
Right now, Best Buy has this model listed for just $949 (was $1,099) on its baseline 16GB RAM / 512GB configuration. That's a great deal in itself, but what's really caught my eye is the retailer's trade-in program. Using this program, you can currently stack that upfront saving with some serious additional discounts.
From my own testing, it looks like you can get up to $600 off by trading in an older MacBook Air right now. Similarly, the retailer also accepts Windows laptops from well-known brands, so this could be a good opportunity to make the switch.
In some circumstances - depending on the value of your trade-in - you could potentially get a MacBook Air for even cheaper than $599, which is the starting price of the new MacBook Neo. If you can, it feels like a real no-brainer to go for the higher-end model here.
Best Buy's latest MacBook Air deal
Apple MacBook Air (M5): was $1,099, now $949, plus extra trade-in discounts at Best Buy
Best Buy has the latest MacBook on sale right now for a record-low price, but that's not all. If you happen to have an old machine handy, you can trade that in for a further discount. While your total savings will vary depending on the value of your old laptop, it's possible here to knock several hundreds of dollars off the price of the latest model. In some cases, making it cheaper than the lower-end MacBook Neo.
Is the MacBook Air better than the Neo?
Better is subjective, but the Air is certainly a higher-end laptop than the Neo. It's designed from the ground up to have more performance - and, under normal circumstances, rightfully fetches a higher asking price than the Neo.
That said, if you're not trading in, there is still a strong case for the Neo at $599. If you're someone who just wants a laptop for the basics and even some demanding tasks within reason, the Neo is fantastic. It's just on those more demanding workloads where the Air is going to have more headroom.
The Air does come with a fair share of upgrades, too. Alongside the better chipset, the baseline Air configuration comes with 16GB of RAM and a speedier 512GB SSD. On top of that, you've also got a haptic mouse pad, better audio, and better ports overall.
For further details, I'd recommend checking out our Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) review and Apple MacBook Neo review pages.
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