Head-to-head · Best Budget Laptops Under $700

Acer Aspire 5 vs Apple MacBook Neo

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Apple MacBook Neo comes out ahead by a clear margin (4.4 vs 4.1). Apple MacBook Neo is best for: Buyers who want a light, well-built laptop for web, documents and video, and who are comfortable with macOS, 8GB of memory and two USB-C ports. Read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #3 in Best Budget Laptops Under $700

Acer Aspire 5

4.1

1 source$499as of Jul 1

The Aspire 5 is the budget anchor: a genuinely cheap 15.6-inch laptop that covers the basics well, with a Ryzen 5 5500U and a surprisingly likable IPS display. PCWorld called it "a great budget option for most people," and Notebookcheck praised its quiet, cool operation. The soldered 8GB RAM and small SSD are real limits, but for the price it delivers the essentials.

Strengths

— One of the lowest prices for a capable 15.6-inch Windows laptop
— Runs quiet and cool with a slim, light chassis
— Wi-Fi 6, backlit keyboard and a full port selection at a budget price

Watch-outs

— Older Ryzen 5000-series platform rather than the latest chips

$499 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Budget Laptops Under $700

Apple MacBook Neo

4.4

4 sources$699as of Oct 11

The MacBook Neo is Apple's 13-inch budget laptop, built around the A18 Pro chip with 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD. PCMag rated it 4.5 out of 5 and wrote that it "rewrites the budget laptop playbook" with a higher-end build, a more advanced screen and longer battery life than many laptops in its price range. Tom's Guide, also 4.5 out of 5, measured 13 hours 28 minutes of web surfing, and PCWorld, 4 out of 5, measured 13 hours 15 minutes of looped video. The compromises are in the details: one of the two USB-C ports is USB 2, the keyboard is not backlit, and Touch ID costs extra. PCWorld lists the price as $699, up from $599 at launch.

Strengths

— Aluminum build that PCMag calls premium and rigid
— 13-inch 2408 x 1506 display; Tom's Guide measured 480 nits and 110% of sRGB
— 13 hours 28 minutes in Tom's Guide's web-surfing battery test and 13 hours 15 minutes in PCWorld's video loop

Watch-outs

— One of the two USB-C ports is limited to USB 2 (PCMag, PCWorld)
— No keyboard backlighting (PCMag, Tom's Guide)
— Touch ID costs $100 extra, per CNET

$699 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

Acer Aspire 5

It is the lowest-priced laptop on this page. It gives up the HP OmniBook 5 14's OLED screen and battery life and the 16GB of memory in the Acer Aspire 14 AI, and it has a plastic build where the Apple MacBook Neo's is aluminum.

Apple MacBook Neo

It is the only macOS laptop on this page. Its roughly 13-hour battery results from PCWorld and Tom's Guide sit below the 17 hours PCMag and PCWorld recorded for the Acer Aspire 14 AI and the 25-plus hours PCWorld measured on the HP OmniBook 5 14. It has two USB-C ports where the Aspire 14 AI adds USB-A and HDMI, and 8GB of memory against the 16GB in the Aspire 14 AI and the OmniBook 5 14.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Acer Aspire 5	Apple MacBook Neo
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 5500U (6-core)	—
RAM	8GB DDR4	—
Storage	256GB NVMe SSD	256GB SSD
Display	15.6-inch FHD (1920x1080) IPS	13-inch Liquid Retina, 2408 x 1506, 500 nits
Graphics	AMD Radeon Graphics	—
Wireless	Wi-Fi 6	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6
Keyboard	Backlit	—
OS	Windows 11 Home	macOS
Processor	—	Apple A18 Pro
Memory	—	8GB
Ports	—	1x USB-C (USB 3), 1x USB-C (USB 2), 3.5mm audio
Webcam	—	1080p FaceTime camera
Weight	—	2.7 pounds
Dimensions	—	0.50 x 11.71 x 8.12 inches
Charger	—	20W USB-C

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