The 4 best cheap laptops of 2026: Apple MacBook Neo tops the list

Budget laptops are getting harder to find in 2026. You can thank the AI industry: A surge in data center construction has triggered a global RAM shortage that's forced many PC makers to raise their prices and scrap their cheapest models. Right now, affordable laptops worth buying are few and far between. That's what makes the new Apple MacBook Neo so special. For a starting price of just $599, it offers superb build quality, a sharp, pretty display, and better everyday performance than most premium PCs. It's easily the best cheap laptop you can buy right now, but it's not the only affordable laptop we tested and recommend. So, see the top Chromebooks and laptops under $1,000. These are the tech, tools, and products — from laptops to e-readers, from earbuds to robovacs, and more — that Mashable ranks best in class. If you prefer Windows, the 2025 Acer Aspire 16 AI is pretty easy to recommend. It has an impressive battery life, a backlit keyboard, a good mix of ports, and a healthy amount of RAM. It's the fastest sub-$900 laptop for multi-core tasks like video editing (by a hair). For those who can spend a little more, last year's ultraportable Asus Zenbook A14 is my favorite laptop