Apple sells three kinds of MacBook in October 2026: the MacBook Neo, the M5 MacBook Air, and the M5 MacBook Pro. Prices went up in June. The Neo now starts at $699 (it launched at $599 in March), the 13-inch Air starts at $1,299, and the 14-inch Pro starts at $1,999. Education pricing on the Neo is still $599.
For most people the 13-inch M5 Air is the one to buy. The Neo is the budget Mac. The Pro is for work that runs hot for a long time. US starting prices below are Apple's, not sale prices.
Quick Picks
- Best MacBook overall: 13-inch MacBook Air (M5) — $1,299
- Best big-screen everyday Mac: 15-inch MacBook Air (M5) — $1,499
- Best budget Mac: MacBook Neo — $699 ($599 education)
- Best display and battery: 14-inch MacBook Pro (M5) — $1,999
- Best for video, code, and 3D: 14-inch MacBook Pro (M5 Pro) — $2,499
- Best large pro laptop: 16-inch MacBook Pro (M5 Pro) — $2,999
1. 13-inch MacBook Air (M5) — Best MacBook for Most People
The 13-inch M5 MacBook Air is the default recommendation. It was updated in March 2026 with the M5 chip, 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage as the base configuration, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6. The screen is a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display. Apple quotes about 18 hours of battery life. It is fanless, so it stays silent, and it has MagSafe plus two Thunderbolt 4 ports. It can drive two external displays. Memory goes up to 32GB and storage up to 4TB.
Buy this if you write, browse, edit photos sometimes, and want a Mac that will still feel current in a few years. Do not buy it if you export long 4K timelines every day. The Air has no fan, so sustained heavy work slows down to keep the machine cool.
- Best for: School, office work, travel, and light creative work
- Starting price: $1,299 (was $1,099 before June)
- Key specs: M5, 13.6-inch Liquid Retina, 16GB / 512GB, MagSafe, two Thunderbolt 4 ports
2. 15-inch MacBook Air (M5) — Best Large Everyday Screen
The 15-inch M5 Air is the same laptop with a 15.3-inch display. It starts at $1,499. Choose it when you split the screen between a document and a browser all day and you do not want a Pro. It is still fanless, with the same ports and the same 18-hour battery claim. Skip it if the 13-inch already fits your bag and your budget. The extra $200 is only for the larger panel.
- Best for: People who want a bigger screen without Pro pricing
- Starting price: $1,499
- Key specs: M5, 15.3-inch Liquid Retina, 16GB / 512GB, fanless
3. MacBook Neo — Best Mac on a Budget
The MacBook Neo is Apple's cheap 13-inch laptop. It uses the A18 Pro — the same chip family as the iPhone 16 Pro — with 8GB of memory, a 13-inch Liquid Retina display (2408 by 1506, 500 nits), and a claimed 16 hours of video playback. It weighs 2.7 pounds, has no fan, and has two USB-C ports that are not equal: one is USB 3 (10 Gbps) and the other is USB 2. It drives one external display, up to 4K at 60Hz.
The base model is $699 with 256GB and no Touch ID. The $799 model doubles storage to 512GB and adds Touch ID. Students pay $599. The keyboard on the base model is not backlit. Our MacBook Neo review covered the March launch, when the base price was $599. Add $100 to those launch prices if you are buying now.
Buy the Neo for browsing, documents, streaming, and video calls. Spend up to the Air if you keep many apps open, edit video, or want this laptop for more than a couple of years. Eight gigabytes of memory does not go as far as the Air's 16GB.
- Best for: Students and first-time Mac buyers with light work
- Starting price: $699 ($599 education)
- Key specs: A18 Pro, 13-inch Liquid Retina, 8GB, 256GB or 512GB, two USB-C ports
4. 14-inch MacBook Pro (M5) — Best Screen and Battery
The entry 14-inch MacBook Pro uses the same M5 chip as the Air, then adds the things the Air leaves out: a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion, a fan so performance holds up longer, HDMI, an SD card slot, three Thunderbolt ports, and longer battery life. Apple's figure for this class of Pro is about 22 to 24 hours. It starts at $1,999.
This is the step up if you want a better screen and all-day battery more than you want a cheaper Air. If your work is ordinary documents and a browser, the Air is still the smarter $700 saving.
- Best for: People who want the Pro display and ports without a pro chip
- Starting price: $1,999
- Key specs: M5, 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, MagSafe, HDMI, SDXC
5. 14-inch MacBook Pro (M5 Pro) — Best for Creative Work
Move to the M5 Pro when the job itself is the reason you need a laptop: 4K video, 3D, large code builds, or several heavy apps at once. It starts at $2,499. Thunderbolt 5 is on the higher Pro chips, and memory on the M5 Pro and M5 Max can be configured far past the Air, up to 128GB on the top chips. The M5 Max 14-inch starts around $4,099. Most people do not need the Max. Buy the M5 Pro unless you already know a project that fills 64GB or more.
- Best for: Video editors, developers, and 3D work
- Starting price: $2,499 (M5 Max from about $4,099)
- Key specs: M5 Pro, 14.2-inch XDR, Thunderbolt 5, active cooling
6. 16-inch MacBook Pro — Best If You Live on One Screen
The 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,999 with an M5 Pro or M5 Max, a 16.2-inch XDR display, and the same pro ports: three Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI, an SD card reader, and MagSafe. Battery life is in the same 22-to-24-hour range as the 14-inch Pro. Buy it if you edit on the laptop screen all day and you do not mind the weight. Buy the 14-inch M5 Pro if you travel and plug into a monitor at the desk.
- Best for: Desk-style work on a laptop screen
- Starting price: $2,999
- Key specs: M5 Pro or M5 Max, 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, Thunderbolt 5, HDMI, SDXC
Which MacBook Should You Buy?
- You want the best Mac for most people → 13-inch M5 MacBook Air
- You want that laptop with a bigger screen → 15-inch M5 MacBook Air
- You want the cheapest new Mac → MacBook Neo
- You want a better display and longer battery → 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro
- You edit video, build software, or render 3D → 14-inch M5 Pro MacBook Pro
- You want the largest pro screen → 16-inch MacBook Pro
A discounted 13-inch Air is a better long-term buy than a full-price Neo if the two prices get close. The Neo is the right call when the gap stays around $600 and your work stays light.
