I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the MacBook Neo’s $100 price bump means budget Windows 11 laptops are now the…

Apple can be its own worst enemy sometimes. After shaking up the industry with both the MacBook Air M5 (slim, light and great value for money) and the MacBook Neo (which redefined what we should expect from an affordable laptop), it spurred its laptop-making rivals, such as Dell and Acer, to up their game and compete.

The result is a reinvigorated laptop market with huge amounts of choice, with Apple continuing to lead the pack due to price and quality.

However, Apple has just announced some pretty major price hikes for a variety of its products, including the MacBook Neo ($699 / £699 / AU$1,049, up from $599 / £599 / AU$899), MacBook Air M5 ($1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,099, up from $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799) and the 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 ($1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,199, up from $1,699 / £1,699 / AU$2,699).

Those increases, especially for the MacBook Air, are brutal, and make it a lot harder to justify. The MacBook Neo also becomes less of a no-brainer.

The problem for Apple is that these price hikes come at a time when its Windows 11 competitors are steadily bringing out brilliant alternatives - and it means they are now better value propositions in many cases, especially during Amazon Prime Day.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

The reason behind Apple's price rises is the global memory shortage, but that means many Windows 11 laptops could see price rises as well (and some have risen in price already).

However, because of the huge variety of Windows laptops that are made by a range of manufacturers, there's a lot more choice for consumers to shop around for — and now Apple no longer has a lead when it comes to price, performance or design, those Windows laptops suddenly become a whole lot more tempting, as the current Prime Day sales prove.

Below, I've picked out some great US and UK deals for MacBook Neo, Air, and Pro alternatives. Fair warning: they do run Windows 11, so you'll need to put up with that, but to be fair, Microsoft's operating system is getting a steady stream of fixes and new features these days.

If you want to stick with Apple, then check out our collection of Apple Prime Day deals that can help you avoid the price rise.

Today's best MacBook Neo alternative deals in the US

Today's best MacBook Air alternative deals in the US

Today's best MacBook Pro alternative deals in the US

Today's best MacBook Neo alternative deals in the UK

Today's best MacBook Air alternative deals in the UK

Today's best MacBook Pro alternative deals in the UK

More Prime Day deals in the US

Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18

Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99

Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29

Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools

Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99

Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99

Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung

Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199

Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186

Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99

Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing

Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial

Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99

Amazon Haul: up to 30% off

Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch

Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & Tefal

Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B

Essentials: household goods from £5

Fans: from £20

Fashion: up to 50% off

Gaming: £90 off PlayStation 5

Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony

Laptops: from £149

Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99

Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies

TVs: from £129.99

Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock

Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

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Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he's reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.